Faculty of Sweet Briar College released a statement Tuesday opposing the college’s closure and seeking an immediate meeting with the school’s Board of Directors to discuss alternatives.
“We the faculty of Sweet Briar College oppose the unilateral decision to close the College,” the faculty statement said. “We support our alumnae and students. We request an immediate meeting with the Board of Directors to discuss specific alternatives as we move forward.”
Asst. Prof. Marcia Thom-Kaley said the faculty is optimistic about the discussion and that they will continue to apply themselves to the cause.
“We are hopeful that our statement will facilitate open dialogue with the Board and that a resolution can be reached in an effort to reverse their decision to close the college,” Thom-Kaley said in an email. “We are dedicated to our alumnae and to our students. We believe that keeping Sweet Briar College open for business is our priority.”
During a full faculty meeting Monday night, three faculty members addressed the issue after a group of 200 students entered the meeting room chanting the school’s mantra “Holla, Holla, Holla.” Sweet Briar Prof. Claudia Chang said the demonstration galvanized the faculty into a unified front to save Sweet Briar.
“[Faculty] had been so busy worrying about what they were doing next year, their jobs [and their homes] — some live on campus,” Chang said.
The presence of the students evoked the passion needed to overcome a potential division among faculty members, Chang said.
Thom-Kaley presented evidence on an undisclosed change in the College’s by-laws completed before the meeting in which the board voted to close the school. The change removed the requirement of a minimum of a 24 board members. Chang noted a lack of clarity from the interim president on this matter, which further upset the faculty.
“We didn’t know the size of the board had been reduced,” Chang said. “That presentation made the faculty really upset. There was a lack of transparency.”
Chang and Thom-Kaley are among many Sweet Briar faculty members who have publicly spoken out against the school’s closure.
“Its not about the money anymore,” Chang said. “It’s about the teaching community and learning experience and people are going to put their lives on the line.”
Thom-Kaley echoed this sentiment, saying that this issue is a responsibility the faculty must take on for the future of the college.
“It is, simply, a legacy left in our care,” Thom-Kaley said. “We will not abandon our college home nor the women we have been privileged to educate.”
According to Chang, Sweet Briar President James F. Jones is currently arranging a meeting between the Board of Directors and the Faculty Executive Committee, the faculty’s representative body. The meeting’s date and time have not yet been determined.
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