Board of Trustees amends Shimer charter to allow simple majority to elect new trustees

At a special meeting of the Shimer College Board of Trustees this morning, August 23, which had not been publicly announced, the Board voted to amend the Charter of the College—not the Bylaws of the Board--so as to give a simple majority of the Trustees the power to elect, or remove, members of the Board. The Board Bylaws require a 2/3 majority for election or removal, as well as for amendment, but the Charter, also known as the Articles of Incorporation, can be amended by a simple majority and takes precedence over the Bylaws.

The vote was 17 in support of the amendment and 11 opposed. One additional opposition vote by proxy was ruled out of order and not counted, but recorded in case of judicial overrule. Four affirmative votes (from four internal Trustees) were challenged by the opposition but the challenge was ruled invalid by the Chair, though the challenge was recorded.

In a meeting that, though still emotional, was mostly legalistic and far less heated than the May meeting, there were numerous parliamentary and legal challenges to the amendment, the voting, and the proceedings from the “Executive” party, besides the two mentioned above. In general, the objectors promised litigation to annul the amendment. I understand that a court injunction had also been sought to prevent today’s meeting from taking place.

No other action was taken by the Board at this meeting. As I understand it, the Nominating Committee, with the support of the Executive Committee and the “Constitutionalist” party, plans to proceed to the nomination of new Trustees for election according to the amended Charter, including some of the candidates last year’s Nominating Committee declined to nominate. Two Constitutionalist Trustees who were not re-elected at the May Board meeting seem likely be nominated and some new candidates have been proposed. There are no immediate-term plans for the majority to use its new power to remove Trustees.

In my opinion and speaking strictly for myself, I think that the objections raised to the amendment and the proceedings by Executivist trustees were weak, and that the responses to the objections by the Chair and by other Trustees were strong and well informed. Yet again, the Trustees who have been attempting to end constitutional governance at Shimer have neglected to do their homework and shown little understanding of our college, its constitutional documents, and even of the law. When the vote of student representative Trustee Heath Iverson was challenged on the ground that he has graduated, Heath was well prepared with a response, which the Chair endorsed. I am personally gratified that, after the votes of the two Faculty trustees were challenged on the grounds of conflict of interest, when I asked Trustee Frank Buckley “what exactly is supposed to be in conflict with what?” he was unable to give a direct answer.

I am posting the preceding because I believe that Shimer students and alumni, who have given so much in various ways during this civil conflict, are entitled to being kept informed. I do ask that you all use discretion and judgment in relaying what I have written, that you bear in mind that Shimer is in the midst of litigation, and that you contact me or other internal Trustees before in any way taking this news to the general public.

Albert B. Fernandez

Faculty Trustee

Speaker of the Assembly

Report on the May 27 '10 meeting of the Board of Trustees

From Albert Fernandez:

At today's meeting of the Board of Trustees:

1. A lawsuit was served by attorneys representing Thomas Lindsay and Patrick Parker, who have jointly filed suit against Shimer College, the Shimer Board of Trustees, and against Christopher Nelson, Albert Fernandez, Steven Werlin, Dan Shiner, and Ed Noonan as named defendants. Their aim, according to Parker, is to reverse the removal of Tom Lindsay. (At least as of now, I am not very worried about this lawsuit.)

2. Chris Nelson has been re-elected Chair of the Board.

3. Barry Carroll, Mary Lou Kennedy, and Patrick Parker have not been re-elected to the Board.

4. Marc Hoffman becomes a member of the Board by virtue of position as Assistant Treasurer.

5. Seven Trustees voted against awarding degrees to the May ’10 graduates.

6. There were several heated exchanges.

7. It was reported that the Chicago Tribune has already or will soon be releasing a story on the lawsuit.

Thanks for your service, don't let the door . . .

On May 21, three of former President Lindsay's most loyal Trustee supporters resigned from the Shimer Board. These Trustees are: Matt Franck, Carson Holloway, and Claudia Allums. All three were in the second cohort brought to the Board by Tom Lindsay. Their resignations give the "Constitutionalists" a comfortable majority of 19 to 13 votes on the Board, and virtually ensures the re-election of Board Chair Chris Nelson. It still does not, however, provide the 2/3 majority necessary for inducting nominees onto the Board or renewing the terms of serving Trustees.

Though there's certainly more work to be done, this is another great victory for the College. Keep it up Shimer!

Curious about what the SAA is up to?

As we adjust to the post-Lindsay era, you can follow our work at the link below.

Thank you for your commitment to Shimer and we'll be in touch, as events require . . .

Click here for the Shimer Alumni Alliance Facebook Page

Shimer President "Steps down"

The following statement was released shortly before midnight on the 19th of April, and can be read in PDF at shimer.edu.

Lindsay's eagerly-awaited departure has been noted in the Chronicle of Higher Education as well as many major online media outlets.

This announcement represents the culmination of a struggle which started months ago and upon which Shimer's very identity has been staked. A heartfelt thanks goes out to all those who have worked hard defending our plucky college in this time of great need.

Please stay tuned. There is much left to do to support Shimer now that it is free from Lindsay's influence. We'll have more details to you on this soon.

~~~~

Shimer College President Steps Down

Shimer College, the Great Books College of Chicago, has announced that its 13th president, Thomas K. Lindsay, will be stepping down effective immediately. Long-time trustee Edward Noonan, chairman of Chicago Associates Planners & Architects, has been named interim president until the college undertakes a search for a new president.

Mr. Lindsay accepted the Shimer presidency in June 2008 and assumed formal leadership of the college in January 2009. During his tenure, he brought fiscal responsibility to the college by insisting upon balanced annual budgets and eliminating the college’s trailing deficit. Chairman of the Board Christopher Nelson said, “We are grateful to Tom Lindsay for his financial leadership over the past year and a half and wish him well in his future endeavors.” When asked about the change in leadership, Mr. Nelson said “Shimer continues to face many challenges, but we are fortunate to have an experienced leader like Ed Noonan ready to step in and assist us through this transition.”

Former Chairman of the Board, Edward Noonan is a 20 year veteran of Shimer College and was named Trustee Emeritus in 2000. Said Mr. Nelson, “Ed Noonan is uniquely positioned both as someone who understands the long history of Shimer, but also as someone who understands the necessity of improving the administrative structures within the college. We look forward to Ed working with faculty & staff, alumni, students, and the Board of Trustees to continue the good efforts currently being undertaken by the college administration until we search for our next president.”

Through the years Mr. Noonan has been actively engaged in professional and civic activities at the University of Chicago and throughout the Chicago area. No stranger to the IIT campus, Edward Noonan conducted his graduate studies in architecture under Mies Van Der Rohe. Now a renowned Chicago architect, Mr. Noonan currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Chicago Associates Planners & Architects where he has most recently overseen innovative and eco-friendly development projects for Tryon Farm.

Mr. Noonan is now charged with continuing his recent efforts to strengthen internal structures, reach out to the Chicago community and college supporters, and respond to the new energy of Shimer alumni. “I’m grateful to once again have the opportunity to serve Shimer College. I am looking forward to helping an institution with such a unique and noble educational mission,” said Mr. Noonan.

Welcome to the Shimer Alumni Alliance Information Page!

This is the Shimer Alumni Alliance Information Page, dedicated to keeping the extended Shimer College community updated on news, developments, and events that need to be publicly known. As many of you know, Shimer is facing a grave crisis of ideologically driven mismanagement. Here, we will provide you with:

• An explanation for why you should be concerned
• An explanation for why you should be concerned, NOW
• An archive of relevant documents
  
• Suggestions for how you can help
• Up-to-date information about the unfolding conflict

Please take a little time to learn about what's happening at the College. Shimer needs you now more than ever.

If you would like to stay abreast of this struggle with timely updates, or just want to offer your comments, please contact us at shimeralum@gmail.com.

Feb. 22 Update: "What the hell just happened?!"

On the afternoon of February 20th, in a discussion circle hastily formed by students outside the IIT meeting room in which the Shimer College Board of Trustees had just decided, by a narrow vote of 18 to 16, to adopt President Lindsay's whole-cloth rewrite of the mission statement, Jack Garvin ('12) - part of a peaceful protest of over 60 students and alums there to challenge this eventuality - in exasperation, asked this question.

Given the circumstances, it's a really good question. Despite overwhelming support from the Assembly, a powerful letter from a unanimous Shimer faculty supporting the Assembly's affirmation of the current mission statement, as well as a petition from both students and alumni in support of the current mission statement, a determined faction of the Board voted against community consensus, instead adopting the clearly unpopular, hastily drafted, last-minute rewrite of Shimer's mission statement by President Tom Lindsay.

What the hell just happened, you ask? Well, here's our answer.

1. October 2009: Mr. Lindsay offers his "guideposts on the mission" in an hour-long lecture to the internal community. Though it's billed as a "discussion," questions are not welcomed.
2. February 3, 2010: Mr. Lindsay met with the Shimer community and respectfully disagreed with faculty, staff, students and alumni about what the mission of the College is (see notes here).
3. February 7, 2010: The Shimer College Assembly considers several alternative mission statements and votes overwhelmingly to affirm the current one. Since Mr. Lindsay had only submitted "guideposts", the Assembly could not vote specifically on his proposed mission statement.
4. February 8, 2010: Noting the "soft conviction" of the [unanimous] Assembly on behalf of the current mission statement, "Bud" Vesta - a Lindsay trustee nominee from 2009 - sends an open letter to Lindsay and the Board asking Mr. Lindsay to draft a rewrite of the Shimer mission for consideration by the Board at their plenary meeting of February 20.
5. February 15, 2010: Mr. Lindsay submits his whole-cloth rewrite of the Shimer mission statement to the Board via email. The Assembly doesn't have a chance to respond to it. As per Lindsay's own strategic plan, it is not formally scheduled for a vote until the May 2010 Board meeting.
6. February 19, 2010: A day before the plenary meeting of the Board, Patrick Parker - the chair of the hiring committee who forced Lindsay's hire despite overwhelming internal community resistance in 2008 - claims that there exists a legally-binding grant document that was supposedly signed by Dean David Shiner and former president Bill Rice in 2006, according to which Shimer MUST rewrite its mission statement to include the terms "Great Books of Western Civilization", "Socratic method" and "Hutchins Plan" by April 10, 2010. Though Dean Shiner does not acknowledge this claim and Parker does not produce the document, Parker uses this as a pretense for forcing a vote on the issue at the February 20 plenary session of the Board.*
7. February 20, 2010: The Board, by a narrow vote of 18 to 16, adopts Mr. Lindsay's whole-cloth rewrite of the Shimer College mission statement.

"What the hell just happened?" The short answer: Snake oil, a la Lindsay. What's gonna happen next? Stay tuned. Like Aristotle says, "This shit ain't over yet."

* NOTE: Since the time this was written this grant document has been produced (read it here). Though it clearly does not demand the mission statement be rewritten, it does demand that Shimer "craft a charter" which reflects Parker's priorities. Dean Shiner did not sign this document, as Parker claimed. In fact, he thought that Shimer had already met this requirement with a "Vision Statement" he had written for use elsewhere. The reason for the April 10 date was because on April 11th Parker's foundation - the free-market "Aequus Institute" - was having a board meeting. The suggestion was clear enough: vote to change the mission or lose any future funding from Aequus and be in breach of a legal contract.

For an article on this disreputable action by Parker, click here.

Why you should be concerned about Shimer

Many Shimer alums have expressed concern about the College recently based on information they've been receiving online and elsewhere. Here, we will make a clear case for why you, as someone invested in the prosperity of Shimer and its future, should be currently concerned about the College. Knowing that Shimer alums would also want to see the evidence upon which this case is based, we will not only provide a summary argument, we will provide, carefully presented in our archives, the documentation through which you can judge the case for yourself.

The summary argument can be presented in two simple points:

1. Thomas K. Lindsay, the current president, has been and is mismanaging the College by repeatedly demonstrating contempt for Shimer's traditions of shared governance and genuine, open dialogue.
2. President Lindsay's ideological imbalance disables him from listening to and, thus, representing the diversity of our students, faculty, and alumni.

Point number one is well-documented in the subsequent post entitled: "President Lindsay's Mismanagement of the College." The second point is, predictably, more complex to argue, but we encourage you to spend a little time viewing first the post below called, "President Lindsay's Ideological Imbalance," and then the subsequent posts about the sixteen trustees he has brought to the College in his brief tenure as Shimer's president. The ideological narrowness of this recent crowd - Heritage Foundation "Scholars" (like Lindsay, himself), speakers for and the president of the Heartland Institute, an outspoken dean from the George Mason "Law and Economics Center" - is stunning, leaving little room for doubt that Lindsay and these new trustees are ill-suited to represent Shimer's diverse community.

As you learn more, we hope you'll engage in the fight to defend Shimer from Tom Lindsay's failing, ideologically driven mismanagement, and visit our subsequent post on how you can help.

Why you should be concerned about Shimer, NOW

Since the October Board meeting, several developments raise concerns that the February 19th and 20th Board meeting could be decisive for Shimer's future*. These developments are:

• On November 15th, with broad participation, the Assembly passed three resolutions which, in different forms, recognize the moral authority of the Assembly and the tradition and importance of shared governance at Shimer. At the February meeting, the Board will decide how to respond to these resolutions.
• For the last couple of months the internal community has been discussing the review of Shimer's mission statement. Despite its broad community support, Lindsay has proposed getting rid of the current mission statement entirely and replacing it with his own whole-cloth rewrite. At the next Assembly meeting - on February 7th - it will be taken up as well, possibly leading to more resolutions. At the February meeting, the Board will likely take up the issue of whether and, if so, how to change Shimer's mission statement.
  
• On January 18th, the Nominating Committee of the Board tabled six new trustee candidates by a split vote of four to three. Not only does this amount to turning down $60,000+, but it is also the first time that any trustee nomination has not been offered to the full Board for a vote or been passed since the Mt. Carroll years. Since this committee is dominated by Lindsay's ideological allies, and passing the nominations could upset his tenuous majority on the Board, many speculate that this was done to defend his power. We expect the question of how to proceed with these nominations will be on the agenda at the February meeting as well.

If the Board backs Lindsay's efforts to dismantle shared governance at Shimer, rewrite the mission in the service of his ideological agenda, and/or disable constructive efforts to add a fresh balance of voices among the Trustees, the results may kill the College. Fears abound over losing faculty, dedicated administrators, current and future students, as well as alumni supporters.

This is why we should all be concerned about Shimer, NOW.

*This post is at this point, of course, dated. At the February Board meeting, the Assembly's November resolutions were ignored; Lindsay's mission rewrite was narrowly passed (see post above, "Feb. 22 Update: What the hell just happened?!"); and the tabled trustees were not addressed.

President Lindsay's Mismanagement of the College

Under Don Moon, Shimer's President from 1977 to 2004, the College tripled its board size, tripled its student body, went from one to twelve buildings, started an innovative and successful weekend program, gained back its accreditation, increased donations from effectively nothing to hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, received several major private and public grants . . . and so on and so forth . . . and never did all this change upset the Shimer community like this. Never.

How, then, you ask, has Tom Lindsay created such controversy in such a short time? One word: Mismanagement.

Follow the link below and read the "Report" section for a thoroughly researched, objective account of President Lindsay's management failures leading to the current crisis. FYI: This document has been vetted by Shimer faculty and President Lindsay, himself. Great thanks to the Promulgates staff for this impressive document.

Articles on President Lindsay's Mismanagement