NORFOLK
Gene Nichol, the recently resigned president of the College of William and Mary, said during a televised interview Friday night that he still believes what he wrote in his letter announcing his leaving, in which he largely blamed his ouster on conservative criticism of some of his actions.
He also said that he was surprised at the "viciousness" of some of the criticism, much of it online, and that it wrongly touched his family.
"I accepted their offer to become president of the College of William and Mary," he said. "My wife didn't do that. My daughters didn't do that. I think you could draw the line there."
Nichol has been out of the public spotlight since his abrupt resignation in February from the historic Williamsburg school after its governing board told him that his three-year contract wouldn't be renewed this summer.
His comments came in what was apparently his first interview since then, on the inaugural broadcast of "What Matters," a weekly public-affairs show on WHRO public television, hosted by Cathy Lewis.
Nichol's decision to step down ended an at-times controversial 2-1/2-year tenure, and sparked campus protests by student and faculty supporters.
William and Mary board members, at the time and this past week in a letter to alumni and others, blamed management issues, including Nichol's handling of some controversies.
Those included removing a cross from permanent display on the altar of Wren Chapel and not stopping a sex workers' art show brought to campus by students. Nichol has said that he wanted the chapel to feel more welcoming to all, since it is used for various purposes, and that censoring the art show would have violated the First Amendment.
Nichol didn't address those issues Friday, nor did he directly answer questions about the stress of the past 16 months.
He spent most of the half-hour show praising and saying how much he'll miss the students, faculty and staff of what he called a "singular institution."
He laughed when asked about advice he'd give to potential college presidents. The job creates "wonderful friends" and "energetic... adversaries," he said.
Bottom line, he joked: "Talk to a whole lot of people before you talk to me."
More seriously, he said public institutions such as William and Mary are "not well served" when their academic independence is interfered with. He was referring to a General Assembly committee that this year summoned board members up for reappointment to answer questions about Nichol's performance.
He also said with a smile that he is not a candidate for the soon-to-be-vacant chancellor position at the University of North Carolina, where he and his wife are returning to teach law.
Matthew Bowers, (757) 222-3893, matthew.bowers@pilotonline.com
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
To everyone who has posted so far
Esp. T. Smith: What YOU do not seem to understand, even with your supposed high degree of intelligence, is that perhaps the cross offended non-Christian students as well. Further, MOST of the Christian organizations on the W&M campus supported Nichol's decision. Why? Because good Christians believe in being friends to everyone. One of my Catholic friends actually said that a Protestant cross (not a Crucifix), is actually somewhat offensive in a worship environment (like a Chapel) because it does not fit in with his beliefs. In regards to it being a taxpayer decision, less than 20% of W&M's operating budget actually comes from your precious taxes. The rest comes from the students' and their parents' tuition. So, by your own argument, only 20% of the decision should be made by elected officials and taxpayers. Further, leave his family alone. Let Nichol and his family leave in peace. The decision has been made. It is finished... I'm sure the Nichol family and most of the students/faculty at W&M will forgive the BOV and the rude posters on the online discussion boards, for they know not what they do. Further, I challenge ANYONE to write anymore posts about this article wit
I dont think that-
He was an antichristian bigot, i think he truly believed that others were offended by a cross in what appears to be a multi-denominational chapel. I can understand his reasoning, though I disagree with it. I think it would have been more amenable to adding religious items from other faiths, to make it a more open environment for all. As for the other item, I agree, it would have been a violation of the First Amendment, however, that would ONLY be a consideration if it had not been in a College/instructional environment.
Nicols was and is an anti-Christian bigot
He should not have been hired in the first place. He needed to go. If he hates Christians then he should hate Christians in his private life, not with our tax dollars.
William & Mary is a public institution
Many academics like Gene Nichol cannot, despite their high intelligence, seem to understand or consider opposing points of view. In Nichol’s case, he has never seemed to understand that removing the Cross from Wren Chapel deeply insulted many people with profound Christian beliefs. He didn’t understand that to many, the Chapel is not just another campus building. It was build as a Christian place of worship, not a general use meeting room. When asked to reverse this decision, he was perceived by many, rightly or wrongly, as arrogant, belligerent and condescending. His apparent demeanor exacerbated an already unpleasant situation, alienating many citizens. If the taxpayers are paying the bills, they should have considerable input and oversight into the operation of the college. If someone doesn’t like that, they should go to a private college.
Yep, blame other people and stereotypes
True to form...his crappy performance is the fault of other people and some kind of conservative stereotype conspiracy. Do people like this even listen to themselves?