Well, it's official. Erie native Thomas Gamble took office as president of Mercyhurst College on March 1 and a reception was held in his honor at Mercyhurst North East today...I just got home from the event.
Everything I've seen about Dr. Gamble has been positive. He seems very capable and knows Mercyhurst well. Plus, he is an Erieite, which I think is cool. He will do well in the job.
During his inaugural address, Gamble cited Thomas Jefferson and epistle writer St. Paul. The Jefferson quote was from Jefferson's inaugural. I found the speech on the Web and it's worth reading . It's particularly interesting to see how opposed Jefferson's thoughts are to the current Bush Administration (he was certainly more like Bill Clinton [whose middle name was "Jefferson"] than anybody else in politics these days).
First off, I don't think that Dick Cheney or George Bush could write as well as Jefferson, at least I haven't seen anything to suggest that they could. Maybe I'm wrong, but don't they have speechwriters do that these days? That, in itself, is fairly devious--certainly ingenuous--and it goes on all the time in both parties.
And this is not to attack Cheney and Bush; I don't hold any hatred for them personally. I just think that most of the men governing the United States in 2006 are not particularly great men. Cheney is a heck of businessman (a 21st Century robber baron), but he's not a great statesman, and Bush has received help at every step of his life. If Bush was born to an average, middle-class family, he would have amounted to very little in life. He may have been killed in Viet Nam, he wouldn't have been accepted to Yale, and he certainly would not be president. So there it is: power is everything (except in Clinton's case, as he was born to humble beginnings).
But this entry is about Gamble, not Cheney and Bush and Clinton. So far, Dr. Gamble has spoken of his plan for the "first 1000 days." As part of this plan, he plans to take the school from a trimester schedule to a semester schedule, and he plans to put his weight behind the development of the Mercyhurst West County campus (MWC?).
I support the move to a semester schedule, particularly at Mercyhurst North East, because it is an opportunity school. Let's face it, the real learning in a college course takes place between weeks 10 and 15. That's when the students finally understand the teacher and the teacher understands the students. To chop it down to ten weeks---no matter how long the classes are and how often they meet---just doesn't have the same effect.
I have to sign off for now, but I want to take this up again. I want to dig out that quote from St. Paul that Dr. Gamble cited, but my notes are at school and I'm at home.
More later,
DocTorDee
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5 comments:
Was that child molestor Dr. William Garvey at the event?
Who wants to know? Do you have a serious interest in Dr. Garvey's daily life or are you just taking an anonymous shot?
To answer your question: No, Dr. Garvey does not participate in Mercyhurst events any longer.
Thanks for asking.
Doc.
I believe the first comment was posted by Matt - who also posted a comment under the Erie-Millcreek debate section. He seems to be crusader against Dr. Garvey - and I am not unsure that this type of activity is not appropriate. Judging from the links he included in his previous post, he appears to dislike Gamble as crony of Dr. Garvey. I wish Garvey would just come clean and write a book where he explains himself. The whole controversy and dual-role (child molester and civic leader) thing is driving me crazy. It would be a fascinating psychological study. And isn't this guy supposed to be a Catholic. Has he confessed any of this stuff? Would a confessional book help heal him. If anyone knows Dr. Garvey, ask him if he'd like to work on a book with me.
For now, the whole thing kind of mirrors the Barry Bonds thing - neither Barry or Dr. William has admitted anything although the evidence is stacked against them. But, because they haven't admitted it, they seem to be given the benefit of the doubt. Even though our society pretends we would like people to be honest, as soon as either admits wrongdoing - they will be crucified. However, as Ellen Degeneres (I know I mispelled her name and I'm not saying that being a lesbian is wrong -) has proven, redemption is possible.
Yes, after some poking around, I figured out that Matt left the anonymous comment...
I do understand the anger that people feel for Dr. Garvey, particularly because there are so many unanswered questions, but I don't understand what Dr. Gamble has to do with any of Dr. Garvey's personal activities. Nothing, as far as I can tell.
Guilty by association? Nonsense.
Additionally, I visited Matt's site and I saw many heated opinions. Yes, it appears that the Mercyhurst Board swept the matter under the rug...they should have shown more backbone, but they were also afraid that any further negative news on this matter would have an adverse affect on the college. And they were right about that. It is their job to protect the college.
But really, other than releasing the contents of the report, what could they do? It is not up to Mercyhurst College to pursue legal action against Dr. Garvey. That's up to law enforcement officials, and since the statute of limitations has passed, their hands are tied as well.
I'm not defending the Board or Dr. Garvey; I'm simply trying to point out that this issue is incredibly difficult, painful and complicated. Mercyhurst's response, one marked by fear and denial, is not extraordinary for any institution.
It was as though they wanted to wish the problem away as fast as possible--particularly when the evidence looked bad--but that's how people behave during times of stress. They revert to survival mode and toss the higher values out the window. It's not pretty, but it is human.
And, yes, maybe Dr. Garvey should work with Ralph to write a book that tells his side of the story...what does he have to lose? He's already been publically crucified by the Times-News, who ran 31 column feet of damnation.
What else needs to happen?
Finally, let's not confuse the situation of one person with the daily activities of the remainder of the college. Each day, I--and other like me--come to work at Mercyhurst with the goal of giving as much energy as possible to helping students reach their goals.
I am proud of the work that I do and see no reason to stop my work and pursue a personal vendetta against Dr. Garvey. That doesn't make any sense.
So please don't condemn the entire Mercyhurst community. We are trying to move forward and educate students.
Well spoken Bruce (DocktorD). I guess that Dr. Gamble's professional relationship with Garvey does not mean knew about Garvey's private activities - especially stuff that seemingly all ocurred before he was influencial at Mercyhurst. And professionally, Garvey did a great job with Mercyhurst, so why not try and continue that by hiring someone who shares some of his professional views. It may be a hit hard to stomach for some, but really, we are not a Salem witch hunt here. Keep up the good work on the Hill.
Ralph
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