Vice President for Student Affairs Grace Josephs has been summoned from her summer vacation by Monsignor University’s newly appointed President, Reverend Francis Dunn. Just one week into his presidency, Dunn has received a disturbing e-mail from a wealthy alumnus about the Women’s Center, which Josephs oversees. The alumnus, who is being cultivated both as a major donor and leader in the University’s largest-ever capital campaign, has written Dunn demanding that a link to the National Organization for Women (NOW) be removed from the Women’s Center’s website. The alum claims it is unacceptable for a Catholic university to endorse an organization that supports abortion rights. The conservative local bishop is copied on the e-mail message to the President. Faculty members from the Women’s Studies department, which works closely with the Women’s Center, counter that any effort to remove the link will constitute a violation of academic freedom. Meanwhile, Dunn has declared two major goals for his presidency — to strengthen the University’s commitment to academic excellence and to reinforce its commitment to the Catholic faith. Are these goals now in direct conflict? These concerns are center stage as Josephs enters a president’s cabinet meeting, where she will have to make her first major decision under the new President.
Subjects: Mission, Academic Freedom, Leadership Alumni Relations
Setting: Small Religiously-Affiliated
Also available: The Women’s Center at Monsignor University (B)
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