Déjà vu: Closure and Merger Attempts

By Ricki Garrett, Ph.D.

In order to fully appreciate the merger/closure threat to MUW, it is important to view it through the lens of history. For the W and for many of its alums, this issue is not a new one, and much can be learned from past closure/merger attempts and the efforts to successfully combat them.

Although there were attempts to close or merge the W prior to 1986, that year’s attempt was the first experience for many of us. In that year, the College Board proposed the closure of MUW and Mississippi Valley State University as a cost saving measure. Although the Board can recommend closure/merger, only the legislature has this authority. As a result, the administration, under the leadership of Dr. Strobel, and the W alums, under the leadership of Jan McSpadden, successfully lobbied the legislature not to close the W. This effort involved coordinating with the Mississippi Valley State alums, enlisting the support of other alumni groups, hiring a lobbyist, Betty Ruth Hawkins, and marshalling the lobbying efforts of MUW alums. Most effective were the presence of a core of W alums at the legislature every day, letters to the editor, and a dinner for the College Board to discuss the issue one on one with the board members.

Following the successful outcome of this legislative effort, the W alums then had to convince the College Board for the need to reinforce the women’s mission and to hire a woman president, both of which were also successful.

In 1992, one month after my appointment to the College Board, the Supreme Court sent the Ayers Desegregation Case back to the state on remand. As a result of this ruling, the Board was asked by Judge Biggers to develop a plan to address the Supreme Court’s concerns. Unfortunately, some of the board members who had pushed for closure/merger in the past recommended it again as a remedy for desegregation of the higher education system. The W was recommended for merger with Mississippi State University, Mississippi Valley for merger with Delta State University, and also included was a recommendation for closure of the Veterinary School at MSU and the Dental School at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Of course, the Veterinary School and the Dental School were both quickly removed from the recommendation, leaving only the W and Mississippi Valley as targets.

Under the leadership of Dr. Rent, and the MUW Alumnae Association, under the leadership of Cindy Dunbar, a media campaign was developed to advocate against closure/merger. Through my efforts within the confines of the boardroom, the media campaign, and the presence of the W alums in the courtroom during the Ayers trial, and both Dr. Rent’s and my testimony during trial, we were able to convince Judge Biggers to reject closure/merger of MUW. The success of that media campaign was described in an article by Dr. Dale Thorn in a national media publication.

Once again, MUW is being targeted for merger with MSU through a budget recommendation by Governor Barbour. And, once again the MUW alumnae are marshalling their forces to prevent this from happening. Through The Friends of the W group, we have been able to bring together the administration and the historical alumnae association as well as Dr. Limbert’s alumni group in order to do this. Through letters to the editor, conversations with legislators, and a planned Legislative Day and reception, the MUW family is successfully protecting MUW as an independent, vital, and successful institution.

Ricki Garrett, Ph.D, Class of 1973, is the Executive Director Mississippi Nurses Association and lives in Clinton, MS.