Counter, Medgar Evers Spar Over Job

Late this June, the City University of New York (CUNY) Board of Trustees gave the final vote of approval for Director of the Harvard Foundation S. Allen Counter, Jr. to become the next president of Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, New York. From a field of more than 70 candidates, CUNY picked Counter to head the community college it oversees.

The only trouble was, Counter hadn't picked them.

Five weeks ago yesterday, CUNY Vice Chancellor for University Relations Jay Hershenson proudly announced Counter's selection as the next president of the school named for the slain civil rights leader.

"Following an extensive national search, Dr. [S. Allen] Counter of Harvard University was offered and accepted the position of president of Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York. On Monday June 27, the board of trustees of CUNY voted unanimously to appoint Dr. Counter president of Medgar Evers College. Dr. Counter is discussing with CUNY the terms and conditions of employment for the position."

But in statements made through a personalspokesman, Counter, who has not granted interviewssince his rejection of the post, maintained thathe had accepted only candidacy and not the jobitself.

Searches for college presidents are generallythe most discrete of undertakings, and formaloffers are traditionally not made until anacceptance has been assured. But such was not thecase for Medgar Evers. After having made theirchoice public, they were now in an embarrassingsituation.

To make matters worse, there was no tidyresolution to the confusion.

CUNY officials say that two weeks ago, during ameeting in which employment negotiations wereexpected to take place, Counter informed theadministrators that he was declining thepresidency and expressed doubt about Medgar Evers'future as a college.

Shortly after the meeting, Counter's personalspokesman, Edward L. Doyle, released thisstatement: "After long and hard consideration ofthe Medgar Evers offer, and after meeting withseveral personal advisers upon my return to theUnited States, the following conclusions havebecome apparent, first that there is considerabledoubt regarding the continued existence and viability ofMedgar Evers College as an independentinstitution."

Medgar Evers returned the volley with astatement criticizing its former would-bepresident. "It is unfortunate that Dr. Counter'sdecision as reflected in his press release,following meetings not with university trusteesand officials, but with `several personaladvisers,' gratuitously harms the college that hadsought his leadership by seeking to portray itsfuture in a highly unfavorable light."

To date, Medgar Evers maintains that Counteraccepted the post they offered him, and to datethe director of the Harvard Foundation calls theevent a misunderstanding.

In an interview yesterday, Doyle said that withthe statement accompanying his decline of theoffer, Counter was not trying to damage theschool's public image.

"Counter was not taking a whack at anybody--ifhe just said `no' he would be turning his back onthe opportunity to make a statement he thinksneeds to be made," Doyle said. "He is tremendouslydedicated to the students at Medgar Evers and hefeels that Medgar Evers College will never be ableto reach its potential until all efforts are madeto restore its four-year status."

But faculty members and administrators at bothMedgar Evers and CUNY are less than pleased withCounter's handling of the affair. A smallcommunity college named for the slain civil rightsleader, Medgar Evers was founded in 1969 as anexperimental project in higher education.

Ever since it has been battling for funding andprestige, and it has had by its own admission aless than successful record in achieving either.As a result, the unusual flap over the Counterappointment and the concomitant exchange ofcombative statements left people close to theschool with a bad aftertaste that threatens tolinger.

"That's not how things are done," said DominicA. Nwasike, professor of history and a member ofthe search committee, about Counter's refusal ofthe offer. "I'm sure that he had accepted theoffer." Nwasike added that he was skeptical aboutthe "distinction" Counter made between acceptingcandidacy and accepting the job.

Nwasike said he was not particularlydisappointed that Counter had turned the schooldown. "It just means that my job [as a member ofthe search committee] is to be more difficult,"Nwasike said.

Some professors at the school do not seem to beregarding Counter's refusal as a great loss,though whether that displeasure results from hisdecision to turn down the school is open toquestion.

Counter "was not a favorite candidate. He didnot stand out head and shoulders above the othercandidates," said Doris C. Withers, professor of*** and a member of the search committee.

"He was an interesting enough candidate to moveforward. He doesn't have a strong senior-leveladministrative background--not a dean, not a vicepresident, not a provost," Withers said. But sheadded that Counter is thought to have a strongacademic background.

But another professor, who interviewed Counterduring the search process, said the Harvardprofessor had stood out.

"I was impressed by Counter in theinterviews--not only because of his background,but because of his willingness to undertakeventures," said Roderick Loney, chairman of MedgarEvers' division of education.

Still, many find it hard to swallow Counter'sexplanation of what transpired.

Withers described a painstaking search process,in which many of the original candidates droppedout of the race because they did not take theappointment seriously. Three candidates werefinally chosen to visit the campus in early Mayand spend a day meeting with alumni, faculty,administrators and staff.

The interviewers wrote reports that were sentto the search committee. At this time, Witherssaid, the three candidates were interviewed by theentire CUNY Board of Trustees, and met forone-on-one conversations with the universitychancellor.

The way Withers tells it, the final trusteevote on Counter was regarded as a formality. Itwas assumed he would accept, she said.

"Dr. Counter was spoken to on Friday beforethat meeting. The chancellor, Murphy, spoke to himand said, `I'm going to forward your name to theBoard of Trustees for approval, will you acceptthe job?' The story is that he said `yes,'"Withers said. "When you get to the point that yourname is going to the board of trustees--that'salmost like a gentleman's agreement."

During the interval between the school'sannouncement and Counter's refusal, Withers said,some faculty members speculated that theirdesignated leader was trying to get CUNY to agreeto give greater support to the small Brooklyncommunity college.

Some of the faculty grew so impatient duringthe wait that they called Counter, Withers said.She added that she does not believe reports thatthe professors discouraged Counter from taking thepost. She said the calls came from people who"would not have called to discourage him." Sheadded that "many of us felt it was inappropriate"to contact Counter about his decision.

The notion that a disagreement with CUNY washolding up the appointment had a sound basis inhistory, for the two schools have sometimes shareda less than friendly relationship. Thehighly-publicized Counter appointment, and thescholar's subsequent refusal, came as the mostrecent blow for a school that has been dodgingpunches all its life.

Withers makes the point that if Counter hadbeen more familiar with that history, he mighthave thought twice about sending a message to theschools in his final statement on the matter.

"While he may have good intentions, he didn'treally have, in my estimation, an intimateunderstanding. If he did, he would have couchedhis words a little more carefully," said Withers.

In March of 1969, Medgar Evers came intoexistence as Staten Island Community College,President William M. Birenbaum's proposal for anew experimental college within CUNY. The schoolwas slated to take up several blocks of theBedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn.

The New York Times reported then thatBirenbaum had "denounced the traditional types ofuniversities and colleges as bastions of an elitedetermined to defend its interests andprivileges."

In its first September, the school had onlytemporary quarters and was designated to awardboth two and four-year degrees. The first classeswere taught in the fall of 1971.

In March of 1976, the city's lack of fundingforced CUNY to slash its budget, and Medgar Everswas one of CUNY's 19 schools selected to be eitherdowngraded, merged or eliminated. Medgar Everssurvived the fiscal crisis, but was reduced to acommunity college.

Professors are still smarting from the movethat has since put the school on a shoestringbudget. Medgar Evers enrolled more than 5000students last year, most of whom were Black women.The college now awards both two- and four-yeardegrees, but it is funded as a community college.Some veterans of the school blame the statuschange on New York politics.

"My own feeling is that that was a politicaldecision motivated by other than the educationalinterests of this institution. I think we got theshaft," Loney said. "I think that, to a greatextent, it seems that the problems of thisinstitution are inherent in the racist thinking inour society."

Loney added that if funds were the sole reasonfor the downgrading, "one would think that thestatus would be restored--that has not happenedand it's not about to happen as far as I cantell."

CUNY officials say they have an ongoingpetition with the state to restore senior collegestatus, which would mean a dramatic increase infunding. Nonetheless, some professors still feelthat their parent school has lost track of them.

"We do feel that the central office is lackingin support of the college," Withers said.

Though they may have criticized Counter for theway he handled the announcement, no one claimsthat he turned down an easy or inviting job.

"I think it would be difficult for a president[at Medgar Evers] to function. The president atthe institution needs the support of the system inorder to be effective. I'm not so sure how muchsupport they get," Loney said.

One outside scholar said that Counter'sdecision was not an unusual one.

"It's clear that the school has been subject toa variety of problems. What you often get ispeople want to come into a presidency feelingthere's strong support for the institution. Veryfew people want to be the undertaker," David R.Merkowitz, director of public affairs for theAmerican Council on Education.

In the meantime, Leo A. Corbie, who has heldthe job of acting president for the past yearsince his predecessor stepped down for personalreasons, will remain in office. CUNY had hoped toreplace Corbie as of September 1, enabling him toreturn to his duties as vice chancellor forstudent affairs and special programs.

"The search for a president for Medgar EversCollege is continuing," said Rita Rodin, CUNYdirector of public information.

Observers have differing opinions as to whetherCounter's actions will have an impact on thestruggling school. Many have seen Medgar Evers asthe subject of embarassing situations before andbrush aside the latest misunderstanding. But someare stung by the nature of Counter's rejection andsay it only further stains the school's alreadytarnished reputation.

"The school's been criticized unjustly beforeand we've survived," Nwasike said. Counter'scomments and his decline of the offer will not beremembered long, he said.

Counter's statement "serves public notice, ineffect, that the school has major problems,"Merkowitz said.

One administrator said that while she thinksCounter's statement will have no long-term effect,it still impacts the school.

"We feel particularly badly for the faculty andthe students of Medgar Evers," said CarolynnReid-Wallace, vice chancellor of academic affairs.But she added that "no one is indispensable" andthat the school will get along just fine withoutCounter.

"There is still some concern about the way inwhich all of this took place. This is not going tostop the college from going forward in its searchfor strong leadership," Reid-Wallace said.

Despite all the commotion, one observer said hethought good could still come out of Counter'sstatement.

"If people respond by saying the school reallyneeds our support at this time, the end result canbe positive. It sounds like what Dr. Counter'spoint is that the school does need more support,"said William B.P. Thompson, acting president ofRoxbury Community College. "Regardless of thecircumstances around this particular searcheffort, people can still see this as anopportunity to provide support and help for thecollege."University Hall, home of the HarvardFoundation which Dr. S. Allen Counter, Jr.directs.