Merry Christmas! (another open letter to Fr. Currie)

 

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Universities Receive Research Funding

December 17, 2009

WHEELING - Money for research at local colleges is on its way to the Ohio Valley.

Wheeling Jesuit University's National Technology Transfer Center will receive $5 million to continue its HEALTHeWV program - an effort to develop and store electronic medical records for nonprofit clinics in West Virginia, U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., announced Wednesday.

The school also will get $1 million for continued operation of the NASA Classroom of the Future at Wheeling Jesuit.

Both grants were included in the fiscal 2010 Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Bill. U.S. Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-W.Va., chairs the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies in the U.S. House.

West Liberty University, meanwhile, will receive a $100,000 matching grant through West Virginia's "Bucks for Brains" program, Gov. Joe Manchin announced Wednesday.

The money will be used to pay students who assist their professors in doing biological and bio-chemistry research, according to Robert Kreisberg, dean of the WLU College of Sciences. Work will be done in the areas of cardiovascular, molecular modeling, pain response and physiological research, he said.

"The money should go a long way," Kreisberg said. "The students will have to apply for these jobs. It will not be free, open money."

West Virginia's $50 million Research Trust Fund, or "Bucks for Brains" program, authorized by the state Legislature in 2008, provides research dollars to West Virginia and Marshall universities to be matched by private donations.

In addition, the program benefits other state colleges and universities through matching grants made possible by the fund's interest account.

At Wheeling Jesuit, HEALTHeWV has been in operation for nearly three years, said Davitt McAteer, interim president.

Researchers there took what had been a military computer system and converted it to civilian use, he said. The result is a computerized medical records system that is both convenient and cost effective for nonprofit clinics in West Virginia, particularly those in rural areas.

There are 32 clinics that are participating in HEALTHeWV, and 333,700 patient encounters were entered into the computer system this past year, according to McAteer.

"Much of the cost associated with health care is the cost of paper and maintaining record rooms," he said.

The record system has a second advantage for the nonprofit clinics, he continued, in that a large main computer housed on the third floor at the NTTC building now backs up the medical files of clinics participating in HEALTHeWV.

Previously, the clinics had to update their systems every three years.

"They now don't have to buy the fanciest version of a computer," McAteer said. "We do that here on a regular basis to keep the system updated. The clinics just have to keep laptops and fiber optics up to speed. This is a tremendous advantage to clinics."

Medical education information also can be disseminated to clinics throughout West Virginia via the system, he noted.

- by JOSELYN KING Political Writer, as published at the Wheeling News-Register

Happy Holidays! (An open letter)

What is going on with the situation involving the inappropriate dismissal of Fr Giulietti without affording him due process?   I will use this opportunity provided by your holiday greeting to say how much I was offended by Davit McAteer's dismissal of what I consider valid concerns expressed by well respected and well intentioned alumni. I am also disappointed that my previous reply to an alumni communication went unanswered.  Until this situation is resolved to my satisfaction, I have eliminated WJU from my estate planning and do not intend to make any further investments in WJU.  The inappropriate conclusion about the probable reasons for the dismissal drawn by DJ McCann in the Blithe Spirit blog were exactly my speculation when I first heard about it, and I am relieved to learn from others who know him well that my assumptions could not be true.  This form of character assassination is inexcusable in a Christian institution and those involved are no longer qualified to hold their entrusted board positions (including the Jesuit Board that actually initiated the firing).  This is not the behavior my classmates and I and experienced in our years at Wheeling College.  So my question to WJU and the Jesuit community remains, what are you going to do to rectify the intolerable action by the two Boards?

Don Powers, '63
ex-Student Body President '62-63

A Response to the Provincial's Visit

As I live in Washington, DC and am a good friend of two couples whose children attend Wheeling Jesuit, I was curious to know about the visit of the Provincial Superior of the Province of Maryland Wheeling earlier this week. I hear that Fr. Provincial Shea did not say anything about the crisis at Wheeling Jesuit nor of the ridiculous innuendos imposed on Fr. Giulietti.  And this was all in view of what Fr. Charles Currie and the interim leaders at Wheeling said after a Mass in Washington earlier a short time ago. Fr. Currie, to his credit, stated publicly that Fr. Giulietti was not involved in anything improper, unethical or immoral while at Wheeling Jesuit.  Is that statement not contrary to what others, notably Miss Friday and Mr. Fisher, have been saying for months: that they are not free to disclose what information they know about Fr. Julio.  What a ludicrous statement that is in view of the public statement of Fr. Currie exonerating Fr. Giulietti from any wrong doing.  Such a statement is aimed at ruining a good man's reputation bu innuendo just because they do not know how else to cover up their personal hatred for a Jesuit who is of superior intellect and moral character.

Students are not stupid. Do not Mr. Fisher and Miss Friday realize that the behavior of the board of directors, trustees and those now "leading" Wheeling Jesuit are speaking with forked tongs? Do not Mr. Fisher and Miss Friday know what Fr. Currie told friends of Wheeling in Washington just a short time ago in DC?  It seems they are not even aware of who is saying what about whom.  Certainly my friends' children are not unaware.  Is Wheeling Jesuit prepared for a significant number of students transferring to other colleges in January followed by an even greater number in June?  Will parents want to send their children to a college where trashing good people is the standard behavior of board members?

Larry Catraro

The Provincial Cometh

November 16, 2009

Was it a media blitz in the last few days, the coverage of the Wheeling Jesuit University president-firing and the aftermath?

Not quite, but the WJU board and its acting president did come out of hiding, smoked out by mass-medium coverage of slam-bang accusations by a high-profile West Virginian whom the mediums all know about.  (He’s in the clips.)

The bishop didn’t do it, the acting president and board spokeswoman trumpeted, speaking for themselves and for the Jesuit provincial superior, Rev. James M. Shea, SJ, of Towson, MD.

MD Prov Shea

Indeed, Fr. Shea has approved the behavior of his three fellow Jesuits — the local superior, the president of another Jesuit university, and the operator of a Pennsylvania retreat house, each a “trustee” of WJU — pretty much since they gave a fourth Jesuit, also a trustee, the boot in absentia as WJU president while apparently keeping a fifth out of the loop lest he veto the ouster.

To be kept in mind is the first rule of home-office-based executives, not to second-guess operators in the field.  They are home-office appointees, for one thing, and are on the scene, for another, while executives are not.  To top it off, the executive in this case has neither interest in nor (probably) stomach for an independent investigation.

If there’s something rotten in the state of West Virginia, he relies on local authorities to tell him.  It takes more than indignation expressed and accusations made by local non-Jesuits to get him, the provincial, off a dime.

Besides, in this case he is a lifelong chaplain and pastor, most recently pastor of the Jesuits’ Georgetown (DC) parish.  He’s a pastor, with all the one-on-one impulses and expertise that implies — with a doctorate in pastoral care from Southern Methodist, no less.  It’s his specialty.

He ran a parish in a sophisticated neighborhood — no small thing — but university administration and politics he probably knows from rec-room chatter and the like, to judge by his resume.

It should never have been in doubt, therefore, that he would endorse the WJU ouster, as sloppily as it was conducted, if not deceitfully.  On the other hand, when anguished cries from West Virginia arrived by U.S. mail, it might have been hoped, if not expected, that he would revert to a tried and true pastoral approach and write back; but he did not.

It’s a jungle out here, true.  SNAP and their lawyers wait to haul him before a civil court.  Money is at stake.  Oregon Province has declared bankruptcy.  In Seattle the Jesuit university president, a former provincial, is being sued for keeping under his hat the abuse of hundreds of Eskimos by dozens of Jesuits.

The Maryland Provincial can be like the Huron Indians of 400 years ago who took it on the chin for Jesus’ sake and went out of business, destroyed by the un-Jesus-like Iroquois, as the movie “Black Robe” would have it.  Or he can be very, very careful, giving nothing his enemies might use against him.

He can sit on letters and say nothing, not even when he has something to say, leaving it to non-Jesuit officialdom to pass on his approval of the mysterious WJU firing.  He himself stays out of it — or did until today, when he presided at the St. Joseph Pignatelli liturgy on campus.  Perhaps more later about that pregnant appearance . . .

Later: If pregnant, not yet delivered, is the word from Wheeling.  Shea did nothing of note in this context at the Pignatelli mass but is staying in Wheeling for a few days.  It’s his annual “visitation” of the Jesuit community there, when he has one-on-one conferences with each, after which he will have the low-down.  Icing on the cake, one may assume: how could he in the past have been so sure of the wisdom of what transpired if he didn’t have it?

Indeed, as an astute observer noted to Blithe Spirit, the removal of Giulietti had to be a Jesuit thing, for that matter a provincial’s decision.  Civil legality has no room for three Jesuits in a conference call removing a university president.  It was the religious superior that did it.  Giulietti was remanded back to his own province, New England, case closed.  He served in Maryland (province) at sufferance of the Maryland provincial.  Sufferance withdrawn, Giulietti withdrew.

So it’s a fool’s errand to ask Shea to save the day, no matter who you are, including Giulietti’s sole trustee-supporter, Rev. Ed Glynn SJ, a former Maryland provincial and successively president of three Jesuit universities.  This is as much religious-community politics as university politics.

- as published in Blithe Spirit, the Blog

Wheeling Jesuit alum withdraws gift after president's ouster

November 11, 2009

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A Charleston man and Wheeling Jesuit graduate will not give about $650,000 in money and property he planned to donate to the school in Wheeling, because of what he considers the "cowardly, deceitful and morally perverse" ouster of former President Julio Giulietti in August.

In a letter to Wheeling Jesuit's Interim President J. Davitt McAteer, Charleston's Steve Haid said he had planned to leave $200,000 for a scholarship in his will, along with three properties in Canaan Valley valued at $450,000 to the university's endowment. Haid addressed the letter Oct. 18.

"It's unfortunate that Mr. Haid takes this position on withdrawing his estate gift," McAteer said in a prepared statement. "We have not seen any decline in our fundraising numbers and donations. We are moving forward and working on the business of running a university in a positive manner.

"We regret that Mr. Haid cannot join us."

In early August, a slight majority of the university's Board of Trustees decided not to keep Giulietti on as president. At the time, the board was made up of Giulietti and four other Jesuit priests.

A meeting of the university's board of directors preceded their vote. Charleston attorney Rudolph DiTrapano, a former member, said the board of directors received no reason at the meeting why they were to vote on Giulietti's removal. There had been no allegations of misconduct, DiTrapano said.

Like Haid, DiTrapano also plans to stop funding a scholarship at Wheeling Jesuit.

The board of directors didn't get enough votes to remove Giulietti, but the board of trustees' vote trumped the earlier decision. Haid said at least three members of the board of trustees met behind Giulietti's back when the decision was made to remove him.

"I was outraged. That's why I resigned," DiTrapano said of the vote. "I thought Giulietti was very gifted. He was a very unusually bright priest."

Haid said Giulietti is fluent in five languages and was well liked by students and faculty at the Wheeling campus. Under Giulietti, Haid was the administrative assistant for planned and endowed giving. Haid acted as an unpaid volunteer and did not receive salary, travel expenses or meal reimbursements, he said.

Haid, a registered lobbyist in Charleston, was Secretary of Education and the Arts under former Gov. Gaston Caperton. He has never been a paid lobbyist for Wheeling Jesuit, he said.

In the letter, Haid largely blames Bishop Michael Bransfield of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston and some unnamed members of the university board of directors for Giulietti's "lynching."

Haid wrote that Giulietti had sought to acquire Mount de Chantal's property in Wheeling, on the site of an old Catholic girls' school, for Wheeling Jesuit. According to Haid's letter, the Visitation Sisters who operated the girls' school were "strongly committed to conveying the property" to the university. The sisters were close to Giulietti, Haid said.

Haid believes that Bransfield had his own interest in the Mount de Chantal property, and wanted to "slap down a Jesuit priest" who sought to acquire it for Wheeling Jesuit.

"As the letter indicates, there has been a hostile takeover of the university by factions controlled by the bishop and other elements that I don't think are supportive of the mission of the university or its rich history or commitment to quality education," Haid said Wednesday.

Bryan Minor, a spokesman for the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, disagreed with Haid.

"Bishop Bransfield has repeatedly indicated that he did not have a role in the selection of Father Julio Giulietti as the president of Wheeling Jesuit University and he has not had a role in the departure of Father Giulietti," Minor said Wednesday. "Wheeling Jesuit University does not fall under the umbrella of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. We do share a common ministry to the young men and women of West Virginia, and the diocese and the university do continue to collaborate because Wheeling Jesuit is the only Catholic institution of higher education in West Virginia."

In a Wheeling Jesuit press release dated Aug. 6, no reason was given for Giulietti's removal as president. The release noted that Giulietti would leave the university to "continue pursuit of his ministry," which focused on spirituality, faith, personal development and international outreach.

"That was an attempt to sugarcoat a bitter pill; that's all that was," Haid said.

In a university press release dated Oct. 28, the school announced that it had halted its search for a new president after two months of work. For the first time, the school has opened the presidential search to include candidates who are not Jesuit priests.

In the wake of Giulietti's departure, Haid believes the university cannot attract a quality candidate.

"The truth of the matter is nobody wants to go there," he said. "They had a great president and they ran him out of town and consequently they can't find anyone worthy of the job."

In a prepared statement, Wheeling Jesuit officials disagreed with Haid, and said they suspended the search in order to review the best options for reopening the hiring process "after the final candidate field weakened." The decision was based on the opinions of the presidential search committee, which includes 11 members of the WJU community, including students, alumni and faculty.

"University presidents come from a highly competitive field of professionals and it's not unusual for a search to take longer than planned and to twist and turn along the way. It has absolutely nothing to do with the August departure of our previous president," Margaret "Mimie" Helm, chairwoman of the Presidential Search Committee and vice chairwoman of the board of directors, said in a prepared statement. "This is also the first time that the position is open to lay persons and not just Jesuit priests, which also changes the search from our past experience."

McAteer chose against being a permanent candidate for president.

- by Davin White, Staff writer and Advertiser, as published in the Charleston Gazette

WJU Losing $650,000 Contribution

November 13, 2009

Charleston lobbyist Steve Haid plans to withdraw a planned $650,000 gift to his alma mater, Wheeling Jesuit University, because he objects to the abrupt firing of the school's former president, the Rev. Julio Giulietti.

Haid believes Giulietti was forced out in a power struggle involving the Most Rev. Michael J. Bransfield, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston.

WJU and Diocese officials, however, deny that Bransfield was instrumental in Giulietti's Aug. 5 firing.

Margaret Helm, vice chairwoman of the WJU Board of Directors, said the board developed a difference of opinions concerning Giulietti's performance.

"The majority of the board voted to remove Giulietti, and the Board of Trustees, which has the final responsibility for the university, and is made up of Jesuits, voted to remove Giulietti from his position as president," she wrote in a prepared statement.

The Rev. James Shea, provincial of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus, stressed that Bransfield played no role in the firing.

J. Davitt McAteer, interim WJU president, said in a news release that the university continues to raise funds, despite Haid's decision.

"Haid is one of 10,000 graduates of Wheeling Jesuit University and our fundraising efforts are continuing. Since Aug. 6, nearly 500 alumni have made donations. In fact, the number of pledges to the President's Circle, which has declined over the past two years, have increased over the past three months."

Bryan Minor, a spokesman for the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, also said the bishop had nothing to do with Giulietti's selection or departure from the university.

The university has temporarily halted its search for a new president. For the first time, the university is considering candidates who aren't Jesuit priests. Haid is not a member of the search committee.

Haid previously served as an unpaid assistant helping to generate donations to the university under Giulietti.

- by Casey Junkins Staff Writer With AP Dispatches, as published in the Wheeling News-Register

Where is the president?

The excitement was high. 

First was the news that the search for a new president for Wheeling Jesuit would be a serious one and underway by October.  Interviews would occur in October, the champion announced in November and he or she in place for the New Year.  The search would be open to all qualified candidates assuring us of a win-win for WJU.  After all, the new president will be the fifth president in ten years.  Excitement was high indeed. Thirty-five applications! Seven serious candidates gave way to three and then two finalists. (No Jesuits dared apply!)

But in later October, William Fisher, Wheeling Jesuit Board Chair, announced “We were hoping to appoint a new president by the first of the year, but the process of hiring a college president takes time, and we want to be as thorough as possible in finding the right leader for the university."

Yes, it is about leadership.

Does Fisher mean the first search was rushed and not thorough in finding the right leader among thirty-five candidates?  What to do?  Might he be considering a reinstallation of the popular president, Fr. Giulietti, so rudely terminated in August?  And if so, would Fr. Giulietti be foolish enough to return to Wheeling Jesuit now?  I doubt it.  A pity though.  He was a read leader.

Larry Catraro

Prominent Wheeling Jesuit alum slams Giulietti firing

11/06/2009 at 5:38 pm

A contributor and volunteer fund-raiser for Wheeling Jesuit University has withdrawn his promised support amounting to $650,000 in cash and property bequests in protest of the firing in August of Rev. Julio Giulietti, SJ, as president.

The firing was “the most cowardly, deceitful and morally perverse action that I have ever witnessed,” said Stephen E. Haid in an Oct. 18 letter to interim President J. Davitt McAteer.  Blithe Spirit has obtained a copy of the letter.

Haid, a 1963 graduate of Wheeling Jesuit and longtime teacher at West Virginia University until becoming a teachers union lobbyist and then campaign chairman and later cabinet member in Gov. Gaston Caperton’s administration, blames the firing on three people or groups:

* Bishop Michael Bransfield of Wheeling, who “wanted to slap [Giulietti] down” because Giulietti “sought to acquire the [adjacent] Mount de Chantal property for Wheeling Jesuit.”

* “An element on the Board of Directors . . . who want to micromanage the University, who want any president to be an errand boy.”

* The three Jesuit trustees who “in an irregular night session” voted to fire Giulietti.

Haid was named last March by Guilietti as one of two Special Assistants to the President for Advancement to work on planned giving, endowment development and alumni partnerships, with an office on campus.

It was a continuation of his working “very closely” with Guilietti “for at least a year,” he said in his letter.

Among Haid’s other activities is to serve with Bishop Bransfield on the board of the West Virginia KIDS COUNT Fund, founded in 1989 by Gov. Caperton, who later became president of The College Board.

Haid has also served on the board of governors of Marshall University, in Huntington, WV — at one time as a member of its executive committee.

- as published in Blithe Spirit, the Blog

Letter to Mr. J. Davitt McAteer

Mr. J. Davitt McAteer
Interim President
Wheeling Jesuit University
Washington Ave.
Wheeling WV 26003

October 18, 2009


Dear Mr. McAteer:

By this letter I am informing you of the withdrawal of my Declaration of Intent which was intended for the establishment of the Leo and Elizabeth Haid Scholarship. My will formerly provided a $200,000 allocation for this aforesaid purpose.

Secondly, three properties in Canaan Valley, WV, valued at $450,000, which I intended to donate to the endowment, will now be committed to purposes more in keeping with the founding philosophy of Wheeling Jesuit University.

The actions of the Board of Trustees in firing President Julio Giulietti, S.J. constitutes the most cowardly, deceitful and morally perverse action that I have ever witnessed. For at least a year I worked very closely with Fr. Giulietti on the planned giving campaign. I did so as an unpaid volunteer, accepting no salary, no reimbursement for expenses or travel, all the while paying for lunches, dinners, and receptions directly associated with the planned giving campaign out of my own pocket.

I tell you this not to brag or ask for recognition, but to make it clear that my efforts were not venal or self serving. I simply wanted to help. The record will clearly show that we recruited at least seven members to the Troy Legacy Society and garnered pledge commitments in endowed and planned gifts well in excess of six million dollars.

Let me be very clear; I have served in a number of executive positions where I have been able to evaluate leadership. I have managed gubernatorial campaigns, served as a Cabinet level Secretary of Education and the Arts, as an executive representing an association of 20,000 teachers, and as a member of the Marshall Board of Governors.

In my judgment and that of virtually everyone who worked closely with President Giulietti, his performance was outstanding. He was the first at work everyday, and quite frequently made calls late into the evening. I frequently heard, “Steve, how are we doing?” and “What can I do to help?” His spirit and enthusiasm were contagious.

I was deeply moved by his sensitive and caring attention to every person. He knew the cafeteria workers and custodians by name and would stop to talk to them and try to understand their challenges in life. The executive meetings that I attended at his request were well organized and designed to move a positive agenda.

I observed firsthand his highly successful efforts at student recruitment and building relationships in the Wheeling community and throughout West Virginia. One former legislator and now a current member of Governor Manchin’s staff told me that, “Father Julio was the best thing that ever happened to Jesuit.” Wherever I went I heard similar comments.

Of course, most of the involved alumni know what his ouster is all about. First and foremost, Father Julio’s lynching was the handiwork of Bishop Michael Bransfield, who wanted to slap down a Jesuit priest who sought to acquire the Mount de Chantal property for Wheeling Jesuit. Clearly, the Bishop had his own design, notwithstanding the fact that the Visitation Sisters were strongly committed to conveying the property to
Wheeling Jesuit University. Beyond any doubt, the Bishop was an activist leader in the conspiracy against Father Julio.

Secondly, there is an element on the Board of Directors, led by a few alumni, who want to micromanage the University, who want any president to be an errand boy, whose messianic obsessions led to the firing of Father Lundy, and whose persistent intermeddling was a constant cross for Father Hacala to bear. There can be no positive move forward at WJU until these incompetents have taken their appropriate leave.

Finally, and most regrettably, a few Jesuits on the Board of Trustees (three, to be exact) met in an irregular night session to oust Father Julio. Father Ed Glynn and Father Julio, also members of the Board of Trustees, were not even notified of the meeting. These three Jesuits must explain their own actions, if not to the WJU community, then finally to a Higher Authority.

In sum, I stand by my original conclusion that the firing of President Giulietti, S.J. constitutes the most cowardly, deceitful and morally perverse action that I have ever witnessed. It is worth reading part of the Preamble to the Wheeling Jesuit University Bylaws:
“Wheeling Jesuit University is in the service of society, and this service implies a twofold dedication: first, to truth, its transmission and enlargement; and secondly, to the development of students as wiser and more authentic human beings, characterized, not solely by intellectual strength, but also by an holistic maturing in aesthetic, moral, and religious values.”

These words of the Preamble are nothing but hollow phrases to the current leadership that has usurped power at Wheeling Jesuit. In my judgment, they do not deserve the support of those who still believe in this statement, and who, at least, try to exemplify what we
were taught as young students.

I grieve for all the good and great men of the Society of Jesus and the laypersons who invested their lives and talents in service to students for half a century. That the values and moral principles that they encouraged could be so thoroughly debased constitutes an
abiding tragedy.

By my own reckoning, and based on conversations with other alumni of conscience, at least five million dollars otherwise committed to the endowment has been withdrawn. All who created this calumny will surely reap what they have sown.


Sincerely,

Stephen E. Haid, Ph.D.
Class of 1963

Presidential Search Suspended

WHEELING, WV, Oct. 28, 2009 - The Wheeling Jesuit University Board of Directors has halted their search for a new president. The timing of the search and a dwindling candidate pool were key factors in the decision.

The first meeting of the search committee took place on Aug. 31.

"We were hoping to appoint a new president by the first of the year, but the process of hiring a college president takes time, and we want to be as thorough as possible in finding the right leader for the university," said William Fisher, board chair.

Leadership changed at Wheeling Jesuit on Aug. 5, 2009 with the departure of Julio Giulietti, S.J., who served as president of Wheeling Jesuit for two years. J. Davitt McAteer, a vice president at Wheeling Jesuit, is serving as the interim president. McAteer has chosen not to be a candidate for the permanent position of president.

A Presidential Search Committee was selected by the Board of Directors and began the work of finding a new leader for the Jesuit, Catholic university to continue its mission of "educating students for life, leadership and service." For the first time ever, the field was open to lay persons.

Initially 35 candidates applied. From this pool, seven advanced to personal interviews in Pittsburgh and from that a final two were selected. At this point, the search was suspended.

The search is suspended to review the best options for reopening the hiring process.

"We want to take our time and do this right, so we are willing to suspend the search for the good of the institution," Fisher said.

- as published at the WJU website

Preist Probe Resolution Disheartening - Letter to the Editor

October 28, 2009

It's very disheartening to see how Wheeling Catholic officials are responding to the revelation that a Jesuit university board member stands accused of sexual harassment.

Because one California church official in 1999 decided that an allegation against Fr. Thomas Gleeson was "unsubstantiated," West Virginia Catholic authorities are apparently fine with giving him a position of authority and responsibility over innocent teenagers and vulnerable young people.

Would it hurt Wheeling Jesuit University so much to even spend a few days delving into this accusation, instead of immediately assuming that a credible accuser is wrong and an accused cleric is right?

David Clohessy
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests National Director
St. Louis, Mo.

- as published in the Wheeling News-Register

Wheeling Jesuit alum raises the NASA issue

Blithe Spirit, the Blog has posted something about the open letter to Fr. Shea.

Wheeling Jesuit alum raises the NASA issue

Open Letter to Fr. Provincial James Shea, S.J.

October 24, 2009

Father Provincial James Shea, S.J.
The Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus
Suite 620
8600 LaSalle Road
Towson, Maryland 21286
provincial@mdsj.org

Re: Wheeling Jesuit University -- the 5Rs of Truth

Dear Father Provincial:

My alma mater, Wheeling Jesuit University, is plagued by three inextricably linked scandals. The dream of Fr. Clifford Lewis, S.J., our founder-in-chief, is now at the precipice. I and 10,000 others need your immediate assistance in rectifying the three scandals besetting WJU so that our school can chart a course to make Fr. Lewis's dream available for tomorrow's students.

Our conflict with the current regime is simply put: they insist upon secrecy; we insist upon openness. Secrecy versus openness in WJU's multiple scandals of NASA-honeypot-gate, presidential-coup-gate, and homosexual-predator-gate. Each of these -gates involves the ongoing concealment of wrongdoing. Secrecy punishes Julio Giulietti, and rewards Thomas Gleeson and Davitt McAteer. Openness is owed to the 10,000 who name WJU in their resumes and wills. The myopic arrogance of the oligarchy temporarily occupying the president's office and permanently occupying the dual boards has caused these scandals to explode throughout the blogosphere, newspapers, television, and talk-radio. WJU's public image created by the current regime, on a scale of 1 to 10, has been zero.

This is what we ask you to do, and this is why we ask you to do it.

We ask that you no longer tolerate these immoral actions and attitudes. Ultimately you are the one who can quickly restore morality, fairness, and justice to this campus of inequity. We ask that you take five actions: remove, reinstate, restore, replace, and resolve.

Remove the accused homosexual predator to protect students pending an investigation. Reinstate the president to protect the university by renewing his exemplary record of accomplishment. Restore accountability to the NASA program by requiring full disclosure of Davitt McAteer's oversight of the NASA debacle. Replace stonewalling secrecy with accessible openness! Resolve to act quickly and decisively.

Homosexual-predator-gate. Davitt McAteer's arrogant statement that "We have no plans to suspend Father Gleeson, nor conduct any investigation" while WJU knowingly harbors and shields the accused homosexual predator is in open defiance of the American bishops sexual misconduct policy mandating "openness" in such cases, and requiring an investigation with suspension or removal while the case is being investigated. Despicably, McAteer added, "I personally am happy to have Father Gleeson serving." We are not happy! Neither McAteer nor anyone else claims that Gleeson is innocent of homosexual predatory behavior. WJU-Trustee Gleeson was the defendant in a homosexual-predator case where the defendant paid off the complaining witness in a Michael-Jackson-style out-of-court settlement of the one-million-dollar case. Gleeson's activities on our WJU Board of Trustees have ranged from embarrassing to disastrous. There is no reason to keep him on that board. There must be more deserving Jesuits somewhere in the USA.

Presidential-coup-gate. The recent firing of our popular and successful President Julio Giulietti, S.J., and the recently uncovered identity of accused homosexual predator Thomas Gleeson, S.J. are inextricably linked. Gleeson was one of three WJU Trustees voting to fire the president. Two votes would not have been enough to remove Julio Giulietti. Had Thomas Gleeson, the accused homosexual predator, been removed or suspended before August as required by law (American bishops sexual misconduct policy), Julio Giulietti would still be President of Wheeling Jesuit University.

The Jesuit troika of Gerard Stockhausen, Thomas Gleeson, and Brian O'Donnell briefly held a secret telephone conference-call meeting, and voted to fire WJU President Julio Giulietti, S.J., in absentia without debate even though that was not on their agenda. The troika members have since cloaked themselves in secrecy.

Davitt McAteer, and the disgruntled Stockhausen, Gleeson, and O'Donnell have steadfastly stonewalled alumni and others asking for an explanation of the surreptitious firing of Julio Giulietti. We do know that this evil firing had to be rushed in order to conceal the president's superlative evaluation by faculty, students, community, and alumni -- and by his exemplary record of accomplishment!

Firing the president for no stated reason is tantamount to character assassination of a good and decent Jesuit who acted honorably. The reason for the troika action is still shrouded in secrecy. Public opposition to rule by troika will be devastating to WJU in years to come, and has the potential of hurting all 28 Jesuit colleges.

Reinstating our president instantly remedies all these surreptitious evils, and places WJU on a path toward eliminating the debt and bringing Fr. Lewis's dream to future students.

NASA-honeypot-gate. Immediately preceding the initial board action against Julio Giulietti, NASA issued an audit report highly critical of WJU. That timing cannot be dismissed as merely coincidental! When asked if some form of ghost payrolling was involved, McAteer declined comment. This cannot be excused as merely a $4,000,000 clerical error OK'd by a supervisor and signed off on by the administrator. For certain, Julio Giulietti had not been president long enough to be responsible for the increased debt caused by this NASA debacle.

NASA issues the audit report critical of WJU and immediately McAteer replaces Giulietti! The public perception is clear: WJU has been placed between avaricious men and a pile of money. Remedy: a restoration of accountability to the NASA program by requiring full disclosure of Davitt McAteer's oversight of the NASA debacle.

Stonewall Secrecy Shrouds Scandals. "We are first and foremost a community of scholars, seekers of the truth." So said President Julio Giulietti, S.J. initiating his open-door administration. Now the agenda of the entrenched regime is silence and secrecy rather than openness and reform. The troika firing squad was immediately whisked away with zipped lips. No open inquiry on this campus!

The resolution of these three scandals is too important to be handled by a closed clique. It will affect all, and should be open to all. Tear down the stonewall erected by McAteer, Stockhausen, Gleeson, O'Donnell, et al. Tell the unvarnished truth to all! Replace stonewalling secrecy with accessible openness!

Resolve. Fr. Clifford Lewis always seemed more accessible and closer to my life than other Jesuits, possibly because he had been married and had held a job in the free enterprise sector. I remember him as a loyal friend. A true visionary, he had the resolve, the fixity of purpose, to make the tough decisions. We ask you to now walk in his footsteps. Please do not allow Fr. Lewis's dream, our dream, to die.

Each of these outrageous scandals must be openly rectified if WJU is to survive. A drastic purgative is required. To do less would be akin to waiving a lantern at a runaway train. Remove Thomas Gleeson. Reinstate President Julio Giulietti. Restore accountability to Davitt McAteer's NASA oversight. Replace stonewalling secrecy with accessible openness. Resolve to act quickly and decisively.

Magna est veritas et praevalebit!

Michael J. Fahy, B.A., J.D.
WJU Alumnus

Wheeling Jesuit Trustee on the Spot

October 14, 2009

Click HERE to read the article on Blithe Spirit, the Blog with the comment from Judy Jones, Director of SNAP Ohio Valley.

WJU Board Member Under Fire

October 14, 2009

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - Wheeling Jesuit University on Wednesday refused demands from a clergy-abuse survivors' group to suspend a member of the Board of Directors and investigate past claims of sexual harassment.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, was organizing a protest in downtown Wheeling to pressure the school and the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston to take some action against Father Thomas Gleeson.

J. Davitt McAteer, Wheeling Jesuit's interim president, said the university is aware of the allegations and sees no further need to investigate. Gleeson has served the school since 2004.

"We at Wheeling Jesuit University, and I personally, am happy to have Father Gleeson serving as a valuable member of our Board of Trustees and Board of Directors," he said in a prepared statement. "We have no plans to suspend Father Gleeson, nor conduct any investigation."

Wheeling Jesuit is currently seeking a new president. It fired Julio Giulietti Aug. 6 after two years on the job, citing a lack of confidence in his leadership.

Gleeson and two other priests were sued in the 1990s over alleged sexual harassment at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, Calif. Seminarian John Bollard said priests pressured him for sex and Gleeson - then president of the seminary - propositioned him twice.

Bollard claimed a dozen priests subjected him to unwelcome advances in the 5½ years before he left the seminary. His lawsuit was settled out of court in 2000 with no admission of wrongdoing.

But Judy Jones, SNAP's regional director for the Ohio Valley, said American bishops adopted a sexual misconduct policy in 2002 that promised openness in such cases, and suspensions and investigations when credible accusations arise.

She believes that policy obligates Wheeling Jesuit and the diocese to be cautious, suspend Gleeson and investigate the initial claims.

The diocese, however, said it has no authority to either appoint or remove leaders at Wheeling Jesuit. Gleeson is not a resident of West Virginia, does not reside at Wheeling Jesuit and is not an active cleric for the diocese.

"The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston adheres to the Charter for Protection of Children and Young People," its statement read, "and the Diocese continues to comply with and exceed national standards for maintaining a safe environment in the Catholic community."

- by Vicki Smith, Associate Press Writer, as published at Charleston Daily Mail

Blithe Spirit, the Blog

Blithe Spirit, the Blog has some interesting posts, updates, and information about WJU.  The two most recent posts are listed and linked below:

Wheeling Jesuit: And then, there were seven

No Jesuits felt the need to apply

What is unique in WJU?

I wonder if the Wheeling Jesuit Board and its Trustees understand that soon a great deal of funding is going to dry up from private education just as it did in other industries that offer educational products to learners. Education is more available and cheaper now than ever before. For an educational institution to service it must offer a good education, have something unique about itself and offer both at an affordable price. Uniqueness matters a lot. It will lead people to make sacrifices. Without uniqueness with clear value, the money available to students will go to the least expensive institution that offers the same as the more expensive one.

Friends of mine have children who study at Wheeling Jesuit. Many of these parents made the sacrifice to let their children attend the college because it is a Jesuit institution. To most people Jesuit usually means the institution represents the best in ethical and moral training along with a strong but pricy education. Does Wheeling Jesuit now have anything to offer that is unique to back up its price? Is there a uniqueness that is worth the high tuition cost? My friends tell me their children are looking at alternative institutions to study and earn the same level of degree. There are plenty of places where they can earn good degrees at a much greater reduction in price.

Why the coming exodus? After the forced departure of its most recent and popular president, Fr. Giulietti, Wheeling Jesuit seems to be in ethical and moral disarray. Its Jesuit ethos, the ethical and moral basis which is the core of its uniqueness, seems to have evaporated. How can the institution claim to be a Jesuit college when at its highest levels, the Board of Directors and the Jesuit Trustees, unethical and immoral decisions were made to throw aside a good man without any legitimate reasons and in such a publicly cruel manner? What message is presented to its students and staff other than ethical and moral behavior is relative? That is not Jesuit and certainly not Christian.

People are willing to pay for uniqueness. Wheeling Jesuit must prepare itself for departures by students who sense the loss of the uniqueness they sought. A degree from the college is no longer worth the financial sacrifice. They know there are good institutions nearby that offer reputable degrees at significantly lower prices. If they want the uniqueness of a Jesuit education they can bight the financial bullet and go to one of the other truly Jesuit schools. Their parents will understand.

Larry Catraro

Further Evidence of Fr. Giulietti's Innocence as forwarded to the blog by an alumna

Click on image for a larger view

A Response to Fr. Currie

The original article in Connections by Rev. Charles L. Currie, S.J., President AJCU can be found HERE.

 Dear Fr. Currie.

 As I read your September letter in Connections this morning I was pleased to notice the following:

"A Jesuit college or university must model concern for justice in its institutional practices.  It must mirror a life of just relationships with students, faculty and staff, and in its outreach."

I think you are absolutely correct.

Your mention of Fr. Howard Grey and his opinion that "In institutions, students will form memories of who they should be."  clearly speaks to the heart of the current difficulties at Wheeling Jesuit.  I have no doubt that Fr. Grey would agree that until justice is provided for Fr. Julio Giulietti, our students will form faulty memories of who they should be.

You have characterized the people responsible for his firing as "good people".  That may be true, but sometimes good people do bad things.  This is one of those times.  Until Fr. Julio's good name and reputation are restored, the university will only mirror injustice with its entire community.  That our students might perceive this as right and just should be a concern for all of us.

WJU alumni understand that it is within the power of the Maryland Province to restore justice and integrity to the university. We understand that it could be accomplished quickly.  That is what needs to happen. 

Providing a solution to the WJU problem requires courage, discipline and honorable intent.  Isn't that what the pursuit of magis is about?

My best,
Judy Geary

$5,000 accusation against Fr. Giulietti, explained

The University Administration, Board of Directors and Board of Trustees continue to state that they "cannot tell us why Fr. Giulietti was fired due to confindentiality and privacy laws proctecting Fr. Giulietti".  The attached lettter from Fr. Giulietti's lawyer responding to one of the contrived accusations against Fr. Giulietti is now a document of common knowledge. Is this one of the "OFFICIAL" reasons for his firing that they cannot make public?

 

Click images for a larger view.

Turmoil at the Top at Jesuit University - National Catholic Reporter

Ex-president will not fight ouster, but some board members protest

September 1, 2009

Jesuit Fr. Julio Giulietti is accepting his controversial dismissal as president of Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia, but one former board member is calling for an investigation into whether the local bishop was behind the ouster. Other board members are protesting that the university’s bylaws were flouted during the process.

On Aug. 5, the Wheeling Jesuit University board of trustees, a group comprised of four Jesuits, fired Giulietti hours after the larger board of directors fell two votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to dismiss him.

Before becoming president at Wheeling two years ago, Giulietti was director of the Center for Ignatian Spirituality at Boston College and director of Georgetown University’s Center for Intercultural Education and Development in Washington. Officials of Wheeling Jesuit, which has just over 1,000 undergrads, say a search for a permanent replacement will begin soon.

The trustees released no specific information as to why Giulietti’s contract was terminated, although university staff and some board members speculated that his management style, especially his decisions to replace several administrators, and a drop in the university endowment were two likely reasons.

Those opposed to the firing appealed to the Maryland Province, which includes West Virginia’s only Catholic university, to overturn the decision. That will not happen, according to a province release, which stated: “Maryland Provincial James Shea supports the action of the Wheeling board of trustees and the university’s efforts to move forward in a positive manner.”

Giulietti says he will not seek legal recourse to get his job back. “I don’t feel it is right for me to go back to Wheeling while the same members are on the board,” he said. “It wouldn’t be constructive for the university.”

Talk of a lawsuit has simmered down. Board member Rudolph DiTrapano, a lawyer who practices in Charleston, W.Va., said he considered legal action but after looking over the situation, he determined that remedy in the courts seems unlikely.

“The Jesuit order is not exactly a democracy,” DiTrapano said. “It doesn’t appear there’s much recourse here.”

Not everyone is so resolved.

Former board of directors member Lynda Wolford, a retired CPA and senior administrator in higher education, said she was informed by a source close to Wheeling-Charleston Bishop Michael J. Bransfield that he told certain board members, “You know you will need to fire Julio.” Wolford said she is keeping the name of her source secret, in case the issue does become a legal matter. She stressed she did not know Bransfield personally.

Bransfield denied Wolford’s charge in a statement to NCR.

“I have never communicated my opinion or my evaluation of Fr. Julio Giulietti to the board or staff of Wheeling Jesuit University,” Bransfield wrote. “In fact, I have deliberately kept the office of the bishop out of any discussion regarding leadership at Wheeling Jesuit. Any board member who said that I pressured the board has never spoken to me concerning this matter.”

The diocese and university have no direct financial or fiduciary ties. However, the chief financial officer of the diocese, William G. Fisher, currently chairs the board of directors. Fisher declined to comment, referring all university communication to Acting President Davitt McAteer.

Wolford, who resigned from the board of directors in protest of the Aug. 5 firing, would like to see the issue probed.

“Anyone who was terminated the way Julio was, the reasons should be exposed,” she said.

Giulietti would not comment on the allegations of the bishop’s involvement or their relationship. A spokesman for the bishop said he had no knowledge of the relationship between Giulietti and Bransfield.

Board of directors member Dr. Donald Hofreuter, who has a 48-year relationship with the institution, says the meeting was called too soon. He said an evaluation of the president was underway, but did not include comments from faculty, students, staff or alumni.

“I thought we should allow the whole process of evaluation to take place,” Hofreuter said, “since we had requested a full review of his job performance.”

According to the university bylaws, a president can be fired by a two-thirds vote from the board of directors, followed a by a majority vote of the board of trustees. DiTrapano told NCR that the directors’ meeting included no discussion, simply a motion to dismiss Giulietti, which fell approximately two votes shy, with one abstaining.

“That was it,” said DiTrapano, who plans to resign from the board as well as stop contributing to the university. “As far as I was concerned Julio was still president.”

Local news agencies received a press release from the trustees the next day, saying Giulietti had left the university.

Jesuit Fr. Edward Glynn, one of the four trustees, was not aware of the second meeting and, according to an e-mail he sent to a fellow trustee, Jesuit Fr. Gerard Stockhausen, he was surprised by the decision. “Since the directors did not act,” Glynn wrote Stockhausen, “there was no reason for the special meeting of the trustees.”

Glynn, who did not return requests for an interview, had telephoned into the directors’ meeting from Pennsylvania. Stockhausen referred all questions to the university.

Acting President McAteer could not speak to the votes taken by either boards, but did comment from his own point of view on why Giulietti would have been dismissed.

“The experience base that he brought to the table as a spiritual director is not the experience base needed to operate the multiple facets of a small, but substantial-sized university,” McAteer said.

Not so, says Giulietti.

“That is a very common criticism that people make about a president,” Giulietti said. “But what you do as president is bring in very talented people whose life work is related to specific needs of the university. I am a leader that helps move an institution forward with a vision of where it can go in the world. That’s my skill. That’s how you attract people to the university. As far as finances, I’m not a CFO.”

Giulietti pointed out that he inherited a $35 million debt and a relatively small endowment of $19 million, which dropped to $11 million during the global financial crisis.

“That’s not my fault,” he said. “That’s the world’s fault.”

Giulietti was also criticized for reassigning or asking for resignations from key administrators early in his tenure.

“He fired some administrators that were close to board members,” one staff member said on the condition of anonymity. “That was not forgotten.”

Giulietti said the reorganization saved nearly a half-million dollars per year. He also pointed out the chief financial officer and dean of academics he hired both became well liked and effective administrators.

Hofreuter and Wolford listed several improvements under Giulietti, including greater recruiting efforts, a successful reaccreditation process, better relations with alumni, expansion of overseas opportunities for students, and improved faculty relations with administration.

“He was making progress,” Wolford said, “but it takes at least two years for those improvements to show. The bottom line is there was an urgency to terminate his contract before the benefits of his work began to appear.”

McAteer says the main issue for Wheeling right now is a smooth transition into the next school year.

“Nothing is going to change at all in the classroom,” McAteer said. “We are going to be ready when students begin to arrive at the end of the month.”

One staff member who spoke with NCR on the condition of anonymity said that Wheeling is a strong institution academically, but worried about the turmoil at the top. The university has had eight presidents in its 55-year history, but will now be hiring its fourth this decade. (One president resigned due to a life-threatening illness.)

Wolford echoed that staffer’s concern. “Unfortunately, I don’t think that the institution will be able to survive with this kind of leadership model,” she said.

The staff member was not as hopeless about the future, simply stating, “I just wish everything weren’t so secretive.”

Michael Humphrey, a regular contributor to NCR, lives in New York.

- as published in National Catholic Reporter

Dampened Spirit - Inside Higher Ed

September 8, 2009

One board member called it “dirty business.”

Last month’s controversial firing of Wheeling Jesuit University’s president had many twists and turns, pitting two governing boards against each other and spurring allegations that an area bishop played a role in the president’s ouster. While the Rev. Julio Giulietti was beloved by many, it was no secret that the Wheeling president had his detractors from the moment he took office two years ago. In the end, even Giulietti’s ardent supporters proved powerless to save him.

Giulietti was fired August 5, and his dismissal was the orchestrated work of a group of board members who -- amid the protest of some of their counterparts -- helped set in motion a vote that would prove Giulietti’s undoing, members of the Board of Directors said in interviews and now-public e-mails.

William Fisher, chair of the Board of Directors, encountered significant pushback as he moved toward a dismissal vote for the president. Among those who objected was Rudolph DiTrapano, a Charleston, W.V., lawyer and member of the board.

“I thought that [vote to remove him] was bizarre because we had no evidence of misconduct or incompetence,” says DiTrapano, who now intends to resign from the board. “Everything I knew, the man spoke five languages and was working day and night for the university. The vote was just baffling.”

Fisher, however, made clear that he wouldn’t be challenged. In a July 16 e-mail to the Rev. Edward Glynn, who holds dual membership on the university’s Boards of Directors and Trustees -- more on the role of the two boards below -- Fisher said the vote would go forward with or without the skeptics’ acquiescence.

“I exercise my right as Board [of Directors] chair to call the meeting. A majority of the board has told me they want one,” he wrote in an e-mail, now posted on a Web site dedicated to the case. “If you feel strongly it is a waste of time, you may ask to be excused.”

Fisher went forward with the August 5 vote at a time when Father Giulietti was on vacation and Father Glynn was attending his brother’s funeral in Pennsylvania, some 350 miles away from Wheeling. As such, Father Giulietti was unable to defend himself and Father Glynn, his lone likely supporter among the trustees, was unable to vote.

Inside Higher Ed requested an interview with Fisher through Wheeling’s communications office, but he was not made available.

When the vote came before the university’s Board of Directors, it narrowly failed to produce the two-thirds majority required to oust Father Giulietti, two board members told Inside Higher Ed. That result prompted a second vote the same day by the university’s Board of Trustees, which approved the measure. Some directors still question whether the trustees had authority to overrule them, and the university did not respond to a request for bylaws articulating the powers of the two boards.

“[Giulietti] survived the Board of Directors, then to add insult to injury some Board of Trustees I’d never heard of, three out of five show up, and overrule us,” DiTrapano said.

“I have not heard of any activity that the Board of Trustees embarked on [before this vote],” he adds. “It’s just bizarre that we were required to vote if our vote was meaningless.”

Throughout the process, DiTrapano said there was no discussion about the reasons for firing Giulietti, and the director was perplexed that a vote would go forward before a comprehensive evaluation with student and faculty input -- due this fall -- was completed. The perceived rush to judgment has led to speculation that the local Roman Catholic bishop, the Most Rev. Michael J. Bransfield, a longtime donor with no jurisdiction over the university, pushed for the ouster. A spokesman for the diocese denied the bishop’s involvement, but DiTrapano and another board member have heard otherwise.

“I believe that this termination was directly ordered by the diocese,” said Lynda Wolford, a director who resigned over the issue.

Wolford said she was told by someone “close to the diocese” that the bishop ordered the termination, but she would not elaborate on the source.

While Bishop Bransfield has no official role at the university, his connections to the institution extend beyond his patronage. Wheeling Jesuit is a desirable postsecondary option for students who attend area schools run by the Catholic diocese. Furthermore, Fisher, the Board of Directors chair who initiated the vote, works for the bishop as the diocese’s financial officer. Bryan Minor, a spokesman for the bishop, said any discussions that Fisher and Bishop Bransfield may have had about Wheeling Jesuit’s president were “merely coincidental.”

“He said to me specifically, ‘I have kept the office of the bishop out of the leadership discussions surrounding Wheeling Jesuit University,’ ” Minor said. “Bishop Bransfield wishes the best for Father Giulietti as he moves forward, and Bishop Bransfield wishes continued success for the university.”

If the bishop was indeed hands-off in his approach to the university, he was also quick to chime in after Giulietti’s firing. A news release announcing the “change of leadership” at Wheeling quoted the bishop, even though he has no official position within the university or authority in the matter. In an e-mail to Fisher, Glynn noted with some sarcasm the bishop’s contribution to the release.

“It is more than quite humorous that apparently the public spokespersons for the University in these matters is now not the Chair of the Board of Directors nor the Chair of the Board of Trustees, but the Bishop and the University legal counsel, neither of whom are members of Board of Directors and the Board of Trustees,” he wrote. “Yippee!"

The bishop emerged as a spokesman yet again to announce the appointment of the acting president, David McAteer, and then presided over a mass to mark “the current transition of leadership.”

Minor said the bishop agreed to the mass because he and McAteer had forged a friendship after the 2006 Sago mine disaster. McAteer, former assistant secretary for the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration, was directing an independent investigative panel examining the tragedy at the time, and Bishop Bransfield was providing spiritual support to the community.

The Rev. Charles L. Currie, a former president of Wheeling who maintains ties to the institution, said he believes Giulietti’s firing had more to do with a lack of chemistry between the president and some board members than any potential influence of the bishop.

“I’ve heard some of that same thing [about the bishop ordering this], and I can’t speak for the bishop, obviously. I don’t have any evidence that there was untoward influence,” said Father Currie, president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges. “I think it’s fairly obvious that the bishop and Father Giulietti didn’t have a great relationship, but I don’t know anything beyond that.”

It is clear Father Giulietti may have gotten off on the wrong foot with some directors, because the board was split on whether to hire him from the beginning. Some directors favored James Birge, who had served as interim president.

Birge, who is now president of Franklin Pierce College, in New Hampshire, could not be hired under the bylaws at the time, however, because he was a layman. The bylaws have since been changed to allow non-clergy members to be president.

Trustee’s Past Includes Harassment Allegations

The power struggle that unfolded at Wheeling Jesuit was in part a product of its somewhat unusual governance structure. Of the 28 Jesuit colleges in the United States, Wheeling is among only four that has two separate boards. The Board of Directors, made up mostly of lay people, numbers about 20 and handles most of the university-level decisions. The Board of Trustees, which is made up of Jesuits, typically delegates its authority to the directors -- but can intervene in certain circumstances like the dismissal of a president, according to Currie.

The question of whether the trustees in fact had the authority to overrule the directors at Wheeling may be moot in Giulietti’s case. He was ultimately asked by the Rev. James M. Shae, one of two provincials to whom he reports within the religious order, to step down, Currie said.

“Even if there was confusion with respect to the boards, once a provincial asks a Jesuit to leave an institution, that trumps everything else,” he said.

The three voting trustees were the Rev. Brian O’Donnell, the Jesuit community rector for Wheeling; the Rev. Gerard Stockhausen, president of the University of Detroit Mercy; and the Rev. Thomas F. Gleeson, a former president of the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, Calif., who was named as a defendant in a highly publicized sexual harassment suit filed by a former male student in Berkeley. The suit, which alleged Gleeson had asked to masturbate with the young seminary student, settled out of court in 2000 with no admission of wrongdoing, but it continues to haunt named defendants seeking positions of authority in higher education.

University officials did not respond to requests for comment on the past allegations made against Gleeson, but Currie stressed that the allegations were “never substantiated.”

“Since and before the case in question, Father Gleeson has held important positions of responsibility and brings to his role as a trustee many years of experience in higher education, including previous experience as a trustee at Wheeling,” Currie wrote in an e-mail. “I don’t think unproven allegations should stand in the way of his service.”

Father Giulietti and Father Glynn, the two remaining trustees, were absent from the special meeting to oust the president. Without access to the board’s bylaws, it’s unclear whether Father Giulietti would have had a vote concerning his own removal. However, Father Glynn made clear in an e-mail to Fisher that he felt the board was on “shaky ground” by proceeding with a vote when so few members were present.

“The dysfunctionality of the governing boards of Wheeling Jesuit University now is publicly manifesting itself,” Father Glynn wrote to Fisher August 8.

Father Glynn could not be reached for comment.

Property Dispute May Have Played Role

In a small town like Wheeling, there’s a lot of talk, and university officials have struggled to stay ahead of rumors about the reasons behind Father Giulietti’s dismissal.

Citing the confidentiality of “personnel matters,” university officials have provided no explanation for Father Giulietti’s firing, and as such a particular theory has persisted in the community.

Despite denials from the diocese, many believe the bishop was interested in obtaining a valuable piece of property that Father Giuletti appeared best positioned to acquire. The property in question was Mount de Chantel Visitation Academy, a recently closed school that is still home to five nuns. The nuns had an affection for Father Giulietti and the university, which is located on contiguous property, and had hoped Wheeling Jesuit would purchase and renovate the buildings – providing a home for the sisters for the remainder of their lives.
While the university may not have been financially positioned to acquire the property, Father Giulietti’s favored access was a source of frustration, according to Wolford’s unnamed source.

“That [conflict] stoked it, and so then everything Julio said or did became a point of ridicule for certain board members,” Wolford said. “They’ve made it very difficult for him the last six or seven months, and are not giving him any credit for what he’s accomplished there. And over time you’ll see all that reversed.”

According to Minor, the diocese has no interest in the academy’s property.

Acting President’s Appointment Questioned

When Father Giulietti was fired, it was reasonable for outsiders to assume that a critical report from NASA on the university’s administration of federal funds might have had something to do with it. The space agency’s August 3 audit suggested that NASA grant officers had failed to recognize the university’s double billing and other accounting errors on the order of $4 million.

But if the trustees who ousted Father Gulietti were upset about the NASA report, their selection of McAteer as acting president is puzzling. As university vice president, McAteer had oversight of the NASA projects, according to board members.

To glean from Father Glynn’s e-mails, however, it’s unclear how McAteer, who holds a law degree but no Ph.D., was chosen in the first place.

“Who appointed the acting president? No press release states who made the appointment,” Father Glynn wrote to Fisher. “As a Director and a Trustees [sic], I have received no request for approval of the appointment.”

McAteer did not respond to an interview request.

The university has not indicated how long McAteer might stay in place as acting president, but a search committee has been formed to find a new leader. If McAteer does not stay on, the new president would be the university’s sixth leader since 2003. That level of transition has left a bad taste in the mouths of some, and the handling of Father Giulietti’s dismissal hasn’t helped heal any wounds.

“This is dirty business. This is really dirty business,” said Wolford, who retired as Georgetown University’s vice president and chief audit executive two years ago. “It’s not the kind of thing you ever expect from an institution with a religious affiliation.”

- Jack Stripling

- as published in Inside Higher Ed 

Members of the Board of Directors Resign

It has come to my attention from a reliable source that a couple members of the Board of Directors at WJU have resigned in protest of the Board of Trustees action on firing the president.  These are Lynda C. Wolford, C.P.A., Director of Internal Audit and Management Analysis at Georgetown University for 12 yrs, and Rudolph L. DiTrapano, Esq., one of the very few lawyers listed in The Best Lawyers of America.

Join the "WJU Students in Support of Fr. Giulietti" Facebook Group

Click HERE to see the group and join it as you wish.

Good Work Lies Ahead - Letter to the Editor

August 27, 2009

Editor, News-Register:

As one who spent 10 of the best years of my life at Wheeling College (now Wheeling Jesuit University), and continues to have a love affair with the institution and its very special people, I was deeply saddened by recent events.

Fr. Julio Giulietti has been a friend and colleague for many years, as have many of the board members and, of course, faculty and staff at the University. It is always painful to see relationships deteriorate as they did at Wheeling between the board and the president, leading to Fr. Giulietti's departure from the University.

No one "wins" in such a situation and the demands of necessary confidentiality prevent folks knowing all the details. I am satisfied that good people on both sides seriously disagreed on what was best for the University and a decision had to be made.

In similar cases, the president has moved on to do good work, as I am sure Fr. Giulietti will, and the institution also moves forward, as I saw on my recent visit to campus that the University community is doing. Faculty and staff were eagerly preparing for a large new freshman class and re-committing themselves to the fine educational experience in the Jesuit tradition for which Wheeling Jesuit is known and valued.

They all deserve our prayers and best wishes.

Charles L. Currie, S.J.
Washington, D.C.

- as published in The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register

A Letter to the Chairman of the Board

 

 Click images for larger view

Treatment of Giulietti Disgusting - Letter to the Editor

August 26, 2009

I am a graduate of Boston College and have known Father Julio Giulietti, S.J., for 27 years. Father Julio is a man of integrity, sound intelligence and deep spirituality.

Since Father Julio's firing, I have read two documents from Father Ed Glynn, who has served as president of three separate Jesuit universities and as Provincial of the Maryland Province of Jesuits. He currently serves as a member on the Wheeling Jesuit Board of Directors and is a Trustee. His documents report in chronological order his dissent and the events that led to the illegal firing of Father Giulietti.

There have been no allegations or evidence of any immoral, unethical, illegal or fiduciary negligent acts by Father Julio. I am appalled and disgusted, but not completely surprised by the underhanded actions of some members of the Board of Directors. What is deeply disheartening and sad is the action of the three Jesuit Trustees. These Jesuit Trustees fired Father Giulietti without the two-thirds approval required from the Board of Directors, without the full attendance of the Trustees and while Father Julio was on vacation. I do not recollect this type of intentional public embarrassment being directed at any university president.

I cannot believe Jesuits would treat a brother Jesuit in such a despicable and disrespectful manner. Their unjust actions, if allowed to go uncorrected, will bring a greater amount of shame and distrust to the Jesuits and the Wheeling Jesuit community than the damage brought upon Father Giulietti. Have these Jesuits forgotten that they are Jesuits first? Have they dismissed the teachings of St. Ignatius to seek the presence of God Our Lord in all things and at all times, whether conversing, walking, looking, tasting, listening, thinking, in everything you do. How can they claim to hold the moral high ground to teach our sons and daughters when they behave so unethically and immorally? This is hypocrisy in its most basic form.

If there is legitimate dissatisfaction with the president's job performance, the evaluation process should have been allowed to run in its entirety. My understanding of the Wheeling Jesuit bylaws, as clearly demonstrated in Father Ed Glynn's documents, is that the Jesuit Trustees had no legal authority to take this premature and illicit action. I believe this action by the Jesuit Trustees was taken as a result of fear that the independent evaluation would not be returned in the favor of some board members and maybe even some local religious authorities outside the purview of Wheeling Jesuit University. We all make mistakes, but only men of honor and integrity will find the strength to admit their failures and correct them.

If I were a Wheeling Jesuit University alumnus, I would rescind all past and future donations to the university and demand full disclosure of these illicit events by the Trustees. If we are to sit idly by and witness injustice then we are as guilty as those who committed the act.

John W. Hwee
Chestnut Hill, Mass.

- as published in The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register 

Even Health Insurance? (a letter from Fr. Julio's attorney)

 

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Letter from Governor Manchin

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Giulietti Firing Protested - Letter to the Editor

August 14, 2009

Editor, News-Register:

I am a resident of Wheeling, West Virginia and my husband is currently enrolled in the nursing program of Wheeling Jesuit University. I have come to know WJU as a family because of the warm people and their hospitality. I am appalled of what took place recently.

The shocking firing of President Fr. Julio Giulietti, SJ, is a very unjust and discourteous action, not only for the man himself, but also for each and every one of us who respected and loved him so dearly. No amount of words can exactly describe how this man has been WITH us and FOR us through all these times that he spent in WJU.

Fr. Julio is the only president I know whose office doors are very widely open to those who would want to visit him anytime. If I didn't know him, I would assume him to be a regular man, a "nobody" in school who mingles and chats with just anybody in campus. I have come to know a lot of presidents back in my own country, the Philippines. But only this president have I admired so much for being so nice and open to the people.

Fr. Julio was removed from his position prior to his yearly evaluation. What is the school evaluation for if it does not count for anything at all? Several students are already scheduled in September for an interview that will evaluate him. Why did they not get this chance for evaluation? Is this the reason why Fr. Julio has been the fourth president in seven years of this school? Why such sudden firing without even a word from the student body? These students, in fact, make up the bulk of the entirety of the school who in fact know Fr. Julio that well because he is a REGULAR FRIEND to all of them - always with open arms, to think that he is the PRESIDENT of this prestigious university!

Fr. Julio was fired while he was on vacation. I do not think this is the socially correct way to dismiss someone from a position which was still rightfully his. Everyone who loved this man was not even given an opportunity, in a courteous and gracious way, to bid him goodbye, appreciate and thank him for all the wonderful things he has done, not only to the university, but for being a FRIEND to us all. This president is more than a family to us.

I know that this letter will not at all get Fr. Julio back to the position as the president of WJU, after all that has been unjustifiably said and done. But on behalf of my husband who is enrolled in this university, all the other students, and all the people who love Fr. Julio, I just deeply express my dismay for all the unkindness and rudeness that is being thrown to him. An intelligent, humane and a very kind man does not deserve all these.
Our hearts and prayers will forever be with our Fr. Julio.

Christine C. Aquino, M.D.
Wheeling

- as published in The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register

Giulietti Praised - Letter to the Editor

August 13, 2009

Editor, News-Register:

The recent firing of Wheeling Jesuit University's President, Julio Gulietti, is a real shame. In less than two years this energetic and tireless leader brought many positive changes to the university and helped it to remain one of the top centers of higher learning in our area.

Furthermore, the Board of Directors' attempt to "cover up" their doings by making it seem that Gulietti left on his own is simply disgusting. I thought that the directors' job was to ensure that the Jesuit ideals and ways of life are alive at the yniversity. Apparently they're the ones that need the philosophy lesson. Here's to a great man, and a great model of excellence.

Austin Macri, WJU senior
St. Clairsville

- as published in The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register

The Dysfunctionality of the Boards Manifests Itself (an email from Fr. Glynn)

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Sat, Aug 8, 2009 1:25 pm
Subject: Trustees Special August 5, 2009 meeting

Gerry,

Approximately 9:45 a.m. yesterday morning, Friday, August 7,  2009,   in the sacristy of Our Lady of the Snows Church in Clarks Summit, PA., while I was preparing for my brother Jim’s funeral Mass,  another Jesuit surprised me by saying that the President of Wheeling Jesuit University had been fired.  I replied that it was not true but that an effort to do so by the Board of Directors on Wednesday had failed.  He said it was the Trustees that fired him.  I said that  I am on both the Board of  Directors and the Board of Trustees and did not know this  and then asked the Jesuit where did he hear this and when did this supposedly happen.  He said the Trustees did it yesterday (Thursday) and that it was in the Wheeling daily newspaper.

Since I had not read any of my email since early Wednesday afternoon when I went up to my brother John’s home in Factoryville, PA., for my brother Jim’s wake and funeral Mass, I presumed that you had called another special  meeting of the Trustees on Thursday and acted then.

I was surprised again and was more than disappointed when I returned to Baltimore late yesterday afternoon, Friday, August 7, and read that the Trustees did this on August 5th , Wednesday.

When the special meeting of the Directors concluded around 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, I called your name out a few times because I wanted to be certain that the Trustees special meeting scheduled for 1:45 p.m. that afternoon would not be meeting and wished to ask you that.  You apparently immediately got off the conference call. Tom Gleeson was still there and he said what I too was presuming ,i.e., we have no reason to meet  because the special meeting of the Trustees  was called to act in case  the Directors had taken an action and it was consequently necessary for the Trustees to act. Since the Directors did not act, there was no reason for the special meeting of the Trustees. So I left for Scranton early.

In your August 3rd email to the Trustees in which you provided Trustees the numbers to call for participation in the August 5th special Trustees meeting,  you once again provided the purpose of the special meeting by forwarding your July 25, 2009, email to the Trustees, i.e.,:

Should the WJU Board of Directors take any action regarding the WJU president during its August 5 meeting, we, the trustees (not including the president), may have to take some action as well.

I am therefore calling a special meeting of the WJU Board of Trustees by conference call at 1:45 PM EDT on August 5.  The only agenda item will be to discuss any action(s) taken by the Board of Directors at its August 5 meeting, and to take whatever action the Board of Trustees needs to as a result of action(s) taken by the Board of Directors.

Thus not only once but twice you clearly stated to the Trustees what the only agenda item would be:  “The only agenda item will be to discuss any action(s) taken by the Board of Directors at its August 5 meeting, and to take whatever action the Board of Trustees needs to as a result of action(s) taken by the Board of Directors.” 

Since the Directors failed to have sufficient votes  to remove the president, the Directors did not take an action.  Thus there was no need to act by the Trustees.

The Bylaws of Wheeling Jesuit University, Inc., states:  “Business transacted at any special meeting of the Board of Trustees shall be limited to the purpose or purposes stated in the notice of the meeting, provided, however that if the majority of the entire Board of Trustees agree, other matters may be taken up by a unanimous consent of those present”  (II, 4). Consequently in taking action I think you were really on very shaky ground, especially since there were only three trustees  present for20the meeting.  (With only five members on the Board of Trustees we are at the Bylaw allowable minimal number of trustees [II, 1]).  With the President not participating and my being on the road to Scranton, there were only three possible members present for making the decision to remove the president.  Three is a remarkably small number to make the decision to remove the president, especially since this was not the stated purpose of the special meeting of the Trustees

The very shaky ground you are standing on becomes even shakier by reason of the limits of power that the Bylaws place on the Board of Trustees: “Any Trustee, other than the President, may be removed from office by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Trustees with or without cause” (II, 5).

I have a few question s and comments now.

Who put together the mealy-mouthed statement that the WJU  press release attributes to the faceless and nameless “Trustees,” i.e.,  “He leaves the University to continue pursuit of  his  ministry, which has focused on spirituality, faith, personal development and international outreach.”? This statement that has appeared in newspapers in and outside of West Virginia is minimally misleading and deceitful.   Most probably it has been g reeted with loud mocking guffaws.

Who appointed the acting president?  No press release states who made the appointment.  As a Director and a Trustees, I have received  no request  for approval of the appointment.  In fact, as a Director and a Trustee,  I  have received no communication about these matters from the Chair of the Board of  Directors and the Chair of the Board of Trustees.

Obviously there is no reason to keep Directors and Trustees informed!  No effort was previously made by the Chairs of the Directors and  Trustees to keep  Directors and Trustees informed of resolutions that the Chairs were intending to bring up although efforts obviously were made by both Chairs in their communications with Board members to never state directly  the real intentions of their calling of special meetings of the Directors and Trustees (At the special meeting of the Board of Directors called for the purpose of  considering  the not yet completed evaluation of the president the resolution to remove the president was introduced and obviously had been prepared before but was not listed as an agenda item.).

It is more than quite  humorous that  apparently the public  spokespersons for the University in these matters is now not the Chair of the Board of Directors nor  the Chair of the Board of Trustees,  but the Bishop and the University legal counsel, neither=2 0of whom are members of Board of Directors and the Board of  Trustees. Yippee!

The dysfuntionality of the governing Boards of Wheeling Jesuit University now is publicly manifesting itself.

Ed Glynn

What happened? - from the eyes of Rev. Edward Glynn, S.J. (a series of emails)

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Mon, Aug 3, 2009 10:49 am
Subject: Fwd: special meeting of WJU Trustees

Since the Boards of Directors and Trustees have scheduled special meetings this coming Wednesday, August 5, 2009, I am sending with this email the content of my email to the Directors this past Saturday, August 1, 2009.

Ed Glynn


My brother Jim is dying.  He would be 82 years old  this coming September 30th but will not make it since he was declared brain dead yesterday and according to his wishes he is not being kept alive by extraordinary means.  Such means were withdrawn yesterday, July 31st.

Since I presume I will be in Clark’s Summit, Pennsylvania,  for  my brother Jim’s  wake,  Mass and burial sometime next week,  it is highly possible that I will not be able to be,  present for the  Wednesday, August 5, 2009   special  meeting of the Wheeling Jesuit University board of directors.

I regret that I may not be  present for the meeting because I was looking eagerly forward to participate.  In case I am not present I am now sending all of you some comments, observations and judgments regarding this meeting.

On July 13, 2009, I send an email to our Board Chair, Bill Fisher, to ask the following questions:

Bill, what else is on the agenda for the special August meeting of th e board of directors?  If it is only the assessment of the president, how can we do an accurate assessment and one helpful to the institution if we don't  have input from the faculty, administration, staff, students and alumni/ae?

Bill responded by email on July 13th :  “ This is the only agenda item.  I copy Mr. Scheye as he is contracted to all of what you mentioned ,  the time table I am not sure.”

Thus I emailed this message to Tom Scheye on July 13th :  “Bill  without answering my question  sent you a copy of my question to him.  Do you have an answer to my question?”

Bill emailed me this comment on July 13th:  “I was hoping Tom Scheye would answer your question.  We are going to discuss what is complete at that time.”



Tom Scheye on  July 14th by email responded:

My assessment will not be complete until I have had the chance to interview members of the faculty, staff and student body, and those interviews will wait for the beginning of the new semester.  However, I wil l send the Directors an edited version of their own comments in time for the August meeting, and I have suggested to Julio that he complete his self-assessment so that might be available to provide context for the Directors’ comments.  In short, the Directors will not have my assessment in August, but they will be able to see what their fellow Directors’ comments are.  Hope that helps.

Consequently on July 14th I sent the following email to Bill: CBill, here is Tom's reply.  I still have my question.  Why are we having a special board meeting that has only one agenda item and this agenda item will only be half prepared? It seems weird to me.”


On July 16th I emailed the following to Bill:  “Bill, in case you have not recei ved my July 14th email containing my questioning to you, I am sending it again.


Bill responded on July 16th:

Serious decisions need to be made about the direction of the University. You will receive a packet of information that might clarify things.

I exercise my right as Board Chair t o call the meeting a majority of the board has told me they want one.

         If you feel strongly it is a waste of time, you may ask to be excused.

I have now received the packet of information  and this packet of “information” makes clear what Bill’s agenda was and is.

I judge Bill’s sending out a second set  of directors’ comments indicating in red and blue unfavorable and favorable comments respectively to be highly manipulative and insulting.  Each director can read and can make his or her own interpretation.  We do not need the chair to do each director’s interpretation.  Otherwise WJU might as well have a board of one director.

Since this was supposed to be the evaluation of the directors I find the lengthy comments of the university’s lawyer to be very inappropriate. Legal counsel is not a member of board of directors.

As you can read in  the evaluating comments of directors that you received this past  Friday, I have clearly stated my  own judgment regarding the university attorney:

If I were the WJU president, I could never in the future trust the board’s legal counsel personally nor professionally.  His phone call to the administrative assistant to the president to ask her whether in his phone call with the president that had just concluded there had been anyone else in the president’s office was politically crude and personally dumb.

I have no idea what Bill’s inclusion of his resume in the packet of “information” was an attempt to prove.

During the last four decades at a dozen and a half  institutions of higher education located all over the United States I have been working as a faculty member and administrator  or  serving on their boards.  All these institutions are larger and more complicated than Wheeling Jesuit University.  During these nearly forty years I have not experienced such a  similarly inappropriate  presidential evaluation and   calling  of a special  board meeting to consider the  half completed presidential evaluation.

I have no idea what Bill’s inclusion of his resume in the packet of “information” was an attempt to prove.

This special board meeting that is being called to consider the   not yet  completed evaluation of the president  (Only the directors’ evaluations have been received  and none from other major constituents of the university, such as students, faculty members, administration, staff and alumni/ae.) is a continuation and an institutionalization of the dysfunctionality  of the WJU board of directors and is a grave disservice to Wheeling Jesuit University by the board of directors.

I have not shared any of the above email correspondence with the WJU president.  As far as I know, he knows nothing about them.

Ed Glynn



-----Original Message-----
Sent: Mon, Aug 3, 2009 9:35 am
To: Ed Glynn, sj (WJU Board); Tom Gleeson, sj; Brian O'Donnell, sj (Jesuit Community, WJU)
Subject: FW: special meeting of WJU Trustees

Here is the call-in info for the Trustees meeting at 1:45 EDT on Wednesday.

1-877-834-5364
Pass code: *******


Gerard L. Stockhausen, S.J.
President
University of Detroit Mercy


From: Gerard Stockhausen
Sent: Saturday, July 25, 2009 10:20 AM
To: Ed Glynn, sj (WJU Board); Tom Gleeson, sj; Brian O'Donnell, sj (Jesuit Community, WJU)
Subject: special meeting of WJU Trustees

Ed, Tom, Brian,

Should the WJU Board of Directors take any action regarding the WJU president during its August 5 meeting, we, the trustees (not including the president), may have to take some action as well.

I am therefore calling a special meeting of the WJU Board of Trustees by conference call at 1:45 PM EDT on August 5.  The only agenda item will be to discuss any action(s) taken by the Board of Directors at its August 5 meeting, and to take whatever action the Board of Trustees needs to as a result of action(s) taken by the Board of Directors.

I hope this time works for all of you.  If not, please let me know immediately.

My assistant, Emmy Yousey, will follow up with conference call information.

The good news in all of this is that my new hip is doing quite well, and that I will be taking part in all of this from Waupaca!

Thanks,

Gerard Stockhausen, S.J., Ph.D.
President
University of Detroit Mercy