Gallaudet University

Gallaudet University is a federally chartered, quasi-governmental university for education of the deaf and hard-of-hearing, located in Washington, D.C. It was the first school for the advanced education of the deaf and hard-of-hearing, and is still the world's only university in which all programs and services are specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hard of hearing students. The university was named after Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, a notable figure in the advancement of deaf education.

Gallaudet University is a bilingual community in which American Sign Language and English exist side-by-side. While there are no specific ASL requirements for undergraduates, many graduate programs have sign language proficiency requirements.

History
In 1856, philanthropist and former United States Postmaster General Amos Kendall became aware of several deaf and blind children in Washington, DC who were not receiving proper care. Kendall had the courts declare the children to be his wards, and donated two acres of his land to establish housing and a school for them. 

In 1857, the 34th Congress passed HR 806, which chartered Kendall's school as the Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind and provided funding for the tuition of indigent deaf, dumb, or blind children belonging to the District. 

In 1864, the 38th Congress authorized the Institution to grant and confirm college degrees. 

In 1865, the 38th Congress removed the instruction that the Institution was to educate the blind, and renamed it the "Columbia Institution for the instruction of the Deaf and Dumb"

In 1954, Congress amended the charter of the Institution, and renamed it "Gallaudet College".

In 1986, Congress again amended the charter of the Institution, and renamed it "Gallaudet University". 

Deaf President Now (1988)
Student strikes at Gallaudet University starting March 6, 1988 revolutionized the perception and education of Deaf culture. Deaf students were outraged at the selection of another hearing president, Elisabeth Zinser, after a long line of university presidents who were not deaf. Alumni, faculty, staff, and students demanded that the next president of the university be deaf. After a week of protest and activism, Zinser resigned and was replaced by I. King Jordan. This movement became known as Deaf President Now (DPN).

Unity for Gallaudet Movement (2006)
Dr. Jordan announced his retirement in September 2005. On May 1, 2006, the University's Board of Trustees announced that Dr. Jane K. Fernandes, the University's current provost, would be the University's next president. This was met with protests from the student body, both in person on campus and in internet blogs and forums. This also marked what is sometimes referred to as the Deaf Blog Revolution. Initially, students cited the lack of racial diversity among finalists, Fernandes's lack of warmth, and, as The Washington Post claimed, her lack of fluency in American Sign Language.

Dr. Jordan publicly accused some critics of rejecting Dr. Fernandes because "she is not deaf enough." He described the protest as "identity politics," saying, "We are squabbling about what it means to be deaf."

The Washington Post reported that Fernandes "would like to see the institution become more inclusive of people who might not have grown up using sign language," stating that Gallaudet must embrace "all kinds of deaf people." Those who opposed her, said that they feared a "weakening of American Sign Language at an institution that should be its standard-bearer."

Protesters said Fernandes distorted their arguments, and the protest centered on her inability to lead, an unfair selection process and longstanding problems at the school.

In the spring 2006 protest, students blocked entrances to the Gallaudet campus, held rallies, and set up tents near the University's main entrance. Fernandes, appointed to serve as president-designate until Jordan retired, promised that she would not step down. On May 8, the faculty gave a vote of no confidence for Dr. Fernandes.

When the fall 2006 academic year resumed, some students, faculty, staff, and alumni continued their protest, calling for Fernandes to step down and the for the presidential search to be done again. On October 11, a group of protesting students shut down the campus. On October 16 at a regularly scheduled meeting, faculty members voted 138-24 to block Dr. Fernandes from becoming president of Gallaudet University.

On October 13, 133 students were arrested under the orders of then-President I. King Jordan after ignoring university warnings not to block entrances to school buildings.

Jane Fernandes said, "I really don't understand. So I have to believe it's not about me .. I believe it's about evolution and change and growth in the deaf community."

On October 29, the university withdrew the appointment of Jane Fernandes. In an opinion piece in The Washington Post, former President Jordan defended Fernandes' remarks and denounced the board's decision and the actions of the protesters, saying "I am convinced that the board made a serious error in acceding to the demands of the protesters by terminating Fernandes's presidency before it began."

On December 10, 2006, the Board of Trustees announced that Robert Davila would serve as interim president for a period of up to two years.

Threat to continued accreditation
On June 29, 2007, in the aftermath of the controversy over the university's presidency, Gallaudet was placed on probation by its accreditation organization, the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. In January 2007, former president Jordan had warned that "A visiting team from the Middle States Association's Commission on Higher Education made clear in its exit report to the campus community this month that closing a university and denying the free exchange of ideas is not an acceptable expression of disagreement."

The Washington Post reported that the Middle States Commission cited concerns about deficiencies in standards for leadership, academic rigor, student retention and integrity that must be resolved for the school to maintain accreditation. The newspaper noted that in 2006 the Office of Management and Budget had reported that "Gallaudet failed to meet its goals or showed declining performance in key areas, including the number of students who stay in school, graduate and either pursue graduate degrees or find jobs upon graduation." According to the article, if the school should become unaccredited, students would become ineligible to receive federal loans and could be unable to transfer credits to other schools, while the school might lose its federal government funding of $108 million per year.

Federal involvement
The university acknowledges that it "is a congressionally created corporation that serves governmental objectives."  The university and the Department of Education explain that Gallaudet has been structured by the Federal Government to take the form of a "federally chartered, private, non-profit educational institution." The federal government plays various roles within the institution :


 * Congress incorporated the Columbia institution in 1857, significantly amended its charter in 1954 and authorizing permanent congressional appropriations. In 1986, Congress passed the Education of the Deaf Act and amended it in 1992. These Congressional acts are part of "the supreme law of Gallaudet University."
 * Gallaudet must obtain authorization from the Secretary of the US Department of Education in order to sell or transfer title of any of its real property
 * The diplomas of all Gallaudet graduates are signed by the current U.S. President.
 * Three members of Congress are appointed to the university's Board of Trustees as "Public Members."
 * Gallaudet must provide annual reports to the Secretary of Education.
 * "Gallaudet receives the bulk of its income in the form of an annual appropriation from Congress, and the Department of Education oversees the University's appropriation for the Federal government."

Athletics
Gallaudet is a member of NCAA Division III and the Capital Athletic Conference. The Bison compete in baseball, basketball, cross country running, football, indoor and outdoor track and field, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, volleyball, and wrestling. Their colors are buff and blue.

Football
The football huddle originated at Gallaudet when the team noticed that their opponents were trying to see and read their signs in order to try and guess their plays.

After an undefeated season in 2005, which was achieved after 122 years, head coach Ed Hottle began his campaign to return to the NCAA ranks. With support from the Gallaudet administration, the Bison played their last season of club football in 2006 and will play a full NCAA slate of eight games in 2007.

Volleyball
In 2006, the Gallaudet women's volleyball team ended their season 30-10 after a history-making run to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Division III tournament. Tamijo Foronda, a senior outside hitter, was named to the AVCA All-American Team.

Research
The Gallaudet Research Institute (GRI) is internationally recognized for its leadership in deafness-related research. GRI researchers gather and analyze data concerning the social, academic, and perceptual characteristics of deaf and hard of hearing populations, primarily to provide information needed by educators in the field. Staff are skilled in various research methodologies including surveys, test norming and assessment, ethnographic studies, clinical studies, and information management.

General

 * Gallaudet University
 * GallyPost
 * Gallaudet Research Institute
 * Thomas H. Gallaudet

Alumni

 * Gallaudet University Alumni Cards, 1866-197 - online images of the alumni cards.
 * Benjamin M. Schowe, Sr., papers - digital collection of an alumnus of the Gallaudet University.

Presidential search controversy-related

 * Gallaudet University Now Movement
 * Dr. Fernandes' biography
 * Washington Post coverage of the controversy
 * Chronicles of Deaf Higher Education: Search for the Next Gallaudet President
 * DeafDC.com (Washington, D.C. based website featuring deaf writers)
 * Joey Baer's website (Northern California based website featuring videos in sign language)
 * The Reconcilers (group of faculty, staff, and students for peace and reconciliation--disagreed with protest tactics)

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