Brickley Explains Official's Departure To Faculty

Eastern Michigan University President James H. Brickley, in his first week on the job, hastily called a faculty meeting Friday to try to calm waters stirred by the departure of a top EMU administrator. Speaking to a large majority of the approximately 660 EMU faculty members, Brickley lavishëd praise on departing EMU Vice President for Instruction Bruce Nelson, but he said a "mutual agreement" called for Nelson's steppihg aside "without prejudice." Dr. Nelson, contacted by The News, confirmed Brickley's statement. Nelson said he méfwith Brickley Tuesday, the former lieutenant governor's second day as new EMU chief, and learned that Brickley wanted to form "his own administrative team" without Nelson. Nelson said the mutual agreement was that he would step down and would take a six-month sabbatical and then return J(ff the fall term as a professor in the educational leadership department of the College of Education. Brickley said he regretted the decisión of Dr. Nelson to step down immediately, but said he "deeply respected" Nelson's decisión. Nelson's decisión to leave immediately had led to speculation that he had been I "fired" by Brickley. Nelson told The News he was not fired, and he said his decisión to leave immediately was made because of the nature of his job. As overseer of all colleges and five deans in the university, the vice president for instruction is the president's direct link with each college and administrator. Nelson termed the office the EMU "nerve een ter." Nelson said Brickley did not discuss with him any other administrative changes, and Nelson said he knew of no imminent resignations. Brickley told the faculty that he is pleased that Nelson will continue "to grace this campus" and that he will continue to be available to Brickley for "counsel." Nelson told The News he is "looking forward" to getting back into the classroom. In his 45-minute talk to the faculty, Brickley alluded to "rumors flowing like water through this institution," and he seemed anxious to try to allay reportedly mushrooming faculty fears of a swift purge of administrators in the wake of Brickley's arrival. The faeulty audience listened attentively to Brickley and clapped politely but not enthusiastically when he finished. There was no question and answer session. He assured the faculty that he is aware of the tensions that have plagued EMU the past several months, including 1 sy over his own selection, he told them. He stopped short of saying that there I would be no more top-level 1 tion changes, but he did say that the I Board of Regents "have not suggested or I advised any action to put anybody off I this campus or to bring anyone on this I campus." On the other hand, Brickley told the I faculty that he "will not shirk" making I decisions that affect "people and 1 cy," waming that "ducking away" from I them would "tear down" any institution. i "I will be the one to teil you things you may not want to hear - and I doñ't have any in mind right now - and I.will do the same with the students and the Board of Regents," he said. Continued the new president, "I don't feel at this point that I deserve your unqualified loyalty, your unqualified confidence, or your acceptance, but I hope you will agree that I deserve an opportunity and a reasonable time to try to earn it." Brickley, who is also a former Federal Bureau of Investigaron officer, a former Detroit Common Council member and a former U.S. District Attorney, admitted that his lack of knowledge and experience in higher education justified a faculty view of him "cautiously and perhaps even with a bit of skepticism." I (OVFF PICASE) I BRICKLEY EXPLAINS OFFICIAL'S DEPARTITCE . But, he said, politics is a part of EMU and "makes this institution possible." The problem, he said, is in "drawing the water's edge" of politics, "and in my udgment the line of demarcation is not between you and me - it is on the other side of the line, and that is where it is going to stay." As president, he would not be "just an umpire between departments," he told the crowd, and he called for an end to "dangerous fragmentation" of university departments. A "fortress mentality" has developed, he said, but "we cannot live in separate worlds." He tied the divisiveness he sees partly to a dollar and a valué crisis in higher education. Af ter "we put our own house in order," he said, enere is a crisis in higher education and I would like to see us play a role in settling that." Turning to the matter of replacing Dr. Nelson, Brickley said he has placed Nelson's assistant, Raymond A. LaBounty, in temporary custody of Nelson's responsibilities. He said he has already met with the deans under Nelson's supervisión and has asked them for a "profile" of the person they feel should assume Nelson's duties, as well as for guidelines for the formation of a search committee for a replacement. "If there was ever any time not to have a quarrel about the way to do something, it would be this selection," added Brickley, who said he would confer weekly with the deans from now on. ] "I told them (the deans) I need them very much." Dr. Nelson, who is 59, had held the vice presidential responsibilities 5_7J 1956. He joined EMU in JI&M! superintendent of the EMU M$$to8R affiliate Lincoln School District. Fórmerly a teacher and administrator in elementary and secondary schools in the Upper Península, Battle Creek and Lorain, O., Dr. Nelson received his educa-i tional administration master's and dc-41 toral degrees from the U-M. In 1952-53, he received the U-M College of Education's Burke Aaron Hinsdale award, designating him its outstanding doctoralj degree recipiënt.