User:Visviva/History of Shimer College 1965-1978

Grotesque Internecine Struggle

Students rename a building in honor of Dean David Weiser, a leading critic of F.J. Mullin.

Background

In the 1960s, thanks in part to the Baby Boom, enrollment rose to an all-time high. By 1966, enrollment stood at 510 students. At the same time, the administration of Shimer became increasingly isolated from the community, as the president ceased teaching classes and strict conservative social mores continued to be enforced despite cultural changes. Restrictions over dress, conduct, and fraternization were a source of frustration for students. Tensions thus developed between the administration and older faculty on one hand, and the students and younger faculty on the other.

Crisis

In 1966 and 1967, the school underwent a severe internal crisis subsequently known as the "Grotesque Internecine Struggle" or "GIS". The roots of the crisis involved a power struggle between the dean and younger faculty and president Mullin over Mullin's increasingly dictatorial style. The specific issues under dispute included an unwillingness by the president to involve the faculty in decisions on buildings and personnel issues, and to consult with them on matters affecting the college.

Early in the fall of 1966, Dean of the Faculty David Weiser wrote a letter to Mullin requesting his resignation. This was rejected, and Weiser resigned in February 1967, the fourth member of the faculty to do so. Mullin released a statement through a Chicago public relations firm stating that "the recent turmoil instigated by a now former member of the faculty is passing with the receipt of his resignation." However, 18 members of the faculty responded with a statement praising Weiser. The Board expressed its support for Mullin in its March 1967 meeting, at which registrar James M. Green was present as a representative of the dissidents. The Board also set up a committee of faculty and trustees to improve communication, and honored a request by the dissidents for increased administrative staff.

The dispute soon evolved into a bitter personal struggle in which the actual issues were secondary. Over time, the struggle began to impact the academic life of the school. Protests were held, including one in which faculty and students carried the coffin of the Spirit of Shimer to the president's house. An independent report to the Board was favorable to the dissidents, but this was disregarded by the Board. Most of the younger faculty departed in the summer of 1967.

Impact

The Grotesque Internecine Struggle led to the departure of many of the school's faculty and one-third of the students. The adverse publicity the school received as a result of the crisis was compounded by a 1968 article in Look magazine that described Shimer as "the Midwest mecca of the marijuana mystique". This publicity led to caution from both prospective students and their parents, further damaging enrollment.

Governance

In the fall of 1967, Mullin resigned from the presidency, departing on August 30, 1968. Mullin was replaced by Milburn Akers, a former editor of the Chicago Sun-Times who adopted a less adversarial style. Akers served until 1970. The presidency was then taken over by Robert Spencer Long, who served until the school's bankruptcy in 1974.

Enrollment continued to fall throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, by approximately 50 students per year.

1970s

The now-vacant Karyn Kupcinet Playhouse on the former Shimer campus in Mount Carroll, Illinois.

Liquidation and resistance

In the fall of 1973, enrollment was 230 students, with 35 instructors. Debt exceeded $500,000. On November 10, 1973, the executive committee of the Board of Trustees voted to close the school at the end of December. The college entered into voluntary bankruptcy, and attorney Leonard Spira was appointed as liquidator.

Students protested the decision to close the school. A statement by student leaders noted that, because Shimer's education and community were unique in the world, "there is nowhere for us to go now." Working together, the faculty and students were able to raise $250,000 to stave off immediate closure. Spira resigned as liquidator in 1974, but financial difficulties continued due to the low enrollment and aging physical plant.

Conant administration

In 1974, the presidency was assumed by urbanologist Ralph W. Conant, who promised to raise 5 million dollars. He was not successful, and on May 14, 1977, the Board again voted to close the school. The decision was reversed on May 23, with the adoption of a new reorganization plan. The Board refused to accept Conant's resignation, reassigning him to full-time fundraising.

Move to Waukegan

Due to the falling enrollment and rising debt, the cost of maintaining the Mount Carroll campus became unsustainable. In the winter of 1978, an emergency decision was made to move the school to Waukegan, Illinois. The school's papers and books were moved to Waukegan in borrowed grain trucks the midst of the Blizzard of 1978. The Mount Carroll campus was purchased at auction for $170,000 by the Restoration College Association, a group of Mount Carroll residents who wished to prevent the campus from being broken up. It later became the site of the Campbell Center for Historic Preservation Studies. The move was to have extinguished the college's debt, but the college remained $1.2 million in debt in 1982.

Governance

Governance during this period reflected the college's difficult position. Most college governance in the mid to late 1970s was performed by the community as a whole, as the college's survival depended on the cooperation of the entire community. This was done through a purely democratic institution known as the "House".