It is perhaps no small irony that, despite Dr. Fernandes’s stellar resume and distinguished experience in higher education, her next few steps towards the President’s Office may be her most humbling.

Dr. Jane Fernandes strikes me as the sort of woman who rises to the occasion when it is demanded of her, and this ability was displayed for all to see at Wednesday’s final open forum for the Gallaudet presidential finalists. Amid charges that she would ascend to the presidency with scant support from faculty and even less from the student body, she defined herself as a deaf woman and explained her vision of Gallaudet.

Well, it worked. Sitting in the audience, I had to keep reminding myself that she was NOT the President. She sure sounded like it.

She began with the archetypal journey of an oral deaf person who only was exposed to ASL and Deaf culture in young adulthood while attending graduate school at the University of Iowa. Embraced by the Iowan deaf community, the gap between oral and ASL was all but forgotten in the name of deafness.

“It changed my life for the better,” she said.

Perhaps attempting to overcome the innate suspicion many culturally deaf people have towards oral deaf people, she declared ASL and Deaf culture the “center of deaf education and the fabric that holds the Gallaudet community together.” You’re right, Jane, it is.

A short digression here: Isn’t it absolutely amazing that we’ve got three deaf candidates who all agree that ASL should come first, if not equally as important as English? Isn’t that just incredible? It shows how far we’ve come. That’s something we can truly celebrate.

Back to Dr. Fernandes: She began her presentation, titled, “Defining the Next Era at Gallaudet University.” The entire Powerpoint presentation was a slideshow of photographs and titles. No body or bulleted text was displayed. Perhaps she takes the “one picture equals a thousand words” formula too literally? Given the depth of her vision (more on this soon) and the audience she was speaking to, some words would have helped her presentation.

She also read, verbatim, from a script and stood on a block (she’s not a tall person) behind the new clear plexiglas podium. Even throughout the question and answer session, she didn’t budge from her perch even once. On the other hand, she stayed on message and on time by sticking to the script.

“My background reflects those people that we will need to recruit” in order for Gallaudet to survive as an university. She’s very, very correct. Only 25% of deaf and hard-of-hearing people who take the ACT send their scores to Gallaudet. A bad omen. However, as Jane pointed out, so many deaf and hard-of-hearing students drop out of other “hearing” colleges for varying reasons. In the meantime, 80% of all deaf and hard-of-hearing people who have bachelor’s degrees or higher earned them from Gallaudet. Impressive. Her point? Recruitment has got to be a priority.

Dr. Fernandes then talked about something I haven’t really heard before. Research. Gallaudet does research? Really? I heard something about a Visual Language and Learning Center to be implemented if we land a $23 million National Science Foundation grant. The new Sorenson Language and Communication Center (SLCC) will bring together various departments which will work together to create a body of knowledge of deaf identity and culture in the 21st century.

She went on to describe how everything at Gallaudet needs to be considered, created, configured, and procured with deaf needs in mind. Everything from dorm apartments to library archives, web pages, and even the CD supplements included in textbooks need to be made accessible. It’s all about being visu-centric, she said.

But what of Gallaudet’s identity? Jane described a vast array of views - should Gallaudet serve honor students? Or developmental students? ASL? Cochlear implants? Students of color? Non-signing students? There’s a lot of mixed views of what exactly defines Gallaudet. “An inclusive deaf university of academic excellence,” she said. That’s what it’s all about, people. Academics. You’re not at school to make friends or participate in deaf-rights rallies. You’re there to learn. This is a very important message I’m saying here. Gallaudet University is not the Washington, D.C. Deaf Club. Anybody who disagrees with that is probably going to have a problem with the Provost.

Then she closed with a rather moving quote, which I’m going to try and recall as best as I can: “We cherish ASL and Deaf culture. That is the core of Gallaudet, and that core will expand to include everybody. A new agenda of social justice for all people will arise, and all deaf and hard-of-hearing people worldwide will be beneficiaries.”

She kept it within twenty minutes. Super. It’s nice to finally see a candidate who can follow instructions and read a clock. It sure would have been better for the audience if she had relaxed a little, though. On the other hand, I’m not sure how relaxed I could be in her situation.

Dr. Fernandes’s vision is a very institute-driven vision, encompassing all aspects of Gallaudet: students, buildings, faculty, research, deaf education, and community. I would expect no less from a Provost who has served in her capacity for six years. As described, it’s not a thrilling, pom-pom-waving vision. Bases loaded at the bottom of the ninth inning is exciting. Running an university and planning its future probably isn’t as exciting. Does that lessen the quality of the vision itself?

The following question and answer session was the most tense public conversation (hey, I used Ron Stern’s new word!) I had ever witnessed on stage. A faculty member accused her of being responsible for declining morale among faculty and dropping enrollment since taking the reins as Provost. A student admonished her for making faces and saying inappropriate remarks to students. A deaf-blind student insinuated that Dr. Fernandes cited the ADA as a reason not to hire the student for an Admissions position. Another scolded her for taking a reactionary stance instead of a proactive leadership style, and of being a micro-manager.

Many questions were difficult to answer, and Dr. Fernandes did not hide that fact or become defensive. She, however, answered them all with a wealth of knowledge and experience imparted to her by her current and past positions. She answered them even when they weren’t really questions but veiled, possibly unfounded and unreasonable accusations. Nevertheless, Dr. Fernandes treated each person with respect. Perhaps some of those nasty commenters on various websites and mailing lists could take a lesson from the former professor.

“It’s been clear since this process started that a lot of people don’t know me. It’s clear that I must work at improving my relationship with students and faculty,” she admitted.

Her answers were on the mark. Jane even cracked a few jokes here and there! At last count, she answered a total 22 questions, maybe more. Far, far more than the other two candidates, and she didn’t break a sweat at all. She’s obviously battle-tested in the annals of higher education.

Jane is not a rock star to borrow a phrase from myself. She was admittedly not an inspiring or charismatic speaker. Neither quality is on the list of selection criteria for being an university president. What is required, however, is an innate understanding of the higher education system, the unique challenges present at Gallaudet University, and a vision of a better, stronger institution. She appears to have all of them. I was very impressed with her performance given all the negative hype and anonymous smear campaigning that’s been taking place.

She really knows her stuff. For someone who isn’t President, Dr. Jane Fernandes sure sounded like one. The position suits her well, and she looks like she would suit Gallaudet well, too.

—

© Copyrighted material. This article cannot be copied, reproduced or redistributed without the express written consent of the author. As with every blog on this website, this blog does not reflect the opinion of DeafDC.com.