Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 19, 1994 TAG: 9407070077
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Madelyn Rosenberg
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
He's been at the center of every Radford University Board of Visitors meeting, tossing off quips for a chuckle and a story.
For example, on the use of rainy day funds to offset a statewide budget crunch, he said: "It's been raining a lot in Virginia recently."
A reporter could walk into a meeting expecting nothing of consequence, and Dedmon would use a turn of phrase so quote-worthy, you wanted to come up with a story just so you could use it.
But now, when people at the university - and those watching it - need him to speak out the most, Dedmon is quiet.
When he announced last week that he would retire from Radford, following allegations that he had abused his discretionary fund, Dedmon's words were as flat and tired as a basketball that has lain all winter in a corner of the garage.
"I can think of no place I would have liked to spend the major part of my career than here at Radford," he said in the eight-line statement announcing the end of his tenure. Always before he reveled in soliloquies.
I had expected something lyrical and long, even ceremonious. An epic defense in the face of allegations and rumors. Or an admission of guilt in something akin to Richard Nixon's Checkers speech.
Anything but silence from this man who loved center stage so much that for years he was the only speaker at Radford's graduation ceremonies.
Dedmon said his illness was the reason he stepped down from his post; faculty say there's more to it. How much more remains to be seen.
But it needs to be seen quickly.
It's difficult to search for a new president when you're not quite sure what happened to the old one; to search for a future when you're still auditing the past.
And, though Radford officials are trying to find their answers internally, the professors, the school and the public could use an explanation now.
Dedmon has a reputation (and a doctorate) as a communications specialist.
Faculty at his school have a reputation for being silent.
When our reporters called on even the most routine stories, professors would have to wait until they received permission to talk to the media. And, though the university's public relations office has told us the faculty can say what they want to, until recently, they haven't.
Now, faculty are speaking out on an issue much more volatile than the stories we've written the past few years.
It is clear from their shouts and Dedmon's silence that communication at Radford University has faltered badly. How else could you explain what apparently have been years of suspicion about Dedmon's judgment in using a discretionary fund - this year $30,000?
In education today, communication is seen as especially vital. Universities must express to the public what they do and what they need, lest they lose support for needed tax and tuition increases.
With the coming change in administration, Radford University itself cannot help but change. My hope is that as it does, the way the university communicates - inside and outside - will change, too.
Madelyn Rosenberg is the assistant New River editor for the Roanoke Times & World-News.
by CNB