ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, April 16, 1997 TAG: 9704160074
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WINCHESTER
SOURCE: PHILIP WALZER LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
Lawmakers called the ousting a political move so the board and governor can have more control of the state university system.
The director of the State Council of Higher Education - one of the most senior and independent agency heads in Virginia - was fired Tuesday by the agency's board.
After a 90-minute closed session, the members - all of whom were appointed by Gov. George Allen - voted 7-3 not to renew Gordon Davies' contract, which expires June 30.
Newport News Attorney Donald Patten, speaking for the majority, praised Davies as ``extremely competent with a very keen intellect.'' But, he added, ``There must be the right chemistry existing between the members of the board and ... the director.
"I have come to the conclusion over the last three or four weeks that the chemistry in this organization could be better.''
The chairwoman of the council, Abingdon attorney Elizabeth McClanahan, declined to elaborate on the concerns. But she said, ``Dr. Davies and the state council have reached a mutual agreement to satisfy the council's desire for new leadership and new direction.''
Davies, the agency's director for 20 years, stressed that he wasn't leaving voluntarily.
He has been praised by legislators and academics inside and outside Virginia as a candid advocate for colleges. He has continually pushed politicians for more state funding for colleges, but he also has pushed colleges to restructure themselves by cutting administrative costs and increasing the use of technology.
Sen. Stanley Walker, D-Norfolk, and co-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee said, ``It's hard to understand why they would want to get rid of somebody who has such a wide reputation and give the reason that it is time for a change. Everyone I talk to believes Gordon Davies is the right person to lead the council at this time.''
Davies, 58, has had smooth relationships with council members, but that began to change last summer. After Allen appointed three new council members, they helped elect McClanahan as the chairwoman.
McClanahan and Davies have clashed on a few issues in the last year, including the accuracy of the agency's enrollment projections and grade requirements for financial aid.
But the tug of war seemed to center on the control of the agency. McClanahan, saying the council required greater oversight, set up a series of committees to more closely scrutinize the agency. Council members also have taken on a range of initiatives from reorganizing the agenda book for monthly meetings to beginning work on a ``vision statement.''
Davies and some staff members have clearly resented these efforts as creating ``busy work'' that diverts the staff from more important matters.
In a critique of the committee system included in the agenda book for Tuesday's meeting, Davis wrote, ``The staff is spending more time preparing and attending meetings, but the products are not noticeably better than they were. As one staff member put it, `We are very busy but we aren't getting much work done.'''
Davies said after the meeting, ``I have tried to execute my responsibility. of our work, and we have tried to learn how to respond. In ways I can't really specify, I think I did not meet those expectations.''
Council member George Phillips Jr., a Norfolk insurance executive who sided with Davies, said afterward that the fault lay with Phillips' colleagues who ``have created a toxic and uncooperative atmosphere.''
With Davies' ouster, he said, ``The agency has lost or is rapidly losing its hard-earned reputation in both the higher education and legislative communities.''
Davies, unlike other state agency heads, cannot be dismissed by the governor. His tenure is governed by the members of the agency, who themselves are appointed by the governor. That is supposed to shield the agency and Davies from partisan politics. But Davies' supporters believe that politics intruded in the council's decision to remove him.
``You can't help wondering if it doesn't have more political overtones than you'd hoped for,'' Walker said.
Two years ago, Allen tried to cut by half the agency's budget and eliminate its role of offering college budget recommendations. Legislators voted down the proposal.
Three members of the state council are former aides to Allen - James Beamer, Jeffrey Brown and Kate Obenshain Griffin. Beamer is married to Betsy Beamer, the state secretary of the commonwealth, who helps oversee Allen's appointments.
McClanahan said that Davies' dismissal was not politically motivated and was not suggested by Allen.
Over the years some Virginia academics criticized Davies for allegedly turning a blind eye to their presidents' improprieties. At other times they complained about the push for greater teaching loads and other impositions caused by restructuring.
But without Davies, some fear the agency will emphasize micromanagement, striking at Virginia's tradition of giving autonomy to colleges. Others worry that the colleges' push for more funding will be stalled. Last year Allen and the legislature approved more than $200 million in new college aid.
Paul Metz, president of Virginia Tech's Faculty Senate, said last week that Davies provided ``the kind of continuity we need because we're so vulnerable to lack of institutional memory and ideological fad.''
McClanahan said she expected the agency to maintain ``a close connection to the colleges under a new director.'' But she said the agency would not seek to influence the colleges on such matters as the curriculum.
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