Letter from Dave Livermore '77

David P. Livermore

1960 Hubbard Avenue

Salt Lake City, UT 84108

January 15, 2011

President Adam F. Falk

Williams College, Office of the President

880 Main Street, Hopkins Hall 3rd floor

P.O. Box 687

Williamstown, MA 01267

RE: Decision Regarding Sheafe Satterthwaite

Dear President Falk:

Recently I have become aware that Dean William Wagner and members of the Committee on Appointments and Promotions (CAP) have chosen not to renew Sheafe Satterthwaite’s contract as a member of the Art Department. I find this news astonishing and an embarrassment to the College. I would like to add my voice to the chorus of other alumni you will likely hear from asking you to overturn this decision and work to develop an acceptable compromise.

As a former student of Sheafe’s (I graduated from Williams in American Studies in 1977, was awarded a Loeb Fellowship in Environmental Studies at Harvard in 1994 and have worked as a senior executive for The Nature Conservancy for over 30 years), my time at Williams was critical to preparing me for a life in public service – and my career in conservation. Central to this preparation was the time I spent learning from Sheafe. Always probing and asking the most from his students, always connecting the dots between people, place and historical trends, always challenging orthodoxy and conventional ways of looking at landscapes and environmental issues, Sheafe taught us to think beyond academic silos and solve problems by working across disciplines. These are still lessons I apply in my environmental work today.

To give you an idea of what a valuable asset Sheafe has been to the Williams community, I am enclosing outstanding letters written on Sheafe’s behalf (though, like this letter, not at his request) from Ross Cheit ’77, Professor of Political Science & Public Policy at Brown, Belle Zars ’79, Harvard  Ph.D in the history of education, Aaron Helfand ’05 currently studying at Cambridge and Milo Beach, former Williams Art Department Chair recently retired from the Smithsonian. If you read nothing more on this issue, please read these. As Ross has stated in his letter to Dean Wagner, “I am not sure you fully appreciate how much goodwill Sheafe has created for Williams and how many of us love the institution in large part because of our experiences with him.”  For 40 years, Sheafe has been a tremendous asset to the college. A small number of current faculty may not appreciate this, but hundreds if not thousands of alumni do.

For these reasons, it is inexplicable to think that Sheafe Satterthwaite’s time at Williams would end in this way. At 71, just as he approaches the end of his career, rather than thanking him for his service, awarding him a new contract, and allowing him to plan and celebrate his retirement on his own terms, Williams is asking Sheafe to go quietly into the night. This is unfair, uncalled for and reflects very poorly on the College.

I respect the fact that all CAP deliberations are confidential, but I wonder what sort of criteria are used to evaluate a faculty member like Sheafe? Whatever faculty politics and/or internal schisms have arisen recently should be weighed against positive influence Sheafe has had on countless students over 40 years. (You may not be aware that scores of these students have already written to Dean Wagner. See sheafesatterthwaitewilliams.blogspot.com.) Is it clear that Dean Wagner’s and the CAP’s decision reflects the majority view of the Art Department faculty and its Chair? Perhaps not.  For these reasons, and others, Dean Wagner’s pronouncement should serve as the basis for beginning a discussion about Sheafe’s future, rather than as the final word. The opinions of a limited number of faculty should not keep you, as President, from forming an independent opinion on this important matter of your own.

Is there a clear path forward; a way out of this impasse? Fortunately, I think there is.  Specifically, while the type of perfunctory dismissal which has occurred is unacceptable, a compromise can surely be reached if you are willing to intervene.  Alternatives for Sheafe could include a contract renewal for less than five years, affiliation with a different academic department, long-term involvement with Winter Study programs, continued service combined with a mutually acceptable retirement plan and/or other options you could help develop which honor Sheafe’s many contributions to the Williams community.  As President, you are in a unique position to facilitate an acceptable settlement and avoid the discord which will only build in the coming months if nothing is done.  

In sum, as alumni, we are simply asking you to ensure fair-minded treatment of a remarkable faculty member who a.) has inspired many Williams graduates like me to go into public service, b.) has “awakened the inquiring minds” of countless Williams students in the words of Belle Zars, c.) has “a personal connection with students which is extraordinary in the academic world,” as described by Ross Cheit, and d.) whose departure, per Milo Beach, “would be a great loss for Williams and would not bring acclaim to the institution.”  Once you weigh these attributes against the findings of the review process, we hope you will take action to see that an acceptable compromise is reached and Sheafe Satterthwaite is retained.

Thank you for your review of this important matter and considering this request. Good luck during this critical first year of your Presidency. We wish you the very best.

Sincerely,

Dave Livermore

dlivermore@tnc.org