A message from The College of Wooster Special Committee

The following message was sent to the Wooster community June 17, 2021, from the Special Committee appointed by the Chair of the Board of Trustees to review concerns raised regarding former President Howard Lowry.

Dear Wooster Community,

We have been appointed by the Chair of the Board of Trustees as a special committee to review concerns that have been raised regarding former President Howard Lowry.  We write now with an update on our progress.

We began meeting on April 25, 2021, and have engaged an independent advisor to assist us in gathering and evaluating relevant information. We have met six times to date and will meet throughout the rest of the summer.  Members of the Special Committee and our advisor have met with a significant number of individuals who knew and interacted with Dr. Lowry, as well as having heard from many others who have relevant information and thoughts regarding the subject of our review.

After we complete our review, the results will be reported to the full Board, which will have responsibility for making any final decisions. 

We are committed to reviewing the information we gather fairly and with open minds, fully aware both of the profound contributions President Lowry made to the College and of the seriousness of the concerns that have been raised.  We respect the achievements and the lived experiences of all of the individuals whose memories and legacies are impacted by our review.  We understand that thoughtful people of good faith and character have strong and well-reasoned opinions about what the results of our review should be, and that these opinions differ in many ways and for many reasons.  For example, some feel strongly that we should not have undertaken this review at all, others feel that a review is appropriate but the Board should already have made a clear decision one way or another, and still others support the approach we are taking. While the Board has not yet come to any conclusions, it is clear that there is no decision upon which all members ofour community will agree.  We hope, however, that you trust us to engage in a fair and balanced process—one that is driven by information, informed by history, and intended only to do what is best for the College.

Members of the Wooster community holding a variety of views have provided input and constructive guidance that has been invaluable to the Committee.  As we move forward, we continue to welcome and encourage participation in the process.  Questions and comments can be submitted by responding to this email or leaving a message at 330-263-2111, and the responses will go to the dedicated inquiry@wooster.edu address.

Our goal in conducting this review is to engage in a respectful and balanced process that will best advance the College’s mission, reflect its core values, and support all of the people who have made—and those who continue to make—the College an exceptional community of learners. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we move forward with this important task.

Sincerely,

Jamie Christensen ’96

Mark Goodman ’90

John Hemann ’88, Chair

Sally Staley ’78

Anne Wilson ’73

Members of the Special Committee

Posted in News on June 17, 2021.