University of Virginia Library

Retrogressive Program

Mr. Baker further stated in his letter that
"The program ... will have retrogressed. This
retrogression, it seems to me, springs directly
from the attitudes and answers that came forth
in our recent meetings, and since there will be
no change in those attitudes in the near future,
I do not feel that I can endorse the
impoverished program they necessitate.'

"I cannot in conscience support or
recommend a course of study that is
incomplete and bound to that incompletion by
the willing consent of this university."

When Dean David Shannon was asked about
the matter, he said that the allegations made by
Mr. Baker were unfair. "I was disappointed to
get the letter," he continued, "but we have a
better program than he says."

He further stated that he felt Mr. Baker was
attempting to create "a political issue" by
making the reasons for his resignation public.

When questioned about the budget
difficulties, Dean Shannon replied that Mr.
Baker's main complaint was that "he doesn't
have a budget that he controls."