Dartmouth withdraws Tengatenga’s appointment as foundation dean

[hrmjustin]

By Matthew Davies

[Episcopal News Service] Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, has withdrawn the appointment of former Southern Malawi Bishop James Tengatenga as dean of its Tucker Foundation saying that his past comments about homosexuality “have compromised his ability to serve effectively.”

Meanwhile, some North American church leaders are surprised and saddened by the decision, saying that they know Tengatenga as a bridge-builder and reconciler who has a deep understanding of the complex issues concerning human sexuality.

Tengatenga, a long-standing member and current chair of the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC), the Anglican Communion’s main policy-making body, announced in mid-July that after 15 years as bishop of Southern Malawi he was tendering his resignation to become the Virginia Rice Kelsey Dean of the William Jewett Tucker Foundation at Dartmouth College from Jan. 1, 2014.

After some members of the Dartmouth community and other groups expressed concerns about Tengatenga’s appointment, Philip J. Hanlon, college president, said in an Aug. 14 statement that he felt it was important for him to meet with the bishop and ask “tough questions about his earlier statements on homosexuality” and “his leadership within an Anglican Church in Africa that has often been hostile regarding gay rights.”

Read more at http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2013/08/15/dartmouth-withdraws-tengatengas-appointment-foundation-dean/

[okasha]

1. You would think

that Dartmouth would have dealt with these issues before announcing an appointment. I realize I'm guilty of broadbrushing here, but I came to the conclusion long ago that the chief qualification of a university/college administrator is crashing stupidity.

[hrmjustin]

2. Yeah I thought they vet people for these jobs.

He is not the innocent some of the bishops want to make him out to be, but the university handled this the wrong way.

[edhopper]

3. I must say

reading his current stand on gay rights, this was a mistake, he seemed to follow the path of Pres. Obama in his acceptance of gay marriage.
You can hold past statements against people, but when they clearly state that they no longer feel that way, you should give them the benefit.

[hrmjustin]

4. They should have done a better job at vetting him, but I do have concerns about him.

[edhopper]

5. I don't know much about him

only what i read in the article.

[cbayer]

6. I suspect the issue here has to do with some sections of the Dartmouth community

feeling his ability to lead is compromised by his previous positions, even though he has changed those.

Too much baggage, I suspect.

[hrmjustin]

7. I suspect some people are concerned he is not being completely honest about his opinions.

But what the university did was wrong. They should have done a better job vetting him.

[cbayer]

8. It's possible that they knew exactly what they were getting, but that

members of the community did not protest until he was in place. So you are most likely right - they missed the boat if they did not vet him among particular groups within the community.