No place for a Steel Magnolia: known for her bold appointments and steadfast support of diversity, Dr. Ann Reynolds is forced out of UAB - Faculty Club - Special Report: Recruitment & Retention - Cover Story - University of Alabama - Statistical Data Included

Black Issues in Higher Education, Oct 25, 2001 by Kendra Hamilton

A tearful Reynolds, meanwhile, said, "For me, working at UAB has been a labor of love." She pledged to work "harmoniously" with the board and chancellor during the remainder of her tenure.

Again, no official explanation of the turn of events was given. It is clear, however, the board and UA system dodged a bullet with Reynolds' decision not to engage in a bitter and divisive legal and public relations battle. Reynolds has not commented publicly about the board's reasons behind her forced retirement.

"What you have to understand is that boards are not static. Boards change. Boards elect you because they think you have something specific to bring to their institutions," says Dr. Yolanda Moses, president of the American Association for Higher Education, who has known Reynolds since the early 1980s.

"But over a period of two -- and sometimes as little as one year -- the composition of those boards can change, the chairs change, the dynamics within the board change. Presidents truly serve at the pleasure of the board. The fact that (Ann) has been as successful as she had has been a testament to her skills as an administrator and leader," adds Moses.

A WARRIOR FOR THE UNDERDOG

Reynolds' many friends in the Birmingham community, including faculty, administration and alumni, say she will be sorely missed.

"We're in shock here," says Dr. Johnny Brown, superintendent of the Birmingham City Schools. Noting that under Reynolds' leadership, UAB and the Birmingham schools pioneered a raft of innovative programs and initiatives in the sciences and the arts, Brown says he is distressed by "the idea that these programs which are really going into full bloom might be affected by the transition to a different leadership. "We're concerned about maintaining and improving on what's been put in place. You couldn't ask for greater access than what we've been getting."

Those who have known Reynolds and followed her career were quite surprised by her decision to step down. Giving up without a fight, almost anyone will tell you, is simply not Reynolds' style.

It certainly wasn't in either California, where Reynolds left under fire, or New York, where Reynolds was hired by a mostly Democratic board of trustees that then experienced a sea change in gubernatorial administrations. But longtime colleagues say she never turned her back on the causes she championed just because, under Republican administrations, they were suddenly unpopular.

"She was a role model for me as, one of the first women chancellors in the country," says Moses of AAHE. "I admired her because she was very clear about what she wanted to achieve. She was assertive, and she supported women's organizations in the state," including an organization that Moses co-founded, Women of the CSU (California State University) System.

That organization was "not popular among the men," says Moses. "And indeed, some of her advisers warned her not to have anything to do with us, but she did it anyway."

Reynolds' critics describe her as "combative" and even "abrasive," but the words one hears from those who have enjoyed working with her -- particularly African Americans who know her well -- are "committed" and "visionary."