Archived Edition: May 02, 2007 | Back to Current	Jul 31, 2010

Coach appeals for contract renewal
Jake Gorelov - Executive Editor



Ralph White, Head Coach of the men’s and women’s track and field teams, is currently in the process of appealing the decision by the Committee on Appropriations and Promotions (CAP) to not renew his contract.

His appointment as a senior faculty member, which entails a five-year contract renewal – the closest position in the athletics department to tenure – was denied by the CAP in mid-January. White is currently serving out the last year of his second three-year term as a junior faculty member. His contract expires on June 30, 2007.

White is optimistic that the appeals process will overturn the CAP’s decision. “Once the facts get out there, if Williams is a reasonable and fair-minded institution, I’m sure I will be here next year,” he said. “I have not had a chance to sit down face to face with Morty but once I’m able to do that, I feel pretty optimistic.”

However, he received word last week that his first appeal to the CAP was rejected, according to Bill Wagner, dean of the faculty. His only remaining option is “to petition the chair of the faculty steering committee to initiate a review of the decision,” according to the faculty handbook.

Wagner believes that it is unlikely for the decision and the first appeal to be reversed. “Decisions made by the CAP are very rarely overturned,” he said. “By the time the decision gets made, many capable and experienced individuals have been very thorough in their evaluation,” he said.

White is unsure of his plans for the future should his appeal be rejected. In the past few years, he has received multiple offers at other schools but has turned them down. “I’ve had opportunities to leave and go on to big schools but chose not to because Williams is a great place. My kids have been fantastic,” he said.

Logic behind non-renewal



Both Wagner and White declined to comment on the impetus for contract non-renewal. It is possible, however, that White’s receipt of a masters degree in education from Rochville University – an online institution – was a contributing factor, considering the CAP requires all senior staff to possess a masters from an accredited establishment.

According to co-captain Tyler Gray ’07, White did not have a masters degree when hired, and in 2004 was told he needed to get one to have his contract extended. He then asked a member of the administration if an online degree would be adequate, and was told by the individual that it would. As a result, White pursued it. When the CAP informed him of reasons behind not having his contract renewed, he was told that the College did not see the degree as rigorous enough.

Gray also cited one of White’s assistant coach hires as another grounds for not promoting White. In 2004, he hired a man from Benin to be an assistant coach to help recruit athletes from Africa. Although the individual had no knowledge of track and field, the administration still approved his hire for recruiting purposes. But in addition to working at the College, the man got another job in the area with White’s help, potentially violating the College’s visa policy.



A successful career



White has been in the business of coaching for over 30 years and has served at Div. I George Mason University and helped lead Div. II Southern Methodist to an NCAA crown in 1986. He has coached 15 Olympians, 33 national champions and over 300 NCAA All-Americans.

At the College, White’s coaching prowess has been evident. During his seven-year tenure, both the men’s and women’s track and field teams have won seven straight NESCAC championships and captured several New England titles. He led the women’s indoor team to an NCAA title this winter. In 2003, he was named NCAA women’s track coach of the year, and he has also been named New England coach of the year on several occasions.

“It’s a travesty if he goes because he’s one of the best coaches in all of Div. III,” Gray said.



Track athletes, alums and

parents rally behind White



Students, athletes, alumni and parents have embarked on an extensive campaign lobbying for the success of White’s appeal.

“I definitely don’t have a total number but hundreds of people have contacted the administration on the coach’s behalf. Alums all the way back to the 1950s are supporting him even though they have never met him,” said Shamus Brady ’04 and former co-captain of the team.

Team members have sent a slew of letters to the CAP and have started a Facebook group, “We Support Coach White,” with currently over 100 members. Through their efforts, they hope to speak and attest to White’s character in hopes of swaying the administration’s decision in the appeals process, according to co-captain Katie Howard ’07.

“The consensus is that all his athletes want him to stay, but there is a split between the administration and athletes,” Gray said. “As a coach, there is no one else we’d rather have.”

Beyond his résumé and accolades, team members praise White’s vast knowledge of the sport and commitment to his athletes. Strategically, they believe he lies at the core of the men’s and women’s track team’s successes. “He has made Williams into a powerhouse with limited resources,” said Chris Beeler ’08, a member of the track team. “We have bad facilities and only a few recruits, but he makes the best of the athletes that are here.”

Suzanne Ivey, mother of Veronica Ivey ’08 and member of the parents and alumni organization Friends of Williams Track and Field, has also spearheaded a letter-writing campaign among parents.

“I have been familiar with other coaches and particularly Div. I coaches, but none have the same interest in all 130 athletes on the team,” she said. “He is tireless and has high expectations for his team members on and off the field. More importantly, the men and women who have been on the team have found themselves doing more than they thought they were capable of doing. That makes him an inspiring coach.”

In response to the bombardment of e-mails and letters the CAP received supporting White, Schapiro and Wagner sent out an e-mail to approximately 1700 track alums and families elucidating the faculty reappointment process while hinting at the administration’s reluctance to renew his contract.

Brady, however, is skeptical that the administration is in the right, considering the track team’s successes on and off the field. “Ninety-nine point nine percent of people are saying he’s a great coach and great for our school. How can three or four people who have never run track decide whether he is a good coach? I really hope they listen to those thousands of hours of experience and not make the final decision on their own,” he said.



Becoming a senior faculty

member in athletics



Receiving a five-year contract in the athletics department is a multistage process, similar to that of tenure for individuals in academic departments.

“It is a significant moment because it’s equivalent to becoming a senior member, so you are able to evaluate junior faculty and receive more job security,” Wagner said.

The process begins with a compilation of a dossier by senior members of the athletic department that includes the candidate’s curriculum vitae, self-evaluation, recommendations from senior faculty members, letters from external reviewers, students and alumni, and team practice and physical education class reports made by senior members of the department.

Student input is also included via Student Athlete Evaluations (SAE) filled out by varsity athletes at the end of each season and Student Course Surveys (SCS) forms filled out by all participants of physical education classes at the conclusion of each quarter.

Yearly interviews conducted by senior faculty with members of each team are also included. In White’s case, eight to ten athletes from the track teams were interviewed in the first and second years of his second term as a junior faculty member.

Wagner stressed the importance of student feedback in the process. “Students are going to tell us a lot about the person as a coach and a teacher,” he said. “Their input is clearly an important factor but we do not assign a relative weight to any of the forms of evidence we are weighing.”

Along with information collected in the dossier, service to the department and College, professional development and strength as a colleague are all taken into account and weighed in relation to one another, according to Wagner.

Followed by the dossier compilation, senior members of the department prepare a summary staffing report and a recommendation that is forwarded to the CAP. It is then up to the CAP to approve or disapprove of the appointment and contract renewal. The CAP is composed of Schapiro, Wagner, provost Bill Lenhart and a professor from each of the three academic divisions.

Because the CAP has already upheld its decision, White’s only option now is to appeal CAP’s second decision to the faculty steering committee. In this process, the faculty review panel will have access to all the material that the CAP used in reaching its decision, in addition to whatever material White may give them. The panel can also seek out additional information that it considers relevant.

According to Wagner, the many letters that the College has received supporting White will have no influence at this stage of the appeals process because they were received after the CAP had reaffirmed its decision. “We appreciate getting letters [in support of White]. We understand that he is a very popular and effective coach,” he said. “[But] by the time we started receiving letters, the process had already moved to a final stage in the appeal. We can’t take into account any additional information at this point.”