Dear Acting President Kelly,

Many Suffolk alumni are furious beyond measure that the university has spent millions of dollars for presidents that come and go. Six presidents in six years when the average tenure of a university president is five years. Is that our best use of resources?

When alums receive the call for contributions, we are taken aback and fearful of funding poor decisions made by the trustees of our alma mater. This year, when I received the call to donate, I asked for the name of the current Suffolk president. The advancement caller admitted she did not know. Only that President McKenna, whom she liked, had been fired.

This is not the Suffolk I graduated from, nor is it the vision of Gleason L. Archer.

But then again, President McCarthy dismantled the Cape Cod CJN program, which is how I matriculated into the Suffolk community. Clearly the landscape has changed, and only the slick advertising brochure showcasing the beauty of Boston is what remains of Suffolk’s past.

While the university is spending millions of endowment dollars in presidential payouts, the need of our undergrad student scholarships is diminishing. Why should our students receive less financial support while delusional hiring decisions are sucking the marrow out of the university’s endowment? This simply erodes the mission of our founders.

I suggest a different approach to outreach. Let’s focus on the moment…helping the incoming class reach their scholarship potential.

Of course, I realize you will probably be gone in less than a year.

Sincerely,

Bill Schneider,

Suffolk University

Alum BSJ ‘11

Associate Director

Graduate Creative

Writing Program

Wilkes University