President Sargent’s sudden retirement from Suffolk closes a muddled chapter of the school’s history, but it is also the commencement of a long, prosperous era in which it grew exponentially. It’s unfortunate that the last few years of Sargent’s tenure have been marred by the controversy of exorbitant salaries, an unexpected contract extension, and a lack of transparency to the student body and the media. The administration has brought much of it on by itself, by failing to address the questions that students and faculty were asking and acting as if the situation would just go away if they waited long enough. Now, however, is not the time to rehash the missteps of the past, but to embrace the fact that the school is moving in a new direction. Provost Brown, the interim president, has pledged to be visible on campus and to have a transparent administration. We intend to hold him to that pledge. So far he has lived up to it by giving a candid interview to the Journal. Brown and the board of trustees have also reminded the Suffolk community of the tremendous contributions President Emeritus Sargent has made. Under Sargent’s leadership, Suffolk has grown from a small commuter school, to a thriving institution with dorms, expanded academic programs, and students from all over the world. The school also has campuses in Madrid and Dakar as part of an extensive study abroad program. We’ve said our piece about the controversies of the past few years, but we feel it’s important to take this opportunity to thank Sargent for his fifty-plus years of service. The only concern we have is that the Boston Globe reported that Sargent would keep his salary through his 2013 contract extension, which would essentially be giving him money for nothing. Suffolk did not confirm or deny this, but we hope it’s not true, because it would only add to the school’s broken image. Hopefully Sargent will bow out with dignity, with a long list of accomplishments to define his legacy.