Dear PEC Supporters,
We are pleased to be able to tell you that the Supreme Court of Virginia has
decided to hear both appeals - the student contract case and the charitable
trust case. This is the first critical step in our ability to win our
college back and we are gratified that our hard work and your perseverance
and generosity have brought us to this point.
We all know how long the legal process has taken so far and the appeals are
no different. Although the Court has combined the two cases for the purposes
of oral arguments and filing, it could be up to three months before the
cases are briefed and ready for oral argument. Here is a brief description
of the appeal process. First we must file opening briefs with the Court
within the next 40 days. Then the College will have 25 days to file their
briefs - we then have 14 days to file reply briefs. At that point oral
arguments will be scheduled.
This is a milestone that we have all earned the right to celebrate. If we
win the appeal, we will return to Lynchburg for our day in Court. We are
only in the first stages of this process, but it is the best way to get our
college back. (Although we will continue to encourage the Board of Trustees
to reconsider their decision and allow us to help them restore R-MWC). As
with all other court documents, the Supreme Court's orders granting the
appeals are posted on the PEC website.
Art Intervention
As you know, we have agreed to support those who are attempting to intervene
in the College's bid to sell artwork from the Maier Museum. The intervenors
include relatives of Louise Jordan Smith, current art students, former
faculty and museum staff members, art donors, alumnae and Lynchburg
residents who believe that the College should not sell the Maier Museum's
remarkable collection of American art to fund operating expenses. All of the
documents from the filing (including all of the exhibits) can be found on
our website and we encourage you to read them to better understand Miss
Louise's intent when she set up her trust and how this world-class
collection of American art ended up at a small college in Central Virginia.
The Court will schedule a hearing on the Motion for Leave to Intervene
shortly, and it should be argued sometime in the next few months.
Donations
With two cases now on appeal before the Supreme Court and one case in trial
court, it would be remiss of us not to remind you of how you can make a
donation to help fund these actions. Donations to PEC can be mailed to:
Preserve Educational Choice, Inc.
P.O. Box 29612
Richmond, VA 23242
If you would like to make a donation to help fund the art intervention,
please send a donation to the PEC address above with a note on the check
that it is for the "Art Defense Fund." These monies are being kept
completely separate from the general fund - our ability to pursue the art
intervention is dependent upon our ability to fund the work that must be
done.
PEC Board for 2007-2008
We are pleased to announce the new Board and officers for PEC for the
2007-2008 year. We have one new Board member - Madeline E. Miller '66.
Madeline served as a trustee of R-MWC from 1978-1992 and 1993-1998 and was
President of the Board of Trustees from 1987-1992. We are grateful for the
deep institutional knowledge and passion for R-MWC that Madeline brings to
the PEC Board.
We want to thank Gail Ballou '64, who served the remainder of Ellen Reid
Smith's term as president of PEC's Board, and Martha McClerkin Durnett '85,
who ably served as PEC's first Board treasurer, for their service during the
past year. While both still actively support PEC's mission to restore
Randolph-Macon Woman's College, professional obligations have meant that
they can no longer serve on our very active Board.
Finally, we are pleased to announce that Diane Montgomery, PEC's founder,
will be serving as President of the PEC Board this year. We are delighted
that she has agreed to serve in this leadership role as our legal challenges
to the actions of the R-MWC Board of Trustees continues into a second year.
Board of Directors and Officers 2007-2008
President: Diane U. Montgomery '85
Treasurer: Carol Curcio Lang '68
Secretary: Anne Yastremski '05
Madeline Miller '66
Chantel Sheaks '91
Anne Yastremski continues to serve as PEC's Executive Director, responsible
for the day-to-day operations of PEC, community engagement and development,
media relations, and other activities.
As always, we will keep you updated on the progress of the two appeals
before the Supreme Court of Virginia as well as further actions by the
Randolph College Board of Trustees to sell the art at the Maier Museum.
Recent articles about the college, including articles from the Wall Street
Journal, Washington Post, and Washington Times can be found on the PEC
website in the "Press" section.
Please continue to write letters to the editor, letters to the trustees,
letters to the new president, and letters to faculty - keep up the pressure.
Let the trustees know that you still care about Randolph-Macon Woman's
College and that you are willing and able to support the woman's college if
only given the opportunity to do so. Let everyone know that the future of
the college at 2500 Rivermont is dependent upon fully engaged alumnae.
Randolph College doesn't have any alumni, but if R-MWC's alumnae get our
woman's college back we will bring our talents and gifts to bear on behalf
of our alma mater.
Vita Abundantior,
PEC Board
Diane U. Montgomery (R-MWC '85)
Carol Curcio Lang (R-MWC '68)
Anne Yastremski (R-MWC '05)
Madeline Miller (R-MWC '66)
Chantel Sheaks (R-MWC '91)
