Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., resigned from Gallaudet University's board of trustees after protesting the board's decision to annul their appointment of former President-Designate Jane Fernandes, according to the Associated Press and The Washington Post.
Gallaudet officials said they planned to announce McCain's resignation yesterday, along with that of former board Chair Brenda Jo Brueggemann. McCain had written to President I. King Jordan this week to complain about the board's decision. Brueggemann had also resigned in response to the board's decision, according to the AP.
"I cannot in good conscience continue to serve the board after its decision to terminate [Fernandes'] appointment, which I believe was unfair and not in the best interests of the university," McCain wrote.
The board had decided to annul Fernandes' appointment Oct. 29 after a month of intense opposition from students, faculty and alumni. People opposed to Fernandes' appointment said they thought she was an ineffective leader and that she had been selected in an unfair search process, according to The Post.
