Bush Library Faces Opposition at SMU

DALLAS, TX: A decision by the George W. Bush Presidential Library Site Selection Committee to negotiate a site on the campus of Southern Methodist University is being met by strong opposition from some faculty.

Professors have voiced concerns that the proposed library and museum will "celebrate a presidency that unnecessarily took the country into a war."

An opinion piece in the campus newspaper titled "The George W. Bush Library: Asset or Albatross?" was co-authored by several SMU faculty including retired professor William McElvaney.

McElvaney said that the library "will continue to espouse the philosophy and practice of the Bush administration, which has seriously divided our nation and has brought the ire of other countries."

Despite the opposition, the project is likely to continue.

One factor that contributes to the library's success at SMU is the fact that First Lady Laura Bush is on the school's Board of Trustees and is also a graduate.

Vice President Dick Cheney was a previous board member and other graduates of SMU include Presidential adviser Karen Hughes and former White House counsel Harriet Miers.

A majority of SMU's wealthy, conservative alumni support the project including Mike Boone, who earned his undergraduate and law degree at SMU and currently serves on the Board of Trustees.

Hosting a presidential library is a prestigious honor for which universities compete. Brad Cheves, the school's vice president for external affairs and development, said "It raises the profile of SMU no matter how people feel about President Bush."

Southern Methodist University already holds the honor of housing the largest private collection of research materials in the Southwest through their ten existing libraries. These include the Underwood Law Library, the largest private law library in the Southwest, and the DeGolver Library which was named one of the most important holdings of Western American books and manuscripts in The New Encyclopedia of the American West.

SMU's President R. Gerald Turner has stated that the addition of the George W. Bush Presidential Library to the campus "would be a tremendous resource for the study of presidential decision-making in this post 9-11 era."

The university has a history of attracting lecturers from top national and world positions including former and sitting presidents, Supreme Court justices, ambassadors and heads of state.

Carl Sewell, chair of SMU's Board of Trustees thinks the library will enhance the school's ability to draw national and world leaders to its halls.

The faculty opposed to the library fear that it could make the school a target of terrorists or others who want to retaliate against George W. Bush and his policies. Their argument points to the construction of Lyndon B. Johnson's library at University of Texas during the Vietnam War era.

The 1971 opening ceremony of Lyndon's library drew large demonstrations of anti-war protestors who vandalized the campus and had head-on conflicts with police.

The George W. Bush Presidential Library Site Selection Committee has not commented on the objections from SMU faculty members but is expected to make a final decision in the next few months.

The other universities under consideration are Baylor University in Waco and the University of Dallas.

The library is expected to coast near $200 million and will be financed with a private fund drive.

Sources:

"SMU faculty members oppose Bush library" Angela K. Brown, Associated Press, Jan 12, 2007

Southern Methodist University website www.smu.edu