To the Members of the Roger Williams University Community:

On Wednesday, July 18, 2007, former Chairman of the Board, Ralph Papitto, sent a statement to Richard Bready, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Roger Williams University. Mr. Papitto requested that his name be removed from the Law School. Chairman Bready has accepted Mr. Papitto’s request.

Ultimately, the authority for naming, or removing the name of any individual from any school, is the job of the Board, which has both the legal and fiduciary responsibility for the University. The University will now work with the Board to make sure that the name change happens in a timely and orderly fashion.

I join Mr. Bready in thanking Mr. Papitto for making what must have been a difficult decision, but one that is in the best interest of the University to which he has devoted so many years of his life. His role in founding the only law school in Rhode Island should not be underestimated or diminished in any way by the recent turn of events.

The events of the last several days have impacted all of us at Roger Williams University. They have served as a catalyst for discussion, debate and the sort of civil discourse that has become a hallmark of a Roger Williams education. My role as President, along with the Dean of the Law School, has been to be accessible to students, faculty, alumni and the community and to listen to those who have weighed in on this important issue; I thank everyone who has contacted us over the last few days. A campus that is usually quiet during the summer months has certainly buzzed with a diverse mosaic of ideas and opinions.

Roger Williams University is moving forward as a stronger institution, even more united around our core values. I am confident that the outstanding new Board of Trustees will commit itself to those values of inclusive excellence, civility, and respect for every individual.

Roy J. Nirschel, Ph.D.
President

Statement to Campus Community Regarding the Events of July 14th, 2007