Openly Gay Presidents: 11 and Counting

The Chronicle (August 10) recently reported that the nation’s colleges now count at least three openly gay presidents among them. In response, several presidents have written to ask, “What about me?”

The wording of the article was slightly hedged, and referred only to “university” presidents. That’s a good thing, because by press time the list of openly gay college presidents had grown to 11.

One of them is Michael J. Hoyle, who became president of McIntosh College, in Dover, N.H., in March. Mr. Hoyle, attended an annual seminar last month for new presidents at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. He was one of three openly gay men among the 46 new presidents in attendance.

While standing in line at the seminar, he met Neal King, who became president of Antioch University Los Angeles in May.

“We thought about forming a presidents’ council” for gay top executives, Mr. Hoyle says.

With help from Mr. King and Mr. Hoyle, The Chronicle has developed a new and improved list of openly gay and lesbian presidents of American colleges and universities:

• Sean T. Buffington, University of the Arts

• Raymond E. Crossman, Adler School of Professional Psychology

• Ralph J. Hexter, Hampshire College

• Michael J. Hoyle, McIntosh College

• Cynthia E. Huggins, University of Maine at Machias

• Theodora J. Kalikow, University of Maine at Farmington

• Neal King, Antioch University Los Angeles

• Charles R. Middleton, Roosevelt University

• Tullise (Toni) A. Murdock, Antioch University

• Richard Ortner, Boston Conservatory

• James Warwick, American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Los Angeles Division

Also contributing to the list was Byron P. McCrae, associate vice president for student affairs at the San Francisco Art Institute. He studied lesbian and gay college presidents as part of his doctoral residency project at Fordham University.

“There is a growing cohort of lesbian and gay leaders who are coming up through the ranks,” he says, “much like women did several years ago by forming peer-support groups.”

One of the new presidents on the list is Ms. Huggins, who has been at Machias since January 2005. She says she and her partner “have been warmly — even enthusiastically — welcomed and accepted by the college and surrounding community.”

Although the list is now more complete, the question remains: How many openly gay presidents has The Chronicle left out?

http://chronicle.com Section: Money & Management Volume 54, Issue 2, Page A37