Law School Dean Appreciated
Wed, May09, 2007 - Category: School of
Law
The Dean and President of Ave Maria School of Law,
Bernard Dobranski, has come under fire over the past
two years, prompting such actions as: votes of "no
confidence" in his leadership by faculty and alumni; an investigation
by the School's accreditor into administrative
practices; and, a recent public
plea by the School's faculty to make colleagues
aware of their plight under Dobranski's
mismanagement. One year ago, founder and former
AMSL Board member Professor Charles E. Rice
said: The Board confirmed its compliant role
when it voted "[u]nanimously" to express its
"total confidence" in Bernie on the same day
that virtually unprecedented charges were made
against Bernie by the faculty... It was
disgusting. Every Governor who voted for that
resolution [to support Dobranski] should
resign."
But was Dean Dobranski always one of the compliant yes-men who Tom Monaghan seems to surround himself with?
Says former Ave Maria College Dean of Students Dr. Chris Beiting:
I did confide my frustration with the situation at Ave Maria College to Dean Dobranski of AMSOL.
A lot of people look back at me as one of the organizers of the attempts to save the College and its people, but I was really just following the helpful suggestions of other people, most notably Dean Dobranski.
... we couldn't have done any of it [legal action against Monaghan and his Board] without the help of Dean Dobranski. In a sense, he made it all possible.
But was Dean Dobranski always one of the compliant yes-men who Tom Monaghan seems to surround himself with?
Says former Ave Maria College Dean of Students Dr. Chris Beiting:
I did confide my frustration with the situation at Ave Maria College to Dean Dobranski of AMSOL.
A lot of people look back at me as one of the organizers of the attempts to save the College and its people, but I was really just following the helpful suggestions of other people, most notably Dean Dobranski.
... we couldn't have done any of it [legal action against Monaghan and his Board] without the help of Dean Dobranski. In a sense, he made it all possible.
Those who received the benefit of Dobranski's advice on Ave Maria operations in the past are now having trouble in the present believing what has happened with the Dean. "As a result of my experiences, I find it hard to accept what reliable sources have told me about Dean Dobranski's recent behavior", says Dr. Beiting. More from Dean Beiting:
"I went to see Dean Dobranski in early 2004, and he proved to be most receptive. He lamented that there was little he could do about my and my wife's employment situation, nor the breaking of [AMC's] institutional promises. But he did suggest I contact a good labor lawyer, and quietly gave me the names of several of them. One of these names was Joe Golden, and Dobranski noted in particular that Golden had been successful in representing Bo Schembechler against Tom Monaghan in the past, so I considered this recommendation very highly."
"To this day, I am most grateful to Dean Dobranski for steering me in the direction of Joe Golden..."
Golden was also the attorney who represented Jay McNally and Kate Ernsting, former employees who filed "whistleblower" suits against Monaghan. The Ernsting case has been covered on AveWatch, and will likely land in the Michigan Supreme Court. In 2004, Golden and his legal team also agreed to file anticipatory breach-of-contract suits to help protect AMC employees from premature closure of the school. Says Beiting, ".. Golden wound up doing a great deal more than I ever expected him to ."
Sources report that Dobranski also offered advice to administrators at St. Mary's College of Ave Maria University (Orchard Lake, Michigan) when Tom Monaghan was dismembering that institution.
Why would Dobranski help employees of the College or St. Mary's? Professor Beiting believes that Dobranski felt AMU to be unworkable, particularly under the leadership of AMU President Nick Healy. Multiple sources report that Dobranski called Healy's alleged incompetence "a lawyer's dream", and that the Dean expressed personal criticism of AMU's management as late as Fall 2005 at a Fellowship of Catholic Scholars meeting. Beiting suggests that, "... if AMC could survive, Dean Dobranski's own school could as well."
In an article that appeared recently in The Detroit News , Dobranski is quoted as saying "I am not Tom Monaghan's puppet." Maybe the Dean is referencing his aforementioned advice on how to best oppose Tom Monaghan.
AveWatch has not reported much in the way of "positive" developments concerning the Law School. There have not been any such developments to report. It is refreshing to know that Dean Dobranski holds, or at least held, the gratitude and appreciation of some in the Ave Maria empire. Maybe the Dean is continuing to quietly work behind the scenes to rein-in Monaghan's undue influence?