Prominent state leaders and Towson University organizations have offered statements of support for President Maravene Loeschke. These statements come in response to recent comments made by Comptroller Peter Franchot about the president.
“After recommendations from athletics leadership and the review of an independent task force, final recommendations were made. These recommendations were all based solely on fact and all were put forward with the overarching goal of protecting and enhancing the educational, athletic and cultural experience of Towson’s students, maintaining the fiscal integrity of the athletics program and adhering to all state and federal mandates, including Title IX.” — William E. “Brit” Kirwan, Chancellor, University System of Maryland, in a letter to the editor of The Daily Record, April 12, 2013 (subscription only)
“I want to say that … Maravene has done a remarkable job under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. She has been on the receiving end of some highly unwarranted personal attacks and unfair criticism. But, she has handled it all of this with grit, grace and exceptional professionalism. I would suggest that these are among the many qualities that The Daily Record considered when they recently honored her as one of ‘Maryland’s Top 100 Women.’ Maravene, all of us want you to know how much we support you and the difficult decisions you had to make.” — William E. “Brit” Kirwan, in remarks to the USM Board of Regents, April 12, 2013
“For the Comptroller to denounce the president of Towson University is totally inappropriate. The Comptroller needs to understand that this is a Title IX issue that Towson University, as part of the University System of Maryland, deals with as a statewide issue with a funding mechanism, which should be addressed by the legislature. He has no idea what is going on at the campus and the positive and incredible changes that President Loeschke has helped create. I invite him any day to come down and take a tour so he can get his facts straight.” — James Brochin, Maryland State Senator
“As chair of the Towson Board of Visitors, I fully support President Dr. Maravene Loeschke and her leadership of the university. President Loeschke has taken the responsible approach to ensure that Towson athletics is fiscally responsible, compliant with federal Title IX law, and competitive in the Colonial Athletic Association for Division I sports.” — Myrna Cardin ‘65, Chair Towson University Board of Visitors
“The Towson University Board of Visitors fully supports President Maravene Loeschke and her leadership of the university. President Loeschke has taken the responsible approach to ensure that Towson athletics is fiscally responsible, compliant with federal Title IX law and competitive in the NCAA Colonial Athletic Association, Division 1 athletic conference.” — Towson University Board of Visitors
“Whereas the Towson University Senate recognizes and appreciates the heartfelt concern that many students, alumni and the general community have toward the University’s athletics’ program, the Towson University Senate wishes to state its full support of its president, President Maravene Loeschke, regarding her decision respecting Towson sports programs. She has made these decisions with procedural integrity and consistent with the excellent leadership values that she has exemplified throughout her stellar presidency.” — Towson University Senate
“We fully appreciate that the loss of the baseball team and men’s soccer team is a difficult decision to both render and endure as alumni, faculty, staff and students; however, we fully support President Loeschke and her making this difficult choice. … it is unfortunate that the public concerns shared by Comptroller Franchot during Board of Public Works meetings were based solely on media reports rather than the publicly available final report.” — Towson University Staff Council
“The Towson University Alumni Association Board of Directors supports President Maravene Loeschke and her commitment to advance our alma mater’s focus on student success and academic excellence. Since Dr. Loeschke’s arrival, Towson alumni have witnessed countless examples of her enthusiasm and devotion to Towson University. Her love for students is evident in everything she does. Dr. Loeschke’s leadership—transparent, compassionate, inclusive and decisive—has served her well in making difficult, sometimes heart-wrenching, decisions. These are the hallmarks of a strong, effective president.” — Towson University Alumni Association Board of Directors
“The SGA fully supports President Loeschke as the leader of our institution! We are so thankful to have a president who serves as a mentor and friend to all students. She makes it a point to voice student concerns and opinions wherever she goes. As a strong leader, she leads by example and shows us every day that the sky is the limit. Dr. Loeschke has reinvigorated the student body and is now supporting students at their group meetings and sporting events. Above all, she treats each of us as her own—we are her kids, 22,000 strong!” — Brandy N. Hall, President, Student Government Association
“As a member of the Towson University Alumni Association Board, I support the decision made by the university, as President Loeschke, together with the department of intercollegiate athletics move toward the goal of a financially sustainable, compliant, competitive and successful athletic program at TU.” — John Raley, Class of 1980, in a letter to the editor of the Baltimore Sun
“As a taxpayer of the state of Maryland, I am appalled at the backroom deal made by advocates of the TU men’s baseball program and the response by the Comptroller, Peter Franchot. The taxpayers should be outraged that for the next two years, they are forced to fund (to the tune of $300,000 per year) a program that has already been determined to be unsustainable and operating at a loss. Dr. Loeschke was brave to make such a difficult decision in the face of the obviously powerful ‘sports lobbyists,’ and she should be applauded. Those that undermined her authority by performing this underground operation should be ashamed. Hopefully after the taxpayers have been bled of their $600,000, these heroes will step up and open their wallets to fund the deficits of the program in future years. The Comptroller’s call for her resignation is laughable, as he hides behind the mask of his own ‘misappropriation.’ — Marcia Zercoe, Towson University Alumna, Member of the TU Foundation Board
