ORANGE : Chapman University Inaugurates Doti in Presidency Ritual

In their long gowns and tasseled mortarboards, professors and august guests trooped into Chapman University’s Shakespearean-style grand hall Thursday to honor the 12th president in the history of this 131-year-old liberal arts college.

It may have seemed a trifle late. Popular economics professor James L. Doti was named to replace the embattled former president last June 12.

But this ritual of academe, which harks back to medieval times in England, symbolized the end of a long period of healing on a campus badly divided during the tumultuous, two-year reign of President Allen E. Koenig.

Doti, in a nod to those who question the wisdom of such pomp and circumstance, explained his real purpose in holding the inaugural ceremony, even as he sadly acknowledged the riots consuming Los Angeles.

“In light of the tragic circumstances of yesterday, we are here today not to celebrate Jim Doti,” he said. “We’re really paying respects to Chapman University and higher education because we realize it is our best hope for the future.”

Under the gaze of his mentor and former professor, Nobel laureate economist Milton Friedman, Doti asked the more than 500 people jammed into the wood-beamed hall to “join me as we move forward to build an institution of national prominence.”

Through the applause, standing ovations, and damp eyes, it was clear that Doti’s vision for a more rigorous, prestigious Chapman University--symbolized by his decision to cut athletic scholarships and hike tuition 15% next fall--has been widely embraced across this tree-lined campus in the heart of Old Town Orange.

“Doti is an academic’s academic,” political science professor Fred Smoller said. “I think in the next five years, we’re going to make more progress than we have in the last 50.”

Not everyone was so enthusiastic.

Doti and his guests emerged from the nearly 90-minute ceremony into blinding sunshine and a chanting crowd of black, Latino and white protesters.

“Hey Jim Crow Doti: Will There Ever Be Any Color on the Chapman Campus?” read one sign held by a black female student. Another said: “Dr. Doti, Open Your Eyes Now.”

Still another demanded a re-evaluation for math professor Louis Ortiz, who after six years at Chapman was denied lifetime tenure by Doti and a faculty peer-review committee.

“This university needs to make a conscious effort to recruit minorities in every facet of student life,” declared sophomore Krystel Edmonds, president of the Black Student Union.

Most of the presidential party politely accepted flyers from members of the Black Student Union and Macondo, a Latino student group on campus, then made a beeline for the umbrella-shaded party tables set out on the campus lawn for an inaugural boxed lunch.

Harry Hamilton, Chapman’s senior vice president and provost, who is black, said the university has been aggressively recruiting minorities who now number less than 10 among a full-time faculty of 103. But historically, he said, Chapman has had trouble competing with wealthier and more prestigious universities for minority candidates.

Other students thought the whole ceremony was a bit much.

“Everybody has always liked Doti because he has this down-to-earth image,” said Danny Bradfield, a 21-year-old senior from Burbank. “All this stuff going on today really doesn’t fit with that image.”

Vaughan Kelley, Chapman’s director of external affairs, said Thursday’s celebration cost about $15,000. “But the total expense of the luncheon and everything else has been underwritten by donors, so it hasn’t cost the university anything.”

Doti chose the event to give a broad outline of his vision for a stronger, nationally prominent university. Among his goals: recruit smarter students with academic scholarships; retain and attract outstanding faculty; cut some of the 40 satellite academic centers; and beef up libraries and laboratories across campus.

All that will take more money, admits Doti, who doesn’t have a price tag yet for the wish list he is developing with campus faculty, trustees, students, administrators and staff.

But he believes that it can happen. And so it seems, does the majority of the campus community.

“The future has never been brighter,” said alumnus Irvin C. (Ernie) Chapman, grandson of the college’s namesake, Charles C. Chapman. “We are indeed looking ahead to a golden era.”