The Story

Nichol Speaks Openly to his Supporters

Feb. 13, 2008 | By Jake Robert Nelson, DSJ Interim News Editor

Tuesday night, a crowd of students and William and Mary community members estimated to be over one thousand gathered outside of Gene Nichol’s house in his support after his resignation earlier that day.

Many held candles, and chanted “Gene! Gene!” over and over. The purpose of the gathering was to demonstrate support and sing the alma mater song. After a few introductory remarks, Nichol himself spoke to those in attendance:

Video taken by WAVY-TV 10 can be seen HERE.

The transcript of Nichol's speech follows:

You know, you can guess how hard [it is] to describe the feelings that I have for this night, that my family has for this night. You know Glenn and my youngest daughter Soren. The past weeks and months have not been easy for them, and they take great heart in you.

When Justin [Reid] introduced his comments, he said that I was one of you. That’s the highest compliment. Mallory [Johnson] also said my name was Gene Ray Nichol. I didn’t know anyone knew my middle name.

I want to say just a couple of things. First, it is clear that this is a painful time. I know it’s painful for a lot of you, and it’s painful for me. The notion that I would not be your president in the months and years ahead is one of the deepest wounds I can imagine. So I don’t deny the reality of that. I don’t deny what it means for my heart and I know, even, for a lot of you.

But there’s a question of how you deal with it, what you make of it, what direction you take, and what is, of course, the most important thing. And that is your future, how your lives will unfold.

A group of Gateway students came to talk with me earlier today, and this part of what I mean. They said, sort of like these shirts, that if you’re not welcome here, we’re not welcome here, and we’re going to leave. And I tried to explain that there is only one way that this wound can be greater, and that would be if you left.

I have wanted you here. I have struggled to get you here. I have believed in the justice of you being here, and you can’t turn your back on that. So, if you want to know what you can do for me, I said you can master this place, and you can thrive, and you can prosper, and you can make the mark in this world that you were born to make. That’ll be good enough for me. That’s what I’m after. And the last thing that I want is that you’d be separate from this singular and magical institution.

So, if you think what you can do for me, I like that. It’s a pleasing notion. But if you think of what you can do for me, you think of how you can make this institution even more open and welcoming and unfolding and promising than it is.

I’ve seen what you do in terms of civic engagement here in this community, across the Commonwealth, across the world, across the globe. If you want to do something for me, you make the College of William and Mart the single most engaged university in the United States.

When you face the challenges ahead, when you look at the promise and opportunity of your lives, whether it’s this semester in the challenges you face or it’s the work you do over the summer or the work you do after you graduate, because you’re members of this Tribe for the rest of your life, just like I am, when you look at those challenges, what you can do for me is expand your sense of what’s possible.

Let me whisper in your ear for that, whether it’s now or five years from now or ten years from now. Expand your sense of what it is possible for you to do, because that’s what I have wanted for you. And when you think for what you can do for me, live your life by doing things in which you believe.

If you do what you believe in, whatever that is - we all have different visions of the good, all have different visions of virtue, all have different visions of what it means to be living a magic life. But your vision, if you live consistent with that, if you do what you believe in, there are costs for that, sometimes. I mean, I think some of the drama of the day is the cost of doing what you believe in, but there are great benefits as well.

First of all, think of the alternative. Think of a living a life in which you don’t believe. It’s frequently done, but it’s not for you. It is not for the young women and men of the College of William and Mary.

And if you do what you believe in, there will be difficulties. There will be challenges. Sometimes there will be penalties. Sometimes there will be costs. Sometimes you might lose opportunities, but I promise you will gain great ones, as well.

Let me give you just one example: I’m here because of doing what I believe in. I know you because I’ve done what I believed in. I’ve had my life opened by my understanding of you because I’ve done what I believe in. That is a miracle itself; that is payback beyond belief.

So if you want to do something for me, you expand your sense of the possible. You make this campus even more open and welcoming than it is. You make this marvelous university the most engaged in America. And you act, everyday, on the basis of what you believe, on the basis of what you know to be right, and much good will come.

You will have, like I do, great colleagues. We will always be colleagues, you and I, whether we are presidents or we are faculty members or we are staff members or we are students. For all of you, you’ll always be my students.

And I know you think this is talk, but you have taught me much more than I have taught you. You have led me much more than I have led you. You have opened possibility and belief for me much more than I have for you. I will remain grateful for it until the end of my days.

I cannot say how much it means to have you here in these tremendous numbers. If there were only three of you, I’d love you. But thousands, it takes your breath away.

Thank you very much for coming tonight. I admire you more than I can say.

You live here for me, and you have moved my heart.