Beauchamp out, Scully in for executive vp post
By ERIN PIROUTEK
Associate News Editor
For 13 years, Father William Beauchamp guided Notre Dame through a period of unprecedented financial growth and great athletic successes as executive vice president.
But in May the Board of Trustees voted to replace him with former associate provost Father Timothy Scully.
The move did not come as a surprise to Beauchamp.
"We had had discussions about it," Beauchamp said in May. "This wasn't something completely out of the blue."
The last year has been a mix of scandals and successes for Beauchamp's office. While the Generations campaign has raised $944 million, far surpassing the goal of $767 million, the athletic department fell under attack from the NCAA. Beauchamp's tenure also saw the athletic department receive its first major penalty and sanctions. Because of improper gifts to football players from booster Kim Dunbar, the NCAA stripped the University of two scholarships and placed the team on probation for two years.
In response to the sanctions, athletic director Michael Wadsworth resigned and direct oversight of the athletic department was transferred from the office of the executive vice president to University President Father Edward Malloy in February.
The new structure of the athletic department more closely resembles that of most universities and had been planned for some time, according to Beauchamp. He also does not believe that the scandal surrounding the football led to his replacement.
"That wasn't the message I was given by the trustees or by the president," he said. "It wasn't implied that this situation could have been avoided if we had done something different. I don't think that is the issue here at all. "
While the probation is a source of embarrassment for the University, Beauchamp asserts that there was never a loss of institutional control over the athletic department.
"Nobody at the University was pleased that there was a major violation," he said. "I think that it was important that the NCAA made it very clear that they still considered Notre Dame to have a model program. ... So I am disappointed and I would not even begin to suggest that this would never happen again in the future."
The Generations campaign, started five years ago, has been a source of pride for the University. The fundraising campaign has paid for such improvements as the renovation of the Main Building, the construction of the new bookstore, the new campus ministry building and the golf quad dorms.
Although Generations is still a few months away from completion, Beauchamp is not concerned with the future of the project.
"Anytime you leave, there would always be something that I would be in the middle of," he said. "I am not completely stepping away from the University. I am going to continue to be very involved in the Generations campaign and a number of other responsibilities at the University."
Beauchamp will retain his seat as both a Trustee and a Fellow of the University, and will continue to work with Malloy to plan Notre Dame's future.
Scully, 46, moves from the academic side of the administration into the financial side.
"I'm happy to be in this new position and grateful for the trust of the University trustees ... and also humbled at the same time," he said.
In his new job, Scully will oversee operations of the University ranging from construction of new buildings to overseeing the endowment. Under Beauchamp the endowment grew from $400,000 to $3.3 billion. While Scully's primary expertise lies in politics and academic research, Malloy feels that he will do well as the executive vice president.
"[Scully] is a very bright and energetic and creative person," Malloy said. "He will bring his own set of gifts to the job and I look forward to working with him.
Malloy was not concerned about Scully's more academic background in what has traditionally been a financial job.
"He doesn't have to be a master of investment strategy in order to ask good questions and implement plans for investments and finances and the physical part of campus and all the other things that are part of the job."
Scully noted that he's still new to the office and is busy familiarizing himself with his role.
"I've been spending the summer visiting all of the major facilities and getting to know the folks who are involved in running them," Scully said.
He also praised the progress of campus construction projects, most notably the Campus Ministry building and the new theology/ philosophy building. He said that they are working diligently towards the performing arts center groundbreaking as well as planning a top-notch science teaching facility.
Scully's appointment was made with an eye to the future, as well. Both he and Father Mark Poorman, vice president of Student Affairs have been mentioned as successors to Malloy, and their promotions increase the number of young Holy Cross priests with administrative experience at Notre Dame.
"Father Beauchamp and I have talked numerous times throughout the years how to give the next generation of Holy Cross leadership the chance to have experience and display their own gifts and talents," Malloy said. "When the time comes for my successor and for other individuals in major jobs, there will be a pool of experienced people to draw from."
All News Stories for Wednesday, August 23, 2000
