By John Lyon
Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK — As the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service observed its fifth anniversary this week, some former students questioned whether “leadership issues” — mainly involving the dean, Skip Rutherford — threaten the school’s future.

In a letter to UA President B. Alan Sugg this summer, a group of former students expressed concerns about long-range planning for the school that bears former President Clinton’s name.

They also questioned whether the focus on developing the school’s public program was jeopardizing its public service degree program, and complained that Rutherford was prone to lavish spending and favored a select group of students.

“We believe certain leadership issues pose a significant threat to the Clinton School’s ability to achieve its full potential,” said the letter, obtained by the Arkansas News Bureau through the state Freedom of Information Act. “We feel strongly that these matters require immediate attention and action on your part and that of the University of Arkansas system.”

Sugg said the university took the concerns seriously. Rutherford said the school’s future is secure. The Clinton confidant and former public relations executive did acknowledge, however, that entertainment practices common in business might not translate comfortably to the academic world.

Two former students who spoke to the Arkansas News Bureau said their concerns were expressed in the letter. Both said their intent was to offer constructive criticism.

“I’m one of the students that was involved in the process of drafting a letter that we hoped would be helpful to the system and helpful to the Clinton School, and I shared the concerns that were in the letter,” said Scott Curran, now an attorney for the William J. Clinton Foundation.

“I was actually very well aware of it and do share concerns that were listed in the letter,” said Vivian Flowers, now director of recruitment for diversity at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

“I’m not someone who would look at Dean Rutherford and say he hasn’t done great things for the school, because clearly he has. However, any time there are things that rise to the level that they did to cause this letter to be authored, it requires people who believe that the right things should be done and addressed to do so,” Flowers said.

She said the alumni intended to sign their names on a separate page and submit it with the letter, but that Sugg obtained the letter before the signatures could be collected.

Curran and Flowers declined to say how many other former students were associated with the letter. They said their concerns were common among the alumni, though not unanimous.

Among other things, the former students complained of “a pattern of select students being provided with opportunities to engage in specific activities while the rest of the student body is unaware of or are excluded from such opportunities.”

The alumni said Rutherford often spent time with “select students” at local establishments outside of the school. They said Rutherford did not observe appropriate boundaries and was “intolerant of differing views and opinions.”

The alumni also recommended a review of Rutherford’s reimbursement requests to determine whether school funds were used for “individual entertaining with select students.”

In an interview, Rutherford said he took the criticism seriously because he is “always looking for ways to improve,” but he disagreed with some of the accusations. He denied being intolerant of differing views and said his expenses for dining off-campus have never been reimbursed with public money.

In response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the school released Rutherford’s reimbursement records for the past six months. The records show that Rutherford has sometimes spent more than $1,000 in a month on meals with guest speakers, students and other guests at Little Rock restaurants — expenditures that were reimbursed with private funds from the University of Arkansas Foundation.

“When our speakers come in, we usually take them to dinner following their remarks, and we usually have several people join us for dinner from the school, the community, etc.,” Rutherford said.

He said he has often given students career counseling over dinner. That’s one of the issues raised in the letter, which states, “We believe ‘career-counseling’ or similar interactions between a dean and students should take place within the school environment or in an open and structured manner at appropriate hours and should be open to all students.”

Rutherford acknowledged that he spends more time with students who attend the school’s public programs than with students who don’t, but he said he also maintains an open-door policy toward students.

Asked if spending more time with students who attend public programs is fair, Rutherford said it is “when you have the open-door policy,” but he conceded that some may not see it that way.

“What I consider to be dinner meetings may not be acceptable in the world of higher ed,” he said. “It just may not work, and people view it differently. I respect that, and I’ll refrain from doing that in the future. I’ll figure out another way to work with students.”

The alumni also cited several concerns about the school’s direction.

They complained that the school lacks “articulated long-term institutional planning;” is not engaged nationally and internationally; and emphasizes its public programs at a cost to the degree program.

Rutherford said he has always intended to engage in long-term planning for the school, but that the process is “just beginning.”

“I looked at the long-term thing about a year ago, and all the advice I got from people was, you’ve got to have five years of data to really take a look at it,” he said.

Last month, Rutherford and Associate Dean Michael Hemphill announced the launch of a long-term planning effort in a letter to Clinton School alumni.

“This process will include degree planning and review, facilities, fundraising, staffing, programming, and national/international outreach, among other areas,” the deans said in their letter.

They also pledged to strengthen the school’s academic program and promised improved opportunities for students to introduce and interact with guest speakers.

Hemphill said in an interview he understands many of the former students’ concerns, but said they should bear in mind that the school is still very new and very small. Sixty-six students are currently enrolled.

“I understand that our students sometimes want the Clinton School to be more nationally prestigious than it is,” he said. “To be honest, it’s a hard thing to explain to students because you understand them wanting it to have that kind of prestige.”

Hemphill said he does not think the public programs detract from the degree program.

“I don’t want to compare the public programs to athletics, but it’s very similar to any school that has a popular athletic team — you know, the purpose it serves … in terms of connection to the community and bringing attention to the school,” he said.

Sugg said he spoke with Rutherford about the issues raised in the letter, and he believed Rutherford responded appropriately.

“He wants to be a better dean tomorrow than he is today,” Sugg said.

Curran said he was pleased that Rutherford and other officials took the former students’ concerns seriously.

“I’m comfortable in the response that I’m aware of from the system, and I’m comfortable in the response I received from the deans in the letter,” he said.

Flowers also said she was pleased with the response.

“I was very pleased to hear that the University of Arkansas system, they’re being very proactive in addressing students’ concerns,” she said.

Thursday marked the school’s fifth anniversary.