Court sides with MUW president in alumnae scrap
Mississippi University for Women’s president had the authority to break ties with the Columbus school’s more than 100-year-old alumnae association, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
The court reversed an October 2007 opinion by Chancellor Dorothy Colom of Columbus, who had ordered MUW’s leader, Dr. Claudia Limbert, to honor an affiliation agreement with the Mississippi University for Women Alumnae Association and to do so for the duration of the agreement.
Colom also erred in allowing the association’s continued use of the school’s names, marks and symbols after Limbert terminated the agreement in March 2007, said the decision written by Justice George Carlson.
“We’re extremely pleased,” said Amy Whitten of Oxford, president of the state Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, which operates the state’s eight universities. “The board felt its decisions made early on were sound. It’s good that the Supreme Court recognized that authority.”
In a written statement, Limbert said, “We are obviously happy with the ruling of the court today. We look forward to working together with our alumni to embrace the opportunities and face the challenges before us.
NE MS Daily Journal
11/21/8
