Earlier today a reader sent Robert A a message. “Do you have a list of the Gardner Webb Board of Trustee Members?” A simple enough question thought Robert A.
So, Robert A goes to Google and punches up “Gardner Webb University Board of Trustees.” That was where the simplicity ended. All kinds of things pull up. So, Robert A clicks on this, Robert A clicks on that and Robert A clicks on the other. Nowhere does Robert A find a simple, clear and concise list of the current Gardner Webb University Board of Trustee members.
All this puzzles Robert A. The Cleveland County Schools School Board is easy to find, pictures and contact information also, on the CCS Website. Same with the Cleveland County Board of Commissioners. And, the same with the Cleveland Community College Board of Trustees.
So, Robert A puts on his “thinking cap.” People that are elected or selected to serve on the various Boards are people that like to have their names and faces recognized. They like the status, the “Limelight” and the glory that goes with the accomplishment, the prestige and the favor in the eyes of the public that goes along with their being selected as one of the chosen people in our society. Members of the Gardner-Webb University Board of Trustees are, in the end, just like everybody else. They are people that enjoy having their names on such prestigious lists. Yet, for the GWU BoTs, Robert A could not find any such list anywhere on the GWU internet website that was easily available to the public, NO passwords required. So, Robert A does some more thinking and remembering.
The new President of the Cleveland Community College wanted to make his mark at CCC. So, what are some of the first things that he does? He recruits a whole baseball team out of Florida or somewhere. But, since CCC is a “Community” college, most students previously have been local. They live here. The new players are outsiders and they need a place to stay. CCC has no dormitories or apartments nearby. The solution-have them stay at the unfilled dormitories at Gardner-Webb. Did Robert A just mention “unfilled dormitories at Gardner-Webb???”
All of sudden proof that Gardner-Webb is having student enrollment issues has just been discovered. Suddenly Mr. O. Max Gardner III appears to know exactly what he is talking about. And the efforts of Mr. David Royster III to expel Mr. Gardner from the GWU Board of Trustees suddenly appears to have become a COVERP-UP. A good old-fashioned Cleveland County style Cover-up. An ad Hominem attack. A “kill the messenger” attack. Along with plenty of dirty, dirty tricks. (That will be a discussion for another article.)
Robert A smells a rat in this Gardner-Webb stuff. Especially when Max Gardner is under attack for doing exactly what Robert A does all of the time. Look over what is going on in and around Cleveland County, spot the problems and sound the alarm. And especially, hold people accountable. Then fix the problem(s) in an independent thinking manner and move on to the next problem. Until you get to the point that there are no more problems. Something that never happens when there is cover-up that is alive and well.
Good for you Max Gardner III. Save the institution that bears your family name!!! Save Gardner-Webb University from the Beelzebub’s that are too often amongst us. All of Cleveland County is behind you!!!
As for Mr. David Royster III and all the other GWU BoT’s. Do your duty at the Monday, March 20th, 2023 GWU BoT meeting. Focus your attentions and your efforts toward fixing problems at Gardner-Webb. Not becoming a problem, yourselves. All is well that ends well.