Cynthia Newman, dean of the college of business administration at Rider University in New Jersey, has resigned from that position after her school denied Chick-fil-A a campus location “based on the company’s record widely perceived to be in opposition to the LGBTQ+ community.” (Newman will continue as a tenured professor though.) According to the university administrators, Chick-fil-A’s “corporate values have not sufficiently progressed enough to align with those of Rider.”
I first suspected Newman stepped down because she loves Chick-fil-A’s waffle fries so much, but she says she actually has “a problem with University leadership passing judgement on Chick-fil-A’s values which are reflective with the values of the Christian as well as other faiths.”
“I endeavor every day to do exactly what Chick-fil-A puts forward as its overarching corporate value: to glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to me and to have a positive influence on all who come into contact with me,” Newman said in her resignation speech.
From CNN:
Newman wrote that she asked administrators to apologize for offending Christians, but ultimately decided to step down after the university stuck to its original stance.
“While we respect Dr. Newman’s personal decision, we maintain that the decision about choosing an on-campus restaurant franchise was in no way a judgment on religious values,” Kristine Brown, a spokeswoman for Rider University, said in a statement to CNN.
“Rather, our intention was to foster a sense of respect and belonging of all members of the campus community, including those who identify as LGBTQ+.”
More in the Rider University newspaper: “Dean steps down from position due to religious beliefs” (The Rider News)