Irving King Jordan (born June 16, 1943 in Glen Riddle, Pennsylvania) became, in 1988, the first deaf president of Gallaudet University, the world's only university with all programs and services designed specifically for students who are deaf and hard of hearing. That year Gallaudet students, with support from many alumni, faculty, staff and friends of the University, protested the Board of Trustees' appointment of a hearing person to the presidency.
Called Deaf President Now (DPN), the week-long protest was a watershed event in the lives of deaf and hard-of-hearing people all over the world. At its conclusion, the Board reversed its decision and named Jordan, one of three finalists for the position, the eighth president of Gallaudet and the first deaf president since the institution was established in 1864.[1]
His persistent support for then-Provost Jane Fernandes as his successor as Gallaudet's president in 2006 greatly diminished his influence and respect in the deaf community as a result.
Jordan is a native of Glen Ridge, a small town near Philadelphia in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Jordan was born to hearing parents, with no other instances of deafness in his family. After graduating from Penncrest High School in 1962, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served four years. Jordan became deaf at age 21 when, while driving a motorcycle without a helmet, he was flung into the windshield of a car and suffered a skull fracture.[2]
Jordan earned his doctorate in psychology. He was serving as the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Gallaudet University when he was chosen as candidate for the university presidency.[3] As professor, department chair, dean, and president, Jordan has made numerous scholarly contributions to his field. In addition, he has been a research fellow at Donaldson's School for the Deaf in Edinburgh, Scotland, an exchange scholar at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, and a visiting scholar and lecturer at schools in the French cities of Paris, Toulouse, and Marseille.
Jordan and his wife, Linda, live in West River, Maryland. They have two grown children and two grandchildren. Jordan loves running daily.[4] As of 2009[update], he continues to run the Marine Corps Marathon each year. He was a co-founder of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
Jordan became president of the university on March 13, 1988, after the Deaf President Now Protest.[5] He holds eleven honorary degrees and is the recipient of numerous awards, among them: the Presidential Citizen's Medal,[4] the Washingtonian of the Year Award, the James L. Fisher Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), the Larry Stewart Award from the American Psychological Association, and the Distinguished Leadership Award from the National Association for Community Leadership. In 1990, President Bush appointed Jordan Vice Chair of the President's Committee on Employment of People with disabilities.
On campus, he was widely applauded for his successful efforts to increase funding, including funds for the expansion and construction of two new large-scale centers for education research and support.
On Thursday, September 1, 2005, Jordan announced his intentions to retire from the presidency effective December 31, 2006.
Jordan became the subject of controversy himself when he defended the controversial decision made on May 1, 2006 by the Board of Trustees to appoint Dr. Jane Fernandes as president designate. The announcement of her selection set off a campus-wide protest.
Critics claim that Fernandes was not highly regarded by both the faculty and students, and many deeply suspect Jordan orchestrated her ascension for personal reasons. Jordan, taking a line from page 10 of the 1995 book, "Deaf President Now" (by Christiansen and Barnartt), publicly accused some critics of rejecting Fernandes because she was allegedly not "deaf enough". They replied that such a charge is off-base, because Jordan himself was accepted as president, even though he did not become deaf until he was 21. The protesters insisted that they protested for more profound reasons, such as Fernandes' character, leadership, and policies.
On October 13, 2006, Jordan ordered mass arrests of Gallaudet University students at the 6th street gate. Dubbed as Black Friday, a total of 135 student-protesters were arrested. The bail was originally set at $250 as requested by Jordan. The D.C. Metropolitan Police later decided to set it at $50. This set off even larger protest the following day estimated at 1,000 people.
On October 29, 2006 the Gallaudet Board of Trustees met and voted to rescind Fernandes's contract to be the Ninth President of Gallaudet.
He retired from the Gallaudet faculty in December 2008.
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Elisabeth Zinser |
President of Gallaudet University March 13, 1988 – December 31, 2006 |
Succeeded by Robert R. Davila |