Johnson Investigation

In 1972, Black Studies faculty filed a formal complaint against Dean of Academic Affairs William Gaines. Upon receiving the complaint, the Board of Regents made the decision to launch an investigation into the allegation, as well as the leadership of Black Studies chairman Milton White. The Board of Regents voted to bring Dr. George M. Johnson, a retired law professor for Michigan State University, to Omaha to conduct the investigation.

During the investigation, Johnson would interview forty-two people including sixteen administrators, twenty-two faculty members, two students, and two community representatives over the period of March 20th to April 2nd 1972. The information gathered was prepared in a report submitted to the Board of Regents for review and next steps. 

Interviewees included Dr. Orville D. Menard, Dr. George Barger, Dean William Gaines, Mr. Tom Norwood, Chancellor John Blackwell, Mr. David Taylor, Mr. John G. Tidwell, Dean Richard L. Lane, and Mr. Tom Majeski who was the University Ombudsman. Milton White declined be interviewed by Johnson as he could not be represented by legal council. He did send a copy of the formal complaints against Dean Gaines for use in the investigation which he signed alongside Black Studies faculty John Tidwell and David Taylor.

The investigation highlighted university-wide issues that were exacerbated by the recent NU-system merger. The transition of new University administrators into new and temporary roles, and numerous budget cuts across the university created a situation of confusion between faculty and administrators. Additionally, many administrative roles were occupied on an interim basis, creating a situation where workflows and chains of command were at times muddled.

The interviews conducted by Dr. Johnson revealed the significant amount of support on campus for the creation and sustainability of the Black Studies department.  It was widely regarded that Black Studies was a serious step forward for the university in terms of providing a framework to discuss race that many students had not encountered before. Despite this general sense of goodwill, Johnson’s investigation showed that the issues between White and Gaines stemmed from a disagreement over Black Studies philosophy.

Many of the interviewees expressed the opinion that this difference in philosophy and administrative style led White and Gaines' relationship to deteriorate. Interviewees, including Gaines, noted that Gaines preferred an Ethnic Studies department over a Black Studies department as a first step towards more equitable teaching. Gaines was not opposed necessarily to Black Studies, but he felt that a department that focused on all minority groups would serve the university better in the long-term. White fundamentally disagreed with this approach. 

As the Investigation continued, many on campus grew skeptical of the administration’s intentions. With little explanation to the purpose of Dr. Johnson's investigation on campus from the Board of Regents, many felt that the investigation targeted Black Studies, as opposed to investigation of Gaines. On March 3, 1972 Fred Adams, Diana Hahn, Professor John Tidwell, Professor David Taylor, BLAC President Ben Benford, Heshimu Iverri, Donna Beaugard, Eddie Bolden, Bill Parker, Tom Beasley, and Chairman Milton White gathered for an open meeting and formed the People's Regents.

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Nebraska's People's Board of Regents

The People's Regents formed to force the Board of Regents to provide transparency into the investigation process. The bulk of membership was made up of university faculty, BLAC members, community members, and students. The People's Regents promised that all meetings remain open to the public and press for interested citizens to participate in. 

Several members of the People’s Regents had signed up for individual interviews with Johnson. However, on March 28, members of the People's Regents interrupted an interview and demanded to meet with Johnson as a group in order to assess his work and his purpose in conducting this fact-finding mission for the Board of Regents. Johnson declined and the group left, with some members declining to be interviewed.

After Dr. Johnson concluded his investigation and submitted his findings to the Board of Regents, recommendations were made by university administration in response. President Varner announced the end of the investigation into Dean Gaines noting that the evidence did not support Black Studies' claims against the Dean of Academic Affairs. He did however find that the investigation showed that White's tactics during the events leading up to the investigation as well as during the investigation warranted his termination as Chairman of Black Studies. 

Interested in the all the documents associated with this investigation? Explore the Black Studies and B.L.A.C. vs. Academic Affairs correspondence in our Digital Collections.