Well, it appears that UAB President Ray Watts still has one friend in Alabama, and it may just be the one friend he needs. The University of Alabama system chancellor Robert Witt released a public statement confirming his support for Watts and his leadership at UAB:
"During nine years as President of The University of Alabama, I worked side-by-side with this Board of Trustees to help grow the campus and the System," Witt said today in a written statement. "There is no doubt that our governing structure and the synergies of UA, UAB and UAH are a point of tremendous pride for Alabama and a model for the nation. It is extremely unfortunate that a vocal few would choose to disagree."
A vocal few, you say? Let's go ahead and take a quick look back at who doesn't have confidence in Ray Watts's leadership:
- The national UAB Alumni Association
- The UAB Faculty Senate
- The undergraduate and graduate student associations on campus
- Much of the student body in general
- The locals, local media, and local city council
- A state representative (although to be fair, he does have an ownership role in the UAB Rivals site)
- PAWWWWWWWWWWWWL