After nearly twelve years at the helm of one of the nation's oldest historically Black institutions, Lincoln University, Dr. Niara Sudarkasa resigned last month under a cloud of controversy (see news story pg 14). The former Gloria A. Marshall has enjoyed a more than thirty-year career in higher education, punctuated by achievements that have garnered her both esteem -- such as her celebrated work as a professor of anthropology, and her visionary expansion of Lincoln's already prestigious ties to African nations -- and ridicule -- her 1991 testimony on behalf of then Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, and the current allegations of malfeasance. The following are excerpts from an interview conducted by Black Issues executive editor Cheryl D. Fields only moments after the much revered and maligned president announced her resignation.

What was your reaction to the findings in the auditor general's report?

Obviously, no one wants to have bandied about in the press ... the fact that anybody [from the university] was involved in legal work for me -- particularly legal work having to do with my taxes. But once the auditor general and investigators decided to report on this, they reported it in such a way as if perhaps I was the one who required or requested that the university pay this money, and that was not true.

I pointed out that [Richard] Glanton himself even said that in hindsight, he should have sent the bills to me. But once it became clear that if he stuck to that position, then Reed Smith would have to reimburse the university and then they would have to bill me. [Glanton] then started backpeddling and coming up with all kinds of reasons why it was my fault and not his.

Now this is what I call some of the errors in judgment that I feel reflect on my management of the institution, because quite frankly, I should have thought down the line about the implications of having their firm do work for me as opposed to getting another firm altogether. But when you are on good terms with people, you don't necessarily think about what will happen [or] what is the worst-case scenario here?...