One Loss for The Gipper

Six years ago, when supporters of Ronald Reagan proposed that a $100 million Reagan library and public-affairs center be built at Stanford University, the project required major negotiations. That was right up the alley of Board of Trustees Member Warren Christopher (a former Carter Deputy Secretary of State and Iran hostage negotiator), who helped strike a deal in 1984 that gave Stanford control of the library. But the project continued to spark controversy. Its architect disparaged Stanford's buildings, and the chairman of the library foundation declared that the library would allow Stanford to "boast" of the "Reagan connection." Students and local residents protested the proposal, and the faculty senate sought to have the library's size reduced.

Last week the Reagan Presidential Foundation responded to the furor by proposing its own scaling back -- to zero. It announced that the library and center will be built in Southern California instead. Christopher and Stanford President Donald Kennedy expressed disappointment, but some saw the withdrawal as a victory for academic integrity. "A lot of people will be full of elation tonight," said Political Science Professor John Manley.