B.U. Dean Resigns, Cites Trustee Vote To Retain Silber

One of the ten Boston University deans who called for the ouster of B.U. President John R. Silber tendered his resignation this week in protest over the trustees' decision to retain Silber.

Peter P. Gabriel, dean of the B.U. School of Management, said yesterday that he was resigning because of what he called Silber's "arbitrary decision-making" and the president's refusal to seek the views of other faculty and administration members in setting policy.

Gabriel said that although he respects Silber's "intellectual leadership," the controversial president does not have the "managerial capacity necessary for the administration of a university."

Despite calls for Silber's resignation from students and faculty, the trustees last month gave him a vote of confidence but created a committee to study B.U.'s administrative structure.

Silber was unavailable for comment yesterday.

A source close to the ten deans said last night that several other administrators may resign before the trustees complete their evaluation of the university.

"We're just waiting to see" the committee's report, the source said