TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — The University of Alabama board of trustees is expected to vote Friday on returning $21.5 million to a top donor who recently called on students to boycott the school over the state's new abortion ban.
Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr., a 70-year-old real estate investor and lawyer, pledged a record $26.5 million to the university in September, but in a news release last week urged students to participate in a boycott of the school. Hours later, Alabama announced it was considering giving back his money, the biggest donation ever made to the university.
While Culverhouse said he has no doubt Alabama is retaliating over his call for a boycott, the university said the dispute has nothing to do with that. Instead, officials say it was in an "ongoing dispute" with Culverhouse over the way his gift was to be handled.
The university said that on May 28 — the day before Culverhouse's boycott call — its chancellor recommended the trustees return the donation. The university said donors "may not dictate University administration" and that Culverhouse had made "numerous demands" regarding the operation of the school.
University administrators and trustees did not respond to requests for comment.
Culverhouse called university officials "liars" over their account. He acknowledged there were some disagreements over the handling of his gift. He said he told university President Stuart Bell that the law school should admit more students and that his donation was to fund scholarships to achieve that. But he said he thought the matter had been resolved.
The board of trustees — made up of 14 members, including the governor — appeared to be prepared to give the money back. A university lawyer last week asked Culverhouse for his bank information, saying the trustees are expected to vote for a refund, according to an email Culverhouse provided to The Associated Press.
Culverhouse said he was stunned by the university's stand. But he also confessed: "You probably shouldn't put a living person's name on a building, because at some point they might get fed up and start talking."
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