Major Belmont donor Mike Curb is calling on Belmont to reconsider its hiring policies.
“I will do everything I can to try to get the Board of Trustees to reconsider their position based on the fact that this is a basic civil rights issue,” Curb said with reference to the recent exit of women’s soccer coach Lisa Howe. The move came quickly after she told her team that she and her same-sex partner were expecting a baby.
In a letter, which came via email and was confirmed by the offices of Mike Curb, he stated he hoped Belmont would re-hire Howe, calling what happened to her an “injustice.”
Curb, a well-known music business executive, also said that despite reports that the board of trustees backed the decision, no one from Belmont contacted him. He is currently a trustee emeritus after serving actively for many years.
He and his family foundation gave the university $10 million toward building the Curb Event Center. Additional generous gifts from Curb have allowed Belmont to provide hands-on industry experience through historic RCA Studio B, Ocean Way Studios and the Mike Curb School of Music Business and Entertainment.
He also congratulated Belmont’s Faculty Senate for “backing the right of professors and staff not to be discriminated against based on their sexual orientation.”
In conjunction, Curb expressed concern that if the issue were to remain unresolved, then in the future, the Curb Center will not have the opportunity to host events such as 2008’s presidential debate or other major entertainment opportunities.