Category Archives: Administration

Inside Higher Ed: $500,000 Harassment Verdict Against a President

A federal court jury concluded last week that the president of Voorhees College had sexually harassed a former female professor and that college officials “acted with malice or with reckless indifference” toward her. The jury awarded Moreen B. Joseph a total of $500,000 in punitive and compensatory damages, a judgment that should be final within days.

Free Lance-Star: UMW fires Frawley

University of Mary Washington officials have fired President William Frawley.

The decision was announced this afternoon, after a nearly five-hour Board of Visitors meeting.

The board announced it had fired Frawley “with cause,” but did not elaborate other than to say recent events have reflected badly on the university.

Inside Higher Ed: MIT Dean Claimed Unearned Degrees

Marilee Jones, dean of admissions at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a national leader in the admissions reform movement, resigned after the university confirmed that she had claimed academic degrees she never earned, MIT announced Thursday.

The Chronicle News Blog: UVa Board Speaks of ‘Regret’ Over University’s Use of Slaves in 1800s

The University of Virginia’s governing board passed a resolution this month in which it expressed “particular regret” for using slaves during the first half-century of its existence, until the end of the Civil War. The resolution, which passed unanimously, notes that “mostly anonymous laborers,” both slave and free, helped build the university. In the document, the board also “recommits itself to the principles of equal opportunity.” A news release accompanying the resolution states that it “is believed to be” the first of its kind in American higher education.

Clarion-Ledger: MVSU’s chief called on to resign

A new Mississippi Valley State faculty committee that President Lester Newman created is calling for his dismissal.

Newman launched the panel to take an in-depth look at concerns on the Itta Bena campus. The establishment of the 10-member committee was one of the moves by the president after the Faculty Senate in late February passed a “no-confidence” resolution slamming his leadership.

By a 9-1 vote, the new panel is calling for the immediate removal of Newman as president, according to a copy of the report released Friday.

The Post and Courier: Despite Investment Fiasco, Board Extends President’s Contract

Charleston Southern University took steps to shore up its financial image Wednesday, creating a task force to review its investment policies after suffering what may be a $10.6 million loss in former professor Al Parish’s investment pools.

The disclosure came with an announcement that the school’s board of trustees gave a unanimous vote of confidence to school President Jairy Hunter, extending his contract through the 2012-13 school year.

Independent: UNM-Gallup faculty votes no confidence in Beth Miller

As the school years winds down on the University of New Mexico-Gallup campus, the school’s director finds herself facing a massive rebellion by most of the faculty.

The Chronicle News Blog: West Virginia U. Ignores Controversy and Picks Garrison as New President

The result is in for one of the most controversial presidential searches in recent years: West Virginia University announced today that Michael S. Garrison would be its next president.

Mr. Garrison, 38, is a local lawyer who earned undergraduate and law degrees from the university. He has held several posts in the state’s capital, most notably as chief of staff to a former governor and as chairman of the Higher Education Policy Commission.

His connections, including alleged ties to current members of the university board, led many critics to charge that the search had been rigged in his favor. The Faculty Senate on Wednesday took the rare step of voting no confidence in him even before he was appointed.

The chairman of the search committee and the university’s governing board defended the search process, which was unusually open. And Mr. Garrison has supporters, including student leaders, faculty members, business executives, and government officials.

The Chronicle: Critics Say West Virginia U. Presidential Search Was Rigged, Despite Open Process

West Virginia University has run an exceptionally public search for a new president, but its openness has not helped it avoid being bashed by critics who suspect the outcome is foreordained.

The Washington Post: Ouster Sought of Howard President

The head of the faculty senate called for the ouster of Howard University President H. Patrick Swygert, saying that the school is in a state of crisis and that it’s time to end “an intolerable condition of incompetence and dysfunction at the highest level.”

Inside Higher Ed: Surprising Departure at SUNY

John R. Ryan has been popular with professors, administrators and legislators in his two years as chancellor of the State University of New York, winning substantial budget increases and generally calming the waters after his less popular predecessor was ousted when he lost favor with the then-governor. So it came as a shock to many in Albany and on SUNY’s 64 campuses when Ryan announced suddenly on Wednesday that he was quitting to become president of the Center for Creative Leadership, a nonprofit group that runs training programs for leaders in the public and private sectors.

The Chronicle: SUNY Chancellor Says He Will Resign at the End of May

The chancellor of the State University of New York, Vice Adm. John R. Ryan, announced on Wednesday that he will resign in three months, surprising the state’s higher-education officials and putting leadership of the often-tumultuous system up for grabs.

The Chronicle: Indiana U. Picks a Philosopher and Campus-Computing Expert as New System President

Indiana University’s Board of Trustees voted on Thursday to name Michael A. McRobbie, a campus-computing expert and philosopher who is now the leader of the university’s Bloomington campus, as president of the eight-campus system.

The Chronicle: Interim Head of Alabama’s Troubled 2-Year-College System Resigns

The interim chancellor of Alabama’s beleaguered two-year-college system resigned on Wednesday, only a week after several members of the State Board of Education questioned his leadership. Thomas E. Corts, who had held the position for just seven months, did not give a reason for his decision.

News Sentinel: Netherton leaves Carson-Newman

Carson-Newman College’s embattled president has accepted a position at Mercer University in Macon, Ga.

Mercer University today announced the appointment of Carson-Newman College President James S. Netherton to the position of executive vice president for administration and finance, effective Oct. 1, 2007.

Netherton succeeds Dr. Thomas G. Estes Jr., who will retire as Mercer’s senior vice president for finance and administration on Sept. 30.

Carson-Newman’s board of trustees was to decide Neverton’s tenure by March 23. One of its options: his dismissal.

Don Olive, professor and former chairman of humanities at Carson-Newman, said last week that he saw no alternative. He said: “You can either change the faculty or you can change the president.”

Doubts about Netherton and concerns about his leadership grew until, on Oct. 4, the teaching faculty approved a no-confidence vote 129-71.

Since then, alumni and retired faculty have also voted no confidence.

San Jose Mercury News: Fresno State body approves undercover surveillance of campus

Campus police at the California State University, Fresno, may go undercover during investigations but cannot videotape classrooms or faculty offices, according to a new policy approved by school officials.