Professors at Montgomery College voted no confidence late Thursday in Brian K. Johnson, president of the prominent Maryland community college since 2007. About half the college's full-time faculty members overwhelmingly passed a resolution criticizing Mr. Johnson's leadership and alleging that he has consistently skipped important meetings and events.
The resolution urged the college's Board of Trustees to dismiss Mr. Johnson. Trustees were not available today, but they have scheduled a closed meeting next week to discuss the matter.
Mr. Johnson was unavailable for comment today. But in a written statement distributed today to the campus, Mr. Johnson said he remained committed to serving the college, which opens its fall semester on Monday.
"I remain focused on our students and ensuring that they receive the high-quality education and services that they expect and deserve," he said. "I do not want today's news to distract anyone from what must be done to open the college on Monday."
Spending on Travel and Limos
Faculty leaders have also accused Mr. Johnson of excessive spending of college money on personal items, such as travel, limousines, and dining, said Rose L. Sachs, president of the college's chapter of the American Association of University Professors and chairman of disability support services. Ms. Sachs said a group of faculty members recently conducted a public-records request that turned up evidence of a "disturbing" amount of spending by the president.
The union collected those and other allegations, such as grumbling over the departure of several administrators during Mr. Johnson's relatively short tenure. They took the complaints to trustees and, in a meeting this summer with board leaders, called for an investigation.
Trustees have been "very responsive" to faculty concerns, Ms. Sachs said.
Montgomery College, like other public institutions in Maryland, is facing large budget shortfalls. The college has raised tuition, and union contracts have been opened for the first time. But Ms. Sachs said that faculty members accepted the magnitude of the economic crisis, and that their concerns with Mr. Johnson's leadership ran deeper than immediate budget worries.
For example, Ms. Sachs said, the president has missed many meetings with state and local leaders, as well with a group of fellow presidents of Maryland community colleges. Professors are concerned that his alleged absences may hurt the college, she said.
Mr. Johnson had big shoes to fill when he arrived on the campus, in 2007. He succeeded Charlene R. Nunley, a popular leader who served as president for eight years and was the lone community-college president on the National Commission on the Future of Higher Education convened by Margaret Spellings, the secretary of education under President George W. Bush. Mr. Johnson was previously president of the Allegheny campus of the Allegheny County system, in Pittsburgh.
Faculty members have some seemingly bizarre complaints about Mr. Johnson. According to a report in The Washington Post, they say that Mr. Johnson has unleashed "explosive, targeted rage" on employees and that covert listening devices and cameras have been found in offices and meeting rooms on the campus.
Comments
1. willynilly - August 28, 2009 at 04:49 pm
The faculty at Montgomery have been very used to a country club atmosphere provided by their past two presidents. I conclude that Johnson is acting like a true leader during a sharp economic downturn - the worst of anyones lifetime. But faculty are faculty. They no doubt want Johnson to give them all the money he can scrape up for their travel or salary package. God forbid that he spend any on himself or on institutional development. Normally faculty don't give a damn if a president attends meetings or not, just so he/she doesn't bother them. Also, I wish someone would do a review of the personal spending of Johnson, in comparison to Montgomery's previous two presidents. I predict it will pale in comparison to his predessors. The Trustees would be very foolish to lend any credence to these trumped up complaints. But Trustees love peace and tranquility much more than the love difficult cultural change - so Johnson may have to be sacrificed for the best status quo environment his successer can muster up.
2. vegetablelollipop - August 30, 2009 at 09:09 am
willynilly: Are you on Brian K. Johnson's personal payroll? Your reasoning is dreadful. Even the board at Montgomery College realized the gravity of the situation when presented with the long list of horrible evidence regarding President Johnson's failings. Montgomery College faculty are extremely dedicated in the region and they have a strong union. They are not just the stereotypical in-and-out community college professors. Moreover, they have been willing to negotiate about their contract in troubled economic times. They want a President who is willing to be as responsible, dedicated and ethical and they are.
3. mcalum - August 30, 2009 at 07:12 pm
Actually, vegetablelollipop, I think willynilly is not only on Brian K. Johnson's personal payroll, but that he is Johnson himself. Pathetic, isn't it? He's the ONLY one standing up for Johnson right now. If the staff and faculty had a "country club" atmosphere going on, then it's news to all of us. My office on campus is a dreadful little hole. I understand that Johnson's office is anything but that. It's even equipped with monitoring cameras so that he can see everything going on, including what his administrative aide is doing on her computer. Again, just pathetic.
Johnson is a pathetic loser who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar, and now he needs to pay the price--nothing short of his outright dismissal will do. Also, we can assure willynilly that we most indeed do care if a president attends meetings that he's is supposed to be at, especially when the meeting is about deciding what budget cuts the state and county are going to make and we have nobody there representing us to lobby for the College. And Johnson wasn't just spending on himself--he was outright lavishing himself in things that even corporate CEO's are getting in trouble for now--and he's doing it with PUBLIC money! For shame, for shame.
Appearances and ethics are everything when you're dealing with public money. I say Well done, faculty, well done!