University President Resigns as Judge Sentences Him on Drunken-Driving Charges

The president of Davenport University, in Michigan, used his courtroom sentencing on drunken-driving charges this morning to announce that he was resigning, effective in 30 days, The Grand Rapids Press
reported.

The president, Randolph K. Flechsig, initially blamed his erratic driving in a late-September incident on a diabetic reaction. He later apologized when a test indicated his blood-alcohol level exceeded the legal limit, and agreed to plead guilty to drunken driving.

In court this morning, Mr. Flechsig was sentenced to two years of probation, 15 days of community service, fines and other penalties of $975, and a 93-day jail term that is suspended unless he breaks the law while on probation.

In an e-mail message to people at the university, Mr. Flechsig wrote that he had decided to quit for “the larger good of Davenport University and our students, faculty, staff, alumni and donors.” The newspaper quoted a member of Davenport’s board as saying that it had sought Mr. Flechsig’s resignation.

He will be succeeded, on an interim basis, by Michael S. Volk, the university’s executive vice president and chief financial officer. —Andrew Mytelka