Leadership

The executives who run college campuses.

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Missouri Southern State U. and Its President Part Ways

Bruce Speck is no longer president of Missouri Southern State University, the institution’s Board of Governors announced in a terse statement on the university’s Web site. The board’s chairwoman, Sherry Buchanan, says in the statement that Mr. Speck is leaving “by mutual agreement” of the parties. According to The Joplin Globe, he had two years left on his contract. Neither Mr. Speck nor the university provided any details on the reasons for his departure or information on any severance package he will receive.

Mr. Speck had an early clash with the faculty during his five years in office. In 2009, a year after he was hired, the faculty voted no confidence in him, citing budget cuts and accusing him of withholding information from the faculty. Later, however, he received praise for having formed an agreement with the Red Cross, which resulted in the campus’s being used as a temporary refuge for people affected by the 2011 tornado in Joplin, which killed more than 150 people.

Filed under: Governance, Leadership, Southern Missouri University

Departing North Dakota Chancellor Blasts 3 Campus Presidents

Hamid A. Shirvani lasted less than a year as chancellor of North Dakota’s university system before the State Board of Higher Education this month bought out his contract. But on his way out the door, Mr. Shirvani has taken the time to sharply criticize three campus presidents working under him.

The Dickinson Press reports that the departing chancellor has delivered damning performance reviews to the presidents of the University of North Dakota, North Dakota State University, and Minot State University. He urges that Robert O. Kelley and Dean Bresciani, the leaders at UND and NDSU, face “full 360 reviews” from outside groups. And he recommends that Mr. Kelley and David Fuller, the Minot State president, not receive raises.

Mr. Fuller, a staunch critic of Mr. Shirvani, received an especially harsh review. Mr. Shirvani chided the president for “a form of myopic leadership that has probably served you well among certain elements in Minot but reinforced among your peers a growing exasperation.”

During his tumultuous year as chancellor, Mr. Shirvani has been dogged by a rocky relationship with campus leaders, no-confidence votes, complaints to accreditors, and allegations that he circumvented open-records laws.

The higher-education board said that it would discuss the evaluations and that its conclusions might differ from Mr. Shirvani’s.

Filed under: Leadership

300 Employees Accept Buyout Offers at U. of Louisville

About 300 longtime employees of the University of Louisville—roughly 5 percent of its work force—have accepted a buyout plan intended to reduce salary costs, The Courier-Journal reported.

The newspaper did not say how many of those employees were professors, but it quoted John P. Ferré, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, as saying the buyouts would result in the loss of a large number of faculty members with experience and institutional knowledge. Most of those who have accepted, however, were close to retirement anyway, Mr. Ferré said, so the buyouts may simply accelerate departures that would have been spread over the next few years. They are also expected to free up money that could be used for raises.

The university hasn’t determined how much money it will save with the buyouts, but its president, James R. Ramsey, said he expected the amount would surpass a goal of $2.75-million. No academic deans are among those retiring, Mr. Ramsey said, but two vice presidents will be among those who accept the deal.

Under the buyout deal, faculty members were offered one year of pay and the ability to teach part time. Administrators and staff members were offered six months’ pay. Some health-care benefits also are included.

Filed under: Finance, Leadership, The Profession

Oakland U.’s President Retires on Same Day His Wife, a Coach, Is Let Go

The president of Michigan’s Oakland University, Gary D. Russi, will retire this summer, he announced on Wednesday. Hours later, the university announced that the president’s wife, Beckie Francis, had been relieved of her duties as head women’s basketball coach, effective immediately. Mr. Russi’s retirement is effective August 1. According to The Detroit News, it was unclear whether the two departures were linked. When asked if Mr. Russi was leaving because of his wife’s situation, the university’s director of media relations, Ted Montgomery, said, “I do not know that to be true.”

Mr. Russi has been president or interim president of Oakland, a public institution near Detroit, since 1995. In a news release, Michael Kramer, chairman of Oakland’s Board of Trustees, praised Mr. Russi as a “transformational leader” and said he had “helped the institution reach new benchmarks for enrollment, research, collaboration, and academic opportunities.” The university’s campus, academic offerings, student population, and faculty have all grown during his tenure, but his relations with the faculty have sometimes been rocky. Some of its members called for his resignation after a weeklong strike in 2009.

Ms. Francis’s termination was announced without explanation by the director of athletics, Tracy A. Huth.  A spokesman for the athletics department declined to comment to the Detroit Free Press, as did Ms. Francis. The newspaper described her as the second-winningest coach in the program’s history, with a 227-152 record in 13 seasons. In posts to her Twitter account, Ms. Francis said she and her husband had “talked about retiring for a while now–it’s time for both of us.” She also said she would continue her advocacy work to bring public awareness to the issue of sexual assault.

Filed under: Athletics, Governance, Leadership

Morning Links: June 12, 2013

No Explosive Devices Found at Princeton University After Threat — The Times of Trenton, N.J., closes the loop on yesterday’s campus evacuation, which kept researchers, summer students, and staff members off the campus for almost eight hours. The Times

Kansas U. Cracks Down on Bawdy Twitter Feed — @KUBoobs—a Twitter account that posts photos of … well, you can probably figure this one out for yourself—has been hit with a cease-and-desist letter from the university’s licensing department. The problem here isn’t the cleavage, campus officials say. It’s that the feed uses the “KU” trademark in its name and on the “I Love KU Boobs” wristbands that it hawks. Rock Chalk Blog

College of Southern Idaho’s President Steps Down — Gerald Beck began his career at the institution as an engine-repair instructor nearly four decades ago. Times-News

Filed under: Leadership, Legal, Marketing

E-Mails Suggest Closer Link Between Athletics and Academic Fraud at UNC

The former chairman of the department of African and Afro-American studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who lost his job amid an investigation of academic fraud in the department, had a close relationship with officials in the academic-support program for athletes, according to e-mails obtained by The News & Observer.

A university investigation concluded that the fraud was not intended to benefit athletes because nonathletes had also enrolled in “no show” classes arranged by the department and had received the same high grades. The university has sought to pin the blame on the ousted chairman, Julius Nyang’oro, and a staff member in his department.

But the newly released e-mails show that Mr. Nyang’oro created at least one such class after he was asked to do so by a counselor in the academic-support program. Another counselor offered to discuss athletes’ course work over drinks with Mr. Nyang’oro, who received from the athletics staff such favors as football tickets and the chance to watch a game from the sidelines.

The News & Observer obtained the e-mails through a public-records request filed nearly a year ago. None of the details revealed in the e-mails had shown up in the numerous investigations conducted since the university confirmed the existence of the fraudulent courses, in May 2012.

The academic fraud went back more than a decade, and much of it occurred before H. Holden Thorp became Chapel Hill’s chancellor. Nevertheless, Mr. Thorp announced in September that he would resign. The Raleigh newspaper’s attempts to reach Mr. Thorp for comment this weekend were unsuccessful.  A campus spokeswoman, Karen Moon, said the newly released correspondence contained no “new information” about the academic-support program for athletes. But Peter D. Hans, chairman of the UNC system’s Board of Governors, said the e-mails showed that the program had a deeper involvement in the scandal.

The newspaper also reported that the university had spent more than $500,000 over the past two years on public-relations and communications advice on its response to the scandal. The university’s privately supported foundation paid those bills.

Filed under: Athletics, Leadership

Leader of Scholarly Society to Step Aside During Inquiry Into False Statements

Leslie Cohen Berlowitz, president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, has requested time away from her day-to-day responsibilities while a law firm retained by the scholarly society conducts an inquiry into allegations that she falsely claimed on grant applications and other documents to hold a doctoral degree, The New York Times reported. Ms. Berlowitz will remain president of the academy during the inquiry.

The documents containing the false statements included several grant applications that were submitted to the National Endowment for the Humanities over the past 10 years. The endowment has said it will investigate.

The state attorney general in Massachusetts, where the academy is located, reportedly is also interested in the case. Brad Puffer, director of communications for the attorney general, said in a statement quoted by the Times that the office was pleased that the academy had arranged for an independent inquiry. “Our office will continue to actively monitor this investigation and further action by the board to ensure it carries out its fiduciary responsibility,” he said.

The scholarly group has attributed the false statements about Ms. Berlowitz’s credentials to an unspecified staff member.

Filed under: Leadership, Research

St. Mary’s College of Md.’s President to Leave After Questions Over Enrollment

Joseph R. Urgo, president of St. Mary’s College of Maryland, has asked the institution’s Board of Trustees not to renew his contract, effectively resigning in the wake of intense scrutiny stemming from an enrollment shortfall that is expected to cost the public institution millions of dollars in lost tuition revenue, The Washington Post reported.

Mr. Urgo has led St. Mary’s, a public honors college, for three years, and his contract is set to expire at the end of the month. Some critics have recently raised questions about changes Mr. Urgo has made during his tenure, such replacing many of the college’s top administrators, including those who oversee admissions and financial aid. Mr. Urgo has said that he takes personal responsibility for the enrollment shortfall of about 150 students.

In a written statement cited by the newspaper, Mr. Urgo said that he was leaving with mixed emotions, having enjoyed his time at the college’s helm. “Leading St. Mary’s College for the past three years has been a tremendous privilege and a great pleasure,” he said. “The college’s legislative charge of high academic standards and financial accessibility, while challenging, is an inspirational mission. In parting, I wish my friends and the good people of St. Mary’s the very best.”

Filed under: Admissions, Leadership, Students, St. Mary's College of Maryland

After Latest of Verbal Gaffes, Ohio State’s President Says He’ll Retire

Ohio State University’s president, E. Gordon Gee, announced on Tuesday afternoon that he planned to retire on July 1, according to The Columbus Dispatch. The announcement followed his apology last week to several groups for joking remarks he made last year at a meeting of the institution’s Athletic Council.

In his remarks at the meeting, which were obtained by the Associated Press through a public-records request, Mr. Gee suggested that the University of Notre Dame had never been invited to join the Big Ten Conference because “those damn Catholics” couldn’t be trusted. He also took jabs at other institutions, including the University of Louisville, the University of Cincinnati, and the Southeastern Conference. Mr. Gee apologized for his comments, but Ohio State trustees called his remarks inappropriate and created a remediation plan for Mr. Gee to deal with his behavior.

Mr. Gee has served as Ohio State’s president for two terms, from 1990 through 1997 before returning in 2007. During his long career as a university president, he has come under fire for other joking remarks, though he successfully weathered the previous controversies.

In a written statement, Mr. Gee said that, after recently returning from a vacation with his family, he had a chance to consider Ohio State’s “phenomenal achievements” and its future. “During my days away,” he added, “I also spent some time in self-reflection. And after much deliberation, I have decided it is now time for me to turn over the reins of leadership to allow the seeds that we have planted to grow. It is also time for me to re-energize and refocus myself.”

The university said Joseph A. Alutto, its executive vice president and provost, would be named interim president.

For more, see this Chronicle article.

Filed under: Leadership, Ohio State University

President Who Led Tulane U. Through Katrina’s Wake Will Retire Next Year

Tulane University announced on Friday that Scott S. Cowen plans to retire as its president in 2014, after a 16-year tenure marked by his efforts to guide the institution through Hurricane Katrina’s devastation of New Orleans and the recovery that followed.

Mr. Cowen took office in 1998 and planned to serve a 10-year term, but he remained as president after the 2005 storm dealt a powerful blow to his campus, causing it to close for a semester. Tulane instituted a cost-cutting restructuring in the hurricane’s wake, merging its separate undergraduate colleges for men and women and establishing an institute for female undergraduates. Supporters and alumnae of the women’s college sued unsuccessfully in a long legal fight to block its closure.

In an e-mail to the Tulane community, Mr. Cowen said that the university’s will to persevere through hardship “created a powerful bond amongst all of us that ultimately led to Tulane’s extraordinary recovery.” He added that those efforts left Tulane today “vibrant, distinctive, and well positioned to address the new opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.”

Filed under: Leadership, Tulane University