Faculty and staff at Monroe Community College have overwhelmingly approved a resolution of no confidence in the MCC Board of Trustees. Ninety-nine percent of the 546 employees voting - 553 - voted in favor of the resolution, saying that they don't have confidence that the board can "carry out a politically non-partisan and effective presidential search process that meets the high standards established by SUNY guidelines."
The vote by the faculty and staff took place yesterday, and the result was announced this morning.
The college has just under 800 faculty and staff members, says Faculty Senate President Terry Tugel.
The leaders of the MCC student government group voted in favor of the same resolution earlier this week.
"The current search has identified two highly qualified candidates in Mr. Dennis Kessler and Dr. Laurence Spraggs," says a statement from the Faculty Senate. "The failure of the Board of Trustees to recommend one of these as MCC's fifth president during its special meeting on May 17th is a profound act of disrespect to students, staff, and faculty, as well as to the members of the two parallel search committees."
The Faculty Senate is also calling for the nine appointed trustees to resign if they do not revote and select either Kessler or Spraggs, according to the statement. (The 10th trustee is a student elected by the MCC student body.)
The large turnout and support for the no-confidence vote raises a question: If in the end, the trustees choose former County Legislator Bill Smith as the next president, will he be able to run the college successfully?
Comments for "MCC PRESIDENCY: Faculty, staff, students approve 'no confidence' resolution" (1)
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cecilia felicity said on May. 31, 2008 at 8:22am
Given that he has no significant administrative experience, the answer is "no". The president of MCC is the CEO. He or she is responsible for the day to day operation of the college. This individual has several direct reports and is charged with implementing the strategic plan. To make things more difficult for a new president, MCC's second in command, the executive VP, is also retiring after 40 yrs. of service. Where will the institutional knowledge come from? How can Smith lead if does not have the experience, ability, or confidence of the college community to do so?
Both of the other two highly recommended candidates have significant managerial and administrative experience, one in higher ed, the other in business. Smith has a career in law and government. In the faculty forums, when asked what he would do to take MCC to the next level, Smith said he'd ask people. By his recent public comments stating that it was easier to get into Yale than into MCC, Smith demonstrates an elitist attitude that is the antithesis of our mission of access to higher education.
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