Akron-AAUP Response to Scarborough Resignation

 

Some of you may have seen the item in the Chronicle of Higher Education on Scott Scarborough’s resignation as President of the university of Akron [http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/akrons-controversial-president-will-step-down-immediately/111739?cid=pm&utm]. That article includes the official statement released by the university’s Board of Trustees. A follow-up article, “U of Akron Chief’s Resignation Ends a Rocky Presidency,” is available at: http://chronicle.com/article/U-of-Akron-Chiefs/236663.

 

An article published by Business Insider offers a short but very succinct overview of the controversies created by Scarborough:

“The University of Akron announced Monday morning that its controversial president, Scott L. Scarborough (right), is stepping down today, by mutual agreement with the board.

“Scarborough has been involved in repeated controversies during his less than two years at Akron. He has led efforts to make significant budget cuts, which would have been controversial even if he had not been spending money on renovating his university home.

“Many were shocked by the $951,000 in renovation costs, and in particular $556.40 on a decorative olive jar(without any olives).

“Some of his controversial decisions were reversed. He tried to eliminate the jobs of everyone at the university press (but then pulled back on that). And just last week, he ended a relationship with a local company to supplement its student advising and mentoring staff.

“The company, Trust Navigator, had no other higher ed customers, and the move came soon after the university eliminated numerous positions in its student success division. And the $840,000 price tag seemed to many to be too high for a university that was struggling with enrollments and revenue.” [http://www.businessinsider.com/university-of-akron-president-resigns-2016-5?utm]

 

The AAUP chapter at the University of Akron released this statement on Scarborough’s resignation:

“In response to the announcement regarding the resignation of Dr. Scarborough, the Executive Committee of the Akron-AAUP welcomes the opportunity to work with Interim Provost Rex Ramsier and the university community to turn the page and move forward as one.

“The faculty of The University of Akron are deeply committed to our students’ success and invested in the future of this institution. Accordingly, the faculty must be a part of the conversation that will focus on the educational mission of the university and build on its considerable existing strengths to ensure an excellent learning environment for our students.

“We look forward to discussing the future of the university with Interim Provost Rex Ramsier and the Board of Trustees, and to playing a significant role in the appointment of an interim President, and ultimately, a permanent President for the University.”

The chapter blog is available at: http://akronaaup.org/blog/.

 

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