I now quote a not-so-famous blogger/educator from a recent News article and add commentary, fact/rumor, and at the same time factor in some more criminal justice (one more ox, moron):
The Board of Trustees of the College of Lake County have yet again given themselves another "black eye" this time in their handling of the resignation of College President Richard Fonte.
But let's be honest. It is much less a voluntary resignation than it is a deal to have Fonte disappear.
His off-campus post as an assistant to the board chairman is a sham and part of a plan to sweep the board's long standing list of goofs, gaffes and idiotic decisions under the rug. However, this time the board's incompetence is costing the taxpayers of the county $145,000 to cover up.
Let's recap for a moment. When Dr. Dan LaVista left the college Dr. Gretchen Naff, then vice president, was told that she could (A) remain as vice president and throw her hat in the ring for the president's job or (B) take the position of interim president and not be eligible as a candidate for the permanent position of president. Dr. Naff chose to take the position of interim president but even though ineligible for the position, lo and behold! was appointed president by the board anyway in spite of the fact that they violated their own policy.
After Naff's announcement to retire, the board conducted a search for a new president by organizing an internal search committee made up of faculty and administrators, as is customary, and also hired a consulting firm for thousands of dollars to assist in the process, which was not customary.
The committee offered three or four acceptable candidates to the board for consideration but all candidates were rejected. The board then organized another committee and hired, once again, the same consulting firm from the first effort and once again forked over thousands of dollars and conducted a second search.
This time they found a winner in Dr. Richard Fonte who was not the first choice of the committee but was, coincidently, a close friend of trustee (apparently for life) Richard Anderson. Dr. Fonte needed three more years of service under Illinois's State University Retirement System to nab a nice pension.
Don't ya love it when all these coincidents and random events come together? What Fonte did to substantially change his "personal life" so that he must resign is a mystery to everyone except Fonte, the board and their respective lawyers.
So, when is this abuse of public office and the public coffers going to end? When are the members of CLC's Board of Trustees going to be held accountable to the people who, mistakenly, elected them to office?
I'm not sure we can wait for elections that come about every two years. The place may be in ruins by then. Maybe we need to petition the Attorney General's office and request an investigation into the conduct of the board.
Oh, and to top it all off, it is expected that board Chair William Griffin will be appointed interim president even though he has no academic credentials or experience as an administrator in higher education whatsoever. I guess that's politics in Lake County. And it's very scary.
Thomas Arnold of Grayslake is a professor of criminal justice at the College of Lake County
MY TURN/THOMAS ARNOLD
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First, the SPELL CHECK, TOM!
As an educator, you should be ashamed. Your use of spelling is probably worse than 18 months of "hell". Honestly, how do you spell coincidence? No, you don't!
And, it's Attorney's General - even when speaking of the one.
Coincidentally and coincidences are the two proper ways of spelling each.
The only fact/rumor I see missing from this tome is from the first search team, there were 5 candidates all recognised as "A+" before each was to speak in public forum and before either was to meet for first offer/negotiation. One gentleman was approached, offered $180,000, he wanted $200,000, and apparently was not willing to budge on that amount (perhaps, did he decline the "company car" as well?). The remaining "others" from the A+ group were summarily dismissed from any offers, by order of the CLC Board - can that be right? (More Fact/Rumor than Rumor/Fact, I should think.)
For the difference of $20,000 - barely covering the cost of the usual presidential "company car" - a nano amount, really. Nano? Yes, referring to the distinguished, gray-haired gentleman in question, who I liked to call "The Nano-Tech President"; after all, he really was pushing nano-technology, and if it wasn't for his previous involvement in school television media appearances (a la carte "fireside chats"), I would have been bored to nano-proportions.
The fact/rumor I see mentioned here, regarding "personal life" and whether or not the board know, the lawyers know? I don't get that one, Tom. Fonte would not have had to divulge anything about his "personal life" nor reasons of change in his life in order to seek release from his contract. His resignation would not have had to have been "requested" by the board, either. (Probably more rumor/fact than fact/rumor.)
So, extending Mr. Arnold's logic, we can surely see that Chairman Griffin could easily be hired as CLC's new President - after having been appointed as interim president for........a while.
Judging on who was foisted upon CLC for the last 18 months, I believe a "no experience necessary" president is what CLC really needs for the present and at least her near future. OR, Mr. Griffin has seen 18 months of how not to do it, and by extension, holds the requisite experiences.
Following Mr. Arnold's logic, that is.
The title of Tom's Tome is "CLC trustees and their $145,000 gaffe", and being sure, that I am, that Tom means by gaffe, here, its secondary meaning, that we at CLC must apply its antonym, and quick. In that regard, I now declare the Main Lobby "back in the game" ! But, then after "clean ups", enclose it in Plexiglas and install sound-proof doors to the lecture halls.
"And after all this stress and strife, there really is nothing like a good old plate of SARDINES!"
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