Tougaloo School president resigns, efficient on the finish June
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Dive Transient:
- Tougaloo School’s president, Carmen Walters, introduced Tuesday she’s going to step down from her place on the finish of June amid criticism of her administration, together with requires her ouster.
- In her message, Walters didn’t share a cause for leaving the traditionally Black establishment in Mississippi after her four-year tenure. A gaggle known as the Tougaloo Alumni Coalition for Change launched a petition in February to take away her and different prime executives from their posts, critiquing their dealing with of enrollment and monetary practices.
- Tougaloo’s trustee board stated it is going to conduct a nationwide search to exchange Walters. Trustees appointed Donzell Lee, professor emeritus at Alcorn State College, as interim president efficient July 1. Lee beforehand led Alcorn State, one other Mississippi HBCU, as interim president through the 2018-19 tutorial yr because it looked for a everlasting chief.
Dive Perception:
In her announcement, Walters lauded developments she and Tougaloo’s administration spearheaded since she stepped into the function in 2019. Amongst them, Walters famous that Tougaloo had climbed U.S. Information & World Report’s faculty rankings, weathered a cyberattack that tried to disrupt its community and greater than doubled its endowment to $31 million.
“Whereas navigating via a devastating pandemic and combating record-breaking low enrollment for HBCUs nationwide, Tougaloo School made important strides,” Walters wrote.
Likewise, the trustee board thanked her for her work on the faculty.
“We’re particularly grateful to Dr. Walters for her management over these previous 4 years — main the School via the COVID-19 international pandemic, considerably rising the School’s endowment, and strengthening our exterior partnerships,” they wrote. “We, together with the whole Tougaloo School household, want her effectively in her future endeavors.”
Nevertheless, the Tougaloo Alumni Coalition for Change has held a way more crucial view of Walters’ tenure.
In response to Walters’ announcement, the group stated they’re “glad however underwhelmed.”
“Sadly, Dr. Walters was solely symptomatic of the bigger structural issues occurring at Tougaloo School, which embrace, however should not restricted to, lack of transparency, unethical practices, and lackadaisical accountability measures exhibited by the Board of Trustees,” the group stated in a press release.
Walters beforehand informed the Mississippi Clarion Ledger that the group isn’t reflective of the school’s official alumni affiliation. However a consultant for the group stated through e mail Wednesday that the coalition members are additionally all members of the Tougaloo School Nationwide Alumni Affiliation.
Among the many coalition’s complaints was declining enrollment at Tougaloo, the place the scholar headcount has reached a four-decade low, in accordance with the net petition.
Federal information backs up that declare. Tougaloo’s enrollment dropped to 713 college students in fall 2021, down 8% from the yr earlier than. The school’s homepage places enrollment for spring 2023 at over 633 college students.
Tougaloo didn’t instantly reply to Greater Ed Dive’s request for remark Wednesday.
The web petition additionally voiced considerations about rampant turnover.
It alleged the present administration has cycled via three vice presidents of scholar affairs, two chief monetary officers, and two provosts/tutorial deans in three years. It additionally stated there have been round 40 vacant positions on the school’s web site, arguing that that is “file turnover charge amongst this group.”
Tougaloo had simply 5 open positions on its web site as of Wednesday afternoon, together with a publish searching for a brand new provost.
The creators of the net petition say they’re publicizing their considerations throughout a crucial time for the school, which is scheduled for overview by its accreditor in 2025. The web petition has garnered greater than 1,500 signatures.
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