[Discussion] Statewide Board Fires President of Slippery Rock U. of Pennsylvan ia

[Paksoy, Hb]

 <<...OLE_Obj...>>  Tuesday, December 10, 2002  	

 <<...OLE_Obj...>> 	Statewide Board Fires President of Slippery Rock U.
of Pennsylvania By JONATHAN MARGULIES
<mailto:jonathan.margulies@chronicle.com>  Just weeks after he learned that
his contract would not be renewed when it expires in 2004, the president of
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, G. Warren Smith II, was abruptly
ousted on Monday by the board that controls Pennsylvania's state-owned
colleges. The board, which accused Mr. Smith of launching a "divisive
campaign" to reverse its earlier decision, cited "unsatisfactory
performance" as the main factor leading to his dismissal.  The decision to
fire Mr. Smith was made at a special meeting of the Board of Governors of
the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, which oversees Slippery
Rock and 13 other public institutions. The same panel voted in October not
to extend Mr. Smith's contract when it expires on June 30, 2004, and has
since been locked in a highly visible battle with Slippery Rock
administrators, faculty members, and even local trustees of the institution
over the president's fate.  In a statement, the state board cited general
managerial deficiencies, as well as Mr. Smith's failure to seek a "smooth
leadership transition" in preparation for his 2004 departure, as reason for
his dismissal.  "Dr. Smith was removed for one reason only: unsatisfactory
performance," Charles A. Gomulka, chairman of the state-college board, said
in the statement. "That is not to say that he did not do some things well.
He did. But doing some things well is not the standard for a State System
university president."  But some university officials, like Kenneth Blair,
the chairman of Slippery Rock's local Board of Trustees, have said that they
believe the statewide board went after Mr. Smith simply because he would not
submit to greater control from the system's chancellor, Judy G. Hample.
Indeed, Mr. Smith's firing was preceded by an unusual show of support from
faculty members on his own campus. Just a week before his immediate
departure was announced, 88 percent of 253 Slippery Rock faculty members
offered their support for him. The university's local trustees also voted 6
to 1 in favor of Mr. Smith during another symbolic vote of confidence last
week.  Officials at the chancellor's office refused to cite specific
examples of Mr. Smith's performance flaws. Slippery Rock officials did not
return telephone calls on Monday seeking comment.