Post by Aggie One on Aug 19, 2009 11:32:34 GMT -5
Shaw aware of administrators' checkered pasts
BY JOSH SHAFFER, Staff Writer
RALEIGH - Shaw University, deeply indebted and aggressively seeking donors, has hired a vice president who was successfully sued for sexual harassment and a dean dismissed from the only other administrative job on his résumé.
The vice president, Lee Monroe, a Shaw alumnus, was hired this summer after his 2007 departure as president of Voorhees College in Denmark, S.C., where a jury awarded $500,000 to a professor who accused him of punishing her for rejecting repeated sexual advances. A university spokeswoman said Tuesday that Shaw officials knew about the lawsuit when they hired Monroe.
The dean of arts and sciences, David Marshall, was appointed in July after his contract was not renewed in 2006 at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La., for issues that include his unapproved use of school foundation money, according to records from the Louisiana state university system.
Marshall's hiring -- and the firing of a professor -- triggered a sharp rebuke from a top faculty member. In an open letter e-mailed to colleagues last week, Faculty Senate President James Nelson said that the rescue mission has been undermined by a "moral crisis" brought on by personnel decisions, including Marshall's hiring.
"We say we wish to restore our financial base," Nelson wrote. "Our actions suggest we waste much of this base on a few individuals."
The arrival of Monroe and Marshall comes at a time of turmoil for the school. Interim President Dorothy Yancy is tasked with eliminating more than $20 million in debt and has called on supporters to revive Shaw, the oldest historically black college in the South.
Top officials at Shaw declined requests for comment. Board Chairman Willie Gary, a Florida lawyer, did not return repeated calls. Yancy did not answer a telephone message or respond to written questions hand-delivered to her office.
In an interview Tuesday, Shaw spokeswoman Tanya Wiley stressed the skills and hard work of both Monroe and Marshall, adding, "There's some people out there with an ax to grind."
Wiley also said Shaw officials knew of the lawsuit against Monroe but added that it "has nothing to do with his track record for raising money. It has nothing to do with his track record as a leader."
In a separate interview last week, Monroe downplayed the impact of the sexual harassment judgment on his ability to right Shaw's finances. He said he had recently snared a big donation despite his legal defeat.
"With those court documents in place, we got a commitment for $1 million," Monroe said. "So you go figure."
Marshall said Tuesday that Nelson's letter does not represent the feelings of Shaw's whole faculty, just that of one man. "He found something, he thought it was sexy, he sent it out," the dean said.
For the rest of the story:
www.newsobserver.com/news/v-print/story/1653095.html
BY JOSH SHAFFER, Staff Writer
RALEIGH - Shaw University, deeply indebted and aggressively seeking donors, has hired a vice president who was successfully sued for sexual harassment and a dean dismissed from the only other administrative job on his résumé.
The vice president, Lee Monroe, a Shaw alumnus, was hired this summer after his 2007 departure as president of Voorhees College in Denmark, S.C., where a jury awarded $500,000 to a professor who accused him of punishing her for rejecting repeated sexual advances. A university spokeswoman said Tuesday that Shaw officials knew about the lawsuit when they hired Monroe.
The dean of arts and sciences, David Marshall, was appointed in July after his contract was not renewed in 2006 at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La., for issues that include his unapproved use of school foundation money, according to records from the Louisiana state university system.
Marshall's hiring -- and the firing of a professor -- triggered a sharp rebuke from a top faculty member. In an open letter e-mailed to colleagues last week, Faculty Senate President James Nelson said that the rescue mission has been undermined by a "moral crisis" brought on by personnel decisions, including Marshall's hiring.
"We say we wish to restore our financial base," Nelson wrote. "Our actions suggest we waste much of this base on a few individuals."
The arrival of Monroe and Marshall comes at a time of turmoil for the school. Interim President Dorothy Yancy is tasked with eliminating more than $20 million in debt and has called on supporters to revive Shaw, the oldest historically black college in the South.
Top officials at Shaw declined requests for comment. Board Chairman Willie Gary, a Florida lawyer, did not return repeated calls. Yancy did not answer a telephone message or respond to written questions hand-delivered to her office.
In an interview Tuesday, Shaw spokeswoman Tanya Wiley stressed the skills and hard work of both Monroe and Marshall, adding, "There's some people out there with an ax to grind."
Wiley also said Shaw officials knew of the lawsuit against Monroe but added that it "has nothing to do with his track record for raising money. It has nothing to do with his track record as a leader."
In a separate interview last week, Monroe downplayed the impact of the sexual harassment judgment on his ability to right Shaw's finances. He said he had recently snared a big donation despite his legal defeat.
"With those court documents in place, we got a commitment for $1 million," Monroe said. "So you go figure."
Marshall said Tuesday that Nelson's letter does not represent the feelings of Shaw's whole faculty, just that of one man. "He found something, he thought it was sexy, he sent it out," the dean said.
For the rest of the story:
www.newsobserver.com/news/v-print/story/1653095.html
?? How about double "nuts"
