‘Left out of the conversation’: Winthrop students protest interim president hiring
Nearly 1,600 people have signed an online petition calling for the resignation of the Winthrop University board of trustees following the hiring of an interim president.
Winthrop student Nathan Crunkilton started the petition last week after the Winthrop board of trustees confirmed on Jan. 31 the hiring of George W. Hynd as the interim president. Hynd will serve from March 1, 2020 to June 30, 2022.
Winthrop hired an interim for two years, in part, to oversee reaffirmation of accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, The Herald previously reported.
Hynd’s appointment comes after current President Dan Mahony’s resignation last year. Mahony’s last day is Feb. 29.
Mahony, who has led Winthrop since 2015, has accepted the role of president in the Southern Illinois University System, which serves more than 28,000 students on multiple campuses, The Herald previously reported. He starts his new role on March 1.
Winthrop currently serves about 5,864 students.
In the petition, Crunkilton said students feel they did not have a voice in the process of Mahony’s departure and Hynd being hired. Crunkilton, 21, is a senior political science major.
The petition states: “While the conversation of Dr. George W. Hynd is a separate topic within itself, the handling of the Board’s confirmation has led many Student Leaders, including myself, disappointed and concerned in the state of the Winthrop University Board of Trustees.
“Student Body President, Imani Belton, who represents the students in Board of Trustees Meetings, was wrongfully closed out of this confirmation, and held without a voice. Not only Dr. Hynd’s confirmation, but the handling of outgoing Winthrop University President, Dr. Daniel Mahony, as well as the accelerated search process, raises questions of the Board of Trustees motives,” states the petition.
Mahony’s resignation was announced Dec. 3, 2019.
Glenn McCall, chair of the Winthrop board of trustees, said on Jan. 31 that hiring an interim can be immediate. The search process for a permanent president takes a year, he said.
McCall addressed the quick search in an e-mail sent to students on Feb. 6. The e-mail was provided to The Herald.
McCall said in the e-mail Winthrop received Mahony’s resignation about 12 weeks before he will leave for his new role.
The Herald obtained a copy of Mahony’s contract through a S.C. Freedom of Information Act request. Mahony’s current contract, approved on May 4, 2019, goes through June 30, 2020.
The new contract removed a clause that automatically extended Mahony’s contract for another year if the board of trustees did not take action, said Kimberly Faust, vice president and chief of staff. That meant the board of trustees could at any time between May 2019 and June 2020 vote to extend Mahony’s contract, Faust said. With Mahony’s resignation, the board took no further action.
“We pursued an accelerated search so we could have an interim in place for a smooth leadership transition,” reads the e-mail from McCall. “The process we chose is not what we will do when we open a search for the next president of the university. Looking forward, we will implement a search structure that will encourage and permit ample input from students, staff, faculty, alumni, and the community.”
Students felt the search did not allow adequate feedback, Crunkilton said in an interview with The Herald Thursday.
“With that accelerated search, our student body and our faculty were left out of the conversation for the most part,” he said.
In a public Facebook post on Feb. 7, Belton said she was “frustrated” with the board.
“I have been frustrated with the Board of Trustees, and I can no longer remain silent about what I have experienced thus far. ... the board’s lack of communication and transparency is extremely inconsistent. Enough is enough,” Belton wrote.
Belton said in the post that she was left out of a meeting on Dec. 14, 2019 when Board Chair Glenn McCall and Kathy Bigham, vice chair, gathered feedback from faculty leaders on the qualities they would like to see in an interim president. Belton said McCall and Bigham met with the Faculty Committee on University Priorities.
Adolphus Belk, faculty representative on the board, confirmed in an e-mail to The Herald Thursday that the Dec. 14 meeting was attended by himself, McCall, Bigham, members of the committee on university priorities, deans from Winthrop’s colleges, Winthrop Provost Adrienne McCormick and Kimberly Faust, secretary to the board.
Belk said he does not believe students were invited to the Dec. 14 meeting, which was organized for faculty leaders.
Belton said in the post she was told the student representative would be involved in the selection process for a permanent president.
McCall said the board shared the process for hiring an interim president ahead of welcoming Hynd.
In her post, Belton said she also did not get to meet with Hynd or provide feedback before it was clear he was the preferred candidate.
“As the Student Representative to the Board of Trustees, I should not feel that this is my only way of getting my grievances heard, nor should the students feel that they should have to protest to have their voices heard,” Belton continued.
McCall said a select group of students representing Winthrop’s various colleges had lunch with Hynd before his appointment was made official.
Crunkilton said he hopes the petition starts a conversation with the board to change how decisions are made.
Currently, faculty and student representatives are non-voting members of the board and typically do not attend executive sessions, according to Winthrop’s board of trustees bylaws.
Crunkilton said he would like to see the student and faculty representatives have a vote.
“These are the people who come to Winthrop every single day. These are the people who love Winthrop with all their heart,” Crunkilton said Thursday.
Crunkilton in the petition also commended Winthrop board member Jane LaRoche, who stood up during the Jan. 31 board meeting and said Winthrop had made a mistake in losing Mahony.
“I also want to applaud Jane LaRoche, who represents the Winthrop Alumni Association, for speaking out in her dissent, and ensuring that it was known the Winthrop University Student Body, along with Staff, was left out in Dr. Hynd’s confirmation,” states the petition.
LaRoche was the sole vote against approving Hynd, The Herald previously reported.
“Dan was not treated fairly, causing him to have to look elsewhere for a job. And you all know what I’m talking about,” LaRoche told the board on Jan. 31.
“This is a huge mistake. I feel we had a huge mistake losing our beloved president Dan Mahony,” LaRoche said during the board meeting. “I think he did everything right. He did everything he came here to do.
“I think the students need to know, (Mahony) did not want to leave Winthrop.”
LaRoache’s comments have fueled students’ anger toward members of the board, Crunkilton said.
“A lot of them are upset that Dr. Mahony was treated the way that he was,” Crunkilton said Thursday.
McCall addressed Mahony’s departure in the Feb. 6 email.
The e-mail states: “The most important duty of the Board is to hire and evaluate the university president. As you can imagine, the job of leading this university has many facets. It is our job as trustees to look at the president’s performance as a whole not just at the parts of the job he does well.
“We recognize that Dr. Mahony is popular and has established a wonderful rapport with students, faculty, and staff. Please be assured that the Board truly values his service, and we wish him well in his future position. Our goal is to continue to move the university forward, and given all of the needs of the university, the Board together recognized it was time for new leadership,” reads the email.
People who signed the petition within the past week have said the board of trustees did not give a voice to students and staff. The petition does not identify if those who signed are Winthrop students.
“The message is clear. This student body will not stand idly by while the board of trustees abuses its power,” reads a comment from one of the people who signed the public petition, identified online as Kiri Ashley.
The petition calls for the resignation of each Winthrop board member or a vote of no confidence upon the board. Crunkilton said the vote would be a drastic measure students, faculty or staff could take to send a message.
Votes of no confidence have historically been a symbolic way for faculty and others on higher education campuses to show their lack of confidence in leadership. Votes of no confidence have led to administration changes in some cases.
“The Winthrop University Board of Trustees is out of touch with the Winthrop Community, and the direction Winthrop University is heading in. The Winthrop University Board of Trustees has shown a lack of respect and representation for what makes this institution great, its Students and Staff,” states the petition.
Crunkilton said he hopes it does not get to that point.
“I want to make a compromise with the board of trustees if they are willing to work with the community,” he said.
McCall said Thursday the board is focused on moving forward.
“We respect (the students’) feelings ... but we are responsible to run the university and make sure we’re looking at the best interests of Winthrop as a whole,” he said.
This story was originally published February 13, 2020 at 1:21 PM.
