The Board of Trustees held their first meeting of the semester on Feb. 20 discussing the ongoing matter of the non-renewal of contracts for Deans Elizabeth Imhof and Alan Price.
Two public comments by nursing lab coordinator Sharon Wagner-Callis and administrative assistant Sherie Higgins were made in regard to Price.
“We [nursing department] are still discussing Alan Price’s departure by expressing our sadness, resignation, frustration and sense of loss,” Wagner-Callis said. “We have begun to have anticipatory grief where it’s now another board meeting later and there is still no end in sight for this grief.”
Wagner-Callis shared a list of milestones the nursing department has achieved, including an upcoming three-day long visit from the state to assess the department’s accreditation. She emphasized that all of these accomplishments have been made under Price’s leadership.
The second public comment was made by Higgins who has worked as Price’s assistant for ten years. Higgins shared a personal statement as well as seven additional statements from classified staff within Price’s department.
“He is a faculty mentor and provides ongoing support to faculty by monitoring departmental budgets and improving class schedules that are aligned with administrative goals and student needs,” Higgins said.
President of Academic Senate Joshua Ramirez presented a report to the board which included a resolution of the faculty’s formal statement supporting the deans.
According to the resolution, the Academic Senate and the Executive Board of the City College Faculty Association (FA) are requesting the administration and Board of Trustees to rescind the non-renewal notices and make an effort to keep the deans as employees at City College.
“Wherever Elizabeth Imhof and Alan Price’s professional paths take them, we want them to have something to point to that says the faculty resolutely supports them and thanks them for all their hard work and dedication,” Ramirez said. “And a formal recognition of our collective dismay that they have been dismissed.”
The resolution was unanimously approved by the Senate and the FA.
President of the FA Cornelia Alsheimer-Barthel gave a report from their board. She emphasized that the issue regarding the deans has been addressed by faculty on multiple occasions since December but they have not received a response.
Alsheimer-Barthel also highlighted that many FA and the senate meetings have raised concerns having to do with misinformation, misrepresentation and many violations of the Board of Trustees’ own board policies. She presented a draft outlining concerns related to Antioch University, salaries and budget matters.
Alsheimer-Barthel said that the FA has waited for months for these concerns to be addressed.
“It became clear to us that we need help from outside,” she said. “We are planning to send this document to the Chancellor’s Office and ACCJC (Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges) to get their feedback.”
Aslheimer-Barthel informed the board that they will be able to provide feedback and receive any additional details before the draft is sent to the Chancellor’s Office.
President of the Board of Trustees Jonathon Abboud thanked Alsheimer-Barthel and provided a statement in regard to the deans.
“The Board has heard everyone’s perspectives and we just want to clarify that it is not a decision that the board makes or is in our purview,” Abboud said. “We support the decisions made by the superintendent-president.”
The Board of Trustees will reconvene on March 20.
