the Case of the Freeper FRiva Feva is under scrutiny - super-sleuths are welcomed
come resolve the way to yesterday's Target Post, you're not out of the running yet
win your registration fees to the FRive Las Vegas Conference if you dare
Posted on 06/27/2002 11:02:35 AM PDT by kattracks
FRANKFORT, Ky., Jun 27, 2002 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- The faculty twice voted no-confidence in George Reid and censured him two other times. Students protested against him. And the Board of Regents voted to strip him of all authority and told him to leave university property.
Yet it was only when a judge this week refused to let him stay that Reid agreed to end his stormy four-year tenure as president of Kentucky State University, a small, black college with a history of turmoil at the top.
Reid, 57, had tangled with the Board of Regents over a string of issues, including low test scores and his spending of university money for personal items such as a big-screen TV, a jogging suit and toiletries.
Reid said this week that he has no place to live, no job and no prospects when his contract expires June 30. He called himself "unemployable" because of the board's decision to run him off. He is seeking $3 million in a severance deal that regents have already rejected.
Reid is the fifth president at Kentucky State in 20 years.
With 2,400 students, by far the smallest of Kentucky's eight state universities, Kentucky State has long had a strained relationship with the rest of higher education and the state - in part, because of its relatively high cost to taxpayers. A federal civil rights agency requires the state to give special assistance to Kentucky State. As a result, it gets more money per student than any other public college in Kentucky.
Kentucky State was started in 1886 as the State Normal School for Colored Persons and has a proud history among the state's minorities.
"It was the Mercedes of higher education for blacks in Kentucky and throughout the country," said A. Frazier Curry, president of the Louisville alumni chapter and one of three generations of his family to attend.
More than 20 years ago, then-Gov. John Y. Brown Jr. floated the idea of turning Kentucky State into a satellite campus of another university. The reaction from blacks was swift and angry. Ever since, politicians tread lightly on the topic of Kentucky State.
Music professor Allen Moore, a member of the faculty for 31 years, said Kentucky State's location in the capital has helped make it "a political land mine."
"There are all kinds of groups and individuals who would like nothing better than to control Kentucky State," he said.
Reid antagonized the regents and others in May after it was learned that less than half of the teachers trained at Kentucky State passed a state examination. Reid blamed the test and angrily argued with members of a state council on education. He also accused two regents of a conflict of interest.
Reid also came fire for installing a big-screen television in the presidential residence at university expense, routinely charging personal items such as a speeding ticket to the university, and traveling extensively without the board's knowledge. He has said the items were legitimate university-related expenses.
Questions also arose over whether Reid had falsified his resume. But a consultant hired by Kentucky State shortly after his hiring found his resume was accurate. And Reid slapped a newspaper with a $15 million libel suit for what he called "racist and hateful" coverage.
Also during Reid's tenure, an assistant in the controller's office pleaded guilty in 2000 to embezzling $845,000. And the state auditor's office said last year that the school's books were unreadable.
Reid said many of the problems predated his tenure and his administration turned things around. He noted that the most recent audit was complimentary, enrollment is at least leveling off and he created the school's first endowment.
"In the four years that we've been here, what we've done is transform the university," he said.
Moore said Reid had a curious effect on the campus in one respect - uniting faculty, alumni and students against him. "We've sort of reached the depths, we've reached bottom," he said.
As for the future, Curry said: "I feel sorry for the person who will have to take this ship."
By MARK R. CHELLGREN Associated Press Writer
Copyright 2002 Associated Press, All rights reserved
the Case of the Freeper FRiva Feva is under scrutiny - super-sleuths are welcomed
come resolve the way to yesterday's Target Post, you're not out of the running yet
win your registration fees to the FRive Las Vegas Conference if you dare
I guess you can't have perfection AND affirmative action, too.
No wonder Reid was hoping to promote more diversity and division at the place....
BIOGRAPHY OF GEORGE WILLIS REID
Born in Hertford, North Carolina, on June 1, 1945, George Willis Reid revealed an early commitment to education by graduating from Perquimans County Union High School in 1963 with an "A" average. His pursuit of academic excellence continued with his achievement of an A.B. in History, with honors, in 1967; an M.A. in History, with honors, in 1968; and a Ph.D. in History, with honors, in 1974. Dr. Reid was selected to Harvard University's prestigious Institute for Educational Management in 1993 to further his post-doctoral studies.
Dr. Reid's career as a nationally recognized speaker, writer, educator, scholar and consultant includes over thirty years of experience in higher education. Dr. Reid is now the twelfth President of Kentucky State University. Before coming President, Dr. Reid was Senior Vice President of Benedict College. Dr. Reid has also been Dean of the University College and Associate Vice President of the University of Cincinnati.
Previously, Dr. Reid's high energy level and strong work ethic were used in his roles as Vice President for Academic Affairs at Savannah State College in Savannah, Georgia, and as Dean of the University College at North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina. During his 15 years at North Carolina Central University, Dr. Reid developed strong skills as a senior administrator, chief academic officer, budget manager, recruiter and fund-raiser. As Academic Vice President, Dean, Assistant Dean, and Departmental Chairman, his role as a fund-raiser resulted in significantly increasing the amount of corporate gifts from the community as well as grants and extra-mural funds. Dr. Reid continues to excel in developing and maintaining mutually supportive relationships between his university and the community.
As a writer, Dr. Reid has published numerous book reviews, scholarly papers, refereed articles, and in-service publications. He is currently researching technology transfer into higher education. As a speaker, he has delivered speeches and conducted numerous workshops across the nation at public schools, colleges and universities, state government departments and educational organizations. As a result of his varied experiences, travels and professional service, Dr. Reid brings a broadened educational viewpoint to his work.
In his personal life, Dr Reid greatly values the support of his wife of sixteen years, Mae Freeman-Reid. The Reids' have a first-hand knowledge of the interests and concerns of the present generation. They have reared or helped to rear seven children, Rhea and Vivian Reid, who live with them in Frankfort, and the grown children, who are N-Yoka, Preston, Keenah, Andre’, and Scarlette.
From his election as a member, Outstanding Young Men of America, in 1978, to his selection as a member, Who's Who Worldwide, in 1992, Dr. Reid's career is a tribute to his belief in the old saying "success is a matter of attitude." His positive attitude combined with a commitment to excellence and a willingness to assume the challenge of responsibility, enable Dr. Reid to acquire the support and cooperation necessary to achieve success and to give the support and cooperation necessary to retain success.
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