All Three Finalists to Be President of The Evergreen State College Withdraw From Process (WA)

The Chronicle ^ | 5/7/2021 | Rolf Boone

[llevrok]

A year-long process to find the next president of The Evergreen State College came to a shocking conclusion Wednesday when the college’s Board of Trustees emerged from a three-hour meeting and announced that the three finalists for the job had withdrawn their names from consideration.

Board of Trustees Chairwoman Karen Fraser said all three finalists — Michael Dumont, Catherine Kodat and Lee Lambert — withdrew following recent interviews with faculty, students, staff and alumni.

“We’re still in a state of surprise and disappointment,” she said. “This is where we are at the moment.”

The Olympian wasn’t privy to all the community interviews, but did observe a three-hour virtual gathering with alumni and others, which appeared to be a cordial exchange of questions and answers with the finalists.

The finalists were:

• Michael Dumont, a recently retired Navy vice admiral and lawyer with experience as a prosecutor and national security leader. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Southern Maine, a law degree from Suffolk University Law School and master’s degrees in national security studies from the U.S. Army War College and the National War College.

• Catherine Kodat, provost and dean of faculty at Lawrence University in Wisconsin, and a former journalist turned academic scholar who has served as faculty, department chair, and dean at several liberal arts colleges throughout the U.S. She earned an undergraduate degree in English at the University of Baltimore, and her graduate degrees at Boston University.

• Lee Lambert, chancellor of Tucson’s Pima Community College system, is a former president of Shoreline Community College and an Army veteran. He earned his undergraduate degree from Evergreen and a law degree from Seattle University, and went on to serve as special assistant to the president for civil rights and legal affairs at Evergreen.

rustee Ed Zuckerman defended the process the college undertook to find a president, but also said, “We have some learning to do as a community as to why they withdrew.”

“The process is not at issue from my standpoint,” he said.

Trustee David Nicandri said the common conceit about the college is that its biggest challenge is in recruitment and retention, but he also cited a “deeper set of problems” facing the college, which he did not identify.

“A forthcoming interim president or interim administrator or permanent appointment must engage constructively and continuously with the campus community with one primary objective in mind — that we engage in the ideal model of shared governance in a collegial and constructive manner,” he said.

On that note, Nicandri made a motion before the board to identify a process that can bring forward an interim president or interim administrative structure by July 1, while the board continues to look for a president. His motion was approved by the board.

Current president George Bridges, who announced more than a year ago a plan to return to teaching, leaves the job of president at the end of June.

Zuckerman said the board received a tremendous amount of input from the community about the presidential search process, and that there were “strong opinions that have to be dealt with in a positive manner.”

Zuckerman made a motion before the board as well, saying that since there will not be a president-elect working with the current president, the board will be the entity to fill any future vacancies among the ranks of senior vice presidents. The board agreed to that as well.

“The board is ready to roll up its sleeves to do what needs to be done until we get a president,” he said.

Trustee Miguel Perez-Gibson echoed Fraser’s remarks.

“We surprised and shocked a lot of people today and believe me, we feel your surprise and shock,” he said.

The Board of Trustees was set to meet again at 11 a.m. Friday.

[Robert DeLong]

Rachel Corrie

She was an American activist and diarist. A member of the pro-Palestinian group International Solidarity Movement, who was crushed to death by an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) armored bulldozer in a southern Gaza Strip combat zone during the height of the second Palestinian intifada under contested circumstances.

She had gone to Gaza as part of her senior-year college assignment to connect her home town with Rafah in a sister cities project. While there, she had engaged with other International Solidarity Movement activists in efforts to prevent the Israeli army's demolition of Palestinian houses. According to the Israeli authorities the demolitions were carried out to eliminate weapons-smuggling tunnels. According to human rights groups the demolitions were used as collective punishment.

The exact nature of her death and the culpability of the bulldozer operator are disputed, with fellow ISM protestors saying that the Israeli soldier operating the bulldozer deliberately ran over Corrie, and Israeli eyewitnesses saying that it was an accident since the bulldozer operator could not see her. The Israeli army conducted an investigation, which concluded that the death was an accident, and that the driver of the bulldozer could not see Corrie due to limited visibility from his cab.

Thus the story as to why she is called St. Pancake.

I had forgotten about her.

[Verginius Rufus]

I'm surprised that Lee Lambert was a finalist. Wouldn't the name "Lee" trigger some of the students, reminding them of Robert E. Lee?

Lambert was born in Seoul. Lambert does not look like a Korean name but maybe his mother was Korean.

[EvilCapitalist]

The candidates probably didn’t want to be President of a school full of Rachel Corrie’s.

[mikey_hates_everything]

Why would anyone even want to be President of that college unless they lived under a rock and hadn’t been watching the news for the last few years? BTW, this is why we can’t get decent people to run for public office, either.

[EasySt]

Start by replacing that racist/Marxist board of trustees with some people that regular human beings can work with.

[catnipman]

“Seeking a president who supports “shared governance””

but not a single word about actual education occurring at the college ...

[The_Media_never_lie]

Board of Trustees Chairwoman Karen Fraser

[algore]

How about just shut it down, it is a waste of money

[SgtHooper]

Can you imagine the backstabbing and betraying nonsense the rats would display if higher education experienced a steep decline in enrollment?

Now wouldn’t that be fun to watch!

[GOP Poet]

Well put. And you are exactly right.

[SES1066]

“We are looking for someone who can raise our graduate’s employment rate, not counting fast food or hospitality jobs, from the current 15%. But you cannot make any changes to the curriculum without 2/3s approval from all stakeholders.”

“Oh, you have to carry the 1st year of health, life and professional insurance. Want the job?”

[PIF]

The two men admitted they served in the military so that disqualified them, the women admitted she was not gay so that disqualified her. Mystery solved

[PIF]

deeper set of problems” facing the college, which he did not identify.

—
Lack of funds and donations ...

[PIF]

but not a single word about actual education occurring at the college ...

—
That’s because there is none. Remember this is the college that produced St Pancake.

[SteveH]

see #4

[SaxxonWoods]

Too woke or not enough? Two dropouts were ex-military, one sounded like a typical lib admin-for-life type.

[T-Bird45]

I’m going to take a SWAG here and say all 3 had a grandmother who told them “don’t go buying trouble.” It seems they took those words to heart.

[NWFree]

Sounds about right. Has been a big problem ever since loony libtard students took over. No one in their mind want anything to do with that sinking ship of an excuse for education.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

“The board is ready to roll up its sleeves to do what needs to be done until we get a president” said Ed Zuckerman, Trustee.

Everything EXCEPT:

1. reject Marxism and Wokeism
2. embrace a traditional liberal, pro-American, pro-Western Civilization ethos
3. demand students work hard and earn their grades
4. expel radical students and trouble-makers, and
5. welcome police on campus to maintain safety
6. hire real educators with talent that will help students land careers

[Maine Mariner]

If the faculty is unionized, shared governance is an oxymoron.