Simon P. Newman resigned on Monday evening as president of Mount St. Mary’s University, capping a weeks-long furor over a controversial freshman-retention plan that focused national attention on the Roman Catholic college in rural Maryland.Mr. Newman, a former private-equity chief executive, incited a backlash by using a clumsy “drown the bunnies” analogy in reference to at-risk students. His comments, which first emerged in the college’s student newspaper, quickly drew harsh criticism both on and off the campus. The controversy ballooned when Mr. Newman fired two faculty members, one of whom had tenure, and demoted the university’s provost, who had challenged him. His actions attracted widespread condemnation from faculty advocates and others in higher education, and last week the university’s accreditor raised questionsabout the situation on the campus.
The university offered to reinstate the two professors who had been fired, but the controversy lingered, and Mr. Newman initially rejected the faculty’s demand, expressed in an overwhelming vote, to step down from the presidency. After professors demanded that he resign, the university’s student government released the results of a poll that showed widespread student support for Mr. Newman’s leadership. —The Chronicle of Higher Education
Post was last modified on 29 Feb 2016 8:30 pm
Representing the Humanities at Accepted Students Day.
The daughter opens another show. This weekend only.
After learning of his AIDS diagnosis, artist Keith Haring created the work, "Unfinished Painting" (1989),…
Seton Hill students Emily Vohs, Elizabeth Burns, Jake Carnahan-Curcio and Carolyn Jerz in a scene…
Inspiration can come to those with the humblest heart. Caedmon the Cowherd believed he had…
View Comments
A poll reported the students backed the president, which I found surprising.
Really? That is very interesting.
http://msmecho.com/2016/01/19/mount-presidents-attempt-to-improve-retention-rate-included-seeking-dismissal-of-20-25-first-year-students/
It's reassuring to read the responses of the Provost and Faculty members, though.
Yes, that was very surprising.
Did you read this article about how he distributed a survey to freshmen with the intent of weeding out students ? Unbelievable.
Don't let the door hit you in the a** on the way out!
Wall Street and College Ave rarely intersect.