BURLINGTON — The Burlington College board of trustees this week fired back at staff and students who took votes of no confidence in the college president, insisting they are looking for ways to save the school.
Meanwhile, students say they have “deep suspicion” about the school’s viability and the motives of the administration, which they say has strayed from the college’s mission of individuality and critical thinking.
Problems at the small liberal arts school on North Avenue became public in June when the regional board that accredits colleges placed Burlington College on two-year probation because of financial shortcomings.
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges said the school is also in danger of falling short of a standard for the school’s organization and governance. The college has seen significant faculty and staff turnover in the past two years and has acknowledged “poor practices” in the business office that led to at least $150,000 in uncollected operating cash as well as several other deficiencies.
The letter from NEASC shows that the school expects to post a $170,000 deficit for fiscal year 2014, which ended June 30. The school is selling some of its lakeside property to make ends meet and does not expect to have enough money to pay the summer payroll, the letter said.
A recent audit also found the school failed to make payments to the Catholic diocese, from which it purchased a $10 million, 32-acre campus on North Avenue in 2010. The school secured two loans to buy the property including one from the diocese.
The board of trustees shortly thereafter forced out then-president Jane Sanders, who led the effort to buy the new campus. Sanders’ chief financial officer, Christine Plunkett, replaced her at the helm.
The composition of the board of trustees also changed after several members departed because of concerns about the school’s direction.
Against that backdrop, the school is trying to recruit more students to help ease its debt. Tuition is its main source of income and it has only a small endowment.
On July 21 faculty and staff sent a letter to Plunkett expressing their concern with her leadership. Sixteen of 28 eligible voters on the faculty/staff council expressed no confidence in Plunkett’s leadership.
The student union issued its own vote of no confidence letter July 30.
The board of trustees met Aug. 8, and on Aug. 13 issued a response to the faculty’s letter, in which board chairman Yves Bradley said there is no “magic bullet” to fix the school’s problems, but they are trying.
Students are not convinced.
“As long as Christine (Plunkett) is still in her position as president, there is no hope for the school to continue,” said David Littlefield, a senior film student who is active in the union, which represents 68 students.
Littlefield said the administration has canceled monthly meetings with students and shares no information. Students have watched beloved and talented faculty leave as they grow frustrated with the school’s governance, he said.
The board said it does not recognize the union because it was not formed via the assistant dean and administration.
“If the administration was genuinely interested in saving the school there would be much more open dialogue between the students and the administration,” Littlefield said.
Instead of using current students and staff to help recruit new students, the administration has alienated them, he said, viewing each student as another $26,000 in tuition.
The board’s letter points out that Plunkett’s administration “inherited” the school’s financial situation from former president Jane Sanders.
An FY11 audit shows the school’s finances to be sound and Sanders said she left the school with a plan to pay for the new campus.
“The purchase of the new campus was an opportunity – so far unrealized – not the source of the current problems,” Sanders said.
Sanders said she and the leadership of the board (Adam Dantzscher was chairman at the time) disagreed about the future of the college and a different vision has been implemented in the three years since she left.
Plunkett was the school’s chief financial officer when Sanders was president.
The letter assures staff that the board is “engaged, well-informed” and working with the administration to fix the financial problems and ensure “long-term viability” for the college.
“Although unfortunate, this was not, either for the board or the administration, an unexpected outcome of the NEASC review, in light of the college’s current fiscal challenges,” the letter said.
The board will consider “all available and reasonable options” for improving finances, the letter said.
In addition to tuition, the school is considering alternative sources, the letter said. It did not say whether the sale of additional property was among the options.
Littlefield said Plunkett recently rented rooms the film department uses to an outside entity without asking staff or students. That is not the type of “alternative sources” the school should pursue, he said.
The letter also revealed that the school has hired a consultant, Bill McGarry, who will meet with faculty and staff soon.
The board asked Plunkett, who declined to comment for this story, to develop a revised operating budget for fiscal year 2015, which began in July, based on reduced enrollment projections.
Meanwhile, the letter says the school enjoys “wonderful external support from its community, its lenders, and its other supporters.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated with quotes from Jane Sanders at 11:13 a.m. Aug. 16.
