BURLINGTON — Burlington College’s new leaders said Tuesday they are prepared to do whatever it takes to make the struggling school a success.
In an hour-long news conference, two of the three people tapped by the board over the weekend to temporarily lead the school described the college as an innovator in nontraditional education and pledged to do everything in their power to right the ship.
The packed news conference Tuesday came after former President Christine Plunkett’s abrupt resignation Friday in a parking lot as students surrounded her car, blocking her exit from a board meeting.
Burlington College came under fire this summer after the school was placed on academic probation. Some staff, students and faculty took no confidence votes on Plunkett’s leadership. Recent audits show the college has significant financial problems.
Yves Bradley, the chair of the board of trustees, explained more fully how Plunkett’s resignation unfolded, during the news conference.
Bradley said the president’s departure could have been a death blow for the school, but the board’s quick appointment of three interim leaders is a testament to the community’s desire to see Burlington College survive.
After the news conference, Bradley also rebuffed accusations from the student union, whose members read a statement after the conference, that he has a conflict of interest because he works for real estate developer Antonio Pomerleau, who has loaned the school $500,000.
Mike Smith, who has been named interim college president, told a room packed with reporters and students that he agreed to work full time at the school through December at a salary of $8,000 per month. Smith is the retired state president of FairPoint Communications, and he previously served as state secretary of administration under Gov. Jim Douglas.
Jane Knodell, an economics professor at the University of Vermont and a Burlington city councilor, will assist the school 10 to 12 hours a week as interim provost without charge. David Coates, a retired principal at KPMG, will work as needed as interim financial adviser, also without compensation. Coates did not attend the announcement.
Smith said when he was asked to serve, he couldn’t say no. Burlington College has huge financial problems, he said, but the school is an innovator in the world of nontraditional education.
“Jane, David and I are committed to do everything possible to make Burlington College a success,” Smith said.
Knodell called on staff, students and faculty to pull together.
Plunkett’s resignation
When Plunkett left the board meeting on Friday, there was no indication she planned to resign, according to Bradley. She was “enthused” about next week’s president’s hike up Camel’s Hump, he said.
Students protesting outside the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce surrounded her car in the parking lot as she tried to leave. After a short back-and-forth about whether she had made herself available to students, Plunkett abruptly told students she resigned.
The board received a short email Saturday from Plunkett announcing her resignation but did not accept it. They asked for confirmation, Bradley said. Later that day Plunkett confirmed her intent in a longer email, he said.
Bradley said Plunkett faced extremely negative circumstances and very little support from faculty, students, staff and the community.
“I think that what occurred on Friday was that she was pushed to the brink and that she made a decision based on the circumstances that were occurring around her and said ‘I’m done, I can’t do this anymore,’” he said.
Bradley said Plunkett’s heart was in her work and she was the school’s biggest cheerleader. He declined to reveal Plunkett’s salary, length of contract or possible severance package.
The new leadership team gives Bradley a sense of optimism, he said. Burlington is better off if Burlington College survives, he said, and the board plans to do everything it can to make sure it does not fail.
Bradley said the college took a “very large swing for the fences” when it bought a 32-acre lakefront property from the Roman Catholic diocese for $10 million in 2010. A team of financial advisers has said the debt is manageable if enrollment grows.
“This is a college that has always operated on a wing and a prayer and has been successful for over 40 years on that wing and prayer,” Bradley said.
The school this fall enrolled 172 undergraduate students and 14 graduate students, Bradley said. The board recently revised its budget based on tuition from 160 undergraduates and 12 graduates, but the budget is not final yet, he said.
Bradley said the school has much “mending” to do after several bouts of bad news.
The interim administration was appointed during an emergency board meeting Sunday at 4 p.m. that lasted three-and-a-half hours, Bradley said. Ten of the 13 members attended, including two by phone and one by Skype, he said.
A report to the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the accrediting agency, is due Sept. 9 and Knodell said it will be submitted on time. The school has a conference call with NEASC scheduled Wednesday, Bradley said.
People’s United Bank, which holds the first mortgage on the property, said the interim team is a positive outcome, according to Bradley.
Bradley said the school is working on a memorandum of understanding with developers regarding a plan to sell half of the North Avenue property.
The plan, for now, he said, is for all college staff to stay in their positions.
Asked about an alleged culture of fear during Plunkett’s tenure, Smith and Knodell said they believe there should not be retribution against people who speak their minds about the college.
Criticism from students
Student union representative Marcia White read a statement at the news conference criticizing the board’s appointment of an interim team without consulting students, faculty or staff.
“This swift action is another example of the lack of communication between the board of trustees and the people who are directly affected by these decisions,” White read.
Students said they feel as though they are not taken seriously. Friday’s protest came after months of fruitless attempts to speak with Plunkett, they said.
Students said they plan to work with faculty and staff to restructure the college with a more “horizontal” management model.
They also questioned whether Bradley’s business ties create a conflict of interest.
Bradley is vice president for the commercial brokerage at Pomerleau Real Estate and was the listing agent on the diocese property when it sold in 2010. Antonio Pomerleau, the company’s principal, loaned $500,000 to the school as a bridge loan during the purchase.
He is also chairman of the city Planning Commission, which has reviewed development plans at the school. Bradley recused himself from that discussion, according to Planning Commission meeting minutes.
“We do not consent to financial influences and corporate greed inhibiting the college’s ability to embody its mission statement,” White read.
Bradley said he has never perceived that he had a conflict of interest. He said he “probably would” recuse himself if a board discussion centered on Pomerleau’s loan.
Pomerleau did not play a role in his appointment to the board, Bradley said.
