Published Tuesday, December 10, 2002
'unsatisfactory'
The Associated Press
The Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education on Monday fired Slippery Rock University President G. Warren Smith, saying his performance was "unsatisfactory."
The ouster by a 10-4 vote comes two months after the board voted not to extend Smith's contract one year beyond its June 30, 2004, expiration.
Since that decision, 88 percent of the university's 253 faculty members voted to express public confidence in Smith, and other university officials praised him for increasing fund-raising, enrollment and the quality of incoming students since he arrived at the 7,500-student university in 1997.
In a statement, Charles Gomulka, chairman of the Board of Governors, said Smith was ousted immediately because he didn't "focus his efforts on assuring a smooth leadership transition" after his contract wasn't renewed.
"Instead, he has done precisely the opposite ... and participated in a divisive campaign to try to reverse the board's decision instead of focusing on addressing the performance concerns of the board," Gomulka said.
University Provost Robert M. Smith will serve as acting president until a successor is hired. Under G. Warren Smith's contract, he will be paid for 60 days before his termination is final, said Dr. Edward Nolan, vice chancellor for systems relations and advancement for the state system. Smith makes about $120,000 per year, university officials said.
Smith doesn't have a telephone number publicly listed in his name, and could not immediately be reached for comment through university channels. However, Smith addressed his dismissal in an e-mail sent to colleagues on Monday that was forwarded to The Herald and the Associated Press.
"This action by the state system chancellor and board of governors was a complete surprise," Smith said in the e-mail. "Frankly, I'm really proud of all that the campus community has accomplished during my tenure at Slippery Rock University. ... Yet, important people in Harrisburg seem to have a different opinion."
"I don't know where this eventually will lead," Smith said, "but I am most appreciative of the many friends and advocates of the university who, through many channels, have expressed their support for my leadership and concern for the future. ... The achievements of our faculty, staff and students over the past five years should not go unnoticed."
Smith's supporters, notably Kenneth Blair, chairman of Slippery Rock's board of trustees, said the state system in general -- and Chancellor Dr. Judy Hample in particular -- have never given them a clear reason for opposing Smith.
Blair couldn't immediately be reached for comment Monday, but last month told The Associated Press that he viewed the rift as a "personality conflict" between Smith and Hample, who became chancellor of the state system in August 2001.
A call to Hample's office Monday was answered by Nolan, who declined to discuss the reasons for Smith's ouster beyond those listed in the prepared statement from Gomulka.
"Dr. Smith was removed for one reason only: unsatisfactory performance. That is not to say that he did not do some things well. He did. But doing some things well is not the standard for a state system university president," Gomulka said in the statement.
Gomulka said Smith didn't "move forward positively on a broad spectrum of accountabilities to enhance student achievement and success" -- but Gomulka refused to offer specifics or "engage in a public dissection of Dr. Smith's performance."
Gomulka's statement also said that opposition to Smith didn't crop up under Hample's tenure.
"The board's decision (not to renew Smith's contract) in October was the third time over the last six years that this board, under different chancellors, has determined not to renew Dr. Smith's contract," Gomulka said.
State system officials didn't explain how Smith remained in office despite the earlier votes.
Presidents of the 14 state-owned universities in the system work under rolling three-year contracts that can be extended on a year-to-year basis after annual evaluations by the board of governors. The board last month opted not to vote on extending Smith's contract through June 2005.
The Herald contributed to this report.