Flint, Michigan – The Mott Community College Board of Trustees has approved the contract for interim president Shaunda Richardson-Snell in a decision that has sparked a lot of debate and controversy. Following strong resistance from certain board members and the faculty community, the vote came after a heated Monday night meeting, split 5-2.
Trustees Michael Freeman and Art Reyes delivered opposing votes based on their persistent belief that Richardson-Snell lacks experience in school administration hence she is not qualified for the post. Several faculty members who expressed their worries during the last-minute rearranging of the conference to give the contract vote first priority over public comments—a move that only served to aggravate those opposed—echoed this attitude.
Faculty member Lisa Novak and president Kim Owens of the faculty union claim that the community college is in a stable state right now with enough money and decent enrollment, so the leadership change is especially important. During her presentation to the trustees, Owens asked what Richardson-Snell was offering that the board felt lacking in a scenario when there was a candidate who was super qualified instead.
Richardson-Snell admitted her lack of direct expertise in academics at a recent board meeting; her professional career is mostly in finance and she has been holding positions at major businesses including Delphia, Trinity Health, and General Motors.
“I have not developed college level curriculum, but I trust there are experts on the team that I would look to,” Richardson-Snell said as reported by WNEM. Critics counter that her corporate-oriented background falls short of the academic leadership requirements of the university regardless of her guarantees.
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The faculty members have issues beyond their credentials. They underline how urgently an experienced academic leader is needed to keep necessary higher learning commission accreditations—a crucial factor influencing students’ financial aid and the class transferability. Novak underlined the possible catastrophic results.
“If we lose our accreditation through the HLC because of decisions made by our board, our students lose their financial aid. They will not get financial aid funding,” Novak said.
Some see the choice to name Richardson-Snell as a dangerous gamble that gives financial management top priority over educational background. The future of Mott Community College hangs in the balance and has major consequences for the students and the larger Flint community as the community and professors get ready for the consequences of this polarizing decision.