GODDARD TRUSTEES EXPECTED TO ENDORSE GREENE
PLAINFIELD -- Goddard College's Board of Trustees is expected to issue a long-awaited statement, possibly as early as today, regarding its position on the school's president, Richard E. Greene.
Board chair-woman, Jane O'Meara Sanders, said she still needs to hear from two trustees before the statement is officially released.
Sanders said it has been difficult to get in touch with all trustees because they live all over the country.
There are 20 members of Goddard's Board of Trustees, including Sanders, two students, one faculty member, and one staff member.
Sanders refused to discuss the contents of the statement, which she said has been rewritten three times so far, but it's no secret that a majority of the trustees supports Greene.
The trustees have been under pressure for several weeks to take a formal position on Greene, after a large number of students, faculty, and staff at the college called for his immediate resignation.
Andrew Dinkelaker, one of the student representatives on the board, demanded that all trustees take a position on Greene at a rally at Goddard last Thursday.
Sanders said some members of the Goddard community wanted the executive committee of the Board of Trustees to meet with them before a statement is released.
But Sanders said the statement will be released just as soon as she hears from all trustees.
Sanders said the trustees have scheduled a "retreat" for June 13 to meet with the Goddard community to talk about the college's mission statement. A full meeting of Goddard's Board of Trustees is scheduled for June 14 and 15.
Despite all the upheaval at Goddard in the past month, Sanders said she thinks faculty, staff and trustees can still work out their differences.
Greene has been under heavy fire from students, faculty, and staff, who say his administration is "threatening the very soul" of Goddard and placing its "long tradition of progressive education in jeopardy."
The critics say Greene has mismanaged the college's finances, fired employees who don't agree with him, and trying to introduce changes that will "corporatize" Goddard.
Some people at Goddard believes the college should adopte a new administrative structure that is more democratic and doesn't include a president at all.
Greene, who says he has no intention of stepping down, disputes all complaints against him, saying he is just trying to do the job the trustees hired him to do.
He points out that Goddard has ended the past three fiscal years with a $250,000 surplus, a break-even situation, and a $114,000 surplus.
Greene said a budget shortfall in this year's budget, which might require layoffs, was caused by a decision not to increase tuition when enrollment at the college was down.
Protest against Greene began on April 10, after Peter Burns, the college's admissions director, submitted a letter of resignation blasting Greene.
Burns' letter, which was widely circulated on campus, sparked a demonstration in the hallway outside Greene's office that, according to some eyewitnesses, almost turned violent.
A week later, Goddard's faculty issued a nearly unanimous vote of no confidence in Greene, and called for his immediate resignation.
A group of students, faculty, and staff later went on a food strike to protest Greene's management style.
Last Thursday, Greene's opponents staged a rally outside Greene's office that attracted more than 100 people; protesters also called for his resignation.
Although the majority of Goddard students, faculty, and staff apparently favors Greene's ouster, he does have supporters, who say it's unfair to blame him for all the college's problems.
