Dive Brief:
- Walla Walla Community College President Steven VanAusdle has received a vote of no confidence from arts and sciences faculty, which said he was “verbally explosive” and regularly displayed “bullying behavior.”
- The Washington state college’s board of trustees responded last week with a statement of “strong and unanimous support” for VanAusdle and the college’s administrative leadership, the Union Bulletin reported.
- Last year, Walla Walla Community College was co-winner of the "best community college in America" designation from the Aspen Institute.
Dive Insight:
One of the college’s strong points, in the eyes of the Aspen Institute, was its progress with vocational and workforce training programs. For the arts and sciences faculty members, that focus and the increased spending on workforce training took away from support for their programs, and they criticized VanAusdle on that point in a five-page statement to the board. Two faculty members reported that they met with VanAusdle during a discussion where his voice “increased to an unacceptable level,” his face grew red, and “he exploded,” saying “I don’t appreciate your lip!” VanAusdle said he didn’t think he said those words, but he acknowledged the discussion was heated.