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YOUNGSTOWN -- Former Youngstown State University President Leslie Cochran has written a letter to Gov. Mike DeWine calling on him to dismiss the eight board of trustees members who voted to hire U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson as the next YSU president.
Last month, Cochran, who served at YSU's top post from 1992 to 2000, penned a letter that blasted the board's decision, by an 8-1 vote in November, to hire Johnson to lead the university, as well as the process used to select him.
Many student-led protests and meetings on the controversial move have also taken place since then.
In his letter this week to DeWine, Cochran called on the governor to "dismiss all members of the board of trustees who failed to disclose their conflicts of interest (including campaign contributions) and failed to recuse themselves during deliberations about Mr. Johnson and voting for him."
Johnson's three-year term begins Monday, with a starting salary of $410,000 annually.
Cochran accused the eight board members of ignoring students' roles in the presidential search process, along with failing to uphold institutional values and their obligation to YSU. As a result, the eight should resign and, if not, DeWine should remove them, the letter asserts.
In addition, Cochran asked the Republican governor to rescind Johnson's hiring. The correspondence also accuses the board, during the search process, of having violated eight U.S. Department of Education accreditation standards.
Among the eight, as outlined by the Higher Learning Commission, are ensuring YSU and other institutions of higher learning demonstrate that their actions and decisions show that the primary educational role is to serve the public, not just the university or any "superordinate entity;" their educational obligations supersede generating financial returns for investors, supporting outside interests and other purposes; deliberations of their governing boards (board of trustees) reflect priorities to preserve and enhance the institutions; and that such boards operate independently of "undue influence on the part of donors, elected officials, ownership interests or other external parties."
In a press release Wednesday, Interim Provost Dr. Jennifer Pintar, rebuffed Cochran's claims and stated they were "false and completely unsubstantiated."
"Youngstown State University continues to be committed to maintaining the highest standards of quality and compliance with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC)," Pintar stated. "Accreditation is a crucial process of peer review that ensures universities adhere to widely-accepted standards of quality. YSU acts with integrity, adhering to all of the Criteria for accreditation set forth by the HLC."
Cochran's letter also calls on DeWine to name Molly Seals, the only trustee who voted against Johnson's hiring, as the board's chairwoman, and give her the responsibility of initiating a more transparent search for a new president. Seals, however, reportedly said she would rather speak directly to DeWine before such a move could occur.
Cochran also questioned if the outcome of the search had been "predetermined" and whether the whole process was "a fiasco."
"What were the chances a national search firm would identify Bill Johnson as a candidate for the presidency of YSU? Zero to none!" he wrote.
The former university president also asserted in the letter that, had the proper vetting process been conducted in an open search - with input from students, faculty, staff and community members - Johnson would never have been recommended for YSU's top post.
Additionally, Cochran accused "those in control" at YSU of failing to reveal the track record of WittKiefer, the Oak Brook, Illinois-based national search firm selected for the search process.
According to his letter, WittKiefer was barred "from any future presidential search in the North Carolina University system" because of its actions at one university in that state. Also, the firm helped select a new president at Oregon State University who was later forced out because of "(WittKiefer's) lack of due diligence," Cochran wrote.
"Again, the answer is obvious - to keep everything secret," the letter further states, referring to the YSU Board of Trustees' decision to use the firm.
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