Submitted by philip on
By Kelly Boggs, Message Editor
PINEVILLE – An anticipated contentious fall meeting on Sept 16 of the Louisiana College Board of Trustees never materialized.
While the proceedings did begin with some measure of drama with the resignations of three of its members, it quickly transitioned into a deliberate discussion of LC’s probationary status and reports dealing with the current state of the school.
The resignations came shortly after the meeting began and followed the re-election of Tommy French, trustee from Baton Rouge, for a second, one-year term as the board’s chairman.
Argile Smith, LC interim president, addressed a variety of issues in his report to the board. He gave most of his attention to plans for addressing issues raised by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in putting the school on probation. He also addressed the release of the SACS-COC letter to the board and touched on enrollment and answered questions posed by members of the board.
Smith indicated Bob Agee has been hired as a consultant to assist LC with addressing its probation. Agee was president of Oklahoma Baptist University from 1982 to 1998. He also served as the Executive Director for the International Association of Baptist Colleges and Universities from 1997 to 2007.
The interim president shared a time-line the administration plans to follow for submitting information to SACS-COC in advance of the accreditation agency’s scheduled spring visit.
Smith also led the board through a detailed discussion through the problem areas specified by SACS which are as follows: Principle Integrity; External Influence; Personnel Appointment; Administrative Staff Evaluations; Control of Finances, and Title IV Program Responsibilities.
To read the SACS letter in its entirety visit www.baptistmessage.com .
Earlier in his report, Smith addressed the issue surrounding the timeliness of the release of the SACS probation letter, which some trustees felt was not done quickly enough.
Smith indicated the initial press release concerning LC’s probation was based on a phone call from SACS and was released by the school on June 19.
Smith said he received the detailed letter from SACS on July 9. However, the death of two close family members within a week apart prevented him from giving immediate attention to the accrediting agency’s letter.
Having the school ready to open for the fall semester was the main focus, Smith told the trustees. “There was a lot to do and a lot of positions to fill and little time in which to get it all done,” he said.
He said the intention all along was to get the letter into the hands of the trustees. “If I did not send it out to you soon enough then I’m sorry,” Smith said.
“I’ve been waiting for two years for someone to do what you just did,” said Jim Garlington, trustee from Bentley, in response to Smith’s apology. “That’s all I ever wanted, thank you.” Garlington’s statement was met with applause from board members.
When asked about how the Town Talk, Alexandria’s daily newspaper, came to have a copy of the letter before the trustees, Smith said, “Ultimately, ladies and gentlemen, I am responsible for every copy of the letter that got sent out. If you are angry, be angry at me because I am responsible for every letter that got sent out.”
Pat Price, trustee from Winnfield said, “Dr. Smith, you’ve restored my trust.”
“Thank you for your apology and your willingness to apologize,” said Jason McGuffie, trustee from Tallulah.
Moving on to the current state of the school, Smith said enrollment at the college as of Sept. 15 was 1,270, which included a freshman class of 247. “With all the publicity and negatives of the past months, I believe these numbers are reason to celebrate,” Smith said.
Randy Harper, trustee from Bossier City, provided the board with an update from the President Search Committee. He said 30 resumes had been received and the committee is working diligently to create a short list to vet more thoroughly.
Four preliminary questions are important Harper said, “Do you love God? Do you have a vision? Can you love us? Can you lead us?” He stressed, “If the president can’t love the staff, the students and the alumni – those who weep for the school, he can’t lead them.”
Josh Eubanks, trustee from Ringgold, inquired as to the status of the Caskey School of Divinity. Smith responded there are sufficient funds to allow all of the students still in the program to complete their studies.
The board twice voted to go into executive session to deal with personnel matters and to review the minutes of a previous meeting that was held in executive session.
With the heated exchange between LC trustee Jay Adkins of Westwego and French providing the backdrop coming into the Sept. 16 trustee meeting, the expectation of a contentious gathering was anticipated by some. However, the anticipated volatility never materialized during the four-hour meeting.
In the weeks leading up to the meeting, Adkins’ had made known his feud with French via his blog, The Crescent Crier. Adkins accused French of lying and French countered with allegations of slander.
Adkins indicated in a recent blog post that he had voiced his concerns and criticisms about the LC administration, the school’s trustees and the Louisiana Baptist Convention Executive Director David Hankins since “early in 2013.”
Following a time of prayer, the trustees, meeting in the Granberry Conference Center on the Pineville campus, began the business session with the election of officers.
Adkins, asked for a point of order and cited the agenda before them differed in its order, or sequence, from an agenda that had been previously mailed to the trustees. He asked whether or not action needed to be taken to approve the agenda.
After some discussion it was determined no action was required if there was no objection and none was expressed.
Clay Crenshaw, trustee from Bossier City, nominated current chairman French for a second term. He stated he felt French had done a good job and that continuity was important during the time of transition to a new president.
Lonnie Scarborough, trustee from West Monroe, was nominated opposite French by Pat Price, who highlighted Scarborough’s success as a businessman and status as an LC alumnus as reasons for his nomination.
Voting by secret ballot, the trustees re-elected French by a 20-10 vote.
Immediately following the announced outcome of the vote, Scarborough stood and announced his resignation. “In light of the vote, I feel I have nothing left to contribute,” he said. “No hard feelings.”
As soon as Scarborough completed his statement, Adkins stood and resigned as well.
“I hate this is twice in a row,” Adkins said referencing the fact he also left during the April 15 trustee meeting in protest of a new confidentiality agreement adopted by the board, “but I’m … well I had an opportunity last night and chose not to speak.”
Adkins continued, “This is my last meeting anyway, and, my friends, SACS is holding us accountable. SACS, our accrediting agency – you can vilify it, you can speak it’s a tool of the devil – but they are holding us accountable,” he added, ”and in the SACS letter it clearly states that the current board leadership is one of the issues.”
“Nowhere in the SACS letter did it say anything about blogging trustees. It didn’t say anything about any of those things we were told were the reason, or part of the reason, we were on SACS probation,” Adkins said. “It didn’t say any of that. It talked about the acts of the previous president and current board leadership. And this [the election of French as president of the board] is disheartening.”
As soon as Adkins finished speaking, Roxane West indicated she too was resigning from the board.
“I will pray for all of you and will pray for my school,” the trustee from Pine Prairie said.
The meeting continued unheeded and Randy Harper was elected without opposition as Vice Chairman and Roy Davis, from Shreveport, was elected to continue as secretary.
After the meeting, Ken Schroeder, trustee from Mandeville said, “It is the best meeting I have attended since becoming a trustee.
“I feel a great deal of progress was made,” said Garlington.
LBC President Steve Horn said of the meeting, “Though we’ve had a rocky time, a difficult time, I sense a tremendous sense of unity among those who are here today. It was a good meeting, a better meeting than maybe we expected. “
Horn added, “To the best of our ability going forward we shouldn’t try to retrace history, but consider the students first. We have to move forward, and we can move forward.” He added, “The professional way in which Dr. Smith is fulfilling his interim position is just what we need at this time.”
The next scheduled meeting of the LC Trustees is Dec. 16.