April 24--In a unanimous vote, College of DuPage faculty asked school trustees to put President Robert Breuder on leave until all state and federal investigations are complete.
In a unanimous vote, College of DuPage faculty Thursday night asked school trustees to put President Robert Breuder on leave until all state and federal investigations are complete.
It is the strongest message yet that faculty want a change in leadership at the embattled school, the largest community college in the state.
"We are currently headed down a path that is destructive to this institution," according to the Faculty Senate resolution. "Regardless of your allegiances to Dr. Breuder, it is time to act decisively. If evidence is found to support wrongdoing by the president, he must be fired."
Breuder declined to comment Friday.
The faculty vote comes as federal and state prosecutors are investigating Breuder's spending and financial oversight at the publicly funded school, as well as contracts and other issues at the school. Federal grand jury subpoenas issued last week sought a wide range of documents, including the president's employment agreements, college-issued credit cards and emails dating to his arrival on the Glen Ellyn campus in 2009.
The subpoenas also asked for Suburban Law Enforcement Academy records. The Tribune has reported that the college increased the number of credits given to recruits in the training program without increasing the amount of instruction -- a change that boosted enrollment figures and led one top official at the police academy to question "the integrity of this process" before resigning late last year. The school's faculty union, which represents full-time faculty members, said the change should not have been made without consulting the campus' curriculum committee. The college said it did not need to.
The union -- which gave Breuder an overwhelming no-confidence vote in September -- has called for the president's departure since January, when the board approved a $763,000 severance package so Breuder would leave in March 2016, three years before the end of his contract. The union has said the college's executive vice president, Joseph Collins, could oversee the college until the next president is hired.
It's not unusual for public agencies to place administrators on leave during criminal investigations. Chicago Public Schools chief Barbara Byrd-Bennett took a paid leave last week after officials confirmed a federal investigation into a $20.5 million no-bid contract awarded to her former employer.
In 2013, Northern Illinois University placed executive vice president Eddie Williams on leave after the FBI and two federal agencies began looking into whether he used campus law enforcement to respond to reported crimes at a low-income housing development he owns near the school and to perform background checks on prospective renters there. Williams, who later retired, was never charged with any wrongdoing.
College of DuPage trustees, however, have been unwilling to remove Breuder from office as the investigations play out. They have not responded to the calls from the union, which prompted the latest resolution and led to concerns that the allegations are interfering with students' education.
"When a student asks us if this will affect their earned credit, a line has been crossed and we must act," said Glenn Hansen, president of the faculty group.
Katharine Hamilton, who is expected to become the board of trustees' chairwoman after a new majority is sworn in next week, has indicated she would place Breuder on leave after the new board takes over. She was the only trustee to vote against Breuder's severance agreement.
sstclair@tribpub.com
jscohen@tribpub.com
twitter @higherednews
