Griffith, Julie

English

Trinity College

The Hersh Resignation-  Dropped Out or Kicked Out?: The Opinions of Students, Faculty, and the Mass Media Julie Griffith December 2003 Education 400 Background • Richard Hersh’s Background – Held a range of positions at various institutions – President Hobart and William Smith Colleges (Geneva, NY) 1991-1999 • Hersh Presidency at Trinity – Selected by search committee of trustees, faculty, students and staff as “the ideal candidate to lead Trinity College” (Trinity Press Release, 2002) – April 1, 2002- Assumed office as 19th president of Trinity College – Agenda: focus on internal problems (curriculum review, alcohol abuse, and diversity issues)   Fifteen Months Later… • Resignation – June 26, 2003 • Importance of Research: – Other recent resignations – Historians look at facts, I looked at opinions of people affected • Research Question: – According to President Hersh, why did he resign from Trinity College?  – Do students, faculty, and the mass media explain the cause of his resignation in the same way?  Thesis: A Range of Opinions • President Hersh – Conflicts with students and faculty over issues became more of a focus than his agenda for the school • Student, Faculty & Mass Media Explanations: – Initially: divergence between groups • Students: Policy related issues led to resignation • Faculty:  Political process led to resignation • Mass Media:  Cultural misfit – When prompted: convergence of opinions to 3 main causes  • Leadership style and approach to issues didn’t fit Trinity’s culture • All knowing from the beginning, didn’t get to know Trinity • Lost support of students, parents, faculty, administration, & trustees Hersh’s Own Opinion • Success in terms of:  – campus introspection, application numbers, increased fundraising, reduction of budgets, faculty retreat, progress with issues of racism, strengthening urban program • “But, not all has gone well” – “A significant number of faculty and students have experienced [his] leadership style in a way that has resulted in [his] becoming too much the focus of attention” What about everyone else? • Random Selection of student and faculty interviews – 7 students from Sophomore, Junior, & Senior classes – 7 faculty members • Interview Questions: – Why did President Hersh resign? – Prompted by topics of leadership style, alcohol policies, campus racism, finances, curricular review and specific actions • Mass Media: – Trinity Tripod – Journal of Higher Education – Hartford Courant Students • Initial Response: • Policy related issues • “people didn’t like his policies, people didn’t like what he was doing for the campus” • When prompted: – Leadership style- 100% responded yes • Style: “disagreeable”, “didn’t listen”, “opinionated”, “arrogant” – Alcohol policies- 86% responded yes • Approach to dealing with problems- forced policies • Played a significant role in shutting down a fraternity & arresting 40 students from a local bar   Students continued… – Other Topics:  majority said no or didn’t know – Actions: • “he came in here too quickly and made too large [of] decisions” • Result of snowballing of actions starting from the beginning along with a personality and style that clashed with Trinity   Faculty • Initial Response: – Political process led to resignation – Lost support of students, faculty, trustees • “virtually everyone pulled off” • When Prompted: – Leadership style- 100% responded yes • Leadership Style: described in negative terms • “leadership style didn’t jive with the position that he held of president”   Faculty continued… – Alcohol policies- 71% responded yes • The way he handled the policies antagonized student body • “…he said that he was willing to empower students to take control of their party life and their alcohol consumption.  But if they couldn’t handle it, he would step in…” – Actions: • Mishandled evaluation of the Dean of Faculty • Voiced strong opinions in articles in Courant and Tripod  • Result of snowballing of actions starting from the beginning which were expressed in final meetings   Mass Media • Trinity Tripod- “The Beginning of the End” – Editorial by Editor-in-Chief (Abigail Thomas)- initiated discussions on and off campus of problems that had existed all along – “Failure as our president”: • 3 articles in Courant with “dismissive and disparaging comments about the Trinity community” – Accused Trinity parents of “not fulfilling their duties” of setting clear rules for their children – Exaggerated racial issues • Leadership style: “moralistic”, “paternalistic”, “belittling” of students and faculty • Never took the time to understand Trinity   Mass Media- A Cultural Misfit? • Leadership style:  – Described in negative terms – “style that doesn’t  historically fly in collegiate, collaborative halls of higher learning” (HC) • Policy Issues:  – focused on alcohol abuse, campus racism, fraternity behavior (J of HE) • Political Process:  – relationship with students and faculty was falling apart Other Research • Rita Bornstein (Journal of Higher Education: Nov. 2003) • 6 threats to success of presidents: 1. Cultural misfit- mismatch between president’s style and the culture of the institution 2. Grandiosity- experience causes feelings of expertise 3. Erosion of social capital- loss of support by individuals at institution 4. Managerial incompetence 5. Inattentiveness 6. Misconduct  Conclusions • President Hersh- Conflicts with students and faculty over issues became more of a focus than his agenda for the school • Comparison- when given time for introspection and prompted with certain topics and questions: – Agreement with Hersh- Cultural misfit- style and approach to issues didn’t fit Trinity’s culture – New Ideas: • Grandiosity- All knowing from the beginning, didn’t get to know Trinity • Erosion of social capital- lost support of students, parents, faculty, administration, & trustees  

The Hersh Resignation — Dropped Out or Kicked Out?: The Opinions of Students, Faculty, and the Mass Media

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The Hersh Resignation — Dropped Out or Kicked Out?: The Opinions of Students, Faculty, and the Mass Media

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