Green River College’s President Resigns Amid Faculty Protests and Budget Cuts

Eileen Ely, president of Green River College, in Auburn, Wash., resigned on Thursday, reported The Seattle Times.

Ms. Ely, in office since 2010, had long been in conflict with faculty-union members, who said she had disrupted the community college’s democratic governing structure and had purposely cut programs run by union leaders, the Times reported, and she had faced three no-confidence votes by the faculty in the last three years.

Faculty critics have also asserted that the college mismanaged money by undertaking remodeling projects and constructing new buildings when funds were tight. On May 23, instructors began a three-day strike to protest a proposal to eliminate 11 programs and courses to close a $4.5-million budget shortfall, according to the Kent Reporter.

The Board of Trustees unanimously accepted Ms. Ely’s resignation and appointed Shirley Bean, vice president for business administration, and Marshall Sampson, vice president for human resources and legal affairs, as acting presidents, the Times reported.

This summer the college will host several town-hall meetings to gather feedback from the community, faculty, and staff about the presidential-recruitment plan as well as preferred characteristics of the new president, according to the Kent Reporter.