FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Retirees and Members of the Monroe Community College Faculty Association Support a Vote of No Confidence in the MCC Board of Trustees
Monroe Community College, Rochester, NY, May 30, 2019
On May 29, 2019, active employees and retiree members of the Monroe Community College Faculty Association voted in an overwhelming majority that they do not support and have less than minimal confidence in the leadership of the Monroe Community College Board of Trustees. Of the 242 ballots cast by current employees, 91% supported a vote of No Confidence in the Board, 2% abstained, and 7% voted with confidence in the Board. Additionally, 55 retired members of the Faculty Association voted a resounding 100% in support of the No Confidence Resolution.
It is our opinion that Monroe Community College’s Board of Trustees has failed to secure a minimum level of confidence from the employees. The MCC Board of Trustees has failed to take appropriate action in the oversight of Monroe Community College’s President, Anne Kress. The actions of the Board of Trustees, often through passive acceptance of the president’s reports and lack of rigorous oversight of College management, have resulted in a deleterious impact on one of this community’s most valuable resources. The Board of Trustees has failed to serve the local community’s collective trust.
Our grounds include mismanagement of College resources, lack of transparency and urgency regarding the financial and enrollment crises, negligence in overseeing the student experience, and contempt for College employees, particularly faculty and staff. The Board has failed to respond to the 2018 Vote of No Confidence against MCC President Anne Kress, including the 68 items of the no-confidence resolution, has provided no substantive rationale for the costly expenditures for outside consultants and bloated administrative costs, and has failed to respond to multiple requests for additional information and opportunities to engage in discussions around a looming budget crisis predicted in a contracted financial forecast report.
The members of the Board must be held accountable for their responsibility to the students and employees of MCC, to the members of the community that we serve, and to the state and county governments which support our College. We respectfully call on Governor Andrew Cuomo, the members of the Monroe County Legislature, and the leadership of the State University of New York (SUNY) to conduct an immediate review of the performance of the Board of Trustees. If members of the Board are unable to fulfill their responsibilities, to be accountable to the public, and to restore trust in the leadership of MCC, then we call on them to immediately resign their positions. Monroe Community College must be led by Board members who will fulfill the expectations of responsibility, leadership, and integrity that our community’s college requires and deserves.
The united employees of the MCC Faculty Association will officially present the results of the vote to the MCC Board of Trustees during the Open Forum of the Board meeting on Monday, June 3.