BY JOSEPH JOHNSON / GUEST COMMENTARY: I’m an alumnus of Bethune-Cookman. I offer an alternative view to that of Peter Mitchell, a longtime friend of Trudie Kibbe Reed. Although Mr. Mitchell is a newcomer to B-CU – attending his first board meeting this spring – he has become one of Trudie Reed’s chief advocates.

Peter Mitchell blithely distorts the reality of what happened at the August 12 board meeting when he asserts that the board "gave President Reed a resounding vote of confidence following a comprehensive review…The Board’s strong endorsement of Dr. Reed affirmed the many positive accomplishments at the University over the past seven years as well as confirmed that Dr. Reed exercised integrity in her leadership."

Bad math

Most Bethune-Cookman graduates know that when 10 out of 29 trustees – roughly one-third of those at a meeting – vote no-confidence, that is far from being a "resounding" vote of confidence. Such a vote would lead most college presidents to resign.

Second, Mitchell doesn’t disclose – as the Florida Courier did – that the board also voted overwhelmingly to appoint a committee of five trustees to monitor the president’s performance in light of concerns raised in the 360 evaluation. That hardly suggests that the board has confidence in a president who is in her eighth year at B-CU after serving six years at Philander Smith.

Third, it is my understanding that the board did not "confirm" Trudie Reed’s "integrity in her leadership." Rather, the 360-evaluation review reported that many trustees and employees (and some community leaders) question her integrity.

Ignores existing problems

Finally, Mr. Mitchell doesn’t address certain problems at B-CU. Although the number of students and therefore graduates has increased during Reed’s tenure, the percentage of students who graduate in six years continues to hover between 30 to 35 percent.

Freshmen-sophomore retention is lower than it was in 2006. Faculty members claim they are pressured to give passing grades to improve the retention numbers. Alumni participation is an embarrassingly low five percent.

Bethune-Cookman has had a devastating amount of turnover under Trudie Reed. In seven years, there have been seven academic vice presidents and seven vice presidents for students.  Other vice presidential areas have also seen turnover, as have the ranks of the deans, program directors and her office staff.

The endowment has grown, but not as much as Reed claims. All new buildings other than the Larry Handfield Training Center were funded by reserves. It is true that B-CU raised money for this facility, including a million-dollar gift from distinguished alumni and board chair Larry Handfield.

Nor does Mitchell report what is most worrisome to those of us who love the school: faculty and staff members fear they will be fired if they are disloyal to Reed. The Florida Courier notes the unusual number of current lawsuits. Earlier suits were settled without board approval or knowledge.

Reed became president of Philander Smith in 1998 and came to B-CU in 2004. The Florida Courier has documented that the American Association of University Professors censured Dr. Reed at both institutions for violating personnel policies and denying academic freedom at both schools.

Mitchell’s similar problems

Peter Mitchell’s op-ed piece isn’t the only time he has used faulty math. In a March 2, 2007 Wall Street Journal piece, "Math Lessons: To Boost Donor Numbers, Colleges Adopt New Tricks; Sinking Alumni Stats, Zeal for Rankings Spur Rate Inflation," writer Daniel Golden reports that under Mitchell’s (presidential) leadership, Albion College "fiddled with" its alumni giving numbers:

"Such fiddling – which helped boost the percentage of donating Albion alums to 47 percent in 2006 from 36 percent in 1998 – paid off handsomely. U.S. News & World Report’s annual higher-education survey puts Albion’s alumni-giving rate at 14th among liberal-arts colleges, contributing to an overall ranking of 91st among 215 such schools.

"In 2003, Albion boasted of its alumni-giving rate, among other credentials, in a cover letter for a grant application to the Kresgee Foundation, which ultimately awarded the school $4.7 million." Mitchell announced his retirement the following month.

More than 1,000 alumni have signed a petition asking the board to fulfill its fiduciary responsibility and terminate Reed’s appointment. It’s time the board pays attention to what really is happening at Bethune-Cookman and ends Dr. Reed’s tenure.

Joseph Johnson is a Bethune-Cookman University alumnus who lives in Atlanta.