Connecticut College President Resigns Over Criticisms of Insensitivity on DEI Issues

Diversity is now the unofficial religion of higher education and heretics get purged.

Inside Higher Ed reports:

Connecticut College President Resigns Under PressureConnecticut College president Katherine Bergeron is stepping down in the wake of student protests and widespread calls for her resignation over missteps on diversity, equity and inclusion.Bergeron made the announcement Friday morning, writing in a statement that she would formally step down “at the end of the current semester.” Students, faculty and staff have been calling for Bergeron’s ouster for weeks; students occupied the administrative building last month after Rodmon King, the dean of institutional equity and inclusion, resigned in part over the college’s decision to schedule a fundraiser at Florida’s Everglades Club, which has long been accused of discriminating against Black and Jewish people. While Connecticut College ultimately canceled the event, the move came too late, prompting King to step down.In his resignation letter, King blasted the president for bullying and creating a “toxic administrative culture of fear and intimidation.” His letter and abrupt departure brought to the surface long-simmering tensions over Bergeron’s leadership. As the controversy continued, faculty members overwhelmingly issued a vote of no confidence in Bergeron’s leadership in early March.The local newspaper also wrote an editorial calling on Bergeron to resign.Faculty members have complained about what they see as Bergeron’s administrative overreach, micromanagement and lack of transparency—issues they said they raised with the Board of Trustees beginning in 2017, to no avail.College employees and students alike have criticized Bergeron in the wake of the incident, arguing that she could have prevented King’s resignation by heeding his warning and canceling the event sooner. They have also castigated the president for refusing to meet with student protesters who occupied the administrative building unless they agreed not to record the exchange.

Tags: College Insurrection, Connecticut, Social Justice

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