Letter to the Editor 6-5-20

Dear editor,
To the Community of Cloud County:
The undersigned faculty and staff of Cloud County Community College wish to
communicate to the public their support for President Adrian Douglas and the sadness and confusion felt from her nonrenewal. In addition to a long list of accomplishments (Faculty Association letter to the Editor, Blade-Empire, 12/6/19), we acknowledge President Douglas' part in Cloud County Community College being named the "Best Community College in the Nation" by
SmartAsset.
The College Board of Trustees obviously recognized those accomplishments as they voiced such at several meetings. The Board's recent evaluation of Dr. Douglas also reflected her achievements. There were no details or causes in that evaluation that would warrant nonrenewal. Furthermore, the timing of Dr. Douglas' nonrenewal comes at a time when the College is preparing for accreditation. The lack of strong administrative leadership leaves the College vulnerable during the accreditation process.
Thus, the undersigned faculty and staff hereby make a Declaration of NO CONFIDENCE in the Board of Trustees for Cloud County Community College.
Our loss of confidence in the Board of Trustees is based on the following
reasons:
1. The nonrenewal of the contract for President Adrian Douglas. The undersigned faculty and staff wholeheartedly support Dr. Adrian Douglas. She has provided a positive direction and what we consider to be exemplary leadership to the College.
2. The Board of Trustees has engaged in poor management practices and have failed to renew two employees (Dr. Adrian Douglas and Dr. Bruce Douglas) of critical importance to the College without proper cause and without giving those employees a chance to improve their performance. This is simply not done with employees that are valued.
3. Some Board members have refused training on the proper role and function of a Board, thus making it impossible to fulfill their obligations to the College.
4. The Board fails to uphold the College's guiding value of INTEGRITY.
The Faculty and Professional Staff of Cloud County Community College as
undersigned:
Gwen Carnes, Mathematics Instructor
Janice Stangel, Coordinator of the Student Success Center
Bob Foreman, Geary Campus Tutoring Center
Carmen Brady, Instructor in English as a Second Language/Developmental English
David Shirkey, Instructor in Mathematics
Charles Henry, Renewable Energy Instructor
Cynthia Lamberty, Science Instructor Geary Campus
Michael “Kit” Thompson, Renewable Energy Department Chair
Andrew Meyers, Instructor in English/Speech
Jamie Wills, Security Geary Campus
Suzette Ghent, Instructor in English Geary Campus
Beth Whisler, Instructor of Psychology and Education
Keisha Boykin-Griffith, Office Manager for the Geary County Campus
Mark Whisler, Instructor of Mathematics/Chair
Cathy Forshee, Economics/Business Instructor