MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama State University’s board of trustees will meet Friday to fire embattled president Joseph Silver, according to an email sent from one trustee to the board chairman that was obtained by the Montgomery Advertiser.
In the letter to chairman Elton Dean, trustee Kathy Sawyer states she has received a notice from fellow trustee Marvin Wiggins outlining the potential causes for termination of Silver, who is on paid administrative leave, and she asks Dean to delay the meeting, which is set for Friday at 2:30 p.m.
“I have also received from Trustee Wiggins a draft letter outlining the issues relative to termination of President Silver,” Sawyer wrote Monday in an email to Dean. “It appears from reading the draft letter, the full Board has already decided to terminate President Silver and the only issue to discuss and decide is whether the termination is ‘for cause’ or ‘no cause.’”
ASU officially closed for the holidays Tuesday evening and won’t open again until Jan. 2. Students, who have protested numerous times to keep Silver, have been out of classes since last Friday.
The letter, which was sent by Sawyer to each trustee, also found its way to the ASU faculty senate.
Silver has been on leave since Nov. 26, when the executive committee of the board took that action in an emergency meeting. Immediately following that meeting, Silver claimed he was being punished for questioning several contracts currently in place at ASU that didn’t benefit the school.
A few days later, the full board upheld that action, but with Gov. Robert Bentley in attendance and numerous students protesting the actions against Silver, it elected not to take further action that day on Silver’s employment status.
