Hung out to Dry
Minority presidents often are brought in to promote diversity, leading to, in some cases, an abbreviated tenure.
It was only three years ago that Dr. R. Wayne Branch was tapped to take over the reins at Clark College, a 70-year-old private college in Vancouver, Wash. As president of the Community College of Baltimore County-Essex, Branch oversaw the reorganization of the college after it was folded into a three-college system. Those organizational skills and his background in counseling led Clark to make Branch the first African-American president in the college’s history. Clark trustees also thought Branch could help mend a bitter rift between the faculty and his presidential predecessor, Dr. Tana L. Hasart.
Now, barely three years after taking the job, Branch is out at
Clark. His dismissal reflects a disturbing trend for minority community college presidents, says Dr. John E. Roueche, director of the University of Texas at Austin’s Community College Leadership Program.
“Today, there are only about 39 or 40 African-American presidents of community colleges, and that is less than [it was] 10 years ago,” he says. “And probably 35 percent to 40 percent of that group are graduates of our program.”
Prior to Branch’s performance review this year, the Clark faculty union disclosed to the public a stunning 229-10 no-confidence vote against the president (see Diverse, June 29). The union cited Branch’s abrasive leadership style and an alarmingly high administrative turnover as the primary causes for the decision. A few months earlier, faculty at the Dallas County Community College District had threatened a similar vote against then-chancellor Dr. Jesus “Jess” Carreon, citing the same concerns. Like at Clark, the faculty’s decision prompted DCCCD trustees to force Carreon out of office after only three years.
