News
Hocking College President Resigns
By: Bianca Hillier
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President of Hocking College Ron Erickson resigned Thursday evening following an emergency meeting.
Since 2009 when Erickson became President, the college has experienced a major decrease in enrollment, followed by budget cuts. Enrollment declined 28% from summer 203 to summer 2014, leaving the college with 506 less students than the year before.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Hocking College Andrew Stones says these shortcomings prompted Erickson's resignation.
"The board has a vision of Hocking bucking [these trends]," he said. "I think Dr. Erickson thought that, at this time, it would be most appropriate for him to go ahead and retire."
Stone said the resignation and switch to a new president should be "invisible to the students."
Hocking College student Jacqueline Taylor says, however, she is concerned with how the situation was handled.
"I feel like it was a poor character decision mostly because I feel he could have handled the situation a little better," she said. "Instead of focusing on all of the problems with the school, maybe try to focus on how to build the school up."
Stone says the national search for a new president will begin within six to eight months.