News
Hocking College President Given 5-Year Contract
By: Susan Tebben
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The Hocking College Board of Trustees unanimously extended the contract of President Betty Young on Tuesday.
During a meeting at the college’s Perry County campus, trustees approved an additional four years of Young’s contract, citing Young’s team-building skills and leadership as reasons for her extension.
“The board has a desire to maintain long-range stability in leadership for the benefit of our students and community,” Board Chair Tom Johnson said in a statement after the meeting. “Dr. Young has built a great team and the College has achieved remarkable success under her leadership.”
The extension comes after a year in which Young and the board were presented with a “no confidence” vote given by 92 percent of the faculty and professional staff. Only one vote in the 99 voting members was a “full confidence” vote.
Dr. J.B. Hart, president of the professional bargaining unit, wrote at the time of the vote that the education association cited over-capacity classes, fewer class sections and the college’s “inability to find qualified adjuncts to replace faculty who were dismissed by Dr. Young or who chose to resign due to the toxic environment.”
Neither Young nor the board has addressed the “no confidence” vote since it was presented to the board. At the February meeting of the board, Johnson said they planned to hear “solutions” to the lack of confidence at the next meeting. It was not brought up at that meeting, and was not mentioned in comments about Young’s new contract.
Also this year, the college faced grievances by faculty and lawsuits for wrongful termination, along with controversy involving the new Hocking Hawks football team and a rape allegation investigation on campus. Comments and actions regarding the rape investigation caused the firing of spokesperson Michael Brown.
Johnson gave Young credit on Tuesday for correcting a $4.7 million deficit and balancing a budget.
“The dorms are full for the first time in the history of the institution,” Johnson said in the statement, also introducing intercollegiate athletics to the campus.
Young cited the faculty and staff for doing the “heavy lifting” that caused the balanced budget.
“Hocking College is reclaiming our position as an innovative, unique and exemplary academic institution and we are sharing the ‘Hocking Advantage’ with prospective students and the community,” Young said in a statement.
Young’s original contract included an annual base salary of $150,000 with up to 25 percent in incentives dependent upon performance. Officials did not comment on her salary during Tuesday night’s meeting or in statements afterward.