Bowing to pressure from the Oregon State community and Governor Kate Brown, the Board of Trustees of Oregon State University met again to determine the leadership future of the university.
In her opening statement to the Oregon State University Board of Trustees meeting this morning, OSU Board Chairperson Rani Borkar informed the public that F. King Alexander offered his resignation on Sunday, effective on April 1.
Borkar said it was clear that Alexander no longer had the trust of Oregon State University’s community and, before the board entered a private executive session, said the board must consider what a “good selection process” will look like when the next university president is selected. This was not discussed in the public forum of today’s meeting.
When the public session reconvened, three motions were carried.
The first motion, stated by Boardmember Kirk Schueler and seconded by Boardmember Patty Bedient, was for Borkar to complete negotiations with Alexander on behalf of the Board and come to an agreement along the lines that Alexander would agree to resign as president of OSU and as a professor effective April 1, 2021, as well as relinquishing his tenure rights. OSU agrees to pay King Alexander $560,000 within 30 days of the execution of the agreement and $40,000 for the purpose of his relocation, and to cover medical and dental insurance through March 2022. Bedient also highlighted that the lump sums in this negotiation would come from private funds. The motion was carried unanimously.
The second motion, stated by Schueler and seconded by Boardmember Darald “Darry” Callahan, was to place Alexander on administrative leave for the next eight days until his resignation. During this time, Alexander will be paid his current salary. The motion was carried unanimously.
The final motion, stated by Bedient and seconded by Boardmember Michele Eder, was to appoint OSU Provost Edward Feser to fill the duties of president until an interim president is appointed. The motion was carried, with opposition from Boardmember Khawater Hussein. The opposition was not discussed in the meeting.
Before voting on these motions, several members of the board lowered their metaphorical masks to express solidarity with sexual assault survivors and concerned students relating to the allegations of President Alexander’s inaction in the face of staff sexual misconduct.
In an emotional statement, Representative Lamar Hurd recognised that a lot of people were “hurting” as a result of the Board’s deliberations and Alexander’s actions, and said he wanted the public to know that the board is not overlooking the allegations. He said that he was on the Board to give back to Oregon State, where he had experienced meaningful and positive relationships with faculty and staff, and that he wants the campus community to be a safe environment for all. He also shared his hopes for a future in which athletes are held to higher standards of conduct, and situations like this don’t happen on college campuses. Borkar said that Hurd’s concern represented that of the board.
Additionally, both Bedient and Boardmember Julia Brim-Edwards wanted to take accountability for being on the selection committee which hired Alexander as president last year. Brim-Edwards saying to the victims on campus, “We heard you, and we own it.”
By Ardea C. Eichner
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