It’s the first day on the job today for the new interim chancellor of the State System of Higher Education. Former Clarion University President Karen Whitney takes over for retired Chancellor Frank Brogan. Executive Vice Chancellor Peter garland has been at the helm since Brogan left last week.
Whitney has her work cut out for her. She does not appear to have the full confidence of APSCUF, the faculty union at the fourteen state-owned universities. Union chief Dr. Kenneth Mash says he has been “inundated with phone calls and emails expressing puzzlement, concern, and annoyance” with the selection of Whitney as interim chancellor. He says her tenure at Clarion led to concerns about her leadership style, priorities, lack of support for “the academic enterprise”, and her defensiveness in response to criticism. Nevertheless, Mash says, the union is eager to forge a “new, healthy, and cooperative working relationship” with Whitney.
Whitney had intended to retire from Clarion next June. The State System is at the beginning of conducting a nationwide search for a new chancellor. She will spend the first few days in office visiting two of the schools in the system. Today she will visit Slippery Rock and she plans to visit IUP tomorrow.
APSCUF President Kenneth Mash will appear on Indiana In the Morning on WCCS tomorrow morning.
