Thursday, June 09, 2016

Speculation Swirling Over Firing of High-Level ASU Administrator

Cindy Walace
The sudden firing of long-time Appalachian State University Vice Chancellor Cindy Wallace, an advocate for student voting rights, has gotten the attention of both student government and members of the General Assembly.

The Director of External and Governmental Affairs for the ASU Student Government Association posted this on Facebook last night, calling out Chancellor Sheri Everts:
"At a time of such devastation for Appalachian State University, I was reminded tonight why I want to continue fighting for student voices on this campus. Cindy Wallace was truly a unique individual, one this university will never be able to replace. She was a haven for students who felt under-represented on this campus and simply her presence in a room undeniably gave students the sense of belonging. It was a sad day for the student body when the chancellor's office sent an email regarding the dismissal of such a wonderful asset to this university. This news came as a shock to the entire Appalachian community, but we must not forget what Cindy fought for. ... I am ready to put the full force of the student body behind the fight for our voting rights on campus, something Cindy was adamantly for. And I am ready to give Sheri N. Everts hell this year. Bring it on"
Rumors are actually coming out of Raleigh that the firing was "political," either that (a) members of the right-wing Board of Governors wanted Wallace out or that (b) Republican members of the General Assembly wanted her out, or both (a) and (b). And what was university system President Margaret Spellings' role in all this? More purging of administrators not in synch with Republican dogma?

At any rate, the continuing destruction of higher education in North Carolina seems very much on schedule.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

These words are not based on any insider information, just observation and speculation. It seems there are strange goings-on at ASU. On the one hand they fire Cindy Wallace, on the other they hire an Orwellian Diversity Officer who believes microaggressions are worse than Jim Crow laws. Both within less than 3 weeks. Political power struggle? Coincidence? We will watch closely.



Anonymous said...

Didn't Cindy Wallace put blame on the victims in the asu rape case that Jerry Wilson refused to prosecute?

Anonymous said...

Cindy is a nice enough person, but from the perspective of many of the directors and associate directors in the division, she was not the best vice chancellor. She made many hiring decisions based on little more than cronyism. Even her original selection as VC was primarily a function of the relationship she had with Peacock, not about typical qualifications of student affairs vice chancellors (degree in student affairs - terminal degree - service in the profession etc.).

Anonymous said...

Students from ASU are circulating a petition calling for the resignation of Sheri Everts, the chancellor of the university because of her lack of engagement and respect for students.

https://www.change.org/p/it-s-not-just-cindy-there-are-more-victims-of-everts-malice-everts-needs-to-be-dismissed