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New Jersey City University’s president is out amid the declaration of a financial emergency that has the college seeking a $10 million lifeline from the state government.
The Board of Trustees declared the financial emergency at its Monday meeting; the president stepped down the same day, according to NJ.com. An acting president has already been appointed as the university scrambles to meet financial needs.
Board chair Joseph Scott blamed the financial emergency on a combination of issues, including declining enrollment, the coronavirus pandemic and “historical underinvestment in the university and in Black and brown communities.”
The board has reportedly adopted an interim, 90-day budget to address its structural deficit.
Outgoing president Sue Henderson, who was the subject of a no-confidence vote by NJCU’s Faculty Senate in September, is under fire for the depletion of university financial reserves under her leadership. Faculty claim that in Henderson’s 10 years as president, New Jersey City University went from having a surplus of $101.8 million to a deficit of $67.4 million, NJ.com reported. The news outlet noted that board members have disputed that estimate from faculty.
On her way out, Henderson counted among her accomplishments strong improvements in graduation rates and a number of expansion projects.
