Suffolk University’s Board of Trustees has fired President Margaret McKenna seven months after she and board chairman Andrew Meyer had agreed to resign.
Thursday’s vote comes after an outside investigation examining allegations of unspecified wrongdoing.
McKenna plans to fight her ouster.
The Boston Globe reports that trustee and PR executive George Regan was among those who questioned McKenna’s conduct. Regan’s allegations apparently played no role in McKenna’s dismissal, according to the Globe account. Still, in the pages of the daily, Regan sounded a note of triumph when he said the trustees showed “courage” in admitting a “tremendous mistake”.
As president, McKenna terminated Reagan Communications consulting contract.
The day after McKenna’s firing, the specific reasons for her removal remain under wraps, as is often the case with personnel actions.
In January, board members moved to oust McKenna, citing her spending as reason for dismissal.
However, faculty, students, and alumni stood by McKenna, voting no confidence in the board’s chairman—asking Meyer to resign.
The trustees have now voted to terminate McKenna for reasons that are not yet clear. The school has not commented. In an internal announcement, Suffolk’s board chair announced the leadership change, saying McKenna is out and Provost Marisa Kelly is in as the acting president.
Sources tell WGBH News that some trustees were bothered that McKenna reported her own university to the regional accrediting association and feared she might try to convince the new board chair to let her stay on.
When McKenna took the helm at Suffolk last summer, she was celebrated as the first woman to lead the school. She faced a host of challenges, including declining revenues and a shrinking endowment.
A Suffolk Alumni group, formed in the wake of the controversy, issued the following statement:
“As we continue to learn the details of this troubling news, we are asking for full transparency from the Board of Trustees as to what informed and guided this decision. We believe that the series of events that precipitated this action have threatened the integrity of Suffolk University. We fear for the future stability of Suffolk University today. We are shocked at the moment and eager to learn more.”
