Gianna Hayes
Chief News Editor
In an email sent out to faculty on Thursday, Feb. 12, Mark Goodman, chair of the board of trustees, voiced support for President McCall and her recent decision to lay off 22 employees at the College.
“Let there be no ambiguity. President McCall has the full confidence of the Board of Trustees,” Goodman stated.
Goodman cited challenges in the landscape of higher education as reasoning behind McCall’s judgement, saying “Demographic headwinds, sustained cost pressures, heightened competition, and shifting expectations are testing institutions across the country.” He lauded McCall’s leadership in the midst of this.
“What distinguishes strong institutions in moments like this is not the absence of difficult decisions, but the courage, discipline, and stewardship with which they are made,” Goodman wrote. “The actions taken by President McCall and the administration to realign the College’s budget and operational structure reflect exactly that kind of leadership.”
Goodman further explained the reasoning behind the layoffs, reiterating many points that McCall herself laid out during the emergency meeting on Feb. 5, namely ensuring the College’s long-term success by reducing the budget deficit in the short-term.
Goodman also spoke to the impact on the campus community as a result of the loss of 22 staff. “While the human impact of these decisions is real and deeply felt, the alternative — inaction or incrementalism in the face of known pressures — would be a failure of leadership and stewardship,” Goodman affirmed. “President McCall has met this moment with honesty, resolve, and respect for the people who make this institution what it is.”
Goodman ended his communication by encouraging faculty to join in supporting McCall and the board of trustees, as well as “continuing to offer solutions to further advance and secure Wooster’s future.”
