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Why did Sussex Community College president resign? SCCC chief left after split vote

Bruce A Scruton, Newton New Jersey Herald
Updated
5 min read

On a split vote, the Board of Trustees at Sussex County Community College has accepted the resignation of school president Jon Connolly, who will remain at the Newton school as a full-time, tenured associate professor of environmental and biological science.

At the same Jan. 17 meeting, trustees appointed Cory Homer, the current vice president of student success and institutional effectiveness, as interim president. The board said it will create a search committee at an upcoming meeting to find a permanent successor to Connolly.

President of the school since September 2015, Connolly is credited with stabilizing what the current board called "a once-struggling institution," restoring it to good financial standing and growth. When he arrived at SCCC, the college had a $4 million budget deficit which led to concerns by the college’s accrediting body.

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But there has also been an undercurrent of tension on campus between the administration and some of the faculty. Last year, some faculty members attended a meeting of the Sussex County Commissioners and complained that Connolly had a gun in his desk.

The allegation was investigated by Newton Police and the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office and no charges have been lodged.

Neither the gun nor any other specific concern was mentioned by the college's board of trustees in the statement announcing Connolly's departure. Instead, the statement said the president and board "mutually decided" that he would step down.

Why SCCC president resigned

"The board concluded in a 7-4 majority that the institution would be best served by granting tenure to Dr. Connolly and accepting his full resignation," the statement continued, adding that tenure approval "did not come without significant debate and discussion."

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The majority's decision reflected "the Board's desire to protect the college, and future boards, from a protracted struggle," they added. "Ultimately, the decision to grant tenure puts to rest any ongoing acrimony regarding the terms negotiated by this board and allows the interim president and future boards to move ahead freely with initiatives that are essential to the success of the institution."

Reached on Friday, Connolly texted that he was "thrilled to be back in the classroom teaching, and helping students with their goals." He deferred any other comments to the college, which did not respond to messages from the Herald seeking more information.

Connolly's contract was renewed for five years in 2021, with a base salary of $186,179 and scheduled 2% increases each year.

A late Friday 'special meeting'

The session at which Connolly resigned was officially a "special meeting" and took place at 4 p.m. on a Friday. The meeting agenda said public notice requirements were fulfilled with a post attached to the front door of the SCCC administration building. The notice was also published on the college website and sent by fax, though the agenda did not say to whom the fax was sent.

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According to the agenda, the board of trustees immediately went into a private executive session to discuss "personnel matters" that was "expected to last approximately 75 minutes."

The news release announcing the leadership change said that within three years of becoming president, Connolly stabilized the institution's finances and earned full reaccreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education with no required improvements.

The school noted that during Connolly's tenure several major initiatives were accomplished, including the creation of SCCC's McGuire Technical Education Center out of a former auto dealership, and the expansion of technical occupation programs. The latter included a program in optics created with the help of Thorlabs, a Newton-based firm which is a manufacturing and research leader in the field.

Big renovations at Sussex Community College

Several capital projects, including both renovations and new construction, are moving forward at the college, giving local students more choices of career field studies close to home that can be easily transferred to a four-year college or university.

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The school said those projects will bring advanced academic and occupational skills within reach of students at the two-year college, which has a main campus as well as the McGuire Center near Newton's downtown and a Public Safety Training Academy in Frankford.

At the McGuire Center, renovations included an 8,000 square-foot workshop area for the trades program. On the main campus a 2,100 square-foot renovation to existing space at the Optics Building has begun along with a 2,600 square-foot building addition. Combined, those projects will provide two classrooms, two equipment labs and upgrades to bathrooms. The Optics Building itself will get a new roof and siding.

More: Bundle up, then tee up. Chili Open golf fundraiser returns to Sussex County next month

Other efforts include transforming the 10,500 square foot library into "a modern commons with classrooms, study rooms, offices and collaborative learning areas," the school said in a separate news release detailing the capital projects.

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The project will bring "a holistic approach to academic and student support" to that area, the release noted.

The heating and air conditioning system of the administration building will get energy efficient upgrades.

Already completed are the Adult Transition Center to help developmentally disabled adults at the old chapel building. Work there included structural repairs, new roofing, siding, windows and insulation. Future work in the building will add vocational and office spaces.

At the Public Safety Training Academy, located across the highway from the county's Main Library in Frankford, there are planned renovations to add two classrooms and direct access to the basement, as well as building upgrades to help in the training for volunteer firefighters as well as other public safety fields.

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Email: bscruton@njherald.com Twitter/X: @brucescrutonNJH

This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Sussex Community College president resigns, will return to teaching

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