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Roxbury Community College president resigns amid mismanagement allegations
The school has seen a steep decline in enrollment compared to other community colleges.
The president of Roxbury Community College is stepping down amid allegations of mismanagement.
Dr. Valerie Roberson, who has served as president for the past eight years, planned to step down after there were demands for her to resign, according to GBH.
The announcement was made during a board meeting Tuesday, at which board Chairman Steve Tompkins acknowledged those who’ve raised concerns.
“We’ve heard you, we will continue to listen to you,” Tompkins said during the meeting, as reported by GBH. “We will continue to work with you, and we ask that you do likewise with us. As much as we hear you, we need you to hear us. I do believe that a lot of the vitriol that has surrounded the school is a contributory factor to why we don’t have more students here.”
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A letter from current and former employees sent to the board in October alleged negative workplace conditions that included discrimination and racism on the part of Roberson, who is Black.
Thirty employees from throughout the college either left or were fired since 2019; 80 percent of them were people of color, GBH reported.
Roberson did not respond to a request for comment from the Boston Globe yesterday.
While many community colleges saw a drop in enrollment, RCC saw the steepest drop at 39 percent since 2019, according to The Boston Globe. The college also lost its accreditation for its nursing program.
State auditor Suzanne Bump also released a report in October saying that employees were overpaid a total of $29,000, and that the college didn’t perform sex offender checks on some employees at the athletic center. The report also said the college unfairly charged a total of $96,450 to public high school leagues to use its track, the Globe reported.
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