Montgomery College President To Face Trustees Thursday

As Rockville Central readers know, our neighbors at Montgomery College have been the subject of some controversy over the effects of their no-smoking policy on the surrounding neighborhood. (The latest on this is that the City and the College are discussing the possibility of a timed access system so people can use the gates into and out of campus — a system not unlike one in use at American University.)

However, there is another and possibly more serious controversy at the largest community college in Maryland. College president Brian K. Johnson, who began his tenure two years ago, has come under fire recently from a number of quarters over lavish spending and erratic behavior. Last week, faculty overwhelmingly approved a “no confidence” resolution, according to the Washington Post.

This morning, the Post includes more details on some of the allegations:

Faculty leaders have compiled a dossier on Johnson’s activities, building a case that the president of Maryland’s largest community college, with 60,000 students, should be investigated and placed on administrative leave. The 10-member board of trustees meets Thursday to consider his future. Any action taken by the board requires a majority vote of the members present for ratification. . . .

“It’s a mess,” said Rose Sachs, president of the local chapter of the American Association of University Professors. “And I think we’re all feeling it.”

Johnson, 52, has made little public comment on the controversy. He told colleagues in a statement Friday, “I remain focused on our students and ensuring that they receive the high-quality education and services that they expect and deserve.” He said he would answer his accusers “in an appropriate manner in the near future.” Johnson said, through a college spokesman, that he is not commenting on the allegations on advice of counsel.

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