UPDATE: Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College trustees announced Wednesday night that college President Hank Dunn would leave the post Jan. 1. The Asheville Citizen-Times reports today that a college spokeswoman said Dunn was not terminated, adding that there would be no comment on reasons why Dunn was leaving. The newspaper reported that Dunn is also receiving a buyout of more than $100,000.
Original story posted July 22: Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College trustees have held a series of closed-door meetings to discuss personnel in recent weeks. Mark Barrett of the Asheville Citizen-Times reported in June that the trustees came out of their last meeting in June and announced no changes. That hasn’t stopped the grapevine from churning out continual rumors that college President Hank Dunn is exiting.
From Barrett’s June 21 story:
Also Friday, there was no change in the employment status of A-B Tech President Hank Dunn following another closed meeting of the board of trustees.
“It’s business as usual,” board Chairman Richard Hurley said after the hourlong closed session ended.
The board has met behind closed doors for six hours this month to discuss unspecified personnel issues and to consult with its attorney.
Hurley and school officials have declined to say what the topic of discussion was. However, Dunn is the only A-B Tech employee who answers directly to the board.
He has been present during parts of the closed-door discussions and not during others. He left Friday’s meeting immediately before the closed session began.
After the other sessions ended, the board set a day and time for further closed meetings. That didn’t happen this time.
Dunn has seen his share of criticism since he arrived three years ago. From internal changes he made, to his support of a tax increase to benefit the college, to his maneuvering to keep a critic off the board of trustees, to a fight with county commissioners over a new planned building on the campus, Dunn has not been the most popular man on campus. A little background here and here.
6 Comments
I wonder what happened to Dr. Dunn now?
Just announced to the AB Tech employees by the Board of Trustees: Dunn’s last day will be January 1st.
There is a reason most of the faculty here keep their mouths shut in public, huddle in dark corners when we talk, and secretly chant Bring Back Betty!
That is how bad Dunn is. He ignores hiring committees as a matter of routine, hires under-qualified and inexperienced new faculty over adjunct faculty who have been working here for decades holding out hope that one day funding will come through for a full-time position, and when they do come along, he hires who ever he liked regardless of qualifications, and in a great number of cases, completely ignoring the recommendations of the committees who actually work and teach in their fields every day. And he DOES fire people just for voicing opinions that conflict with his. Hank Dunn is just a good ol’ boy out to make himself rich at the expense of our community. I have been teaching at AB Tech full-time for over 10 years. My children are about to start college and I absolutely will not have them come to AB Tech so long as Dunn is here. He has no place in our community and he is destroying this school.
Why would any employee like a boss who makes you work more hours for no more pay, lies to you in meetings, acts heavy handed against those who disagree with him, hustles through a building to meet employees without ever actually meeting them, and has contracts written that take away all contractual rights from employees? Hank Dunn has vision, and A-B Tech needs that. But vision needs to be tempered by the experience of the underpaid, highly experienced staff and faculty.
Dr. Dunn has zero personality ( think motivational skills ), has turned our award winning culinary program into his personal playground (highhandedly dictating dinner services and filling seats with his friends…thus limiting seating for the public ). As an aside, he ALWAYS shows up last, typically sitting an hour or more beyond service, thereby keeping students who have diligently worked a 10-12 hour day…leaving them standing around to shut down so they can hustle home to do homework! Dr. Dunn cares about Dr. Dunn…by that, I mean he’s infamous for being less than gracious.
Maybe he’ll take Chancellor Ponder with him on his way out.