Albion College president, subject of recent controversies, resigns to take Carnegie Foundation role – MLive.com

ALBION, MI The president of Albion College, who has been the subject of controversy in recent months, has resigned.

The colleges Board of Trustees announced on Friday, Dec. 24, that it has accepted the resignation of Mathew B. Johnson, who is moving into an expanded role to lead a global initiative partnership with the Carnegie Foundation.

The board is now conducting a national search for Johnsons replacement. Meanwhile, the board has appointed trustee Joseph S. Calvaruso as interim president. Calvaruso recently retired as executive director for the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation in Grand Rapids after a career that included nearly three decades in banking.

Mathew joined Albion College during one of the most tumultuous periods of the past century, Board Chair Michael J. Harrington said in a statement. Despite the overwhelming challenges of COVID-19, he was able to achieve significant academic and financial accomplishments during his tenure.

He inherited no playbook for how to navigate a global pandemic, yet his decisive actions and strong leadership enabled us to provide an exceptional residential experience at a time when many institutions were entirely remote and others were closing.

Johnson was appointed president by the board in April 2020. He officially started his presidency on July 1, 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was unable to have an official inauguration until the 2021 fall semester.

Related: After long pandemic wait, Albion College finally inaugurates new president

Shortly before Johnson was inaugurated, he was the subject of an online petition seeking his removal. The petition alleged Johnson of bullying staff and students, hiring people of color only on superficial grounds, inappropriate financial activities, and more.

The petition has garnered 2,362 signatures.

The people of Albion College and the surrounding Albion community deserve better than this, the petition states. We deserve better than him. Mathew Johnson needs to face consequences for his actions and be removed from office.

Related: Petition seeks removal of Albion College president for alleged bullying, racism

On Dec. 14, Johnson allegedly had a confrontation with 76-year-old retired Albion teacher and NAACP Executive Board Officer Hazel Lias at a basketball tournament on Albions campus.

In a Dec. 17 press conference regarding the incident, Lias said she was at the basketball game when she asked Johnson for T-shirts being handed out. Johnson told her she could have one, but that she had to control a friend of hers, activist Maurice Barry.

The truth is he insulted me, he degraded me, he embarrassed me, thats the truth, Lias said. Dr. Johnson didnt speak to me he yelled at me. His finger was inches from my nose, right out, straight out, with force, with the jabbing-type finger.

Lias said Johnson later apologized.

On Dec. 20, Albion spokeswoman Susie Pentelow provided a statement regarding the incident, saying, The college is aware of the incident last week. The executive committee of our board of trustees and our cabinet are working as quickly as possible to determine our course of action.

A silent protest was planned to take place outside of Johnsons home on the evening of Jan. 4, in reaction to his interaction with Lias.

Albion College interim president trustee Joseph S. Calvaruso

Going forward, Johnson is to serve as president of the Commission for Public Purpose in Higher Education in partnership with the Carnegie Foundation, which is responsible for the stewardship and continuous development of the basic and elective classification systems of higher education institutions.

Albion Colleges Board of Trustees listed the following accomplishments of Johnson during his tenure at the college:

Though incredibly challenging, I have loved my time serving Albion and successfully leading the college through the pandemic and strengthening our financial position, Johnson said in a statement. I am proud of the change we accomplished together and the change still under way.

This new role will allow me to focus full time on the work I love of strengthening the public purpose of higher education institutions at the national and international level and to build on the lessons learned in the work we have done at Albion. I have complete confidence in the skill and commitment of the cabinet and Interim President Joe Calvaruso to lead through the presidential search process and to extend and build on our successes.

Calvaruso currently serves on the board of First National Bank of Michigan. He has also served in leadership positions with the Risk Management Association, including on its international board of directors. In addition to his role as a trustee of Albion College, he serves on the board of the Michigan Certified Development Corp.

It is an honor to serve my alma mater and the Albion community, Calvaruso said in a statement. My roots in the Albion area run deep: I am the fifth generation of my mothers side of the family to live in the area, and the third generation on my fathers side. I even got married on Albions beautiful campus, and my wife, Donna, has adopted Albion College and the Albion community as her own.

I really look forward to connecting with campus and the community. Im excited to be working with a number of people on different initiatives that will make a difference in the community I have long called home.

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Couple gifts $1.2 million to Albion College for gym, other campus improvements

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Albion College president, subject of recent controversies, resigns to take Carnegie Foundation role - MLive.com