Historically Black LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Tennessee, announced that it was laying off seven administrators in an effort to close a budget shortfall. Three members of the executive team and employees in human resources, finance, and information technology lost their jobs. A drop in enrollments from around 1,000 to 836 students this fall has strained the college’s financial situation.
One of those let go was Terrell Strayhorn, vice president of academic and student affairs. Students held a sit-in on campus to protest Dr. Strayhorn’s dismissal. In a letter to the campus community, the student government association stated that “LeMoyne-Owen College clearly does not value students as much as it claims to. Positions which involve student success are often treated with scant regard, and are downright dismissed. The College cannot go on without us, and your decision has greatly impacted our morale and interest in staying here.”
Dr. Strayhorn joined the executive leadership team at the college in 2018. Dr. Strayhorn resigned from his position as as director of the Center for Higher Education Enterprise at Ohio State University in 2017 after allegations arose that he strayed from university policy on fees for outside speaking engagements.
In 2014, Dr. Strayhorn was promoted to full professor in the department of educational studies in the College of Education and Human Ecology at Ohio State University. The appointment made Dr. Strayhorn the youngest full professor at Ohio State.
Professor Strayhorn is a graduate of the University of Virginia. He holds a master’s degree from the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia and an educational doctorate from Virginia Tech. He is the author of several books including Theoretical Frameworks in College Student Research (University Press of America/Rowman & Littlefield, 2013) and The Evolving Challenges of Black College Students (Stylus Publishing, 2010).
Are you kidding How can a college or university function without a VP for Academic and Student Affairs. It appears that Interim President Carol Johnson Dean President@loc.edu and other decision makers at Lemoyne-Owen College need to revisit this Dimwitted decision. If this decision stand, the Lemoyne-Owen College should lose its Accreditation immediately.
It appears that the reason for eliminating all of the personnel was fiscal not personal. With his outstanding credentials Dr. Strayhorn will be able to secure another position rather quickly. My concern is for the others who lack his credentials and youth who may find it rather difficult to move. An important thing to note here is that enrollments dropped dramatically and so did revenues. Small colleges across the country are suffering. I wish all of those who were let go in the recent action well.