In June 2014, Paine College in Augusta, Georgia, was placed on accreditation probation by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In September, the president of Paine College resigned and Samuel Sullivan, provost and vice president of academic affairs, was named acting president. In October 2014, Dr. Sullivan was removed from office by an executive committee of the board of trustees.
Paine College students protested Dr. Sullivan’s dismissal. A group of faculty members asked for the resignation of board chair Silas Norman and the reinstatement of Samuel Sullivan as acting president. After the protest, the board of trustees met and reinstated Sullivan, this time as interim president.
Now the board of trustees has named Dr. Sullivan as president of the college but only for a one-year term. A search committee to find the next president of the college is expected to convene soon.
The new chair of the board of trustees Barbara E. Bouknight stated that “on behalf of the board of trustees, I offer our deepest appreciation to Dr. Sullivan for leading the college through these challenging times. He is a wise and thoughtful leader who has become a beacon of hope and inspiration during the most difficult period in the history of our college.”
Dr. Sullivan joined the staff at Paine College in September 2013 as provost and vice president of academic affairs. Previously, he was vice president of academic affairs at Augusta State University.
Dr. Sullivan is a graduate of North Carolina Central University in Durham. He holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in physics from Howard University in Washington, D.C.
It doesn’t sound like the Board gave this gentleman a fair chance. Unfortunately, these actions seem to be the norm anymore at our HBCU’s; messy and unprofessional. It may be hard to find another candidate willing to accept the challenge if they do not have the support and are not allowed time to begin to actually implement change.