×

Bruce out as EGCC president

YOUNGSTOWN — The tenure of Jimmie Bruce as president of Eastern Gateway Community College has come to an end.

Bruce, who came to the school in 2015, was terminated from his position during this morning’s meeting of the board of the trustees on the Youngstown campus.

Members of the board cited dereliction of duty and inappropriate management as the reason for their unanimous decision, which came after a two-hour executive session.

The future of Bruce and Jim Miller, EGCC’s vice president and chief of staff, had been in limbo since they were placed on administrative leave last week.

Board members decided to continue action against Miller, who reportedly had questionable expense charges on EGCC’s procurement card.

Staff and faculty at the school, which has campuses in Steubenville and Youngstown, learned the two had been placed on administrative leave in a document distributed on Jan. 7. The document, which was sent on behalf of board Chair James M. Gasior, also revealed that Mike Geoghegan, the school’s chief financial officer, had assumed additional responsibilities to ensure the continuity in the efficient operation of the college.

The college has come under increased scrutiny during the past year, with some state lawmakers fearful EGCC’s rapid spike in out-of-state online enrollments is inflating its share of the state funding pool, pulling money away from other colleges to educate students who don’t live in Ohio.

In August, Bruce survived a no-confidence vote by faculty. Although details behind the vote were never revealed, faculty sources who didn’t wish to be identified said they’d compiled “a list of concerns and grievance-worthy items” to present to the board, along with the vote results.

Gina Augustine, interim co-leader of the Ohio Education Association’s EGCC affiliate, declined comment last week, saying then that, “We’re just here doing our jobs, keeping the college running and focusing on our students.”

“We’ll let the investigators figure out what is going on with the leadership,” she concluded.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $4.73/week.

Subscribe Today