Community leaders ask Zach Mulholland to resign
15 min read
Presenter: Public comments criticize Zach Mulholland, former chair of the Lane Community College Board of Education, with many calling for him to resign. On Sept. 3, Mike Eyster:
Mike Eyster: My name is Mike Eyster. Before moving to Washington last year, I lived in the Eugene-Springfield area for 35 years and had the opportunity to serve on and chair many boards, elected, appointed, and volunteer, including the Lane Community College Board of Education.
[00:00:28] During my board service and my career, I had the opportunity to work with many CEOs. Dr. Bulger is one of the most effective, visionary, and dedicated CEOs I have encountered during my career and my time serving on and chairing boards.
[00:00:47] Dr. Bulger has been an outstanding president, probably one of the best in the country. No president should have to endure intimidation, harassment, or bullying by any board member, certainly not a board chair.
[00:01:01] Dr. Bulger deserves the full support of the board. LCC and the community deserve to have Dr. Bulger supported.
[00:01:09] I urge Zachary Mulholland to resign from the board immediately. I urge the board to appoint a replacement that understands the appropriate role of the board member and the appropriate role of the board overall.
[00:01:24] Steve Wildish: I’m Steve Wildish, president of the LCC Foundation. As you know, the LCC Foundation sent you a letter recently asking for you to act on issues found in the investigation conducted by Rebekah Jacobson. Our letter speaks for itself.
[00:01:42] I’m not here to restate the contents of that letter. Instead, the Foundation’s message to you tonight is simple. We are at a crossroad. The Board of Education can either accept the findings of the independent investigator and take appropriate action, or it can choose downplay the situation and take little to no substantive action.
[00:02:07] To do the latter is a clear violation of the board’s code of ethics and a statement against Lane’s zero-tolerance policy on all forms of harassment. It would send a chilling message that the board condones behaviors create an unsafe, and hostile environment for the college president and others within the college community.
[00:02:29] It is board policy for board members to maintain the highest standards of conduct and ethical behavior. This standard extends to everyone within the college community. As our elected leaders, we expect the Board of Education to set the bar for all of us. We need to close this painful chapter and move on. It is time for each of us to aspire to be the best stewards of the college as we can be. Our community and students deserve nothing less.
[00:03:02] How do we start? It starts by being resolute and united in our commitment to work collaboratively, amicably, for the good of the college. And it begins by being respectful to our college president, Dr. Bulger, who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and has earned our full faith and confidence.
[00:03:25] Susan Cox: My name is Susan Cox and I’m a member of the (LCC) Foundation board.
[00:03:28] I’m astonished that the current chair read the letter on behalf of the board but offered no personal comments of your own or certainly not a meaningful apology and I especially think it’s meaningful since in the report it said that you believe that Zach Mulholland was not racist or sexist.
[00:03:47] I have to say, I expect more from you. I think the community deserves more from you.
[00:03:53] As a member of the Foundation board, at each meeting we have the pleasure of meeting students who have had the opportunity to receive a scholarship. And those recipients are inspiring. You can see the difference that that is going to make for them in the future and to their lives and it’s one of the reasons that we’re really committed to continuing to support the college.
[00:04:16] Recently there was a student that was registering for school and they said, ‘I’ve heard what’s going on at the college and I’m concerned. Will I be welcome here?’
[00:04:30] Will I be welcome here? That any student would wonder or ponder that is something that we all have to take the responsibility for.
[00:04:40] And to President Bulger, you are welcome here. And I think that you can see by all the community members who are here in support of you. I hope you understand that from all of us. Thank you.
[00:04:54] LCC: DeLeesa Meashintubby:
[00:04:57] DeLeesa Meashintubby: Hello, I’m here tonight to first and foremost say thank you to you all for giving your time and your effort and your talents to what you do.
[00:05:06] But I’m also here tonight to say, I hold the president, Stephanie Bulger, in high regard. She works hard and tirelessly, and I, being with Volunteers In Medicine clinic, we get to reap the benefits of some of these students that come. And I said just a few months back of how good, prepared, and professional your students are coming to us for their internships.
[00:05:34] But I want to say to you tonight that that comes from the top and it trickles down. And I feel that President Bulger has done nothing but stand out, stand up, and bring nothing but excellence to this community and to this community college. So please, please, please, let’s all do better. Let’s all be better and let’s be a better community together.
[00:06:02] Demond Hawkins: I am Demond Hawkins. I am the president of the Eugene Springfield NAACP. I have had interactions with LCC at different Dr. Bulger and different community-based organizations doing work, talking about the great work going on at LCC, the initiatives, some of the great things that they’re doing, just forward thinking.
[00:06:21] So it was my surprise to come to this and see all the dysfunction going on with the board here. My purpose here tonight you know I really am a believer in LCC and the mission that it’s on. But the NAACP, we called for an investigation of Mr. Mulholland’s conduct, we witnessed his behavior at one of the public meetings, we read the allegations entered into public record, and we said we would call for his resignation if the allegations were substantiated, and they were.
[00:06:53] Mr. Mulholland, it is your choice. You can choose to resign or not to resign, but it is also the community has every right to move towards a recall, especially if the board fails to act with a censure in the way that it should. That is the minimum.
[00:07:09] I say this not to be overly harsh, but I followed some of the responses in the investigation and his claims was that the investigation was inaccurate, his behavior was justified because he was chair. And that’s not leadership. That’s entitlement. That’s a lack of accountability.
[00:07:28] Bullying is not something that we should tolerate. We wouldn’t tolerate it with the students towards a teacher, nor a teacher towards the students. So why, when I hear some of the board members struggling to figure out if they should censure or not censure, this is unaccountable.
[00:07:46] This is something that we need to do. This hurts the enrollment of the students, the staff, morale, the campus climate, public trust, and fundraising. If you truly are on board with the students, the staff, the faculty, and the students, particularly this community, then you censure and not censure just with words but with consequences because other than that it’s just a press release.
[00:08:06] We’re here for our Black and brown community. If we can’t trust you to take care of this Black and brown community person, this leader here, then I can’t trust you with other students and staff here. Thank you very much.
[00:08:19] Jameson Auten: Jameson Auten speaking on behalf of Jameson Auten, not Lane Transit District. First though, I want to thank Mr. Alltucker. Courage stands up. Courage always will stand up. So thank you for standing.
[00:08:32] You know, the respectful campus statement that you all have reads, ‘Lane Community College is dedicated to fostering a welcoming, inclusive, safe and equitable environment. We encourage open communication, constructive dialogue, and collaboration to ensure every voice is heard and respected.’
[00:08:48] That’s clearly not happening at the top levels of leadership.
[00:08:52] No organization is perfect. That can’t be the expectation. But bullying behavior, discriminatory behavior is not accepted. Modeling good behavior in leadership roles is the standard.
[00:09:09] You’re helping to train leaders. Be one. Writing at the top of your website is also another clear statement. ‘We support each other to make anything possible.’ Show us that version of LCC. The community needs you to be that version, especially at a time when many of our students and neighbors need relief, need to be able to have a future, need to be able to access the vision of this college. It’s an important asset.
[00:09:51] A few years ago, a talented and accomplished professional chose to relocate to this community. I know that feeling and what that takes. But the same roads that brought her here, they’re going to be plowed in the winter. They can take her back. And then what will the community earn from that? Foolishness will rule the day. All the time and effort that was invested in attracting the talent that you have sitting right with you would be for naught.
[00:10:13] Do better. Do much better.
[00:10:16] Mary Spilde: My name is Mary Spilde, former employee at Lane Community College, serving as president for 16 years. Never in my wildest dreams did I see myself coming back to ask the board to censure a colleague and to implore Mr. Mulholland to resign.
[00:10:36] I’d like to address two items.
[00:10:38] In the investigative report substantiating the claims of creating a hostile environment and bullying, Mr. (Austin) Folnagy and Mr. (Zach) Mulholland were quoted as saying, and I’m paraphrasing, that there was no place, Mr. Mulholland didn’t feel he had any place to acknowledge the president in board meetings and that the president does not have a role in conversations at board meetings because she’s not a board member.
[00:11:02] I have no idea where this thinking came from. It is simply incorrect. It goes against all the principles of good governance.
[00:11:10] Having sat through almost 250 board meetings at this college, hundreds since in the work I do with the National Association for Community College Trustees, I do not know of one instance in the 1,137 colleges in this country where the president does not provide background and information.
[00:11:31] I watched my predecessor help guide and be a resource to the board as I myself did for 16 years. All the research on good board governance outlines this role for the college president. Benefit of the doubt. If you simply didn’t know how this was supposed to work and stop the behavior, however, now that you do know this is a best practice, if you persist in this behavior, everyone will see it for what it is, a thinly veiled excuse to silence the president, a Black woman.
[00:12:02] This behavior does not comport with the long-held values of Lane Community College, far less complying with your own policies.
[00:12:10] Secondly, in the report, Mr. Mulholland states his concern about budget issues, implying that it is one of the reasons he is dissatisfied with the president. He should be worried. Because simply and plainly the reason the college is in the position it is in is because of recent actions by the majority of the board.
[00:12:29] Prior to the pandemic, the majority of the board voted to spend down what was a 13% ending fund balance to 3%, a completely unsustainable amount of money to see the college through the beginning of the academic year.
[00:12:44] When Dr. Bulger came here and brought in financial experts, they deemed the college barely surviving. She inherited this problem due to board actions.
[00:12:56] When the board directed her to develop a sustainable budget, the majority of the board denied the cuts she proposed. So the board members and this entire community should be worried about the sustainability of our beloved college.
[00:13:10] This board is putting our accreditation status in danger due to bad governance, bad stewardship, and bad fiduciary responsibility, and certainly putting the college at enormous legal risk.
[00:13:23] So finally, board members, if you do dismiss this report, you’re complicit. Part of your job is to set the tone for the college. If you do not take action, you’re complicit in the racist, sexist and misogynistic behavior that has been directed towards our president and others that many people see.
[00:13:45] An apology is not enough. You have not acknowledged the real harm both personal and professional that has impacted Dr. Bulger. This may not be your intent but it is your impact.
[00:13:59] Please censure your colleague. And I implore you, Mr. Mulholland, please resign so that this board can get back to being a good governing board. Do not make a mockery of our long-held values that were created by our faculty, staff and students at this institution and do not make a mockery of a statement of respect that was put together, again, by the faculty, staff and students.
[00:14:25] LCC: Diana Learner:
[00:14:27] Diana Learner: I’m currently the treasurer of the LCC Foundation. And I want to remind us all, that LCC is a place and should continue to be the place where many can learn and go on to be productive members of our community. LCC should always be a welcoming community for everyone. We are all better when we work together to make our community a more livable place that all are welcome, especially at the several LCC campuses.
[00:15:06] No one should ever feel concerned about how they are or will be treated. This is a place of learning on many levels. I hope we move forward to continue the legacy of LCC and make our community a place where others want to be. I thank you and hope we move forward together.
[00:15:33] Tiffany Edwards: I’m Tiffany Edwards, and I am here tonight to read a statement on behalf of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce and its board of directors.
[00:15:41] The Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce believes that strong ethical governance is essential to a healthy community and economy. We cannot be a community that tolerates an elected or appointed official engaging in bullying, racist or discriminatory conduct or behavior that demeans or disrespects anyone. These actions not only harm individuals, they also undermine public trust and weaken the institutions our region depends on.
[00:16:06] Lane Community College is one of those critical institutions. It trains our workforce, creates pathways for students and families, and fuels growth for local industries that lead to improved economic conditions for everyone in our community. Quite simply, the strength of our economy is tied to the strength of our community college. To succeed, LCC must be led in an environment of respect, civility, and professionalism.
[00:16:30] Strong, high- functioning boards set policy, hire and evaluate leadership and ensure that resources are stewarded responsibly. They protect and respect that operational decisions belong to the administrators entrusted with running the college.
[00:16:45] President Stephanie Bulger has earned positive reviews from the board for her leadership. We are incredibly lucky to have her as our college’s administrator and she deserves the community’s unwavering support as she continues this important work.
[00:16:59] The long-term success of Lane Community College depends on public trust. Students and families must trust that their college is safe, welcoming, and an inclusive place to learn. Local businesses must trust that graduates are receiving the training they need to thrive.
[00:17:14] As stewards of this community resource, the board owes it to its students, families, employees and taxpayers to behave appropriately and to keep their focus on what is best for the college and in turn the broader community. Our community expects more from those who represent us. Racist, discriminatory, or abusive conduct whether directed at administrators, students, or fellow board members has no place in our public institutions.
[00:17:40] We call on our leaders at Lane Community College and beyond to model the integrity and accountability our community serves.
[00:17:47] Vonnie Mikkelsen: I am Vonnie Mikkelsen. I serve as the president and CEO of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and I’m here to make comments on behalf of my board of Directors, 23 members, and the 800 members across the region, member employers that they represent. Thank you for the opportunity.
[00:18:07] Our community has a vested interest in Lane Community College, the mission, reputation, and leadership. Employers across sectors rely on LCC as a trusted partner, worthy of voter -approved bonds, philanthropic investment, and collaboration in preparing a future ready and indeed leaders of our future. We cannot afford a distracted divided board, nor do we tolerate abusive or toxic behaviors in leadership.
[00:18:46] The independent legal investigation substantiating misconduct by an elected board member and the resulting hostility toward the administration cannot be dismissed. Abuse of position and power misrepresents our communities and our colleges values.
[00:19:05] It violates principles of sound governance and threatens public trust. Left unresolved it damages, the college’s reputation and its ability to serve students and employers. You employ a high -performing chief executive in President Bulger who is well -equipped to advance timely, transparent strategies.
[00:19:29] With a new board in place and a new academic year underway, this is an opportune time to reset your priorities and set a clear course forward. We urge you to act firmly and cohesively, hold board members accountable, respect the president and her delegated authority, recommit to your fiduciary responsibilities, and protect the integrity of LCC and the community it serves.
[00:20:01] Margaret Hamilton: My name is Margaret Hamilton. I am the former president of LCC. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak. I will be brief.
[00:20:08] When I retired, I was advised by a very wise person to give the new president grace and let her find her way. I’m here tonight because of what I’ve read in the news regarding the treatment of the president and how it’s affecting this college that I love.
[00:20:23] I feel compelled to ask you to think about how your actions are affecting this college. I speak from 20 years of executive experience in community colleges. I’ve worked directly and collaboratively with boards my whole career. As a retired college president, as an accreditation reviewer, I can assure you that what we’re discussing tonight is extremely serious and can jeopardize not only the success of this college but your accreditation.
[00:20:54] Successful colleges must have boards that act as role models to the basic principles of equity and respect, first amongst themselves and then with the president and the whole college. They hire highly qualified executives like Dr. Bulger, who understand how colleges work. And the successful board emulates that success. Neither a board nor a college president can function independently. Each needs and must support the expertise of the other.
[00:21:25] I’m here tonight to remind you that the boards before you have been good stewards of Lane’s values. I can assure you that the prior boards have valued equity and respect and held everybody accountable, including themselves. So Dr. Bulger, you deserve the same respect from all of us who understand the workings of a college.
[00:21:49] I am here, board, to ask you, to ask yourselves tonight to consider what do you need to do to ensure the integrity of Lane’s values and to ensure that they’re upheld and maintained through future generations.
[00:22:03] Erik Parrish: My name is Erik Parrish and I’m an active community member and board member of several organizations here locally. I’m here today to talk about something critical to our institution’s success. Leadership stability, the role of board members and our collective responsibility to our community, to our college community. In the fast -paced world of higher education, the retention of a successful president is not just an advantage, it’s a necessity.
[00:22:25] A president with a proven track record brings a level of continuity and vision that is irreplaceable. They understand our unique culture, our challenges, and our opportunities. Constant turnover at the top leads to lack of focus, inconsistent strategies, and a loss of momentum. By supporting and retaining our president, we allow them to build on their successes, to see long-term projects through to completion, and to truly embed their vision for a stronger future.
[00:22:49] That brings me to the role of board members. Our purpose is to provide oversight and strategic guidance. And to do this effectively, we must also show unwavering support for our leader. This means working collaboratively, providing constructive feedback, and trusting the expertise of the person we have chosen to lead. A board that is unified and it’s support empowers the president to make bold decisions and to innovate without fear of an internal discord.
[00:23:12] Finally, we must address the need for board discipline. Our integrity as a board is only as strong as our weakest link. When a board member acts in a way that undermines our shared mission by bullying, racism, or obstructing justice or progress, we must have the courage to address it. Failing to do so erodes trust, compromises our effectiveness, and sets a dangerous precedent.
[00:23:32] Our duty is not to be a group of individuals, but a cohesive governing body. By committing to these three principals retaining our successful president, providing them with our full support, and upholding the integrity of the boards we serve on, we are not only serving our institution today, but we are also building a more stable and prosperous future for generations of students to come.
[00:23:50] Presenter: A long list of community leaders, including two former college presidents, offer public comments Sept. 3, with many asking Zach Mulholland to resign from the LCC Board of Education. If he did not resign, the president of the NAACP suggested, the community may seek to recall him from office.
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