MSU President Robert H. “Doc” Foglesong has resigned, effective no later than June 30.In a State-Gram posted Friday afternoon on the university’s Web site, Foglesong said he has resigned “with the express purpose of helping the university move forward.”
The retired four-star general met privately with Commissioner Thomas Meredith at the IHL’s headquarters in Jackson. Immediately following that meeting, Meredith accepted Foglesong’s resignation.
“Mary and I are incredibly proud of the past two years and of the new records in enrollment and research, the economic development opportunities that have evolved across the state, [and] the leadership performance of individuals and teams across the campus,” Foglesong said in the State-Gram.
Foglesong had been facing increasing criticism in recent weeks, including questions of academic freedom from MSU architecture school students and faculty. He has also faced mounting pressure from student groups on social networking sites such as Facebook in relation to the removal of a large quantity of donated daffodils, which had been on the Starkville campus for decades.
According to a release from the IHL Web site, Meredith said Foglesong’s resignation represents a great loss for the IHL system and the university.
“Under Dr. Foglesong’s leadership, Mississippi State is currently enjoying its best year in many years, which is evidenced by its enrollment growth, its increase in research productivity and numerous other positive changes at the institution,” Meredith said in the release.
“The Board is very appreciative of the many accomplishments of Dr. Foglesong and we wish him the very best,” said L. Stacy Davidson, president of the board.
Meredith also said Foglesong “stated he had a number of goals for Mississippi State when he arrived, which have primarily been accomplished. He feels that now is an appropriate time for a transition in leadership.”
This transition could become subject to controversy. The IHL’s previous search was done secretly. Many MSU faculty and students expressed the need for an open presidential search process in 2006.
Mark Goodman, MSU’s Faculty Senate president during that search process, criticized the IHL’s method in choosing the university’s president.
“I led a very public and strong opposition to the way the search process was done,” Goodman said.
Goodman said Friday that the IHL brought Foglesong in without support of faculty or alumni, and in doing so established the notion it can do what it wants.
“Foglesong didn’t have a support group. He wasn’t our candidate and we didn’t owe him anything,” he said. “How do you count the raw deals here?”
Academic freedom questions were scheduled for discussion in today’s Faculty Senate meeting, which began at 2 p.m., but were cut short by the university’s decision to close the university due to winter weather concerns.
See The Reflector‘s Web site Saturday afternoon for campus reaction to Foglesong’s resignation.
To read Foglesong’s State-Gram announcing his resignation, click here.
To read the IHL’s press release on the resignation, click here.