Marshall University Provost Gayle Ormiston is reorganizing the School of Human Development and Allied Technology after forcing former chairwoman Laura Wyant to resign.
Wyant, a professor in the College of Education and Human Services, was asked to resign after she was told to assign two incompletes to an elected state official’s daughter.
Rosalyn Templeton, dean of the College of Education and Human Development took over the instruction of the student and assigned letter grades while Wyant was the only Instructor of Record for the courses.
The student was identified by a spokesman for the state treasurer’s office as Emily Perdue, daughter of West Virginia State Treasurer John Perdue.
“I know that Ormiston has some reorganization plans for HDAT and with me in the Chairs position it would be more difficult to do,” Wyant said in an e-mail to the faculty of the division.
Ormiston previously declined to comment on the situation and referred all inquiries to Chief of Staff Bill Bissett.
Ormiston appointed Templeton as interim chairwoman of the division around Aug. 24, Bissett said.
“Dr. Ormiston said that they are going to reorganize the School of Human Development and Allied Technology, and that’s why Dean Templeton was interim chair,” said Amy Williams, former administrative secretary senior for the School of Human Development and Allied Technology.
Williams transferred to the Office of Sports Information on Oct. 1 because of the conflict in the school of education.
Templeton said reorganization is going on all over campus, and Ormiston wants a strategic academic plan by the end of spring, according to the division faculty meeting minutes dated Aug. 21. She also said that Marshall has never had a reorganization plan before
The division had a faculty meeting with Templeton in September.
“She (Templeton) said Dr. Ormiston said she was doing a wonderful job and that she could remain chair of HDAT,” Williams said.
Wyant e-mailed the division faculty Thursday, June 18, “I will be walking my resignation letter as Chair … over to Dr. Templeton’s office in the morning.” This e-mail was also sent to Templeton.
Moments later, Wyant e-mailed Ormiston and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Frances Hensley. “After our meeting this afternoon I see that you are getting a very skewed picture of things that are happening … Tomorrow morning June 19, 2009 I will take Dr. Templeton my resignation letter as Chair of HDAT. I do this with a very heavy heart because I have worked diligently for the division during the past year and feel that we are making some progress in a difficult time.”
The meeting Wyant referred to involved the controversy over a grade change for an elected state official’s daughter. The student was identified by a spokesman for the state treasurer’s office as Emily Perdue, daughter of West Virginia State Treasurer John Perdue.
Within the next 17 days, Wyant received several e-mails from faculty members asking her to reconsider her resignation as chairwoman of the division.
“She really worked well with the faculty and staff,” Williams said.
Wyant e-mailed the division faculty June 21. “Many of you have ask(ed) that (I) reconsider my decision to resign my position as chair and I have done just that. I will remain as Chair of HDAT and look forward to working with you next year to move the division forward.”
Wyant e-mailed the division faculty again July 3. “As you know I let myself get down a couple of Fridays ago and I e-mailed and said that I would be stepping down as chair and would write an official letter to Rosalyn and walk it over the next day. Because so many faculty and staff asked me not to do that I altered my decision and did not write an official letter. I decided that at this particular point in time it is better that I remain chair.
“Well today, at home, I receive a letter from Rosalyn which states that she accepts my e-mail in which I announced my resignation as chair. (That is not what the e-mail did it was an e-mail to you folks advising you of my intent.)”
Templeton told Wyant she had already sent the e-mail as a letter of resignation to Ormiston, Williams said.
Wyant said she met with Jim Stephens, director of Human Resource Services.
In an e-mail to the division faculty, Wyant wrote that both Stephens and Layton Cottrill, senior vice president for executive affairs, said her e-mail to the staff was not a letter of resignation.
“Layton suggested that Mr. Stephens let Gayle Ormiston know of the situation so I told Mr. Stephens to go ahead and discuss it with Ormiston,” Wyant said in the e-mail. “Mr. Stephens said that he was waiting to talk to Gayle and that he would call me in the morning.”
Wyant said she never heard from Stephens again.
A call to Stephens for comment was not returned.
Wyant e-mailed Michelle Douglas, associate director of Human Resource Services.
“Yesterday around 3:30 Mr. Stephens called and said that he had discussed it with Layton and that he agreed that I had not submitted a letter of resignation and that what Dr. Templeton had done would not hold up in court,” Wyant said in the e-mail to Douglas.
Douglas replied to Wyant that after speaking with Cottrill and Ormiston about her resignation, Wyant’s e-mail counted as a letter of resignation.
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