Re: “Finances Put Burlington College's Accreditation at Risk”

As someone who has witnessed the leadership and financial management of Ms. Plunkett, I am not surprised NEASC's confidence is not bolstered by her handling of finances. While a farce of a budget is submitted to the board of trustees ever year, it is never followed. Ask any department head what their budget is for their department is and they can't answer, because every financial decision is made one by one by the administration. Money is spent without regards to objectives, budget constraints or the college’s ability to actually pay those bills.

Plunkett and her administration have haphazardly attempted to create alternate revenue streams. Before they even finish getting one started, they are off to the next. The result being half-baked programs and events that end in failure. The Music Program and the Mighty Mozart series just being the latest victims. Before that they established a Continuing Ed program and that was so badly marketed, the majority of the classes were canceled. They toured China and hired a recruiter to recruit Chinese students to the college, which contributed zero new students. The Institute for Contemplative Studies doesn't exist. Just to name a few.

The business office and admission office have literally been revolving doors under this administration. In recent month, a flurry of staff members have quit. The staff and faculty are afraid to speak out, because anyone who has either been fired or driven out. Incompetent staff members have not only made it through all the cuts, but have been promoted based on their status of as "friend" in the us vs. them environment that exist under her leadership

The ironic part is Ms. Plunkett masterminded the departure of the former president based on issues of morale and a culture of fear. I don't think morale and fear can get much worse there than it is now.