Mott Community College ratifies contract for interim president despite controversy

FLINT, Mich. (WNEM) - Monday night, the Mott Community College Board of Trustees ratified the contract for interim president Shaunda Richardson-Snell in a 5-2 vote despite opposition from two board members, many faculty members and others.

Just as during last week’s meeting, trustees Michael Freeman and Art Reyes voted against Richardson-Snell.

Freeman and Reyes have repeatedly stated Richardson-Snell is not the right fit because she has no experience in education.

Multiple faculty members and others spoke out against Richardson-Snell’s appointment during Monday night’s meeting.

Initially, public comments were slated to come before the contract vote but, in a 5-2 vote with Freeman and Reyes voting against, the board voted to alter the agenda and have the contract vote come first. That decision further upset those looking to speak out against Richardson-Snell’s appointment.

Prior to the meeting, two faculty members told TV5 Richardson-Snell is not the right choice for the job.

“We had a candidate who was super qualified. I want to know, you know, what is she bringing that the board feels we’re lacking?” said faculty union president Kim Owens.

“Our enrollment’s not bad. The funding is there. We’re in a great spot. We need a good academic leader,” faculty member Lisa Novak said.

Richardson-Snell has an extensive background in finance for companies like Delphia, Trinity Health and General Motors according to her social media.

At Thursday’s board meeting, she acknowledged her lack of experience in higher education, “I have not developed college level curriculum, but I trust there are experts on the team that I would look to.”

Four candidates interviewed. Owens and Novak believe Richardson-Snell was the weakest choice.

Owens said her experience in the corporate world would not be enough for what the school needs.

“It was pretty clear that she’s more concerned with funding and that’s about it. But that’s not all that we are. That’s not all that a community college president needs to focus on. We are here first and foremost for our students,” Owens said.

During her interview, Richardson-Snell stated, because she does not come from a higher education background, it could take her up 90 days to get up to speed.

Faculty said time is of the essence at the community college, especially pertaining to keeping important higher learning commission accreditations, which an administrator is usually expected to be well versed in.

“If we lose our accreditation through the HLC because of decisions made by our board, our students lose their financial aid. They will not get financial aid funding,” Novak said.

Novak said it’s a critical move that could stop classes from transferring and ultimately could put the school in jeopardy of closing.

“That’s a huge loss to the community. It’s a huge loss to our students. It’s a huge loss to the city of Flint,” Novak said.

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