Montgomery College President Ousted

The faculty at Montgomery College wanted their school's president out over accusations of lavish personal spending, and now they've gotten their wish.

The full 10-member Board of Trustees voted Thursday night not to renew Brian Johnson's $233,000 contract, placing him on paid administrative leave effective immediately. The move comes over criticism of excessive spending by Johnson, including more than $58,000 in credit card bills, nearly $800 for limos, and a $4,000 charged for a hotel in Delhi—a claim Johnson denies.

A no-confidence vote last week led to a meeting over his fate on Thursday, and a controversial start to this new school year.

About two dozen Montgomery College faculty and staff members came to the administrative center in Rockville on Thursday night. They wanted trustees like Reginald Felton to know they want Montgomery College President Brian Johnson fired.

"I am here for the betterment of the institution and that I trust our Board of Trustees to make a decision that will enable us to continue to do what we do best, which is serve the students of Montgomery College," said Nancy Nuell, director of business development and grants.

Some 60,000 students are enrolled in classes right now. It's a huge institution with ever-tightening budgets.

College President Dr. Brian Johnson has fallen out of favor with some of his employees for allegedly missing important budget meetings and spending lavishly on himself.

"i think it all started with the missing of meetings rather than the spending-- that came out a little later on. Since that time, there are other things that have come forward that are just really troubling," said Tim Kirkner, a teacher.

Six weeks ago, some full-time faculty who are members of the American Association of University Professors urged trustees to investigate Johnson and place him on leave. That didn't happen, so last Thursday the faculty voted overwhelmingly for a resolution asking for Johnson's dismissal.

The following statement was provided by the Montgomery College Board of Trustees Chair, Dr. Michael C. Lin, on Thursday, September 3, 2009:

"Good evening. My name is Dr. Michael Lin and I am the chairman of the Board of Trustees for Montgomery College.

We realize that you have been patiently waiting for us to conclude our deliberations.

I can tell you that we, as a Board, have decided to make a change in the leadership of the College. The Board voted not to renew Dr. Johnson's contract. We also voted to place Dr. Johnson on administrative leave, with pay, effective immediately so that the Board can consider further action.

With the new semester underway, we are determined to maintain leadership here at the College. To that end, we are appointing former provost Dr. Hercules Pinkney as interim president and he has agreed to serve starting tomorrow. We look forward to Dr. Pinkney's stewardship.

We arrived at these decisions after much discussion and deliberation. We take our responsibility of oversight of the College seriously and feel this action is in the best interest of the Montgomery College community.

We make this decision for the greater good of Montgomery College and for the entire community at large.

This is what I can tell you at this time. We will keep you informed as we move forward in the best interests of the College."