Chapman ousted early as Lewis and Clark president, Artis named interim president - The Edwardsville Intelligencer

Dr. Dale Chapman, file photo from a previous meeting.

Dr. Dale Chapman, file photo from a previous meeting.

Photo: Nathan Woodside | Hearst Illinois

Photo: Nathan Woodside | Hearst Illinois

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Image 1 of 15

Dr. Dale Chapman, file photo from a previous meeting.

Photo: Nathan Woodside | Hearst Illinois

GODFREY — Dale Chapman is out as president of Lewis and Clark Community College, following months of clashing with a new conservative board majority that relentlessly tested his policies, as well as those of remaining long-standing board members and some administrators.

That board majority of Chairman David Heyen, Vice Chairman Julie Johnson, Kevin Rust and Charles Hanfelder had already voted not to renew Chapman’s contract when scheduled to end July 1, 2020. However, the cohort suddenly decided to end his 27-year tenure even earlier, offering him a resignation and separation agreement, effective immediately.

The decision came Tuesday night following a two-plus-hour executive session with fellow trustees Bob Watson, Brenda McCain, Dwight Werts and Student Trustee April Tulgetske.

The vote to accept Chapman’s resignation was unanimous. He didn’t attend the meeting and was not available for comment.

Few details behind the decision were given, citing the school’s personnel policies. Tulgetske was visibly emotional during the vote.

“The board’s action tonight reflects the desire to move the institution forward in a new direction,” Heyen read from a statement. “The Board of Trustees certainly appreciates Dr. Chapman’s years devoted to education and his service to the college, but it believes now is the time for a transition into the future. While we appreciate there might be concerns from employees and those in the community, the board does not make this decision lightly when considering the impact Dr. Chapman’s 30 years of service have had on this college and its many constituents.

“We recognize that some employees and community members might not identify the need for this early transition, but we ask for everyone’s understanding that the board is acting in the best long-term interest of the college,” Heyen read.

Lori Artis, Lewis and Clark’s vice president of administration who has been employed at the college since 2000, was named interim president. The board has hired a contractor to vet possible replacements for Chapman at a cost of $45,000 to $52,000.

Details of the separation agreement offered were not public record Tuesday night, pending Chapman’s signature. The document essentially amounts to the offer of an outlined severance package in exchange for his resignation. Chapman’s current annual salary is $466,840.

He’s had the loudly vocal support of college employees, faculty, Metro East community leaders and Illinois legislators since the first talk of the new board majority’s plans to end his tenure. In October, all 40 members of the RiverBend Growth Association signed a letter supporting him at the helm.

Supporters again spoke for him Tuesday night.

“Why fire a good man from his job, which he’s good at, before his little — last — semester?” asked Ashtyn Britt, President of Lewis and Clark’s Student Government Association. “You’ve already gotten what you wanted. Let the school have a last semester to give him a proper goodbye.”

Retired Madison County Associate Judge Duane Bailey accused board members of making accusations and criticisms against Chapman without having facts.

“Bear in mind how much better off this college is than it was 20 years ago,” he said. “You complain about the buildings, but the buildings here are stellar. You complain about the faculty’s salaries; I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that. A lot of faculty are going to leave now, because they know they cannot trust this board to support the head of education.”

Alan Lash addressed Dale Chapman’s wife, Dr. Linda Chapman — vice president of academic affairs — seated in the front row at Tuesday’s meeting.

“I’m so sorry that this is happened to you, and happened in this way,” he said. “I just want you to know how much we really appreciate you, and how much you’ve done for this college.”

He went on to refer to Heyen, Johnson, Rust and Hanfelder as “four ignoramuses.”

“On second thought, maybe ignoramus is too big of a word,” he continued. “Maybe stupid is the appropriate word. I don’t mean to be disrespectful folks, but this university has been named one of the top 150 schools in the nation, and for you to do something like this, to this kind of success — for what?”

T.A. Ambrose was the lone speaker supporting board members.

“I would like to thank the board for their hard work, and I think the college is going to see some good days now,” he said. “With the board members we have now, we have a lot to look forward to. Name calling, and the rest of it, isn’t going to solve the problem. You have to work together.”

New board members have been vocal about their aim to shrink the college’s debt by expedited means, reducing expenditures and increasing traditional enrollment with lower student costs. Rust and Johnson have been methodical during open meetings, requesting explanations for expense items in detail.

Lewis and Clark’s long-term debt has risen from $114.3 million in Fiscal Year 2012 to $121 million in Fiscal Year 2019, but sliced off more than $9 million compared to Fiscal Year 2018’s audit numbers.

While assembling the Fiscal Year 2020, the newly-elected board majority drew ire from faculty after reneging on signed employment contracts under the previous, shortening them, against the legal advice of the board’s former attorney.

Auditing Chapman’s travel expenses

In November, board members hired Forensic Accounting & Consulting Services, Inc. Principal CFE and CPA Jeremy Plank to conduct an audit of Chapman’s travel expenses. Plank is the former chairman of the Madison County Republican Party who left that post in 2017; he supported the candidacies of Heyen, Johnson, Rust and Hanfelder.

The move brought criticism from Chapman’s supporters, who claimed the likelihood of political bias.

“I know Jeremy and he’s in this line of work,” Johnson said, as reported by the LC Bridge student newspaper. “I think he’d be good at it. He has experience with the college. He’s someone that I trust, and it’s very important in this line of work that you trust who’s doing it because they might run across some sensitive issues, and it’s only $5,000.”

There is no indication Chapman’s early ouster is the result of any findings within the audit, which is either not yet completed or not entered into the public record.

Chapman’s tenure

Chapman began at Lewis and Clark in 1988 as vice president of administration and finance. He was promoted to president in 1992.

During his tenure, student enrollment grew from 3,000 to 20,000 at its peak, contributing more than $360 million in tax funds to the college’s district. Traditional student enrollment has slipped in recent years as dual credit and specialized labor programs become more popular.

Major projects during his time at the school include: The McPike Complex, which includes the Olin Science Building, The Commons, Robert L. Watson Math Building and the Templin Nursing Building; the River Bend Arena, the renovation of Trimpe; the construction and renovation of the N.O. Nelson Campus in Edwardsville; the construction of the Macoupin County Community Education Center in Carlinville; the renovation and construction of the Ringhausen Music Building; and the relocation of the Benjamin Godfrey Chapel.

In 2016, the $4.5 million state-of-the-art Weber Workforce Center, toured by President Donald Trump’s daughter and advisor Ivanka Trump, was opened.

His tenure was not without controversy. In the spring of 2010, Chapman retired in order to collect a reported $1.8 million in payouts after property investments he’d made in Massachusetts went sour. He then returned as LCCC president months later at one of the highest annual salaries in the state for a community college president.

Chapman also was criticized for employing his wife, Dr. Linda Chapman, as vice president of academic affairs, at an annual salary of more than $230,000. Her most recent contract expires on July 1, 2020 at $249,333.

He’s also been criticized for signing a no-bid contract with a consulting firm, The Horinko Group in Washington, D.C., at $500,000 annually since 2008. The firm employs the Chapmans’ son.