Friday, July 6, 2007

Presidential chutzpah!

A FRIEND sent me this Sac Bee article about the recent resignation of the President of Lassen College, Homer Cissell—an entertainingly corrupt fellow, it seems.

My friend writes: “some leaders know when to quit.” No doubt, she was alluding to one of the many deficiencies of SOCCCD's "leader," namely, Chancellor Raghu P. Mathur, whom our board seems determined to support no matter what he does or fails to do.

According to the Sacramento Bee,
Homer Cissell, president of Lassen Community College since 2002, resigned Thursday in the midst of a crisis that includes academic probation, declining enrollment and a projected deficit of more than $1 million.

…The college with about 1,600 full-time students has been on academic probation since January, when an accreditation commission found "a pathological college culture" and a power struggle that "has crippled the college governance structure."

Last month, critics of the college administration launched a campaign to oust four members of the governing board.

Citing a 20 percent drop in enrollment, financial deficits and "a failed administration," the recall committee targeted the four trustees who have "consistently supported Cissell without question," said Carole Hack, one of the recall proponents.

…A native of Illinois, Cissell had 25 years of college teaching and administrative experience when he arrived on the Lassen College campus near Susanville. The college had 2,600 full-time students and had just learned that its accreditation had been reinstated after six years on academic probation.

…Cissell said one of his proudest accomplishments is obtaining $1.8 million in grants for a campus computer system that will allow students to register, add and drop classes and pay bills online.

But his Lassen legacy also includes a faculty vote of no confidence, a class-action lawsuit alleging discrimination, and a 2006 grand jury report citing several incidents involving abuse of power by Cissell.

A state attorney general review of the grand jury allegations found Cissell's actions "somewhat unorthodox" but not illegal….
(My emphases throughout.)
Naturally, one wants to know more about these “unorthodox” but “not illegal” actions.

According to a year-old Chronicle article (which refers to an article in the Lassen County News),
the jury found that the president, Homer L. Cissell Jr., arranged to be the only student in a carpentry course one of whose objectives was to remodel a barn where he keeps two horses.
Wow. Homer L. Cissell, we wish you well!

See also China sentences official to death for corruption

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Somewhat unorthodox" is quite the euphemism.

Anonymous said...

I doubt that Mathur owns horses, though he does resemble a horse's ass.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Anonymous said...

Please stop picking on our Chancellor!

How would you like it if you were petty, grasping, narcissistic, dishonest, abusive, and shameless and someone continually drew attention to that fact?

You'd hate it! Be honest!

People like you are what's wrong with America today.

Anonymous said...

You make a good point. Sean Hannity was saying something like that just the other day.

Anonymous said...

Corruption in public education is common and quite rampant within faculty unions.

Roy Bauer said...

6:02/7:03:

I deleted your posts, which were whole articles cut from news sources.

If you want people to read an article, then leave the link:



AK47 inventor: “I sleep well”

Cutting and pasting is for grade schoolers.

I'd be happy to explain how to provide links. Let me know.

torabora said...

Oh Cissell is a delightfully unorthodox fellow.When the Chancellors office took notice of the carpentry class shennanigans he ordered Cissell to repay the 2 part time instructors pay, some $4800. Cissell sued the instructors for the money in small claims court. The court found for the instructors and ordered Cissell to pay another $800 for extra work done....could be for the bar built for Cissells house. It is unknown if any money was ever repaid.
Cissells final act at Lassen was having the hard drive removed from an employees computer. This employee has been on paid administrative leave and is a member of the class action lawsuit.
The stories are legion. I'll leave you with this one. What happened to the beautiful cherry wood conference table that was in Cissells office?

Roy Bauer said...

7:52:

You incredibly stupid jackass, for the thousandth time: if you want people to read an article, leave the link, not the entire article.

I deleted it.

God, what an idiot.

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

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