UPDATE 7:52 p.m.: Marsee has been placed on administrative leave.
It must feel like déjà vu for controversial former College of the Redwoods President/Superintendent Jeff Marsee.
Just eight months into his new job as president of San Joaquin Delta College, Marsee on Monday received overwhelming votes of “no confidence” from staff and faculty unions (whose complaints sound remarkably similar to those leveled against him by CR employees). Delta College’s Board of Trustees is meeting today to discuss the possible discipline or termination of Marsee.
Critics at Delta accuse Marsee of showing “blatant disregard” for policies and procedures, being “dictatorial,” failing to communicate transparently and employing “intimidation and fear tactics” — a litany that reflects local complaints nearly word for word.
One complaint we didn’t hear while Marsee was at CR? This one, as reported by the Lodi News Sentinel:
In one memorable presentation, a student stepped forward to say he had been a victim of harassment regarding his sexuality, and that requests for help from Marsee and others in the administration went unheeded.
“I went to Marsee’s office and told him what was happening,” said Jimmy Altes. “He looked at me and said, ‘If you don’t want to be harassed or bullied for being gay, don’t be gay.'”
This article appears in Burlesque!.
I’d laugh if it wasn’t so sad. CR is SO much better off without him.
How in the world does this guy keep getting hired? doesn’t anyone check references anymore?
That’s good advice he gave that student! He has my vote.
Good! Does that mean that you’ll be moving out of Humboldt County? ‘Cause we don’t need your ignorance around here.
He’s kinda cute! I wonder if he’s seeing anyone?
Kristy, this picture is at least ten years old. He’s not so cute. Anyway, cute is in the heart. You should know that.
Humboldt County government and CR need a lesson on HR hiring and interveiw procedures. It is rampant in this area- who keeps hiring people without doing simple background checks or using the Google.
There’s a small pool of candidates with inflated resumés that colleges feel comfortable hiring from. The CR Board of Governors has been burned more than once by hiring these overpriced “approved” candidates. The temporary hiring of Dr. Goswami illustrates that others can do the job, so why doesn’t the board look elsewhere for candidates?
Oh, come now. Everyone knows there’s a tiny, tiny pool of people qualified to lead a community college, maybe ten or twenty in the entire country. I can’t think of a single more difficult job except maybe leading a community credit union. Why do you think they get paid so highly?
I mean, think about it. You have to be able to hire administrators. You have to be able to give a decent after-dinner speech. You have to, uh, there are too many job requirements to list.
You have to know how to kiss the Board’s A**
Yes, Gina Marie. That’s why a Doctorate is necessary.
After reading in your February 2 issue that the Humboldt County Airport Manager cannot be fired because “as a public employee, her job is considered her property”, it is good to see that at least some government workers can still be fired.
I have attached a link that includes the latest public comments regarding Dr. Marsee. The link at the top is the latest.
http://www.deltacollege.edu/div/trustees/videos.html
I am an employee for SJDC and can say without a doubt, he’s one of the worst hires this school has ever made. The board knew of his past an decided to overlook the complaints as they felt he could make the tough decision. Too bad its backfired on them and now tax payers have to bear the burden of his separation demands. As for the gay student, there is now an open investigation into the claims…
We have an airport manager who needs to be fired so she can be hired and fired somewhere else.
Honestly, why does anyone at CR give a rat’s derriere about Jeff Marsee anymore except to gloat? Let’s focus on the real problem, namely an incompetent Board of Trustees and the real threat of the school closing down because the faculty get too wrapped up in petty politics.
Yes, Mitch, and preferably one that was bought in Texas.
Guest, we give a rat’s derriere because it helps us learn from our mistakes, and because we hope our trustees will learn from their mistakes, and we hope that no other college or business will suffer as CR has suffered and as SJDC has suffered. And I do mean suffer- not only was he incompetent, he was also cruel and arrogant. He should NEVER have a position of authority over other people, NEVER. So we also hope this goes into the public record and people are forewarned. This goes beyond mere gloating. It’s like seeing the man who raped your daughter go to jail for a long long time. It’s justice.
The threat of the school closing down, which I’m guessing you mean the “show cause” status, has nothing to do with faculty politics, petty or otherwise. 99% of the problems were directly caused by the Marsee reign. The report issued by the team makes that very clear- what ignorant outsiders, or what Jeff Marsee blamed on faculty, is shown very clearly to be caused by administrative mis-management, lack of oversight of the president by the board, failure to prioritize and set goals, failure to follow policies and procedures, failure to integrate planning and budgeting, again, kind of a management thing, don’t you think?
We are ready to focus on the real problems- there’s more than one- but the college will need the support of the entire community to pull through this. Please think what you can do to help.
Gina Marie, You are wrong in blaming Jeff Marsee for all the accreditation problems although he no doubt made them much worse. Some of the warnings predate Marsee by a considerable time. And what I mean by petty politics is that they spent so much time fighting about things that didn’t matter much in the long run that they failed to get the work finished that was required of the College. If blame is to be placed on any one group, which I don’t think it can be in all fairness, then place it on the BoT because they hired these 5 presidents in the last 10 years and they kept approving all they did. And I think you overstate the significance of Jeff Marsee considerably with the analogy of rape. Did he make stupid decisions? No doubt. He’s gone, forget about the clown and move on and quit the incessant gloating.
99% from Marsee?
lol!
That’s rich.
College of the Retards has been run into the ground for years and years now, Marsee wasn’t the one that hired a person with a online degree and put him in charge of….
Oh yeah…who was that? Best friends with that Patty Berg lady…
Dear Guest and anon.r.mous: read my comment on CR accreditation: http://www.northcoastjournal.com/blogthing/2012/02/03/cr-one-step-away-losing-accreditation/ where you see that I DO call the board to account.
As for your claims that I put too much blame on Marsee, well, I just disagree. The ultimate authority for organizing and managing staff to ensure that all the work required to function effectively as a college, including meeting the demands of accreditation, lies with the board and the president.
Your slur on mentally disabled persons, and using that as an insult against the college, does not persuade me of your claims but only makes me think you’re a troll.
I don’t know anything about who is or is not friends with Patty Berg, but I did have direct, in-person, first hand, eyewitness experience of all presidents back to Sampson. Yes, varying levels of competence and incompetence, but Marsee took it to a whole new level. Just listen to some of the comments from SJDC on the video.
And I’m not gloating. And I’m fully prepared to move on and help rebuild the college.
Poor Gina Marie, someone who comes late to the party and claims to know all the dinner guests. It’s cute. As for the “slur”, it has been in common use since the early 80’s and has been uttered by some of the reporters at this paper even! So get off your high horse that Marsee was the complete King of Idiots out at CR, he may have been one of many, but he sure wasn’t the one that started the downward turn at CR.
But we should believe that an insider such as yourself who has known and worked with all past Presidents would be the best judge, after all, you’ll be in the best place to rebuild, after you’ve let it slide so far.
Sad thing is, this is how Marsee makes his living, getting paid to f… things up and move on and get paid for it. This is his 3rd time at-least on this scam, 3 strikes and your out. He needs to be band from the Ed system!
I’ve heard that these college administrators get glowing recommendations because that’s how colleges fob them off onto another college (“oh yes, he’s great, take him please!”). How fucked up is that?
I wonder if that’s Abe Ali. If so, Kettle, meet Pot.
Odd, a post was removed here.
Anon.r.mous, you have at least one insult per sentence, quite impressive. Insults do not make reasonable or compelling arguments. No one can tell whether your insults about me are true or not. But anyone can see clearly what your insults say about YOU.
I notice that you complain about my insults, not about how right I am.
U guys still talking about this? It’s old news, he’s gone!
As a former CR student in late 70s and early 80s,I worked there extensivly as there was no employment around to be found.As a security guard I was incouraged by the jurdepartment to spy on the Dean(Jerry Six)and the president(Hanna?) whom at the time was inbroiled in a plot to steal and/or use the financial aid money to cover a purchase of property in mandocino.They then voted to sell/purchase the property for the college which was illegal.I pulled a watergate and we took copies of the evidance involving the Sasquach Corperation. Thats how they got caught then.But to no availe.They were forced by the court to buy it back and did so twice,making money in all directions.Then they had done it again.The woulda got jail time if it were you or me but they used the deep pockets of the college to pay off corrupt politicians and the judge.This statement is true and correct to the best of my recallection.Forgive my spelling the CIA at the lighthouse ranch had poisoned me so I am not completely so well anymore.M.L.Z.