Diné College officials respond to petition

Posted by Cindy Yurth | May 21, 2015 | News |

WINDOW ROCK

The administration of Diné College has responded to a petition asking the board of regents to discipline college president Maggie George.

Administration officials said the 38 faculty members who signed the petition should have gone through internal channels and the statements contained in the petition “may be found to be unlawful.”

The petition, which has been circulating for several weeks, states George has undermined morale and violated college policies by leaving the faculty out of the decision-making process, allowing her husband (education professor Dan McLaughlin) too much authority and appointing an unqualified person to the position of dean of academics.

“The college has clearly defined personnel policies in place to address such internal complaints,” wrote Cameron Daines, vice president of institutional advancement, to Navajo Times Editor Candace Begody, “which include review and, if necessary, independent investigations.

Further, in accordance with college personnel policies, such statements may be found to be unlawful.”

Faculty members circulating the petition said they have tried to take their complaints about George to the board of regents through their faculty association, but they are not allowed to speak.

In her email, Daines also detailed George’s accomplishments over the past year, including continued accreditation, securing funding for dual credit classes and completing Year 3 of the Achieve the Dream initiative allowing the college to address achievement gaps in developmental education.

In addition, “The college has made capital improvements to several of the college’s centers and campuses over the past year,” Daines wrote, including building 32 family housing units, two Student Success buildings, extra support for the faculty office building in Tuba city, renovation of the student union building in Tsaile and the future exterior renovation of the Ned Hatathlie Center.

Funding for the renovations comes from a Title III grant for construction and strengthening programs.