Outgoing MCCC President Dr. Jianping Wang was placed on paid administrative leave by the Board of Trustees based on the results of an independent investigation, they said. The news was announced in an email blast to the college community on Monday, April 25, just three days after Dr. Deborah Preston was announced as Mercer’s next President effective July 1.
The change in leadership follows months of contention between the former President and the Board of Trustees, as Dr. Wang addressed a letter to the Board outlining allegations of misconduct against Board Chair Mark Matzen.
A two-way investigation then began into Matzen and Dr. Wang regarding the allegations made in the letter, while another previous investigation into allegations of racial discrimination against Dr. Wang continued.
The initial investigation regarding allegations of racial discrimination by Dr. Wang began after a complaint was filed by Dr. Tonia Perry Conley, Executive Dean of Mercer’s James Kerney Campus, multiple sources, including Dr. Wang, confirmed.
Dr. Conley declined to comment on the details of the complaint and investigation results which have not been publicly released.
Both investigations were headed by external firm Lead Good, and have run up costs of $200,000 against the backdrop of an impending 3% tuition increase. The results from the investigation into Matzen have yet to be announced.
Matzen did not respond to multiple requests for comment regarding Dr. Wang’s sudden exit and the related investigation.
The email informing the campus community of Wang’s removal said that “The Board plans to appoint Vice President Barbara Basel as interim college president through June 30, 2022.”
Basel is the Vice President of Human Resources at Mercer, having held the position for two years and seven months. Her appointment as interim president disrupted the implied line of succession, taking Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Robert Schreyer’s place.
In an email to faculty, union President Professor Alvyn Haywood said that the leaders of the different unions had “met with members of the Board of Trustees and all bargaining units to discuss recent changes to the college administration.”
In the session, he wrote, “It was brought to [the Board’s] attention that typical succession would include the appointment of VPAA, Rob Schreyer, to the role of Acting President,” and that “Barbara Basel’s credentials and capabilities were routinely questioned…but the Board was unanimous in their decision.”
An anonymous Board member told The VOICE, “The Board felt like Barbara would be a neutral party.”
The decision to put Dr. Wang on paid leave was made in an executive session of the Board on Thursday, April 21. Dr. Wang says she was alerted on Monday at 9:30 am, shortly before the email to the full campus community was sent out.
“I’m just as shocked as everybody else,” Dr. Wang says. “I wish I could be there for the students one last time.”
SGA President Christian Perez said, “I don’t know if what she did was that wrong, [if it] was something against students. I don’t know if it was against administration, but yeah, it’s surprising for me and disappointing.”
With two months before her tenure begins on July 1, The Trentonian reported that Dr. Preston secured a three-year contract at $225,000 per year, $25,000 more than Wang received.
“I am concerned for the future of the college,” Dr. Wang says. “I’m concerned for the well-being of students and staff.”
In the email from the Board to the campus community announcing the appointment of Dr. Preston as next president, she was quoted as saying, “MCCC is an institution that is passionate about serving students and the residents of Mercer County, and I am thrilled to join the dedicated faculty, staff and administrators on both campuses as we work together to provide inclusive, high-quality education for our community.”
