The University of the District of Columbia can’t catch a break. Handicapped by flawed leadership, deplorable management, inadequate resources and political shenanigans, it’s a tragicomedy.
Still, some people continue to believe in its potential. They sought to persuade Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and D.C. Council Chairman Vincent Gray to include the university in the city’s education reform agenda. They pleaded for a new president with gravitas and management acumen. They urged the appointment of a stronger board of trustees.
This summer, Allen Sessoms became UDC’s president, and the mayor nominated six individuals to replace current members.
Don’t get too excited.
It’s too early to evaluate Sessoms. And, the nominees — William Keating III, Sean N. Gough, George T. Simpson, Marcus T. Ellis, Clarence Labor Jr. and Marvin Lee — are rather weak: None has served on a university board. Each has questionable fundraising skills. All are in the mayor’s pockets.
Gough directs the mayor’s Youth Advisory Council. Ellis works for the D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation. Labor is director of engineering at decision.net. Keating runs a waste services company. Simpson is president of a development company that just won a District government contract. Who knows what Lee does?
“If this is the caliber of individuals [Fenty] is nominating, then he doesn’t think much about UDC,” one resident said about the nominees, who await council confirmation.
“The mayor is confident his recent board selections for UDC will each add a great mix of energy and innovation to [the] District’s university,” said Fenty spokeswoman Mafara Hobson.
I wanted to judge for myself. Lee couldn’t be reached for comment. Labor, Gough and Keating didn’t return my telephone calls. Ellis promised to call me back but didn’t.
I did speak with Simpson.
For several years, he worked for former Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell as director of Youth Services & Summer Food Service Program. The UDC graduate and native Washingtonian said he is “supersupportive” of the school.
He wants to instigate an entrepreneurial spirit at UDC, helping students to understand “how to create wealth.” To raise funds, he “wants to create business models and have different businesses support each of the models.” For example, the school of business might be one model and he would get private companies to contribute to that model.
Simpson is enthusiastic. But being a trustee of a multimillion-dollar institution requires more than cheerleading. Still, UDC supporters like Tony De Pass believe the devil they know is far worse than the one they don’t know.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen with the new people,” said De Pass, a former adjunct professor. “All I know is that we need to get the six old [board members] off. All of them are hustlers as far as I’m concerned.”
I frequently ride with the mayor. But this is an impending train wreck. So, I’m jumping off right here, thank you very much.
