NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Judith Huntington is out as President of the College of New Rochelle, the board announced today, due to “significant unmet financial obligations that had accrued over a period of time”.
The board learned of the problems in September and initiated a forensic accounting examination which is ongoing.
At a faculty meeting earlier today, school officials said the tenured staff are no longer secure in their jobs and the school will likely have to merge with another school. All options are said to be on the table. The situation was described as dire.
In a statement issued moments ago, the college announced:
The Board of Trustees of The College of New Rochelle accepted the resignation of Judith Huntington as President on Saturday. The Trustees named Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Dorothy Escribano as Interim President. Kevin Cavanagh, the College’s Vice President of Enrollment Management, has agreed to serve as Executive Vice President of Strategy and Planning.
In September 2016, the Board of Trustees was advised of significant unmet financial obligations that had accrued over a period of time. The Board took immediate action and appointed a Special Committee of Trustees to oversee an investigation into the matter. The Trustees also engaged a Chief Restructuring Officer to restructure and manage the College’s finances and hired a forensic accountant and outside law firm to perform the investigation, which is ongoing.
“Our foremost responsibility is to the students and their families who have invested their resources and their futures in the quality academic programming that the College has provided,” Gwen Adolph, the Chair of the College’s Board of Trustees, said. “We have made these changes because we are looking in new directions to protect and preserve the mission of The College of New Rochelle. We are committed to ensuring that our students have the opportunity to complete their education and take advantage of life’s opportunities.”
“We are examining all of our options as we work to meet the financial challenges and protect the interests of our students and the CNR community,” Adolph added. “We anticipate providing more details regarding this matter when the investigation is complete.”