Related: No Deal For Dobelle
"Dobelle resigns from Westfield State presidency; Accused of lavish and improper spending, college head had sought settlement; will continue defamation suit" by Andrea Estes and Scott Allen | Globe Staff, November 08, 2013
Westfield State University president Evan Dobelle abruptly retired Friday afternoon, departing the school with nothing but his pension as investigators for the school and two state agencies pored over records of his questionable spending of university resources on international travel, five-star hotels, limousines, and high-priced restaurants.
Dobelle received no severance or other payments from the university in exchange for his retirement, though he will be eligible for a state pension of about $90,000 a year.
I'm so happy austerity-strapped taxpayers are on the hook for that.
Dobelle, who was placed on paid leave by university trustees in October, had been trying to obtain a financial settlement in exchange for his resignation. But the trustees rejected his most recent proposal of six months’ pay and the title of president emeritus, according to someone briefed on the trustees’ reaction.
Instead, facing a report on his spending habits by university lawyers later this month, Dobelle announced his immediate retirement. In his letter of resignation, Dobelle blamed the trustees for forcing him out, saying they had violated his contract by placing him on leave.
“Of course, this was not my chosen path at this particular time,” wrote Dobelle, 68, who has been president since 2008. “It is instead the result of the university’s actions and failure to abide by the terms of my contract.”
Dobelle said his resignation would be best for the school, which was slapped with a partial freeze on state funding amid concerns about whether he could continue as president. Dobelle said he believed his retirement would lead to a lifting of the freeze....
As word filtered out among Dobelle’s critics at Westfield State last night, the reaction was immediate and joyful, as people hoped for an end to almost three months of intense and unwanted attention on the school of 5,400 students a few miles west of Springfield....
The controversy at Westfield State became public in mid-August when the Globe reported on Dobelle’s free-spending ways, including a tab of nearly $150,000 to take a Westfield State delegation to Asia and $10,000 for tickets at Tanglewood, where Dobelle liked to take potential donors....
He also used funds to visit the exclusively-male Bohemian Grove retreat.
Initially, most trustees rallied to Dobelle’s defense, even questioning the accountant’s findings. But since then, pressure has been mounting on them to take action, as the state inspector general and the attorney general each launched investigations while the state froze millions in funding for construction and other purposes.
Finally, after a 10-hour executive session Oct. 16, trustees unanimously voted to place Dobelle on paid leave, even demanding that he immediately turn in his university car. The trustees also asked attorneys at the law firm Fish & Richardson to investigate Dobelle’s spending and report back by Nov. 25.
Until now, Dobelle had fought back hard, hiring a public relations firm and a lawyer to counter the wave of criticism....
But, behind the scenes, Dobelle was trying to negotiate a settlement with the school. The night he was placed on leave, Dobelle had said he would resign if the trustees gave him an immediate paid sabbatical and let him return as a tenured faculty member.
Unable to reach a deal, Dobelle announced Friday that he would retire from the job, which paid him an annual salary of $240,920. State pension records show Dobelle would be entitled to an annual pension of about $90,000....
A spokesman for Dobelle said that he planned to continue his lawsuit against the trustees and Freeland, which accuses them of “cowboy tactics” in their zeal to destroy Dobelle’s career.
Meanwhile, the investigations of spending by Dobelle and other senior administrative staff members are continuing....
Investigators for Attorney General Martha Coakley are examining whether Dobelle made illegal “false claims” to get reimbursement for dubious expenses, according to someone briefed on the investigation....
She has her own problems and tests right now.
--more--"
