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UNC President Erskine Bowles looks on as Board of Trustee Chairman Bob Woodward answers questions shortly after the BOT voted to terminate Mary Easley's contract.
The University’s troubles stemming from the 2005 hiring of then first lady Mary Easley continued this week as the University released documents that tied former Chancellor James Oblinger to Easley’s hiring.
Chancellor resigns
The controversy surrounding Mary Easley claimed another top University position Monday, as UNC President Erskine Bowles accepted the resignation of former Chancellor James Oblinger. Former Provost Larry Nielsen resigned May 22 because of the controversy linking him to her hire.
“Jim Oblinger has shared with me his decision to resign as chancellor of North Carolina State University, effective immediately,” Bowles said in a memo he sent out to the UNC Board of Governors. “I have accepted that decision with considerable sadness, but agree fully with Jim’s conclusion that it would be in the best interest of N.C. State and the entire University for him to step down as chancellor and return to the faculty.”
In his memo, Bowles said that Oblinger will be granted a six-month leave at his current salary before returning to the faculty as a professor of food science.
Oblinger’s resignation came the same day that e-mails linking him to the Easley hire were released to the public. Oblinger said in a press conference this May that he could not recall having had conversations with McQueen Campbell about the hiring of Easley.
Oblinger said in a written statement released on the University’s Web site that he chose to resign “because that is what leaders do when the institutions they lead come under distracting and undue public scrutiny.”
He also said he hoped his resignation would serve as an example to Easley.
“The only reason I am announcing my resignation is that I am applying to myself the same standards I have asked Mrs. Easley to apply to herself: I am doing it because it is in the best interests of N.C. State University,” Oblinger said in the statement.
BOT terminates Easley’s contract
Former first lady Mary Easley was fired from her post as executive-in-residence Monday during an emergency meeting of the Board of Trustees.
Board of Trustees members voted unanimously in favor of terminating Easley’s $170,000 contract.
“I believe we now have to move forward. I think to do so we have got to do everything we can to bring sunlight to this issue. I have therefore fully supported the BOT recommendation that we terminate our relationship with Mrs. Easley,” Bowles said in a press conference following the meeting.
Bowles said he did not know how much it would cost the University to terminate Easley’s contract and that no talks with her lawyer had been conducted.
He said he saw the e-mails dealing with the hiring of Easley on Friday while at N.C. State.
“They were delivered to me on Friday afternoon. Those e-mails made me feel sick. I had believed the chancellor,” Bowles said.
After the provost’s resignation, Oblinger said he did not remember the specifics surrounding the hiring of Easley. He continued to assert that until the e-mails were made public.
Board of Trustees Chairman Bob Jordan said the media was “nitpicking,” especially since, in his opinion, there has been no criminal evidence surrounding the controversy.
“Knowing what I know, I still don’t believe there was anything wrong in those e-mails,” Jordan said. “I haven’t seen anything except maybe somebody didn’t use good judgement [that was wrong],” Jordan said.