After weeks of speculation about her future, Burlington College President Jane O’Meara Sanders resigned Monday after reaching a settlement with the Board of Trustees. A press release from the small college, which purchased buildings and property previously owned by the Catholic Diocese for $10 million less than a year ago, said Sanders will step down on Oct. 14 but gave no reason for the change.

According to Sanders, her decision to leave is the result of differences with the trustees over the college’s direction and future. During her seven years as president, new academic majors and an institutional aid fund for students have been developed. However, the recent property purchase, combined with rising tuition and difficulties expanding enrollment, has intensified financial, management and academic pressures.

Until recently, Sanders, wife of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, hoped to continue as president for another four years. But negotiations over a new contract stalled as doubts emerged about her plans and fundraising. In August, the board voted to negotiate an early exit package.

Last week, after a VTDigger.org story described the challenges facing the school, the agenda for a special Board of Trustees meeting, held at the Sheraton Hotel on Monday, was leaked. The agenda revealed that the trustees would be discussing the “removal of the president.” Lawyers for Sanders and the college have since reached a settlement that includes her resignation effective in three weeks, the title of President Emeritus and a year-long-paid sabbatical.

Purchase of the 200-student college’s new campus has created opportunities to “significantly grow the student body and fully realize the expansion of academic programs,” according to the announcement of Sanders’ departure. But her goal of doubling enrollment before the end of the decade could be tough to achieve, and millions of dollars more need to be raised to complete the new campus renovations.

After Sanders became college president in 2004, Burlington College initially experienced a decline in enrollment and, after a few years, faculty discontent. In an open letter to the trustees released on Sept. 21, former faculty member Genese Grill described the atmosphere in harsh terms. Staff, faculty and students “have been reduced to silence and fear of retribution by what can only be described as a pattern of intimidation, spying, and targeting of critical voices,” she wrote.

Grill described a closed and hostile environment, claiming that Sanders frequently yelled at staff and managed to eliminate anyone who voiced criticism. In the letter, Grill claims that “many concerned voices were forced out by continual abuse and by eventually being offered humiliating and unfair contracts in which they were demoted below people who were, in many cases, less qualified for their positions.”

In the last six years, about 40 people have left the school, Grill estimates, “most (if not all) deeply disillusioned with the institution and its processes, most harboring bitterness and deep regret.”

Since word began to circulate that Sanders might be leaving, both bitterness and hope have resurfaced in emails and website comments about the school. Grill believes that it will be “a good deal easier for the devoted and well-qualified instructors and staff at Burlington College to do their good work without Jane Sanders’ obstructions.”

The Board of Trustees has consistently declined to comment, in part due to confidentiality rules. But its official announcement says that Sanders will “consult with the college” on fundraising and other issues as the board develops “an interim leadership plan” and looks for a new president.

Despite her abrupt departure as president, Sanders promises to remain “involved with the college forever.”

Filed Under: Education
Tagged With: Burlington College, Jane Sanders
Greg Guma
Greg Guma is a longtime Vermont journalist. Starting as a Bennington Banner reporter in 1968, he was the editor of the Vanguard Press from 1978 to 1982, and published a syndicated column in the 1980s and 90s

Under current Democratic rules, Clinton has 1,662 pledged delegates and Sanders has 1,373; that’s a lead of 289 delegates.3

This means that Sanders has won a larger share of the pledged delegates (45.2 percent) than of the popular Democratic vote (42.3 percent). David Wasserman recently explained that this gap exists partly because some of Sanders’s best states have used caucuses instead of primaries, and turnout is lower in caucuses, where it’s harder to vote.

So what’s the takeaway? The Democrats’ delegate allocation rules are more “fair” than the GOP’s rules in the sense that vote shares are translated into delegate shares more faithfully and uniformly — but aspects of the process, such as the use of low-turnout caucuses and some delegates getting allocated based on the results of subsequent conventions, can distort that translation. If the Democrats used Republican allocation, Clinton would have wrapped up the nomination long, long ago. If the Republicans used Democratic allocation, we’d almost assuredly be heading toward a contested Republican convention.

edit: Brad C Deutsch lawyer that accused HRC Campaign of Violating FEC Campaign night before NY primary!!!

Bloomberg’s Mark Halperin said Donald Trump’s foreign policy speech could have easily been delivered by Hillary. His colleague John Heilemann was having none of it.

“Oh come on! Come on!,” Heilemann shot back. “Hillary Clinton as a candidate has given extraordinarily detailed, articulate foreign policy speeches which we have praised on this show for their degree of rigor and for their degree of knowledge of the world. This speech had none of that!” “There was nothing the man said today that made me think he was qualified to be commander in chief in that speech. Nothing.”
Watch:

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Hillary was introduced by state Rep. Charlie Stallworth (D-Bridgeport), a local pastor who read his prepared remarks.

When Hillary entered the circular, secured area from the back of the room, the energy in the room soared. It’s impossible not to note the pretty ensembles she wears with accessories and jewelry. This day she wore an aquamarine coat and scarf over tan pants and looked stunning with low heels which allowed her to quickly maneuver and climb steps. When I watch her gracefulness, I see a yoga student.

“I’m going to do everything I can to make sure America’s best years are ahead of us,” she told supporters in the university’s gym. “You should feel that your country has your back. Our economy does better when we have a Democrat in the White House.” She hit all the high notes; the crowd’s enthusiasm exploded. For Hillary’s approximately 30 minute speech, she spoke without notes or a teleprompter. It was impossible for the audience to be distracted. One has the feeling she digs deep into her vast intellect to recall experiences, names of people and moments that cement relationships, and get you hooked on her extraordinary abilities.

Bernie Sanders is still outspending Hillary Clinton over the airwaves.

His campaign has spent $4.6 million in ads in the April 26 primary states of Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, according to ad-spending data from SMG Delta.

By comparison, the Clinton campaign has spent $2.4 million in those same states. (Delaware is also holding a primary on Tuesday, but it shares a media market with Pennsylvania - so it doesn't show up in the SMG Delta numbers.)

On the Republican side, outside groups opposing Donald Trump spent just $100,000 in these April 26 states, while Trump's campaign aired $1.3 million -- in Pennsylvania alone.