David Balkin is out as president of SUNY-Erie Neighborhood School

Balkin and the school are parting methods seven weeks after he was suspended by the ECC Board of Trustees whereas it investigated an ECC employees member’s grievance in opposition to him – and solely 11 months after he took the job.

Balkin’s departure is efficient instantly, the school stated. Provost Adiam Tsegai will proceed her function as Officer in Cost till the board finds a alternative for Balkin.

Balkin’s departure got here following a particular assembly of ECC’s Board of Trustees on Monday afternoon. After about 45 minutes in government session, the board emerged and authorised “a confidential separation settlement” with Balkin.

Later, the board issued an announcement that stated, “The Board of Trustees of SUNY Erie Neighborhood School has accepted Dr. David Okay. Balkin’s resignation as President of the School.”

“Dr. Balkin led the School over the past 12 months, confronting pandemic-related points, monetary challenges and sure know-how platform considerations,” the assertion stated. “The Board of Trustees appreciates Dr. Balkin’s efforts on these and different fronts throughout his tenure, and needs Dr. Balkin effectively in his future endeavors.”

Balkin, contacted following the assembly, stated he couldn’t remark.

Balkin got here to ECC in February with a mission to stabilize the financially troubled faculty and put it on a path to draw extra college students and prepare extra of the employees wanted by the area’s employers. After a profession in enterprise, he had carried out an identical troubleshooting function to save lots of a group faculty in South Bend, Ind.

However Balkin was suspended from ECC with pay on Oct. 27 whereas trustees employed a third-party investigator to look right into a grievance in opposition to him that reportedly concerned an argument with an worker.

The grievance reportedly resulted from a confrontation between Balkin and a library employees member over his concept to relocate the library at ECC’s metropolis campus into the county’s downtown public library as a cost-cutting measure.

Within the technique of “rightsizing” the school to replicate years of declining enrollment, Balkin labored carefully with three of the 4 unions representing ECC employees, about 90 of whom opted to take an early retirement incentive provided by the county and the school. Balkin lower one other 60 positions in the summertime, together with some librarians, however no full-time college, to stave off a projected $9 million deficit this 12 months.

The one union that resisted Balkin’s strategies, the School Federation of ECC, has criticized him for making modifications with out their enter. FFECC President Andrew Sako was not out there for remark Monday night.

Balkin had been exploring the concept of transferring the library on the faculty’s Metropolis Campus into vacant area within the downtown public library – an idea that was rapidly derailed by detractors from the school union who bought wind of the concept in mid-October.

In addition to reducing employees at ECC, Balkin discontinued a number of low-performing packages at ECC’s South Campus and had been working to scale back the footprint of a three-campus faculty with duplicate packages at every.

He has additionally been outspokenly clear about what he noticed as wasteful spending by earlier administrations that may take years to recuperate.

Balkin’s plan has been to shift ECC’s focus away from common research unfold throughout three campuses and streamline packages to replicate trade calls for – together with providing short-term certificates packages for brand spanking new careers that do not require conventional faculty levels.

He has been constructing a deal with packages that present a pathway to jobs for college kids by constructing ties with native employers which are struggling to seek out employees with in-demand expertise.