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Overview:
New chair Austin Fölnagy and vice-chair Jerry Rust said they were committed to improving relationships between board members.
In a 4-3 vote that highlighted the divisions on Lane Community College’s governing body, Austin Fölnagy was elected chair of the college’s Board of Education at its meeting Wednesday, July 2.
Fölnagy, who has served on the board since 2021 and is the immediate past president of the Oregon Community College Association, bested the board’s former vice-chair, Kevin Alltucker. Fölnagy succeeds Zachary Mulholland, who was not nominated for either the chair or vice-chair position.
A newcomer on the board, former Lane County Commissioner Jerry Rust, was elected vice-chair by acclamation after board member Steve Mital declined a nomination for the position.
“We have been quite a divided board,” Mital said in praising Rust’s nomination. “I think Jerry has some unique skills in pulling people together.”
In a brief interview after the meeting, Fölnagy said one of his goals as chair is to “empower others. I want to empower board members, and especially board members that I disagree with.
“My goal is to make sure that all voices are heard,” he said, “and that we shift our focus away from whatever are our personal agendas and focus on our students.”
Fölnagy voted for his own nomination, with outgoing chair Mulholland, and two newcomers — Rust and Jesse Maldonado — joining the majority.
Alltucker voted for his own nomination, along with board members Julie Weismann and Mital.
Rust admitted he is not yet completely familiar with the “chessboard” at LCC, but he brings 20 years of experience as a Lane County commissioner from 1977-1997. He talked about the importance of maintaining healthy relationships and the board’s past struggles with this.
“I bring to the table the knowledge about people, how people function, work, cooperate, and that’s what I want to see on this board,” Rust said.
Fölnagy and Rust take the reins of a board that has been riven by internal tension that became public during its April 2 meeting.
That’s when Alltucker read aloud a letter accusing Mulholland, the board’s chair, of abusive and bullying behavior directed at LCC President Stephanie Bulger. Mulholland denied the accusation, said he admired the work Bulger has done at LCC and added that the letter reflected a strained relationship between him and Alltucker.
LCC officials referred the matter to outside counsel for investigation. The investigation is in progress and board members, citing the investigation, have said little about it.
But the board may be facing increasing pressure to say something about the investigation, judging by comments at the meeting from Susan Cox Fitz-Gerald, member of the Lane Community College Foundation Board of Directors.
In April, the foundation sent a letter to the Board of Education asking that Mulholland, the chair of the board at the time, step down from his role as chair while the investigation was underway. Cox Fitz-Gerald said the foundation “did not receive the courtesy of a reply.” The foundation’s request about Mulholland is moot, now that the board has new leadership.
But she urged the board to bring the investigation to an end.
“We are understanding that the investigation is ongoing and when it is completed, we respectfully request that we be informed of the findings as it has implications on LCC’s standing in the community and the foundation’s ability to raise funds for the college and students,” Cox Fitz-Gerald said.
