Pearson gives update on Southern Union

When the president at Southern Union State Community College was fired early this year, the head of the state two-year college system turned to Amelia Pearson to make things right.

Susan Salatto, the previous president had been fired after an investigatory panel organized by Bradley Byrne, chancellor of the Alabama Community College System, found the school to be poorly run.

A laundry list of allegations included misuse of scholarships, lack of diversity, bid law circumvention and nepotism.

“When he actually called me and asked me to step in as interim president, I really was shocked,” she said. “I certainly wasn’t expecting it.”

Although Pearson was surprised, Byrne said he had his reasons for picking her.

“Dr. Pearson is a long-time employee in the system, who has a sterling record as an academic leader… (with) impeccable integrity,” Byrne said.

Generally speaking, Pearson said, one does not say no to the chancellor.

“The chancellor was very straightforward with me when he offered me this position,” she said. “The review team’s report identified several areas that needed improvement, and we have addressed all those issues and either taken steps to correct the problems or have mapped out plans to do so in the not-too-distant future.”

Pearson had the background and experience to run the day-to-day business of the school and to address the list of 20 specific problems the investigators noted, Byrne said.

The two have had several meetings since January to check on the progress, and Byrne said he is pleased. Pearson has done a good job of taking care of areas that needed leadership, Byrne said.

Pearson has specific solutions for most of the areas.

For example, allegations of scholarship misuse occurred when one of the fine arts instructor’s step-grandchildren received a scholarship.

“The Financial Aid Committee drew up guidelines for awarding scholarships and they are all awarded through that committee ...” Pearson said. “We aren’t going to take scholarships back, but it is my concern that we do it in a fair and equitable way.”

Previously, she said, there had been “wiggle room” in the awarding of scholarships in some areas.

It was not just fine arts scholarships that were scrutinized, but also athletic scholarships, particularly baseball. Academic scholarships were being given to athletes who were being recruited, which is a violation of NJECAA guidelines.

All scholarships, athletic, academic or fine arts go through the scholarship committee now, Pearson said.

Lack of minority representation on staff and in the student body was another issue among the 20 findings at SU.

“Diversity is not just in hiring. It’s also in student recruitment, it’s in policies,” Pearson said. “When you address diversity, you have to address a lot of issues.

“Some of the things that they were specifically wanting to see was the Administrative Council being more diverse.”

There are now three black council members, Pearson said, and diversity programs were held on both the Opelika and Wadley campuses in February for Black History Month.

“It’s not just a black-white issue, since we are seeing Korean companies moving in,” she said. “(A) hispanic workforce moving in… It’s an issue of making us more sensitive to the needs.”

All bid law violations have also been fixed, she said.

“We are adhering to all policies, procedure and law pertaining to the bid laws,” she said. “I talked to the person who did our audit not long ago and they didn’t have any problems with how we bid things.”

In the 25 years prior to the move to Southern Union, Pearson worked at Central Alabama Community College (CACC), where for the better part of the last 10 years she has served as the provost/dean of instruction over the academic and technical divisions, the non-credit skills training division, adult education, athletics and federal programs.

Before that, she was dean of students, division chair and accreditation liaison at CACC.

The dean of instruction position prepped Pearson for the presidency at a Southern Union, she said.

“You’re engaged in the budgeting process a lot more as Dean of Instruction than you do as the Dean of Students,” she said.

The majority of presidents come out of instruction positions, she said, so the move to interim president could be considered a logical step for her.

“I assisted the local economic development office and worked to develop curriculum and build technical programs to serve the needs of industry,” she said. “These are all things that we strive to do in our system.”

When Pearson’s time as interim is complete in fall 2009, the application process will be open to anyone who wants the job.

“Yes, I can be considered for the permanent presidency at Southern Union,” she said. “I have felt very welcome as the interim president and it has been a pleasure to serve and work with this fine faculty and staff. ... I am considering applying for the permanent position,” she said.

Byrne said he has been very pleased with Pearson’s performance.

“I’m not surprised she’s doing a good job, but I’m very pleased to see it,” he said.

But interim presidents do not have an advantage when the application process begins, he said.

“We work hard at ensuring it is a very equal process,” he said.

Early in her career, Pearson spent seven years working at Auburn University in student services.

Pearson took a teaching job at Alabama Central Junior College after moving to Alexander City, because it was more convenient and less of a commute to work.

It was better for her family to be near her job, she said.

While at AU Pearson taught as an adjunct instruction in the psychology department at Southern Union.

Pearson said her time as an adjunct professor made the move to Southern Union easier.

“It wasn’t like I walked through the door and didn’t know a soul,” she said.

Pearson’s husband graduated from Southern Union and she knew people from working there herself.

She now lives on Lake Martin, which made her a convenient choice for interim because she would not have to relocate.

Pearson lives in Central Alabama’s service area (the area served by that college). If she applies for the permanent job at Southern Union, she will relocate.

Even though she loved her time at CACC, she said she was ready for a new challenge.

She saw the move from CACC to Southern Union as that challenge.

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