NC State Chancellor Oblinger Resigns, Effective Immediately

We have word that the NC State chancellor James Oblinger has resigned, effective immediately.

The move comes one day after the Board of Trustees held an emergency meeting about a severance package Oblinger provided former provost Larry Nielsen that might have violated university policy.

This news comes on the heels of the Mary Easley controversy and a bad economy that has led to lots of cuts at the university.

Former UNC Charlotte Chancellor Jim Woodward will take over as interim chancellor.

Oblinger’s Statement

I have informed President Bowles that I am resigning as Chancellor of North Carolina State University.

I am doing so because that is what leaders do when the institutions they lead come under distracting and undue public scrutiny. This is particularly true for leaders of public institutions like NC State.

The hiring of Mary Easley and her treatment as a university employee involved no impropriety and no coercion. I am absolutely confident that when this chapter of NC State’s history is written, the only conclusion drawn will be that the University and all of its officials acted both correctly and honorably.

N&O

Then came the changing stories about Nielsen’s benefit package. Last week Oblinger said that he had given Nielsen a six-month study leave at the full provost pay and that his pay would fall to $156,000 then return to teaching. The deal, which he described as typical in academia, had been part of Nielsen’s contract when he got the job in 2005, Oblinger said.

Then, on Saturday, university officials changed the story, saying that Nielsen’s payout at the higher salary would be spread over 18 months. Hours later, they changed the story again, saying it actually would be over three years.

On Sunday, the university released documents that showed Oblinger sweetened the deal on the day before Nielsen quit in apparent violation of university rules.

According to the documents, the deal in Nielsen’s original contract was a six-month leave at full pay, but only if he kept the job at least 5 years. He was in the post about four.

Matt W06/08 09:55 AM

Good lord.

Time to clean house. How embarrassing.

Les06/08 10:16 AM

What on earth motivated Oblinger to fluff Neilsen’s severance package? It really just doesn’t add up. Money, friendship, good ole boy system can be cited, but it still doesn’t make since, especially when it was so obviously going to end with Oblinger loosing his job and endure public disgrace? If this were a movie I would walk out, cuz the motivation isn’t plausible unless a history of mental illness, huge secret gambling debts or a direct family link to Nepoleon was introduced.

But seriously: “I am [resigning] because that is what leaders do when the institutions they lead come under distracting and undue public scrutiny. “

Undue? UNDUE? Really?

Cydney06/08 10:22 AM

“distracting and undue public scrutiny” my ...

This whole situation is shameful. Despite all this, Mary Easley still refuses to step down. This just ensures that everyone involved gets eaten alive, along with plenty of bystanders and the reputation of the University.

kg06/08 10:23 AM

ugly

T-Plain06/08 10:43 AM

^ It’s also not that hard to find the “CONTACT” link to give general site feedback.

As for the topic at hand, I think O is generally a good guy who made some bad decisions, then tried covering them up poorly, and had no choice but to step down. I just hope the next Chancellor is an external candidate.

Matt W06/08 11:16 AM

Get ready to say hello to your new chancellor….MARY EASLEY

Brian06/08 12:00 PM

Erskine is next on the chopping block.

ct06/08 12:14 PM

Ruth Sheehan’s column in today’s N&O got it right. It’s time for university leaders to hear the economy calling them back to earth from the excessive lifestyle to which they’ve apparently become accustomed.

Kermit06/08 12:36 PM

http://www.newsobserver.com/executive_privilege/story/1560419.html

New documents show that the Mary Easley job at N.C. State University was orchestrated at the highest levels of state government, and included the direct involvement of then-Gov. Mike Easley.

E-mail messages show the creation of the job for Mary Easley was orchestrated in April and May of 2005 by the governor and that her job formation also included his wife, Mary; the chancellor at N.C. State, James Oblinger; a key trustee, McQueen Campbell; a senior adviser to Easley who now heads the Golden Leaf Foundation, Dan Gerlach; and an NCSU lobbyist at the time, Andy Willis.

Until now, officials have all denied any involvement in the hiring other than by former Provost Larry Nielsen, who the records show was also involved in creating the position that gave Mary Easley an $80,000, three-year contract to oversee a speakers series and help teach a class.

tnj06/08 12:43 PM

stay tuned - this is going to get really nasty.

roi06/08 12:47 PM

If this was going on at NCSU, I wonder if similar things are (still) going on at the other universiies in the UNC system. Saturday’s N&O gave some details about similar pay(offs) for high level University adminstrators and attorneys such as Susan Eringhous. All of these past practices need to be eliminated…PDQ

arthurb306/08 01:44 PM

I thought this is how life worked?? You use your connections to get a good job and good pay. What’s wrong with that? This is no worse then using connections with friends to get good tickets to a game or into a club or anything else? Life is the “art of the deal”???

Jon06/08 02:07 PM

This will next spread to UNC-CH. MEasley appointed several of the BOTs in Chapel Hill.

revolu06/08 02:41 PM

Yea Easly is done according to the N+O twitter

Civics 10106/08 03:00 PM

Arthur,

Using connections may be OK to work a deal in the private sector, but this is PUBLIC money and GOVERNMENT, not PRIVATE deals and BUSINESS. These activities are public business and accountable to the taxpayers.

Baker06/08 03:30 PM

At least he resigned. Of course it will come out later he will get a giant obscene severance paycheck. Where is the outrage from the students? Have college campuses lost their leadership in political think, or is it just simply - silence for a liberal, shout them off the campus if they are conservative.

Matt W06/08 03:40 PM

Baker—As a liberal-leaning fellow myself, I feel like you are correct. Don’t punch holes in the bottom of your own boat and all. People from each party are quite guilty of this, unfortunately.

We should all be thanking the N&O for having the balls to follow-up on this, despite an endless amount of whining and crying from a lot of Democrats about how they were trying to manufacture a story.

Cydney06/08 03:56 PM

N.C. State University’s Board of Trustees has terminated the contract of Mary Easley. (as of 4:43 pm) http://www.newsobserver.com/executive_privilege/story/1560714.html

Ken Metzger06/08 03:58 PM

Baker,
That and there are not any students around since school is out.

Steve06/08 05:08 PM

Does Erskine need to next. . . Clinton moral infect the UNC system

corey3rd06/09 05:42 PM

Erskine proved he had zero business running for senate twice by his completely ineffective handling of this situation. That last press conference showed him as a dweeb who ought to be working in the basement at a boiler room operation.

Alex06/11 03:44 PM

Maybe folks will remember who brought all this out in the open the next time they’re trash talking about the irrelevancy of “old media”.

matt06/11 06:11 PM

Steve, is your poorly-written, drunken-sounding post meant to tie this to Clinton somehow? WTF? Which Clinton, anyway? And what’s it got to do with Jack Squat?

The problem is wealth, greed and power. Those know no party lines. Keep that crap up, go ahead. Be part of the problem. Who cares?

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Monday, June 08, 2009