Change looms at Chattanooga State: Imminent departure of longtime college president signals start of new era

Jim Catanzaro

The parking spot for the school president at Chattanooga State is designated by a bright orange tire stop denoting the reservation in white letters.

The changes are only just beginning at Chattanooga State Community College.

The college will see three presidents in the coming months as Jim Catanzaro's 24-year tenure ends on Wednesday. And while many faculty and staff members are relieved by Catanzaro's departure and the recent release of a 47-page state report outlining his missteps, they still see plenty of personnel and policy issues that need addressing by new administrations.

"We are anticipating changes in personnel and over time some structural changes or realignment," said Faculty Senate President Kenneth Goldsmith. "But no one knows what the specifics are."

He said the audit revealed some people and issues that warrant corrective action. But there also are other problems brewing on campus that will need addressing once Catanzaro leaves.

"I think there are a lot of things that are not necessarily covered in the auditor's report," Goldsmith said. "Anyone who works there knows there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed."

First is the issue of Chief Innovations Officer Lisa Haynes, whom Catanzaro met on vacation in Barbados and hired though she had not earned a required bachelor's degree. Her 2013 appointment and subsequent college-funded trips among the two prompted the Tennessee Board of Regents to investigate Catanzaro. That audit, released on Dec. 15, detailed how the college failed to confirm her degree status, failed to verify Haynes' previous work success and even started visa paperwork before she or other candidates interviewed for the post.

But faculty have their eyes on other administrators, some of whom also were involved in the Haynes-Catanzaro situation.

HR Director Tom Crum began the process of acquiring a work visa before Haynes interviewed, and his department never acquired an official transcript for her, as is required for most employees, TBR found. The TBR audit suggested that the college may have concocted a mock hiring process predetermined to bring Haynes to campus.

It also pointed out that Crum likely broke federal regulations in signing certain forms to gain Haynes work status in the U.S. before she was offered employment and before the college had posted a required public notice of its intent to hire a nonimmigrant worker for the post.

Dr. Kenneth Goldsmith, a business and information technologies professor at Chattanooga State, discusses Monday the international relationship between the National Pingtung Institute of Commerce and Chattanooga State.

Vice President James Barrott was reported to TBR after technical instructors said he tried to influence the faculty's vote of no confidence in the president.

Barrott denied he was trying to sway instructors' votes, but said he was urging instructors to delay the vote until TBR released its audit.

Even so, Goldsmith said Barrott's actions were reported to TBR Vice Chancellor Warren Nichols, who will begin serving as Chattanooga State's interim president on Thursday.

In a recent statement, Nichols said he would carefully address campus personnel issues once he takes the reins, though he didn't say who might be under the microscope. Nichols said he will address faculty and staff during the spring convocation ceremony in January.

"I hope to assure them that all projects and programs will be carefully reviewed and [that we] will consider what changes, if any, need to be made in the short term or should wait for the next president," he said. "It is realistic to expect that in the meantime, most of the programs in early planning stages will be put on hold until we have enough time to fully evaluate their germaneness and value."

That means marquee Catanzaro projects like a proposed chapel on campus and his plans for an extensive partnership with the University of the West Indies are likely going nowhere. That West Indies project initially was listed as a major job responsibility for Haynes' position. And in letters to the federal government, Catanzaro said Haynes would spend at least 75 percent of her time working on that project.

Nichols' leadership also likely puts an end to Catanzaro's quest to secure four-year degrees and student housing -- both ideas that have received little enthusiasm from state officials.

Chattanooga State employees say the loss of those projects could raise questions over Oscar Brock, the director of community development who was hired directly by the president. Brock earns $75,000 annually as a part-time, contracted employee. Many of his job duties listed on HR records centered on the key Catanzaro projects like the four-year degrees and the addition of student housing on or near campus, along with other responsibilities such as fundraising. Brock declined to comment for this story until he could receive required approval from a college spokesperson.

For their part, college leaders are turning their attention to academics and student success, college spokeswoman Eva Lewis said.

"We have a full agenda when it comes to the continuing development of academic and student support services that will have the highest impact on student progression and completion," she said.

They're working on improving the first-year experience of students through faculty development programs. And administrators are busy strengthening articulation agreements with universities across the state.

"We look forward to Dr. Nichols' leadership in establishing a smooth transition, now and through the orientation of a more long-term interim president, as well as through the organization of a presidential search committee," Lewis said.

Contact staff writer Kevin Hardy at khardy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.