Dr. Houston Davis, soon to be the interim president of Kennesaw State University, addressed the problems facing the school and his decision to fire four top administrators.
In a letter sent to KSU faculty and staff Tuesday, June 7, Davis named three temporary changes in the university’s leadership. There would now be an interim chief financial officer, chief information officer and chief human resource officer. The letter did not explain what happened to those who had previously held these positions.
Two days later, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Davis had fired four top administrators, effective July 1. They are on administrative leave until that time.
The article also explained that Randall Shelton, the subject of an investigation by the University System of Georgia, resigned after being placed on administrative leave.
Davis said he would not discuss personnel matters.
“I felt like a change would be in the best interest,” he said. “There was one person that chose to go ahead and resign. The other four had not made that move.”
Many questioned how Davis had the authority to make such decisions, given that Daniel S. Papp is still the university’s president until June 30.
“Dr. Papp is still president,” he said. “We’re going through the transition where I’m in an acting mode working with him.”
He also explained that the changes in administration had been discussed before the audit reports were released, and that, in his role as acting president, he made his plans known.
“Dr. Papp was certainly aware of and understood that I was going to make those moves,” Davis said.
Looking ahead, Davis said he is still learning about KSU and sifting through the audit reports that were released. He knows, however, that plans need to be made soon to address the problems that were pointed out in those reports.
“With every 30 days forward, that plan for corrections will become more and more crystal clear to the team,” he said. Davis remains optimistic about the future and the reputation of KSU as a whole.
“We don’t think that these challenges and this cloud of uncertainty defines Kennesaw State University,” he said.
