Auburn-based Green River College this week terminated the contract of President Suzanne Johnson following a $14.2 million budget deficit that led to college wide cuts during the current school year, according to KUOW.
The Green River Board of Trustees announced Feb. 2 that it voted to end Johnson’s contract effective the following day. The decision came as the faculty union prepared to hold a “no confidence” vote in Johnson, a symbolic call for a change in leadership.
According to Dave Norberg, president of the faculty union, the college’s financial problems grew over several years. Although the pandemic created financial challenges for most community colleges, Norberg said it took years for Johnson to address Green River’s fiscal issues.
“Growing the college and expanding the budget, despite the fact that we had a budget deficit that went unspoken and unacknowledged, to me is just incomprehensible and indefensible,” Norberg said.
“We should have been having hard conversations three, four years ago about sustainability, and managing our budget,” Norberg said. “Instead it was just radio silence.”
Norberg said hiring and other expenditures continued until the projected deficit peaked at $14.2 million last year. Johnson then called for 5 percent cuts in every division of the college in the 2025 to 2026 budget and instituted a hiring freeze.
Philip Denman, a spokesperson for the college, told KUOW that Green River now has a balanced budget. However, Norberg said the cuts eliminated instructional positions and that some students are struggling to find seats in classes they need to graduate.
In a statement, the Board of Trustees called the termination “a difficult decision” but did not specify its reasons for ending Johnson’s contract. The board credited Johnson with “meaningful” contributions during her nine years as president, noting that bachelor’s degree offerings doubled and enrollment grew during her tenure.
The board also stated that Johnson led the college through the pandemic with “a steady hand while consistently demonstrating compassion, understanding, and care for our campus community.”
George Fraiser Appointed Interim President
The board appointed George Frasier, vice president of college advancement, as interim president effective Feb. 4.
Alongside concerns about financial management, the faculty union also objected to four executive appointments Johnson made last fall without a hiring process. The board said it will conduct a “competitive and transparent national search for Green River’s next president,” and that students, faculty, staff and community members will be included in the process.
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