SIU President Randy Dunn says he won't resign - but acknowledges it will take some time to bring opposing groups back together within the university's system.SIU's President says he won't resign, despite lawmakers' calls for his ouster. As WSIU's Jennifer Fuller reports, Randy Dunn also takes issue with an editorial that claims he favors one campus over another.
WATCH: President Randy Dunn's News Conference
Dunn's comments came a day after an editorial claimed his actions regarding a controversial budget reallocation plan favored the SIU Edwardsville campus, and shut out SIU Carbondale leaders.
Dunn disputes those claims. He says he's working on behalf of the system.
"Obviously, there has to be a healing that comes from this. There has to be time to try to get the parties to come together and try to move forward in a productive way. And, to try to judge something like that, in the midst of the issue or the news that's out there, becomes somewhat difficult."
SIU Trustees failed to approve the reallocation at their April meeting. Trustee Chair Amy Sholar says she supports President Dunn, and argues holding the proposal back would have been unfair to SIU Edwardsville and the Metro East community.
“This question is not going away. This is not something that’s kind of going to roll into the next six months to a year, and be forgotten about again.”
Lawmakers called for Dunn's resignation after the editorial. Dunn admits he used what he calls "inartful" language to describe critics, but says he stands by his decisions.
Meanwhile SIU Trustees have called a special meeting of the board for May 30. Their agenda includes discussion of a package of bills that would split the Carbondale and Edwardsville campuses, reallocate funding, and reconstitute the Board of Trustees. Closed session discussion includes personnel matters and legal issues.
Copyright 2021 WSIU Public Radio. To see more, visit WSIU Public Radio. 9(MDExMDQwMzQzMDEzNjMyMTE3MjRkNzlmNg004))
