Board fires Bates Technical College president following investigation into his conduct

The board of Bates Technical College voted Tuesday to fire President Ron Langrell after an investigation into his conduct with employees at the college.

After a closed session, board member Anthony Anderson made a motion to terminate Langrell “for convenience” effective Tuesday. The vote was unanimous.

“As a trustee, I just want to do the best thing for the college, for the students, for the public, for the state and for the governor,” Anderson said. He declined to comment further.

Langrell’s attorney, Michael McAleenan, said following the vote that his client is “disappointed with the board’s decision and finds it unfortunate, but not surprising, that a poorly conducted investigation, without adequate due process or basis, results in his forced ouster even after his agreement to cooperate and comply with material components of a Discipline Directive.

“Further, Dr. Langrell and his legal team will review his options and possible remedies against the college.”

The decision to terminate Langrell “for convenience” instead of “for cause” means he qualifies for a severance payment equal to six months of his base salary, according to his contract. Langrell’s most recent annual salary was $202,292.30.

The contract contains no language authorizing a severance package had Langrell been terminated “for cause.”

An investigation ordered following an employee-harassment complaint in November found that Langrell gave unwanted hugs, made inappropriate comments and intimidated and demeaned employees, according to public records obtained by The News Tribune.

Langrell, 60, was placed on paid leave in late January. He has been the college’s president since 2012.

The decision to fire Langrell was a departure from a vote the board took late last month in which it decided that Langrell’s return would be contingent upon him adhering to a “disciplinary directive” that would be handed down by the school’s Title IX coordinator. Board member Christina Blocker voted no on that motion. The board’s newest member, Heather Moss, was blocked from voting on the motion but said she would have voted no.

McAleenan said his team was advised earlier this month that Langrell would have to complete several training courses, including harassment prevention and awareness, if he wanted to return as the college’s president.

“Obviously, he was instructed to no longer embrace or comment on appearances, that was part of the direction for him coming back, so then we were quite surprised to hear that the board elected to terminate him today,” McAleenan said Tuesday.

Lin Zhou, Bates’ vice president of institutional effectiveness and student success, will continue to serve as interim president of the college for the time being, the board announced Tuesday. It also voted to retroactively pay her the equivalent of Langrell’s salary for the time she has been serving as interim president.

The board will begin working on a plan to search for its next president in the coming weeks, the college said in a statement.

This story was originally published March 20, 2018 at 3:54 PM with the headline "Board fires Bates Technical College president following investigation into his conduct."