BLINN PRESIDENT NOLTE HAS CONTRACT EXTENDED
Blinn College President Harold Nolte will remain the College’s president, even after months of criticism over his re-organization plan, a faculty senate vote of no confidence and a recent alleged cheating scandal involving a Blinn football player.
After a lengthy executive session last (Monday) night, the Blinn Board of Trustees extended Nolte’s contract for another full year.
The vote came after a Sunday newspaper report alleging Nolte acted improperly in intervening on behalf of a Blinn football player.
Blinn College officials reacted Monday afternoon in a released statement, saying there was nothing wrong in the actions of President Nolte in the alleged scandal.
The Bryan College Station Eagle reported they had received emails through an open records request between Blinn football player Marion Grice and natural science professor Dwight Bohlmeyer, that documents the alleged cheating. One of the emails indicated the academic advisor for the football team did Grice’s homework for him. Bohlmeyer resigned and charged that Nolte mishandled a disciplinary case.
The state went on to say that Nolte was asked to attend a meeting with two staff members and the conclusion was that he did not violate any college policies.
Blinn Faculty Senate had voted no confidence in Nolte on his re-organization plans.
At last night’s (Monday) meeting there was a packed house at the Administration building, with supporters.
Blinn Alumnus Hal Machat said that his alma mater is a jewel, a diamond, and the College has gotten better under the leadership of President Nolte.
There was a diverse group of Nolte supporter’s at last (Monday) night’s meeting, including businessman and Blinn Alumni President Jim Kolkhorst, who echoed Machat’s statement that Blinn was a diamond of a community college. Brenham attorney John Muegge also expressed his support for the College and the administration of Dr. Nolte.
In contrast to previous meetings, there were no angry voices denouncing the Nolte administration, all of the positive comments received applause.
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“Alternative”: If you had read the Eagle article you would know that Bohlmeyer was not the student’s professor in the course, that it was an academic advisor who allegedly did the homework for him (who “resigned” immediately) and that the player got an ‘F’ in the course.
What is the issue with what was known by many in administration at the time of the incident to be the truth? Trust the teachers to instruct, but no support when they reveal problems?
It is good to know that President Nolte will continue to serve the college. However, an alternative explanation of the player issue may go like this: the valued player gets his girlfriend to take the internet courses under the professor Bohlmeyer so he can continue to play ball. Player dumps girlfriend, she confesses to teacher out of revenge. That would and should have meant failing grades in those courses, reflecting on the transcripts of the player, thus effecting his current college football scholarship. A corrective course now, is to revise this ex-students transcripts and send them to the current school, ASAP.
As for this loophole in internet education, there are now techinical improvements in identification that confirm identity of the correct student taking these courses. Our hope is that this improvement will soon take place, and that academics will prevail over sports.