Without a word of public discussion or debate, the board of Broward College dismissed its president Tuesday after negotiating a settlement agreement a day earlier.
Former college President Torey Alston accepted the settlement just 15 minutes before the board’s Tuesday meeting, ending his 18-month tenure at the helm of the college.
The majority of the discussion took place behind closed doors and by court order. The board had scheduled a vote on Alston’s fate last week, but a judge intervened, agreeing that Alston was legally entitled to mediation. The negotiations were exempt from Florida’s open meetings law, but the outcome was not.
Alston will receive a $430,000 payout, and after the meeting he was tight-lipped about the board’s actions, the end of his tenure and his next steps.
Allies packed the board’s meeting room at the school’s downtown Fort Lauderdale campus, with many settling for seating in an overflow room.
“He is a good public servant,” said Miami-Dade County Commissioner and congressional candidate Oliver Gilbert. “Usually when you have complaints about someone’s job performance, you give them the opportunity to actually fix it.”
Torey Alston is embraced by a supporter after leaving a Broward College District Board of Trustees meeting at the College’s Fort Lauderdale campus on Tuesday. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Trustees had voiced concerns about Alston in recent months related to such issues as communication, low nursing license exam scores and computer errors that delayed students’ ability to enroll.
Alston’s payout includes six weeks of severance at $57,403.85, accrued sick leave and vacation worth $53,827.54, and $268,768.61 to resolve legal complaints he had against the board. The payment is explicitly not an admission of wrongdoing by the board.
The board appointed Broward College Chief Operating Officer Rabia Azhar as acting president while the search for a permanent replacement for Alston gets underway.
Greeting supporters in an overflow room outside from where the board was meeting, Alston said he was proud of his record.
“I am excited about the last 18 months at Broward College,” he said. “My record is strong and clear. We’ve had 4.84% increase in enrollment. We’ve had 3% increase of completion credentials and retention rates. We’ve had 100% passage rates in many of our top programs.”
Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.
Torey Alston, right, reaches out to Miami-Dade County Commissioner Oliver Gilbert during a Broward College District Board of Trustees meeting at the College’s Fort Lauderdale campus on Tuesday. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel)