Motlow State president resigns amid scathing audit of his leadership

Motlow State Community College President Tony Kinkel resigned late Tuesday, a day before the completion of a blistering internal audit that accused him of using "fear, intimidation, hostility and condescension" as mainstays of his leadership.

The audit, performed by the Tennessee Board of Regents and completed Wednesday, described a dismal work environment that pushed several longtime employees to leave the college because of Kinkel.

Auditors said that, as their work neared completion, Kinkel pressured multiple employees to discredit the findings in an apparent attempt to save his job.

"The manipulation of both people and information has created a sense of distrust among faculty and administrators that is deep," the audit read. "The pressure placed on employees to do things they consider inappropriate or to take on unreasonable workloads is attributable to employees' fear of retribution and of being labeled as not being a team player."

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Complaints logged throughout Kinkel's tenure of less than two years triggered the audit. Additional allegations "regarding the President’s management of the College, integrity, treatment of employees, and handling of personnel matters" were logged while the auditors worked on the project this year.

The audit and Kinkel's resignation represent another controversy for the Board of Regents, which is already dealing with high-profile problems with presidents at two other campuses.

Kinkel did not mention the audit in his resignation letter, instead saying he decided to step down with "deep anguish" in the face of a college system looking "to chart a different course."

But in an interview with the USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee, Kinkel defended his record and categorically denied multiple allegations in the audit, particularly that he had tried to interfere with its findings.

"None of us were given a chance to provide another point of view to these opinions expressed," he said. "We never had a chance to even provide the truth."

Audit says president pressured staff: 'I need this to go away.'

The audit said that, in one instance, Kinkel pressured an employee to write a letter to a Board of Regents member complaining about the audit, which he dictated. In another, the audit said, Kinkel accused an employee of "making the President’s family 'pack our bags' if they did not support him."

Kinkel forcefully denied pressuring anyone. Instead, he said, he had only encouraged people to be truthful. 

The audit also said he pushed a supervisor to reverse the termination of a professor to soften the audit's findings.

The Board of Regents has “got a gun to my head," the audit quoted Kinkel as saying. "I need this to go away."

Kinkel said that was a "twisted" account that had been "misrepresented," adding that he was actually acting in accordance with policy by reviewing a termination appeal on legitimate grounds.

'We never had a chance to give the other side.'

Kinkel has been president of Motlow State since August 2015, and in that time the Tullahoma college has logged explosive enrollment growth, particularly at its Smyrna campus. In his resignation letter, Kinkel trumpeted multiple other successes, including rising retention rates and financial donations. Enrollment currently stands at about 5,800.

But the audit suggested that, behind the scenes, Kinkel regularly berated employees. In one instance, an employee told the auditors, Kinkel talked to a staffer "like he was a dog."

The audit also alleged that, while searching for a female candidate for a coaching job on the internet, Kinkel asked two employees to look at a picture of a woman in a bikini.

"The President indicated that the woman was the candidate, and said, 'Look at her. The other coaches won’t complain if we hire her,' " the audit said.

Kinkel also disputed that anecdote.

"This is simply misrepresented and we never had a chance to give the other side," he said.

In a letter responding to an early draft of the audit, Kinkel defended his track record while ceding room for improvement when it came to communication.

"I am mortified beyond expression that while my leadership style has both been adopted and embraced by many, some have reported a sense of fear," Kinkel wrote in the preliminary response. "It is a conundrum I acknowledge and one I have to own."

Kinkel's is second resignation in a week for community college system

Kinkel's resignation will officially go into effect Sept. 30, but he will be on leave until then. His duties will be rerouted to an interim replacement starting this week.

“It’s unfortunate that we are in this situation but the best interests of Motlow State, its students, faculty and staff and all of the communities it serves are first and foremost at all times," Board of Regents Chancellor Flora Tydings said in a statement.

The Board of Regents system includes 13 community colleges as well as the state's network of technical colleges.

Tydings took the helm of the Board of Regents in February. Turbulent presidencies have become a dominant challenge during her first months on the job.

► More:Community college leader greeted by leadership problems on multiple campuses

Kinkel was the second embattled community college president to resign in a week. 

Northeast State Community College President Janice Gilliam submitted her resignation last Thursday amid growing scrutiny of the college's finances, among other issues. The faculty senate at the Blountville college cast a vote of no confidence in her, prompting Board of Regents officials to investigate problems on campus.

George Van Allen, the president of Nashville State Community College, also is under fire after an internal report, released in May, described a working environment where administrators use "overt hostility and intimidation" to keep professors in line.

Tydings said last week that she was working to improve communication there that had been "lacking."

Mike Krause, the executive director of the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and a member of the Board of Regents, said Wednesday that leadership transitions and development "are an inherent part of higher education."

He said Tydings' past experience as a community college president had prepared her for work with the evolving college system.

“I have unshakable confidence in Flora Tydings," Krause said. "These transitions really are a part of the enterprise."

Reach Adam Tamburin at atamburin@tennessean.com or 615-726-5986 and on Twitter @tamburintweets.