Presidential Perks: Students, Staff Complain About Spending at Montgomery College
The News 4 I-Team started investigating [taxpayer funded] Montgomery College after
receiving multiple letters from staffers throughout the summer
complaining about the school’s president, Dr. DeRionne Pollard, and how
much she spends on travel and transportation, including an armed driver
recently hired by the school to protect her.Dr. Pollard spent more than $3,400 [of taxpayer and student money] on airfare and upgraded seats to fly both herself and her wife to Honolulu and then Austin, Texas, for back-to-back conferences.
They spent an additional $495 on luggage fees for their five additional bags.
After spending $2,776 for a hotel room at the Moana Surfrider in Honolulu, they spent another $2,753 at the Four Seasons in Austin, racking up $500 on room service, including an $80 breakfast and a $49 dinner on the same night Dr. Pollard submitted a receipt for another $127 dinner at an Austin restaurant.
https://cms.montgomerycollege.edu/President/
ReplyDeleteShocking but not surprising; a clear sign that this college president regards her students with contempt.
ReplyDeleteNow watch as our County "leaders" circle the wagons and attack the motives and character of those who have brought this scandal to light.
"The College’s Board of Trustees ... believes that the news story was based on an antiquated view of community colleges and failed to appreciate such colleges’ complex, 21st century mission."
ReplyDeleteSource: http://www.mymcmedia.org/pollard-releases-statement-on-montgomery-college-spending/
Evidently she regards honest journalists, like her college's students, with contempt.
Of course, there is absolutely nothing in the news report about a "view of community colleges" - just facts about her spending taxpayer dollars on luxuries for herself. How does she rebut those facts? She can't, so she alleges that the journalists have an "antiquated view of community colleges." Completely off the point, but since she cannot defend her own actions, all she can do is attack others.
Should be easy to look at Wallace Loh's travel expenses and benefits and see if taxpayers pay for his spouse (if he has one) to go to Hawaii etc.
ReplyDeleteLet them eat cake.
ReplyDeleteApple Crumb Cake?
DeleteAs a former employee, I know too well of the corruption at this college. This is only the tip off the iceberg. Dr. Pollard's spending is outrageous, but there are other serious issues at this public institution. Unethical and abusive treatment of staff members is happening more and more. The senior leaders protect one another at any cost while staff and faculty members scrape by on their salaries enduring authoritative and antiquated management practices. I hope the media continues to dig. There's more to this story.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope the media dig into the board of trustees and how they are appointed. Inquiring minds want to know.
DeleteThis is only the tip of the iceberg. I worked as a faculty and staff member at this institution for 18 years. Dr Pollard's spending is outrageous, but there are disturbing practices going on at the senior level. There is little to know accountability for Deans and senior administrators. They have carte blanche. The media needs to keep digging.
ReplyDeleteSo, journalists report on taxpayer-provided presidential luxuries, and, in return, are attacked by a government spokesperson.
ReplyDeleteTrump's White House?
No, Montgomery County, Maryland, where public employee "journalist" Maureen Chowdhury defends the indefensible – Montgomery College President DeRionne Pollard's luxury perks – by attacking the real journalists at NBC-4!
Deja Vu : http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/03/AR2009090302195.html
ReplyDeleteWhat Pollard is doing is carrying the flag for the idea that Montgomery County is the most 'progressive' county in the country. That's all. That's why she goes to all those conferences, and that's the only reason. Real academics don't spend their time going to fluff conferences with their spouses. They are at the university and in the trenches. She is doing what the council wants her to do in this post-truthiness world, spreading the lie about how progressive this county is. Well done voters! This is what you voted for and now you've got it.
ReplyDeleteShe is spreading the MC Logo "Endless Possibilities" to the four corners of the globe.
DeleteYes, she is certainly traveling the globe and enjoying it all with her family in tow courtesy of county and state taxpayers. The students don't benefit from this global exposure of course. Students and faculty (adjuncts in particular) suffer academically and financially with the spending priorities of this community college. Shame on the Board of Trustees and shame on Dr. Pollard. The people of Montgomery County deserve better.
DeleteLe tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours!
DeleteSo here we are a few weeks later and the story is buried. Business as usual in Montgomery County.
ReplyDeleteShe's Nebraska State's problem now.
ReplyDeletehttps://nsc.edu/president-pollard/
DeleteAnd Montgomery College gets only a cursory mention.