Busy day at TRU in wake of firing

This has been a busy day at TRU, as everyone from members of the board of governors, students, faculty and, of course, Dr. Kathleen Scherf herself have been asked to respond to yesterday’s announcement of the firing of the university president.

Scherf has, understandably, been somewhat difficult to contact since Monday, but she did release a statement today saying the move surprised her, recounting some of her accomplishments during the past year, and indicating that she would continue to be a loyal supporter of the university.

Firings are always delicate matters to cover. Media get into a bit of a feeding frenzy, but they have to be sensitive to people’s feelings. After all, Scherf’s future is at stake. One can only imagine seeing news of your firing in bold headlines on the front page, and leading all the newscasts on radio and TV. Not exactly a morale booster.

The report that resulted in termination of her contract will never see the light of public scrutiny, but indications are leaking out that the problem came down to one central issue: Scherf is a great communicator; as an administrator, not so much.

Her flamboyant personality was bound to make her popular with the student body, which generally regards bureaucrats as a boring, stodgy bunch. She related well with the kids.

But she didn’t have a great deal of university-level administration experience. TRU is a diverse, growing place; not easy to manage. Whatever the nuances of her handling of the post, they apparently relate to that aspect of the job.