New London — The Connecticut College faculty has sent a joint letter to the college’s board of trustees, urging them “to announce immediately a search for the next president,” replacing Katherine Bergeron.

More than 120 of 168 voting members of the faculty signed the letter, according to a faculty member. Faculty members interviewed for this article requested anonymity because they feared repercussions for speaking out.

Bergeron did not respond to email and telephone messages requesting comment.

The faculty letter is a response to the board’s message, regarding “campus concerns,” released by board Chair Debo Adegbile this past Sunday. Adegbile could not be reached for comment.

Adegbile’s letter was emailed throughout the college, in reaction to former Dean of Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity, Rodmon King’s resignation last Tuesday. King resigned in protest to the college holding an event at the Everglades Club, an exclusive country club in Palm Beach, Fla., that has an alleged history of racism and antisemitism.

The faculty letter, shared with The Day by a professor, emphasizes that the school needs “a fundamental change in how the college functions, starting with rethinking the relationship of the Office of the President and the Board of Trustees.”

The demands of faculty also include providing additional resources towards diversity, inclusion, and equity programs, more transparency with the board of trustees, faculty and staff positions on the board of trustees, and “transparent accounting of the college’s budget over the last 10 years.”

Additionally, former dean of the faculty and current professor of anthropology, Jeffery Cole, said in a statement Tuesday that in his four years serving as Dean of the Faculty, he “can confirm the accuracy of King's account” and urges “the Board of Trustees to conduct a 360-degree review of President Bergeron with all due haste.”

Cole could not be reached for immediate comment.

King remarked in his letter to Debo Adegbile, the board chair, and Karen Quint, vice chair that Bergeron’s “bullying behaviors” are not new “and have been exhibited by President Bergeron throughout her presidency.”

A professor said that a majority of the faculty want her immediate resignation, while a smaller, more senior faction prefers she be put on sabbatical, until her contract ends in 16 months.

John Cramer, the vice president of marketing and communications for the college told The Day Thursday that the “College has no further comment at this time except to reiterate that the Board of Trustees takes the issues raised by Dean King seriously and is looking into them and is committed to advancing the values and goals of the entire Connecticut College community.”

Doug Daniels, a former senior writer and editor in the office of communications, told The Day that a “climate of fear, bullying, and intimidation President Bergeron created was a constant obstacle for staff to overcome.”

“I personally witnessed on multiple occasions what I would consider verbally abusive behavior towards colleagues — two in particular. This included completely unwarranted insults about the staffers' competence,” Daniels said.

Daniels said Bergeron’s priorities “consistently related to self-promotion, as opposed to focusing on the communications, recruitment and financial priorities and well-being of the College.”

“It's difficult for me to see how the College moves forward and addresses the concerns of the students, faculty and staff as long as Katherine is president,” he said.

Bergeron was named president in 2013 and in 2021, announced the largest gift in the college’s history: $30 million.

Multiple faculty said anonymously that Bergeron, who turned 65 last week, is waiting for spring break to come, thinking tensions would die down then.

Bergeron last Wednesday issued a letter to the school community with an apology and a promise to do better in the future “to ensure that all our decisions are consistent with our goals and ideals.”

The Day has contacted King several times to request an interview.

King’s history in academia dates to 2005. He was previously a professor at Hobart and Williams Smith Colleges for 11 years, before becoming the associate vice president of academic affairs and diversity initiatives at Centre College.

Before joining Connecticut College in 2021, King served as the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the State University of New York College at Oswego.

t.wright@theday.com

The letter below from Connecticut College faculty to the Board of Trustees outlines a list of demands regarding President Katherine Bergeron. The faculty names were omitted from the copy of the letter received by The Day.