“After careful consideration, I am withdrawing from the Wright State University president search,” Shields wrote. “I am honored to have been considered for one of Ohio’s premier academic institutions.”
WSU trustee and presidential search chairman Doug Fecher said that Shields told him Thursday night that he might pull out of the running to be Wright State’s next president.
“I was disappointed but I understand,” Fecher said. “We had three really great candidates and now we have two so hopefully this makes (the decision) easier.”
In an email to the campus Friday, Fecher said Shields was “an impressive candidate” who had a “wealth of experience from a variety of backgrounds.”
Shields, who has served as the chancellor of UW-Platteville since 2010, was the first finalist Wright State named for the president’s job. He could not be reached to comment on Friday.
In the email, Fecher said the search process would continue with the two remaining finalists. They are University of Wisconsin-Parkside chancellor Deborah Ford and Missouri University of Science and Technology chancellor Cheryl Schrader.
After a board of trustees meeting Friday morning, chairman Michael Bridges said trustees would likely be deliberating for the next few weeks.
Shields is facing allegations back in Wisconsin that were first brought to light by this news organization, shortly after his visit to campus.
Shields is accused along with other top administrators at UW-Plattville of retaliating against a professor who assisted a student in reporting sexual harassment by another professor. Fecher has said that the search committee was unaware of the accusations before naming Shields a finalist for the job.
The professor, Sabina Burton, filed a lawsuit against the university last September, saying she was mistreated and complaints were brought against her by the school because she assisted the student. An earlier lawsuit Burton filed had been dismissed.
About three months later, on Dec. 19, interim provost Elizabeth Throop and Melissa Gromley, interim dean of the college of liberal arts and education, wrote a complaint to Shields saying that Burton disclosed “personal, confidential employment information about her colleagues contrary to university ethics practices.”
Following the complaint, Shields placed Burton on paid leave Jan. 3.
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