Adjunct Sues College President He Videotaped

An adjunct humanities professor has sued the president of Edison Community College, in Ohio, over the president’s refusal to rehire him because he videotaped a contentious board meeting. Quincy Essinger filed a complaint in federal court against Kenneth A. Yowell -- who has led the college for more than 22 years -- five months after Inside Higher Ed reported on the ouster of Essinger and Stephen D. Marlowe, a full-time English professor. Essinger is seeking financial damages for a range of charges against Yowell ranging from defamation to having his First Amendment rights violated. Both Essinger and Marlowe were publicly critical of Yowell and were active in a faculty vote of no confidence in his leadership earlier this year. Marlowe was reinstated in July, after it was noted that he was terminated in violation of his contract. Essinger, however, has not been in contact with the college since and has never been given a formal reason for his not being rehired. Mindy McNutt, former Edison vice president, and Yowell told Inside Higher Ed in July that Essinger’s having videotaped the board meeting was one of Yowell’s reasons for not rehiring him. Monday, Yowell wrote, via e-mail, that Essinger's suit against him and the college "has no merit" and "is replete with factual errors."