School’s Head Says He Was Ousted

The state officials who took control of financially troubled Compton Community College last year have placed the school’s longtime president on administrative leave, a move the president contends is part of a hostile effort to remove him.

Cheryl Fong, a spokeswoman for the California Community Colleges, said the leave was part of a retirement agreement approved by the Compton district’s board of trustees last week for President Ulis C. Williams. Fong said Williams announced last Friday that he would retire in the next school year.

But Williams said through an attorney that he is being ousted by the state’s special trustee, Arthur Q. Tyler. Williams “has not retired or resigned, nor has he agreed to retire or resign,” said Martha A. Torgow, Williams’ lawyer.

In a rare action, the state took over the college in May 2004 in an effort to restore it to financial solvency. Williams had served as president since 1997 and retained his position in the takeover.

In September, the state Fair Political Practices Commission fined the college $100,000 for failing to file required employee conflict-of-interest statements. The commission singled out Williams for failing to ensure college employees filed the statements.

Compton College board members said Thursday that they did not vote to place Williams on leave.

Board President Gerald Burgess said the trustees voted only on a retirement agreement for Williams at a Jan. 25 meeting. Carl Robinson, the board’s vice president, said Williams was “forced out” by Tyler.

Fong said neither Tyler nor California Community Colleges Chancellor Mark Drummond would comment on Williams’ leave, which she said was a personnel and legal matter.

Torgow said Williams had been told in December by Tyler and Drummond to retire. After the board’s approval of a retirement agreement, Williams signed off on a retirement announcement written by college officials that quoted him bidding the college farewell. Torgow said Williams felt “compelled and coerced” to authorize the statement.

Torgow said Tyler then approached Williams and asked him to sign a retirement agreement last week. “There was pressure on him to sign and to sign quickly. When he said couldn’t do that until he talked to his attorney, he was told he would be put on administrative leave,” Torgow said.

In a Feb. 1 letter, Tyler wrote to Williams that he was following up “on our telephone conversation of this morning ... when I informed you of my decision to place you on administrative leave.” The letter informed Williams he would be on paid leave while the district prepared “the details of its cause related to the possible termination of your employment.... “

Williams joined the college’s faculty in 1970, grew up in Compton and has been a local hero since winning an Olympic gold medal in track in 1964.