Performance-Review Campaign

Today the SBCC Board of Trustees meeting turned into a staged rally for SBCC President Andrea Serban. The room was packed for an hour with staffers and featured a ten minute video of SBCC employees telling the camera “I love working for Andrea!” The video featured interviews with over 40 people, most of whom were in the room hooting and cheering when their faces flashed on the big screen.

The Board of Trustees’ special meeting to review President Serban’s performance had only been announced to the public three days ago. Clearly, the resources of SBCC’s PR department were already hard at work. The ten-minute infomercial would cost ten thousand dollars in the private sector. Filling the room with paid staff probably cost the taxpayers another $2,000 for two hours-worth of paid time for sign-carrying and backslapping. Meanwhile, the community at large was represented by half a dozen citizens who took time off from their jobs to address the trustees regarding their ongoing concerns about Serban’s divisive style. Lacking the money that Serban was able to spend on her self-promotion, the citizens’ statements to the Board of Trustees were simple and straightforward. They were heckled by Serban’s crew.

What can be said about this “leadership style?”