Cook is ZooMass-bound. (via stcc.edu)

The exit of Springfield Technical Community College President John Cook did not end the discontent among some on campus. Several weeks after Cook’s October announcement that he would leave STCC, the faculty union passed a vote of no confidence in him, his cabinet and the Board of Trustees. Yet, Cook’s time is coming to a close and his successor, Dr. Jennifer Cournoyer, take over in weeks.

Nevertheless, where Cook would go has been an item of interest. On Tuesday, Cook told STCC affiliates he was “honored” to share an update. He forwarded a message Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, the Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst had sent campus affiliates. The provost announced that Cook would be taking on the role of Vice Provost for Lifelong, Interdisciplinary, and Digital Programming.

“Please join me in welcoming John to the UMass Amherst community,” Abd-El-Khalick said in his email. “As we look to the future of our innovative educational initiatives designed to serve diverse learners, I am confident John’s deep experience and expertise will help UMass Amherst expand access to high-quality educational opportunities for students throughout the Commonwealth and beyond.”

Cook will oversee alternative degree programs, especially various digital offerings at UMass-Amherst. He will also work with students on nontraditional academic paths. The outgoing STCC president is set to replace John Wells who held the position for eight years. He stepped down as part of his return to the faculty of the Isenberg School of Management.

Cook became the president of STCC in 2016. However, he quickly earned the ire of faculty. They would go on to accuse him of unilaterally changing academic programming, sidelining faculty shared governance structures, transparency, poor to no communications and alleged retaliation against dissenters. Cook largely denied such claims but acknowledged there were differences.

“This is not to say there have not been disagreements during my tenure, and I readily acknowledge that message today from some of our employees,” Cook said after the December vote of no confidence.

Renae Gorman, a physical therapy professor and president STCC’s faculty union, said the very public disputes with Cook’s leadership “reflected deeply held concerns among faculty and professional staff” on a host of issues. It manifested, she continued, in multiple no confidence votes, including the December one that also panned the Board.

“This final vote occurred after President Cook announced his intention to leave the college, underscoring that faculty and staff believed it was important to formally document the concerns regardless of his planned departure,” Gorman said in an email.

However, Gorman was “optimistic” about the incoming administration and indicated faculty wanted to turn the page

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Jennifer Cournoyer as STCC’s next president and are encouraged by her emphasis on listening, relationship building, and student success,” Gorman continued. “The college’s greatest strength has always been its people, and we look forward to working with Dr. Cournoyer to continue advancing the mission of the college and supporting the success of our students and community.”

A Cook in UMass’s administrative kitchen? (via Daily Collegian)

STCC announced Cournoyer’s selection on May 5.

Whether any of the STCC faculty union’s allegations would be a concern at UMass-Amherst is unclear. The role will be quite different from heading STCC. Faculty and professional unions at UMass did not respond to a request for comment. UMass-Amherst itself did not comment.

While faculty at STCC welcomed Cook’s departure, he had high-profile allies, especially off-campus. A modest LinkedIn post linking to Abd-El-Khalick’s announcement had a flood of warm wishes from notables throughout the state.

Abd-El-Khalick credited Cook with developing “novel degree and certificate programs [at STCC] to address critical healthcare shortages in the region.” He also said STCC’s retention and student success metrics improved.

Cook will begin at UMass-Amherst on June 28. His original departure was August 1. STCC’s Board of Trustees will vote on an acting president at its meeting on Monday. However, there is another item that may irk the faculty as Cook exits.

The Board’s chair, Michael Knapik, a former state senator and the VP of Government and Community Relations at Baystate Health, put forward a motion to name the School of Health and Patient Simulation after Cook. Knapik did not respond to an email requesting comment.

STCC Board of Trustees chair Michael Knapik and Dr. Cook with Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno at the School of Health and Patient Simulation groundbreaking last week. (via Springfield City Hall)

The vote will undoubtedly attract some opposition from faculty. Yet, at this point at the academic calendar, many of STCC’s academic professionals are away. Others may not be connected to happenings on campus.

However, the renaming may encounter little opposition among trustees on Monday. The school, including Cook, welcomed politicians and luminaries last week for the groundbreaking. Business West reported that the project will relocate the School of Health and Patient Simulation to Scibelli Hall from an outdated structure.