May 12, 2005

By Lauren Heaton

Bob Whyte, the executive director of the Glen Helen Ecology Institute, has resigned his position with the Glen, according to an e-mail message obtained by the News on Tuesday, May 10.

According to the e-mail, which was sent from Whyte to Glen staff and the GHEI board on Sunday, Whyte is leaving the college to “pursue another opportunity.” His resignation is effective Sept. 1, he wrote in the e-mail message.

Several members of the GHEI board and the Glen Helen Association board, including the Ecology Institute’s chairman, David Goodwin, confirmed that Whyte intends to leave the Glen.

Whyte could not be reached for comment this week.

Rick Jurasek, the interim president of Antioch College who is Whyte’s supervisor, was on vacation and was unavailable for comment.

Though Antioch University Vice Chancellor Don Tecklenburg could not confirm Whyte’s resignation, he said that he did not think the college decided not to renew Whyte’s contract.

The college began its annual evaluation of Whyte’s performance last week, sending questionnaires to Glen staff, GHEI board members, Glen Helen Association board members and other Glen affiliates. Evaluation forms were due back to Jurasek on May 10, after which the college and the GHEI board were scheduled to discuss the matter and decide whether to renew Whyte’s yearly contract, which expires July 1.

Goodwin said Monday that Whyte’s decision came as a surprise, especially because his evaluation process had just started. But Goodwin said he understood the pressure on Whyte and that he would likely be an attractive candidate for other organizations or institutions.

“It’s an enormously demanding job, and I can imagine people burning out in a situation like that,” he said.

Though the board has not discussed the matter, Goodwin said the Glen would “get through” with the help of its large network of support until the college and the board can decide what the next steps will be.

Tony Arnett, president of the GHA, could not be reached.

Whyte, who came to the Glen in 2000, has been a source of controversy since the Glen’s Outdoor Education Center Director Sue Feller resigned last summer because of her inability to work with Whyte. In September, four GHEI board members, including the president, David Hergesheimer, resigned from the board for similar reasons. This spring, financial support from the Glen’s largest regular donor group, the Lucy and Arthur Morgan Society, declined from about 30 members to about 15 members.

The Glen initiated a strategic plan last fall, but chose to put the plan on hold early this year, partly due to lack of incoming funds, according to Goodwin.

Whyte said in the e-mail that he plans to continue as executive director of the Glen through the summer and will focus on finalizing the 2005–06 budget, fundraising and establishing the college’s graduate program in environmental education and leadership.