Pressure Mounts for Embattled College Board Leader

The College Board leader is being pushed to resign by members of the college admissions community (photo credit: Tim4403224246).

A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about the tone deaf response of College Board president and CEO David Coleman to the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. In short, Mr. Coleman saw any mentions by Marjory Stoneman Douglas student Emma Gonzalez of the AP curriculum in her viral speech advocating for stricter gun control as advertising for the curriculum. The College Board is, of course, the maker of the AP curriculum and to say Mr. Coleman’s words rang the wrong tune would be an understatement. Mr. Coleman would soon face a public relations backlash and an employee of College Board would have to issue a non-apology apology on behalf of the organization. But, to date, Mr. Coleman has failed to apologize for his words in a public forum.

Members of Admissions Community Call for College Board Leader’s Resignation

A number of respected members of the college admissions community have since called for Mr. Coleman’s resignation not only for his words but also for his failure to properly apologize for the hurt his words have caused. As Scott Jaschik reports in a piece on the response of the College Board to the Parkland, Florida tragedy for “Inside Higher Ed,” Jon Boeckenstedt, associate vice president for enrollment management and marketing at DePaul University, said via Twitter, “It’s clearly time for David Coleman to resign as the president/CEO of this — get ready — membership organization. If he does not, we should all speak to the trustees and encourage them to fire him. I know for a fact that many people have lost whatever confidence they had in him.”

Scott Steinberg, vice president of university admissions at University of New England, echoed that call for Mr. Coleman’s resignation. As he wrote, “It is now nearly two weeks since David Coleman, President and CEO of The College Board, sent his original e-mail – referenced below – plugging The College Board’s AP program while denigrating Parkland student and survivor Emma Gonzalez and still, there has been no public apology from Mr. Coleman…I’m simply beyond the point of giving Mr. Coleman or The College Board the benefit of the doubt any longer…Mr. Coleman’s actions – and inaction – reflect poorly on himself, The College Board, and by association, to its members. There are too many other current challenges facing higher education – especially our students – for us to have to worry about and deal with collateral damage being caused by The College Board and incompetent leadership. It is time for Mr. Coleman to step down. If he is unable – or unwilling – to do so, I call on the board of trustees of The College Board to terminate his employment.”

Do you think College Board president and CEO David Coleman should resign in the wake of his response to the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School? Let us know your thoughts on the matter by posting a Comment below.