McQueen Campbell resigns from NC State Board of Trustees (3:20pm Update)

NC State Administration54

Feces continue to hit the fan in Raleigh! Link! McQueen Campbell has resigned as chairman of the board at NC State University as Chancellor James statusquOblinger’s ship is sinking faster than the Titanic. We could be looking at a (long overdue) complete changing of the guard and washing out of a lot of perceived dead weight in the NC State administration.

In a letter addressed to Gov. Beverly Perdue, Campbell said: “I am not resigning because I have acted inappropriately. Both the chancellor and the provost have communicated publicly and independently that the hiring process of Mary Easley was free from any improper influence.”

Campbell was prominently featured in a two-part series last weekend in The N&O, which recounted his friendship and influence with Mike and Mary Easley. Campbell flew the governor often in his planes, sometimes for free, and bragged of his influence in getting key development permits. The governor twice appointed him to the N.C. State Board of Trustees, where he rose to chairman.

Also, the State Board of Elections will launch a criminal probe of the Mike Easley campaign, officially closing the file to public inspection.

…stay with us for more news and analysis.

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NC State Administration

54 Responses to McQueen Campbell resigns from NC State Board of Trustees (3:20pm Update)

  1. choppack1 05/15/2009 at 11:11 PM #

    alpha – someone mentioned a UNC-BOT involved in similar shennanigans – I wonder how that will play out.

  2. highstick 05/15/2009 at 11:21 PM #

    “Bowels” as I like to refer to him is a Clinton protege who doesn’t know what “is is”. He’ll sacrifice his children to save his butt! This whole thing stinks to typical Eastern NC politics.

  3. blpack 05/16/2009 at 12:35 AM #

    It looks like this will get ugly. Two down, more to come.

  4. graywolf 05/16/2009 at 7:20 AM #

    ^ “It looks like this will get ugly. Two down, more to come.”

    One can only hope….

  5. McCallum 05/16/2009 at 10:07 AM #

    Couple of items:

    1) I read through an interview with Campbell and he talked about a fast track review process with the DWQ. The fast track process is indeed a process started by the DWQ some years ago whereby an applicant can pay a large fee to have his permit moved ahead of others that paid the standard fee.(depending of the size of discharge involved the fees might be as large as $20,000 to as low as $5,000 as opposed to the standard fees which were in the $325 range downward) If there are issues with the fast track permit in question then it goes directly back to the party submitting the permit and the process starts again with a NEW FEE submitted.

    This passed years ago and was an effort to milk applicants in need of a permit out of money. It somehow got through the NC house and senate sub-comms and was passed in an overall bill whose title escapes me at this time. Point being: if you have cash and want a permit they (DWQ) will get you a permit if you send them money for a fast track process. Campbell simply called a higher up at the DWQ or a member of the review board from the house or senate and said he needed this or that done.

    John Edwards had a permit pushed through for the town of Robbins some years ago and the fast track system was not used. Word came down from up on high that a certain permit needed to be moved up and BAM………..it happened.

    2) Bowles, from what I understand through contacts within the UNC system, has been rather fair in his dealings with the schools in the system. The hypocritical problem with him speaking out on this matter is that there was to be an open process SEARCH for the head of the UNC system and Bowles was picked out of the blue with no public comment or review. It reeked and still reeks of insider deal doing.

    3) What you see in how poorly all these items have been handled is classic NC State. Head down, plowing forward (any direction really) with little or no concern as to how it might look and no consideration in the prior as to how things might shake out. Thus, NC State just does it and the chips fall where they might. As I was told long ago, State does not practice risk management, they practice risk avoidance. They have no idea that things will go wrong and when they do go wrong, as things will when people are involved, they over react or in this case they look terribly corrupt and inept.

    4) A point of using people outside of the system: I would be highly wary of people outside of the system being brought in with the best example being former system president Molly “shoulder pads” Broad. We have a reason to expect to be lead by people from North Carolina with traditional North Carolina values and understandings NOT some yahoo from a dipstick’s definition of fashionable education. There are very common sense based folks within the system who can be found, the problem arises on the political payout side and that seems to be the entire reason Campbell was given his position in the first place.

    Alpha,

    Are you a former ACCBoards poster?

    McCallum

  6. wufpup76 05/16/2009 at 10:33 AM #

    ^”Useful idiots” is a great term … even if it did come from the Red Army

  7. choppack1 05/16/2009 at 12:25 PM #

    McCallum – excellent point on the hypocrisy of Bowles position in this matter. Of course, like I said, we’ll see how far this shakes out.

  8. McCallum 05/16/2009 at 2:57 PM #

    choppack1,

    Same as it ever was.

    “When the UNC Presidential Search Committee was formed last spring, it promised its search would be open and pledged the names of the finalists would be released. Until the time actually came to pick a president, the search was public. Open meetings were held and a website was created to collect nominations.

    But some legal experts say the committee later violated state statutes by failing to notify the public of the times and places of the meetings it held to interview candidates.

    The panel met Sept. 7 in a publicly announced meeting, as the law requires. UNC officials then announced the search committee would meet next in early October. But instead, it met at the Hyatt Hotel in Charlotte on Sept. 25 and 26 to interview the five candidates, the News & Observer of Raleigh reported.”

    http://media.www.dukechronicle.com/media/storage/paper884/news/2005/10/26/News/Unc-May.Have.Broken.Law.In.Bowles.Selection-1475226.shtml

    McCallum

  9. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 05/16/2009 at 8:10 PM #

    What is Easley’s connection to the hiring of Bowles? The entire UNC system stinks of the Democrats in NC and power. Seems like over the last few years taxpayers and donors have supported John Edwards at UNC, Bowles, and Easley. NC State’s campus has become a breeding ground of Democrats lately… I may be wrong but hasn’t Bill and Hillary Clinton been hosted by NC State a few times over the last year? I’m sure at great expense. Didn’t B. Obama give a couple of speeches on campus during the campaing along with his wife getting an invite?

    I may be wrong but I don’t remember McCain or Palin being invited to speak on NC State’s campus once during the 2008 campaign. Seems like NC State was scheduled to hold a debate between Obama and Clinton only to be canceled at the last minute by B’oma because he thought he had the state won. I would love to know how these folks have been using NC State to promote party politics.

  10. packalum44 05/16/2009 at 8:41 PM #

    I’m always baffled as to why Oblinger takes so much heat by posters here. When folks (me included) bash Fowler, there is support given. His performance sucks.

    Oblinger is responsible for the new emphasis on marketing i.e. Red Means Go. He also presided over the largest fund raising campaign in NC State history. I hate that he supports Fowler but other than that I’m not sure what everyones’ beef is.

    SFN: If you knew the truth behind “Red Means Go” then you wouldn’t be so supportive of Oblinger. Unfortunately, that is not for public consumption.

  11. McCallum 05/16/2009 at 9:19 PM #

    There is no evidence of any kind that I can find which puts Easley as having any influence on the selection of Bowles. He simply was not part of the process and the two are not friends and have limited connections to one another.

    I expect NC State still has a rather conservative student body but no doubt that is changing with the massive influence of all the business and CHASS majors pouring in from Charlotte, Raleigh, Greensboro, Winston-Salem and Frog Pond.

    BTW: NC State could be hustled by anyone. The place is ruled by wretched goofballs who lack even an ounce of class.

    McCallum

  12. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 05/16/2009 at 10:13 PM #

    ^^^So there is no ‘evidence’ that Easley and Erskin where sleeping together but I don’t remember any prominent Republicans being considered to run the UNC System. Easley may not select the UNC President but he selected those that do select the president. The entire system is full of Democrat pond scum living large off taxpayers and donors. As anyone asked why all these university employees are driving free cars?

    I’m amazed that the little people are getting pay cuts but all these top administrators are driving around in donor provided cars. Not only do donors pay for Mary Easley they also pay for these 100K+ employees cars and gas. F’ing disgusting.

  13. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 05/16/2009 at 10:45 PM #

    The entire UNC sytstem is suspect now and the only solution is for all the university presidents that were hired under Easley should resign and return to their tenured, taxpayer paid jobs.

  14. LKNpackfan 05/16/2009 at 11:14 PM #

    I may be wrong but hasn’t Bill and Hillary Clinton been hosted by NC State a few times over the last year?

    Yes. Bill’s speech was sponsored by the <a href=”http://www.ncsu.edu/millenniumseminars/about.html”Millennium Seminars, which was organized by Mary Easley. Tt was anything but a Dem-only program though

  15. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 05/16/2009 at 11:24 PM #

    I want to know why Oblinger allowed NC State to become a hotbed of radical left wing ideology. Allowing Obama and wife, Bill and wife to use the campus as free campaign stops without giving equal time to Republican candidates.

    Could anyone name one Republican leading a school in the UNC system? Why is it that our NC’s attorney general hasn’t looked into this?

  16. tcthdi-tgsf-twhwtnc 05/16/2009 at 11:37 PM #

    Anyone question how this 30 something dude is the now chancellor of UNC? I’m guessing there where far more qualified white dudes in line to run UNC than this Easely smoker.

  17. GAWolf 05/17/2009 at 8:11 AM #

    All universities are a hotbed for liberal thinking. This applies to each and every last one of them, barring maybe… maybe… a few Ivy League schools. (And I say that only because the majority of the students who go there are from extremely rich families.)

  18. jhmd2000 05/17/2009 at 7:46 PM #

    Re Universities as panty-wearing liberal hotbeds, there are precisely three remaining Universities that are worth a d@mn in terms of academic, professional and personal development. They are in Maryland, New York and Colorado.

    Witness what happened at Dook during the LAX affair. I wouldn’t let my kid go to Dook on full scholarship if it means being taught by those clowns.

    SFN: I respectfully submit that you are forgetting Texas A&M.

  19. Otis 05/18/2009 at 8:07 AM #

    I would disagree with the statement made that NC State has a rather conservative student body. I finished up last year and was on campus for the primaries. There are a decent number of fiscal conservatives, but for the most part the student body moderate with leanings toward the democrat party. There was a lot of student support out on a daily basis for the Democratic candidates, but Republican supporters were few and far between. I am not sure that it was the school going after the Democratic candidates, but the candidates wanting to come and speak with the students. Not trying to get to much into ideology, but this post is political in nature, but must college students want little to do with the religious right, which seems to dominate the Republican party. There was more support for Ron Paul on campus than there was for McCain. Obama and Hillary had street teams on campus everyday getting students registered, McCains people would come by once a week at most. And the only one of the bunch that I remember coming to campus proper was Chelse (sp?) Clinton, Obama gave a speech that was held at the RBC Center.

  20. Noah 05/18/2009 at 8:57 AM #

    So there is no ‘evidence’ that Easley and Erskin where sleeping together but I don’t remember any prominent Republicans being considered to run the UNC System.

    There are prominent republicans left? Where? The Baptist State Convention?

    Oh, don’t get me wrong…there are prominent conservatives all over the place. Honest, intelligent, hard-working folks who just have a different ideology than mine. Millions of them. Have good conversations with them all the time. And if they have any aspirations of attaining higher office, they run as democrats.

    But prominent republicans? Sorry. Never heard of one of those in quite awhile.

    Conservatives are people who believe in smaller government, sane economic principles, and are largely social libertarians. I would guess that somewhere around 60-70 percent of Americans identify with their politics.

    Republicans are racist, nationalistic, anti-abortion snake oil salesman who believe in HUUUUGE government (far bigger than any liberal), and economic principles founded by Willie Sutton. Outside of small pockets in the southeastern United States, no one identifies with them.

    And before you get all pissed off, I didn’t break your party, republicans.

  21. Classof89 05/18/2009 at 9:50 AM #

    ^^
    Any UNC institution would be an absolute idiot to install a Republican as a chancellor, given the fact the Democrats control the UNC BOG, the Legislature, and the purse strings.

    Aside from all the shenanigans with Easley, I was particularly unimpressed with McQueen Campbell even before this story broke. We aspire to be a world class institution, and then we install as President of the Board of Trustees a 38 year old hog farmer and truck stop owner who acquired his businesses through Daddy’s money and who’s stock in trade is sleazy real estate dealings down at the coast?

    The next 38 year old we make President of the Board of Trustees better have a company worth a couple of billions with his name over the door. Not some second rate snake oil salesman and shameless self-promoter.

  22. LKNpackfan 05/18/2009 at 10:13 AM #

    (If NC’s ballot access policy wasn’t so backwards I’d be libertarian), but even as a registered republican, I can’t disagree with noah on any of the above points. Its well documented, even inside the party, that a hard-line far-right social policy is killing any attraction to the GOP by the younger generation. Edit: This, from a recent GOP convention

    Back to the topic – one easy way to right the ship, IMO, would be to immediately name John Sall chairman, assuming he’s willing and not rolling off next month.

  23. Sam92 05/18/2009 at 10:17 AM #

    hopefully oblinger will be forced out too — only because i think we need change at the top before anything good will happen

    on the whole, it seems this shakeup is not affecting lee fowler, which is too bad

  24. Classof89 05/18/2009 at 10:34 AM #

    Burley Mitchell would also make a good chair. Former Chief Justice of the NC Supreme Court.

  25. StateFans 05/18/2009 at 11:03 AM #

    ^ Isn’t he a tad ‘ingrained’ into the same good old boy network that continues to plague any attempts at advancing the University?

    How about General Hugh Shelton for Chancellor or for Chair of the BOT?

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