NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — In a letter penned to Tennessee Comptroller Jason Mumpower, leaders with the Tennessee Black Caucus are calling out rhetoric that they say is: “deeply troubling,” “unwarranted,” and “unacceptable.”
The letter, which was efforted by Representative Vincent Dixie, points to an interaction that occurred between the comptroller, interim president Dwayne Tucker and board chair Dakasha Winton at a recent State Building Commission meeting about the university’s severed ties with its former president Dr. Glenda Glover.
During the meeting, Mumpower stated the following:
- “Cancel the contract of the previous president, who has made out like a bandit while leaving only a legacy of disfunction.”
- “The taxpayers of Tennessee are not called upon to bail out any other university, community college, TCAT in this state the way we’ve been called on to bail out TSU, primarily because of the poor judgement exhibited by the prior president.”
“It’s not okay to talk to people that way,” Rep. Dixie told News 2 on Tuesday, Dec. 31.
“To have him try to disparage her legacy and her reputation is uncalled for. She did great things at the university, and she did it under pressure,” said Dixie. “Every college institution has issues, but you don’t see him putting the hammer down and personally inserting himself into these issues to finding solutions. It only seems to happen with Tennessee State University.”
The tensions come amid the university’s financial struggles, which are problems the comptroller stated in the meeting could require a bailout and laying off more staff.
News 2 reached out to Comptroller Mumpower in response to the letter. A spokesperson sent the following statement:
“While I certainly respect the members’ opinion, my role as Comptroller is to ensure decisions are made that protect the financial and operational functions of Tennessee State University. A successful TSU is vital to our state. TSU is facing a critical situation, and this is the time to ask tough questions and for university leaders to make difficult choices. I stand by my comments regarding the former president. There is clear and overwhelming evidence that her administration placed the university in financial peril. I am pleased to hear that the new administration and Board has ended that relationship.”
Jason Mumpower, Tennessee Comptroller
| READ MORE | Latest headlines from Nashville and Davidson County
It’s a response Dixie said he first heard from News 2, as he says he has not heard back from the comptroller.
“Why did you, the news station, get a response, but I didn’t get a response to the letter that I specifically wrote to him?” asked Dixie. “That is the type of arrogance and willful ignorance that he has toward TSU and when it comes to black leadership. Then we have a problem, maybe we should look at a different comptroller for doing that job.”
