Conn. System Vice Chair Quits Board, Citing Dysfunction

Amid a flurry of controversy and recent resignations by administrators, Connecticut State Colleges and Universities Board of Regents Vice Chair Juanita James stepped down last week.

In her resignation letter, James cited a “dysfunctional culture and political in-fighting” as “insurmountable obstacles to progress,” The Hartford Courant reported. She added that “rumors and conjecture outweigh truth” and “public attacks and insults are made with impunity,” which she said creates a “no-win situation for everyone, especially the students that we are here to serve.”

Her resignation follows on the heels of a report that found the state system mishandled allegations of sexually inappropriate conduct leveled by female employees against former Interim Chancellor John Maduko. James, who was leading the search for the system’s next chancellor before she stepped down, called Maduko’s behavior “reprehensible” in her letter.

Maduko resigned in April, shortly after the system launched an investigation into his conduct. (He was the second chancellor to exit in less than 18 months after the board voted not to renew Terrence Cheng’s contract in the aftermath of a spending scandal revealed in 2024.) Then–Board Chair Marty Guay also stepped down in May after the allegations became public. 

Adding to the turnover, Central Connecticut State University President Zulma Toro retired abruptly last month amid a system investigation into allegations of bullying and intimidation. Multiple Central Connecticut employees had filed similar complaints against Toro, dating back to 2019.

James stepped down from the board as lawmakers’ appetite to overhaul the system appears to be growing. Multiple legislators criticized the system in the aftermath of the report into Maduko, with several hinting at legislative action to come next year.