Call to Action - California Attorney General Kamala Harris

Students, Alumni, Faculty, and Staff of Sofia University call to action California Attorney General, Kamala Harris in support of investigating the actions of Sofia University President, Neal King and Board of Trustees Rick Hesel, John Ringgenberg, and John Cha.

It is the belief of the wider Sofia University community that the President and Board have been insubordinate with their duty to the school and in upholding the University’s core mission, as stated:

Sofia University is a passionate, dynamic learning community that fosters multiple ways of knowing while embracing diverse paths of spiritual practice and development.

We are dedicated to academic excellence, with a shared commitment to authenticity, inclusivity, cultural humility, ecological stewardship, and service to others.

Our curricula focus in six areas of inquiry: the intellectual, emotional, spiritual, physical, social and creative aspects of life.

Source: http://www.sofia.edu/content/mission

It is our belief that this mission has not been upheld by the University President and Board of Trustees as evidenced by the following:

Since President King has taken position in 2011,

- 7 of the 10 board members of Sofia University have recently resigned.

- 100% of faculty (50) and 83% of staff (32) voted “no confidence” in the president’s performance

- The current board and president refuse to share details of the schools financial condition with the vice presidents, faculty or staff.

- When Dr. King took over Sofia U the school was in robust financial health. Now the school faces at least a one million shortfall in revenue

- When Dr. King took over Sofia the school had roughly 4 million dollars in reserve. At this time faculty and other administrators cannot obtain an accounting of the reserve balance.

- The board resists a follow up meeting with faculty and staff representatives

In the last week, President King has

• Blocked the email accounts of two vice presidents, the school founder and the head of the faculty senate

• Removed without consent desktop computers from staff and faculty offices

• Sent threatening emails to staff

• Removed invitation to a community meeting from student, staff, faculty and alumni email accounts

• Falsely claimed the community meeting, scheduled for Dec. 17, 2013, had been postponed until January 2014

• Hired security guards to patrol the campus

• Unilaterally closed down the school this past Tuesday afternoon. Students who needed the school's resources (e.g. the library) were turned away by the security guards.

• Fired faculty and staff who voiced their concerns for the greater community.

Kaelyn Langer, Ph.D
Liberate ITP/Occupy Sofia Representative.