Shimer College announced today that controversial president Thomas K. Lindsay is “stepping down effective immediately.” According to unofficial sources, the college’s Board of Trustees, in an unannounced meeting held Monday, April 19, voted 18 to 16 for Lindsay’s dismissal. His contentious tenure has been the subject of several Reader columns. The board’s action came on the heels of a unanimous no-confidence vote Sunday by the Shimer Assembly, which is made up of students, faculty, and staff.
Alumni had also called for Lindsay’s ouster, and a petition to that effect was gathering signatures. Lindsay was accused of curtailing traditional student and faculty participation in governance, packing the board of trustees, and attempting to remake the historically independent school by giving it a right-wing political tilt. His recent rewrite of the Shimer mission statement was apparently the last straw. Lindsay was hired in June, 2008 and formally became president in January 2009. Former board chair and Trustee Emeritus Edward Noonan will serve as interim president.
Our Shimer coverage, includes the move from Waukegan to Chicago, and began with a memorable 1988 profile by Harold Henderson.