SCCC’s acting board leader resigns

The Sussex County Community College (SCCC) board of trustees is without a leader after acting chairwoman Candice Smith resigned last week.

The move is the latest in a series of changes on the board.

Smith took over as acting chairwoman after former Sparta Councilwoman Christine Quinn replaced Kurt Gewecke on the board. He previously was the board chairman.

Quinn was defeated for re-election to the Sparta Township Council in November. She left the council at the end of 2024 after serving 12 years.

It is not clear why Smith left her post.

“Candice Smith resigned on Thursday of last week,” said Chris Carney, director of the Sussex County Board of County Commissioners. “I am not sure why, but she left on her own accord. The board of trustees bylaws state they have a nominating committee for people interested in sitting on the board, and they will bring them to the board and vote accordingly at their next meeting.”

Attempts to contact Smith about her departure were unsuccessful and an email to Gewecke was not answered.

Paul Crowley, whose term as a board member expired, was replaced by former county commissioner Earl Schick, who was defeated in his bid for election to that post in the Republican primary last year.

The county commissioners oversee the college, and Carney said he is looking forward to working with Cory Homer, who was made interim SCCC president after Jon Connolly resigned last month.

“I think having a new board is a way to start things over and that goes hand in hand with Jon Connolly leaving,” Carney said. “I have met with interim president Cory Homer twice already. We told him we are looking for transparency, open dialogue and are excited to work with him.”

Connolly given tenure

The trustees granted Connolly tenure as a biology professor at the same meeting when they accepted his resignation.

Carney said the board should have waited for the new members before voting on tenure.

“They voted to give him tenure on a Friday and then just five days later, at their reorganizational meeting, appointed new people to the board,” he said. “I, personally, would have waited on the tenure decision until the new board was constituted.”

The board’s decision to give Connolly tenure has been criticized.

Jason Boehm, president of the adjunct professors’ union, has said that because of allegations of intimidation and unprofessional behavior by Connolly, some are concerned that he is remaining on campus.

“The fact is Dr. Jon Connolly is a brilliant scientist, an unbelievably passionate and effective educator, and the students of Sussex County are unbelievably privileged to have him as a professor,” Boehm said. “However, there are people he has traumatized on the campus, and he is not going anywhere.”

One incident involves Lee Coffey, a former international student at SCCC. He and others spoke up in 2022 about what they deemed to be unfair and unsafe housing for international students, including hidden cameras placed in inappropriate areas.

Coffey filed a lawsuit against the college alleging, among other things, that he received terroristic threats.

Search for gun

As previously reported, some on campus were concerned about reports that Connolly was keeping a gun in his office as president. Board member Gayle Carrick took him out to lunch while other employees, with Gewecke’s knowledge, searched the office.

Keith Festa, head of campus security at the time, was involved in the search as was former SCCC chief operating officer James Gaddy. They did not find a gun.

Later, Connolly was recorded by Gaddy discussing the search for the gun. Included in the 30-minute recording, obtained last month by Straus News, are the following statements by Connolly:

• “Once the Lee Coffey thing ended, I took the gun out.”

• “I get very grumpy about (full-time union president) Tony Balzano. I get very grumpy about Jason Boehm. I was pissed as hell at Lee Coffey.”

The comments are considered by some, including Coffey, to be a threat against a person who was a student at the time.

Connolly also said in the recorded conversation that he put security cameras on his property because he was concerned that Coffey would show up at his home.

A request to Connolly for comment was not returned.

Coffey said Connolly’s worries were misguided. “I have never made any mention or indication of showing up at Dr. Connolly’s property in any capacity.”

Homer declined to comment on the matter.