Dive Brief:
- Broward College's board and its president, Torey Alston, reached a mutual termination agreement on Tuesday, bringing an end to a tumultuous effort by trustees to oust Alston.
- The public Florida institution's trustees moved to fire Alston without cause last week, but he sued the board two days before they were set to vote on the matter. A circuit court judge ruled that the board couldn't decide on Alston's termination until it went through mediation with him to work out an ongoing employment contract dispute.
- Under the newly reached agreement, Alston will receive $430,000. In return, he stepped down as Broward president on Tuesday and will withdraw his lawsuit and an HR complaint he filed against the board. He also agreed moving forward to not disparage the board or apply for another position with Broward. The board does not admit wrongdoing under the settlement.
Dive Insight:
The board's initial plan to remove Alston from his position last week would have done so without giving a specific reason or explanation for his firing. Under his employment contract, Alston would not receive compensation past his last day if he was fired without cause.
Following a mediation session scheduled for Monday, Alston secured more favorable terms. The agreement dictates that he will withdraw his lawsuit and HR complaint against the Broward board for roughly $319,000, pending court approval. He will also receive just over $110,000 in severance and unused sick time and vacation leave.
Last week, Alston told Higher Ed Dive he hoped to remain as Broward's president and work through the issues with the board.
On Tuesday, he said in an email that he is proud of the college's growing enrollment, retention and completion rates during his tenure, as well as the state and federal funding it secured.
"I look forward to what’s ahead," he said.
Broward hired Alston in early 2025 and approved a contract worth $329,000 a year.
Alston and Broward's board began feuding publicly in June, according to meeting minutes. Trustees alleged that the president failed to address the college's low pass rate on nursing licensure exams. They also said Alston wasn't responding to calls from donors and community leaders.
Alston disputed the accuracy of the meeting minutes published by the board in his lawsuit.
In his complaint, he alleged the board failed to properly administer a performance review he received in June and awarded him a score too low to receive the merit bonus outlined in his contract.
Alston requested an internal investigation from the college's HR department, and hours later, the board scheduled the meeting to consider firing him, his lawsuit alleged.
