The removal ended a 16-month struggle between the president and regents. The new board of trustees at Adelphi University in Long Island, N.Y. fired the school's President Peter Diamandopoulos last week, ending a 16-month battle between the president and many of the regents, students and faculty. "The board determined that, in the best interest of the University, a change in leadership in the presidency was necessary," the trustees said in a written release last Thursday. "Therefore, the presidency of Peter Diamandopoulos ended today." Earlier this month, the New York State Board of Regents voted 14-1 to remove all but one of Adelphi's 19 trustees --including Diamandopoulos -- for neglect of duty. But despite evidence that the trustees had set compensation for Diamandopoulos "without a rational basis," and that two of the trustees had engaged in business practices with Adelphi for their personal benefit, the regents lacked the authority to remove Diamandopoulos as president. Last week, however, the university's trustees deliberated for 10 hours before voting 14-0, with five members abstaining, to fire Diamandopoulos. The former president had been criticized for receiving an annual salary of $837,000 -- making him the second-highest paid university president in the country -- in addition to job perks including an apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side valued at $1.3 million and an $82,000 Mercedes. During Diamandopoulos' 12-year reign, enrollment at the school, which attracts mainly commuter students, plummeted from 3,670 students in 1987 to only 1,905 this year. Diamandopoulos' successor, however, remains unclear. According to Adelphi bylaws, Provost Igor Webb should inherit the job. But the new board thought that Webb -- who had been appointed by Diamandopoulos -- was too close to his predecessor to be an adequate replacement. Instead, officials chose to form a search committee to select an interim president. And in a written release, the board's new chairperson, Steven Isenberg, said the university hopes "to move on a purposeful course to permanent leadership." "We want to pivot to the future, projecting a positive image of Adelphi to potential new students," he added in the statement. The struggle to replace Diamandopoulos began in 1995, when a coalition of professors, students and former trustees joined together to form the "Coalition to Save Adelphi." The coalition obtained and released proof that the university had bought Diamandopoulos the Manhattan apartment, Mercedes and other luxury items. Adelphi senior and coalition member Catherine Cleaver praised the board's decision to replace the president. "Obviously we're thrilled," she said. "The board did what had to be done." And Adelphi Biology Professor Devin Thornburg, a leader of the coalition, called Diamandopoulos' removal "a very positive step toward rebuilding the institution." But he added that he hopes the new board will seek recovery of any benefits improperly given to Diamandopoulos during his tenure at the university, and block any such benefits in the future. Diamandopoulos has 2 1/2 years left on his contract, which officials said includes a variety of severance benefits, such as the right to buy the $1.3 million condominium from the university for only $905,000.
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