The administration of South Florida Community College has increased our respect for the school, which we already admired.
When presented with a list of questions regarding the arrest of faculty member William C. Morrison Jr. on campus, their response was quick and thorough, answering every question fully and providing Morrison's application and resume.
In a county where governments and agencies fight releasing information the public has a need to know, SFCC stands out for its sense of responsibility and connection to the people it serves.
For example, its response is the opposite of the Orange County Sheriff's Department which did not return three phone calls and an email asking for information regarding the charges against Morrison. The state's attorney office did return a call, but would not release any information. The News-Sun was told the charges were not a matter of public record until Morrison had a lawyer and the discovery portion of the case had begun.
What shocked us about the unfortunate incident had nothing to do with the college -- it was how quickly people assumed SFCC was to blame.
The most common reaction we received was how could SFCC have messed up the background check. The immediate assumption was screening committee incompetence or nepotism.
The fact is, Warren Buffet would have hired Morrison. A decorated retired U. S. Army colonel with degrees from Nova Southeastern University, Golden Gate University (in San Francisco), Howard University School of Divinity and West Virginia State University, Morrison has an impressive background.
His references included the dean of Bethune-Cookman University, a retired general and a vice-president of Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems Company.
Everything he claimed checked out. There was nothing to indicate any problems.
The loss of trust between public official and private individual is a serious problem.
The widening gap between elected representative and citizen is a direct result of years of arrogance and paternalism on the part of too many governments. The public has been told too many times that "we know what's best for you," "trust us," and "you wouldn't understand."
Now the results of all that condescending nonsense is coming home, and we all are the worse for it.
We would love to see the college initiate a course in open government and leadership ethics. We think every candidate for office should attend such a class even before submitting a letter of intent to run.
In the meantime, we thank the college administration for its forthright and timely response. It has proven itself to be a gold standard, which other authorities should strive to achieve.
Hopefully, we can now all return our focus to where it belongs -- the good work the college does, its continuing growth, and the hard working students who use the opportunity to learn more and better their lives.
Wednesday, May 02, 2012 - www.newssun.com/edt-050212