Long time Vice President for Finance and Administration leaves university
Photo courtesy of rocketreach.co
Former Vice President for Finance and Administration John Beaghan.
Following a meeting with President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz late last Friday afternoon, Vice President for Finance and Administration John Beaghan is no longer with the university. Pescovitz gave The Post the following statement regarding his departure.
“John Beaghan announced his retirement from Oakland University on Friday, October 22. We wish John all the best in his future endeavors. Plans for a national search will be announced in the coming weeks. In the meantime, Tom LeMarbe has agreed to serve as Interim Vice President for Finance and Administration.”
Following his departure, the university has removed his staff page. As of writing, OU Magazine articles including him have been reduced to one. His Linkedin page has been updated to indicate retirement.
Hired in April 2005, Beaghan was coming up on 17 years working as an administrator for the university. Known for his strong personality, he had a reputation for being at the center of some internal office conflict.
During the 2015-2016 school year, relations between the former VP for Finance and other members of the president’s cabinet reached the point where Beaghan was relocated from Wilson Hall to the Public Safety Building and some of his responsibilities were delegated to other administrators.
Over the past couple of years, Beaghan regained some of his responsibilities. As VP for Finance and Administration, he played a significant role in the university’s strategy during this summer’s faculty contract negotiations.
His departure came 11 days after his presentation at the Board of Trustees Audit Committee Meeting revealed that the university’s net position increased by $71.6 million for fiscal year 2021. It came one day after Pescovitz indicated in her State of the University Address that she had invited the OU Senate Budget Review Committee to work side-by side with administrators to play a more active role in understanding the university’s finances.
OU’s net assets increased from approximately $357 million to $1,065.7 million during his time as a VP.
Longtime Faculty • Oct 31, 2021 at 1:46 PM
As I work like mad on a department assessment report—a task that has been pushed onto faculty on the pretense of “accountability”—I can’t help but wonder why accountability always seems to end at a certain level in the OU organizational chart. As fun as it may be to watch the institutional soap opera unfold, it’s important to remember where the responsibility for this mess ultimately lies: Ora Pescovitz and Britt Rios-Ellis. The first is a cruel narcissist (who we can only guess left Big Pharma because even THEY thought she was was too unethical). The second is a profoundly incurious, unaware, and imperious status-seeker. They know exactly what they’re doing, and they know exactly who they’re hurting. They don’t care.
Patricia Rottenberk Wells • Oct 30, 2021 at 2:22 PM
There is a tremendous amount of waste at Oakland University. To name a few; overpaid executives; Golf Course glut of winter expenses and an administrator who should have retired sometime ago; hiring of friends who aren’t qualified for positions; expense accounts heavily laden with questionable expenses; John was a squeaky clean individual who didn’t play the company game and he has suffered from the abuse for years. John is a great loss for OU. When is someone going to step in and right the dishonesty and misuse of tax payer and student funds. Where is our Governor the Board of Trustees and the President of the University?
Anonymous • Oct 30, 2021 at 9:58 AM
Before you defamed John, you should have gotten your facts straight. In December 2015, the BOT made up a COO position and hired a personal friend of the Chairman of the Board…he was a Chrysler engineer with no higher education experience, no experience in Finance, Human Resources, etc, He and his assistant took over John’s office and some of his departments and allocated John to a small corner office. I can’t blame John for moving his personal staff to another location. You may not care for his personality but he was very good at his job. If you want to know why the faculty was given the shaft, look at the top heavy administration. COO, Vice President –
Enrollment, private speech writer and two new Associate Provosts, now numbering four.
Nancy Foltz • Nov 1, 2021 at 10:04 AM
I couldn’t have said this better myself, Anonymous!! You are so right! At the time, I lost my mind with the made up COO position, no public search, and appointment of a useless person who drained money from the University that should have been used for our students. I contacted Governor Snyder’s office to complain and was told to go our our HR Department. What a joke! That was the shadiest move I’ve seen in my 28 years of service to this University! When the COO finally left and John was put back in charge where he belonged, I felt that the University was finally going in the right direction. Wow! Whoever made the decision to let John leave has really messed up. John has been a leader and someone you could count on to do the right thing. Oakland University seems to be going in the wrong direction. This article is horrible and portrays a good, loyal employee as not. I’m retiring soon and I pray that Oakland University gets back on course. May God bless John Beaghan. Sincerely, Nancy Foltz
N/A • Oct 29, 2021 at 3:25 PM
John was an asset to this organization and will be missed, along with the several other people who have left this University due to Ora’s “leadership.” It unfortunate that we are losing such talent here at OU. Just another example of the sad state of affairs at this University.
anonymous • Oct 29, 2021 at 1:25 PM
Sure. Executives at OU always resign suddenly on a Friday.
OU never sends out special invitations ahead of time to RSVP a farewell event in the tent behind the library or now in ballroom A of the OC.
They never have their boss talk and thank them publically for their years of good service to OU.
I am sure he was not fired because he resists desires to start some unwise financial adventures?
Of course, he just resigned and wanted no one to know, even many of the other executives at OU.
Standard OU practice I am sure.
Really.
😉
Anonymous • Oct 29, 2021 at 8:44 AM
Now do Josh Merchant! His presence on campus puts us all at risk.
Anonymous • Oct 28, 2021 at 7:02 PM
While rumors of Beaghan’s unpleasant demeanor were widely circulated, it is unreasonable to believe that Pescovitz was unaware. He is being used as a scapegoat to deflect blame for the abysmal treatment of faculty and staff during contract negotiations. If Pescovitz was unaware of the financial state of the university after faculty and staff were denied cost-of-living increases (resulting in bad-faith negotiations), she is incompetent to lead and should resign.
Mike • Oct 29, 2021 at 12:34 PM
Pestilence Pescovitz, and weak knee wadsworth, the whole lot are a bunch of spineless, pathetic, cowards who care little about OU students and faculty. It is all about doing the minimum they can with there politically bought positions to justify them in their current positions.