University denies The Post’s FOIA request concerning John Beaghan’s retirement
Oakland University has denied entirely The Post’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for documents pertaining to former Vice President for Finance and Administration John Beaghan’s Oct. 22 exit from the university.
On Nov. 5, I sent a FOIA request asking for:
“The following documents pertaining to former Vice President for Finance and Administration John Beaghan’s retirement: Internal memos and emails in the lead up to and following Beaghan’s meeting with President Pescovitz on Friday, October 22nd that pertain to that meeting, any documents, memos, or emails pertaining to a non-disclosure agreement Beaghan signed in accordance with his retirement, and the non-disclosure agreement Beaghan signed in accordance with his retirement.”
After the university failed to respond to the request within the five business days that they are legally obligated to do so in, I sent a follow up email at 11:45 a.m. on Nov. 16 saying, “We’re past the five business days. I need an update on this request.”
The university responded seven minutes later at 11:52 a.m. with a letter notifying an extension saying, “This letter is notice extending the period during which Oakland University will respond to your request to Dec. 1, 2021, to allow the University to determine whether non-exempt, public records that may be responsive to your request exist and to compile same.”
On Thursday, Nov. 18, the university sent their response denying my request.
“Your request for “….Internal memos and emails in the lead up to and following Beaghan’s meeting with President Pescovitz on Friday, October 22nd that pertain to that meeting…” is denied, as such information or records is subject to the attorney-client privilege.
Your request for “any documents, memos, or emails pertaining to a non-disclosure agreement Beaghan signed in accordance with his retirement, and the non-disclosure agreement Beaghan signed in accordance with his retirement.” is denied. I hereby certify that no public records in the possession of Oakland University responsive to your request exist.”
The Post requested a statement from President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz concerning the denial of our FOIA request, as well as any additional statement providing transparency about Beaghan’s exit from OU. As of writing, there’s been no response to that request.
A longtime VP, Beaghan was going on 17 years with OU before his departure in October. His abrupt retirement stood out as unusual, as it is typical for someone in that high up of an administrative position to give multiple months’ worth of notice before leaving so a proper transition in leadership can occur.
Following his exit, the university immediately removed his staff page. As of writing, OU Magazine articles including him have been reduced to one. The university never released a formal statement concerning his retirement until The Post requested one. That statement read:
“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.”
It is our understanding that the search for Beaghan’s replacement has begun and is being led by recently hired Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost Britt Rios-Ellis. Also worth noting is that, as of last week, Jim Hargett is serving as Interim Vice President for Finance and Administration.
Wendell Davis, Rochester resident • Nov 23, 2021 at 3:27 PM
The administration needs to recognize that universities are no different than any other business, in that when a reputation for corruption becomes established people avoid that business. Enrollment is dropping. The faculty is unhappy to the point of striking. Alumni are withholding donations. And all the while this administration is gushing over the Emporer’s new clothes.
The reality, however, is that the Emporer is naked. This administration is corrupt, and is doing nothing to even attempt to protect the reputation of this institution, let alone to root out the corruption. That is nothing less than a breach of trust against the students, the faculty, the generous donors who financially support OU, and against the entire Rochester community. This lack of integrity is alienating the very sources of income and knowledge upon which universities depend to function, and the longer it continues, the worse it will get. If the reputation is not improved, more students are going to leave every year. Faculty as well. There will be more strikes. Donations will continue to decline. The quality of education will drop. The reputation will worsen. And the cycle will repeat itself until the corruption ceases or the university closes its doors. It sounds far-fetched until you realize that this cycle is already in progress, that these things are already happening, and that the administration/board of trustees are doing nothing about it.
Mike • Nov 23, 2021 at 10:18 AM
The administrators are a cancer that needs to be separated from an otherwise decent university.
Step down:
Dean of Students weak-Weed wadsworth
President Posh-Mansion Parasite Pescovitz
anonymous • Nov 23, 2021 at 7:25 AM
It’s not typical for a retirement to be announced late in the afternoon on Friday….even less so for OU to turn off Mr. Beaghan’s email before announcing it to his colleagues. Compare that to departure of other long-serving leadership. They get parties. Beaghan just got fired. Say what you want about Mr. Beaghan, but he had some standards and would say no to things. In the Ora show only sycophants need apply. Main qualification to be OU leadership is willingness to accept and feed total narcissism on daily basis. It’s basically the same qualification required to be on Trump’s cabinet. Let’s hope we don’t hire Rudy G as new legal council….lights in the board meetings get hot and melting hair would kill the vibe…but boy would he think the bio button was a good idea.
NDAs can be a red flag in higher education • Nov 23, 2021 at 6:42 AM
Excellent work Jeff. While on the subject of asking about suspicious departures, I would like to urge the OaklandPost folks to also start asking the same sort of questions about the murky circumstances surrounding Chief of Staff Josh Merchant’s departure from his previous employer and what he has shared with the OU leadership team about it. The President has promised a new era of transparency, and this would be an excellent place to start. Students have a right to know. Maybe it is totally on the up and up, so why not share that? Who was responsible for vetting him and how was the process undertaken? Why is it difficult to get what would normally be very simple answers…is there something that makes this difficult. For example, is/are a non-disclosure agreement(s) in effect that prevents him and others from talking about his departure from BVU? This should be a pretty easy yes/no question for OU and Mr. Merchant to answer. I hope the Post will consider asking it.
Beaghan’s Ghost • Nov 22, 2021 at 10:53 PM
Josh Merchant convinced Ora to fire him. Someone’s head had to roll for the post-strike fallout. Of course, Ora is still virtually universally despised among faculty, and firing Beaghan hasn’t convinced anyone of the merits of her inane and wasteful pet projects. Go figure.
Anonymous • Nov 22, 2021 at 10:07 PM
What a load of codswallop. Of course there are emails. In their attempt to hide and deny, this administration is rapidly eroding the remaining trust of the campus community.
Anonymous • Nov 22, 2021 at 11:56 PM
Bloody true, with the only caveat, though: there is nothing to erode.
Nigel Montgomery • Nov 22, 2021 at 9:27 PM
Isn’t it just wonderful that OU already has these wonderfully qualified internal candidates that can jump in and fill these positions as soon as folk decide to abruptly “retire” after meetings with the president.