When Jonathan Alger took over as the president of JMU, many argue, transparency and accountability from leadership turned toward a new direction.
Under Alger’s tenure, the JMU Board of Visitors (BOV) and its operational and decision-making processes were deliberately restricted from the public eye, multiple sources say, and that obscurance has been brought to a head in light of COVID-19 and its effect on JMU’s operations.
Kenneth Bartee served on the Board from 2010 to 2014 — two years under former JMU president Linwood Rose, and two years under Alger, who began his presidency in 2012.
Bartee said that when Alger took office, the BOV — and by extension, the university — experienced a “significant change” toward the tightening of a vise on the information flow from the Board to the public, including a “clear direction not to speak to anybody outside the Board about what we discussed.”
