We’ve got one of those “resigned effective immediately” types of situations.
SouthsideCentral has confirmed that Michael Duncan “resigned effective immediately” this morning from his position of director of Research & Commercialization at the Institute for Advanced Learning & Research.
An email that was marked “SENT ON BEHALF OF JERRY GWALTNEY” (Director of the Institute), contained “Michael has advised me that he wishes to pursue a couple of personal endeavors that he has in mind for the future. I accepted his resignation with regret.”
While researching this story throughout the day, I spoke with many city and business leaders and nobody was aware of Duncan’s imminent departure, with one source saying “I saw him on Friday and it was business as usual with him.” Duncan’s photo and biography have already been removed from the Institute’s website, but you can see the archived version of it at this link.
The management team at the Institute has not released any statement on this “immediate resignation” yet.
This is a developing story and SouthsideCentral will update this article as we get more information.
Seems kind of sudden. That usually is not good. But I guess time will tell.
Has his replacement been named?
They haven’t even acknowledged his departure yet.
But scrubbed website you reported.
If it’s what it seems to be (and I’m sure it is), I think the entire management team is in a state of flux right now.
Word at Jakes is that someone named Cockran has already bagged the job.
That could be Leigh Cockram. She already does business development.
As someone said so well: The Institute is a solution looking for a problem. Trouble with that is it really isnt a solution to anything. The reason no one knows what they are doing is that they don’t know themselves. It is a hideous waste of money and an insult to every taxpayer.
Little early? Need fresh blood.
I have always wondered what they do at the Institute. It is a magnificent building not doubt. As far as I can tell it has been used mainly as a banquet/meeting venue. Great place to have a reunion, meeting, wedding,, etc. I Understand Mr Gwaltney has panned to curtail that. It was not really built for that. What else goes on there? I have asked many folks, politicians, educators, businessmen, and nobody has really been able to answer.
1) Research: Mainly on plant growth. 2) Education: Very intensive on STEM education. 3) Economic Development: The Southern Virginia Regional Alliance is doing a good job working on that.
I felt the institute was sold as a place partnered witVa. Tech where students would actually take classes. And that by having these classes, it would attract certain industries to Danville. The fact that Gwaltney is involved should tell you something is very wrong with that place. How would it be possible to open the books on that place?
Joe,
Completely correct. It would be fascinating to know how many bachelor’s and master’s degrees the Institute has issued. Whereas the New College Institute in Martinsville actually does seem to focus on education if you’re interested in such a model. We’re 10 years in, and there’s still not a solid higher ed mission. Its own website says that its college programs are “in development or transition.” Think about that. Also worth noting that its mission includes serving Patrick, Halifax, Henry, and Mecklenburg counties…go ask those folks about the benefits of the last 10 years. What % of people in Patrick County even know that it exists?
http://www.ialr.org/index.php/advanced-learning/college-programs
Thanks for the info on what they do at the Institute. Can you also say how it’s funded?
No one knows what really goes on at the Institute because the “boys” want it that way. Come on, Majors, Wright, Davenport, Gwaltney, et al… It was just a power grab of tobacco settlement dollars to fund themselves.