PETERSBURG, Fla. — As the University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus was preparing for a hit from Hurricane Irma, its leader suggested to her boss in an email that she was still there when she had actually left the state, a newspaper reported.
Sophia Wisniewska, regional chancellor for the Tampa-based university, negotiated a resignation Monday as university officials were set to fire her for incompetence and “lack of leadership.”
Wisniewska insinuated to her boss via emails that she remained on campus as Irma approached, even noting that things were quiet and she could hear the birds chirping there – but she was really in Atlanta, The Tampa Bay Times reported .
She defended herself Monday. In a text message, she told the Times, “I strongly reject any question of my leadership during Irma.”
Judy Genshaft, president of the USF system, cancelled classes Sept. 6 as Irma appeared to be headed elsewhere, but she kept the dorms open in both Tampa and St. Petersburg on Florida’s Gulf coast. Wisniewska says she wanted to close the St. Petersburg campus, but was overruled because evacuations had not been ordered.
The next night, Irma’s track shifted west, elevating the danger for students. Officials said Genshaft expected Wisniewska to adjust to the changes, even though there were still no county-issued evacuation orders. Instead the chancellor pushed back when asked to close the dorms. She wanted legal advice about her authority to order students to leave.
On Monday, Genshaft wrote, “I expect a competent regional chancellor to be able to process this weather information and respond to the evolving emergency.” Genshaft wrote that the issue isn’t “legal authority,” but “it is leadership competence in an emergency situation.”
