The president of Pittsburgh Technical College threatened legal action against a news outlet and her own staff after an outside investigation into her leadership was leaked.
“We plan to take legal action against individuals who continue to spread false/misleading information, share privileged and confidential materials, and/or continue to damage our institution and brand," Alicia Harvey-Smith said in a letter to faculty and staff.
Ms. Harvey-Smith said she is considering legal action against WPXI based on “material concerns about its reporting accuracy.”
She did not specify her concerns, and WPXI said its reporting was accurate.
“WPXI-TV stands by its reporting on the findings of an independent investigation authorized by the Pittsburgh Technical College’s Board of Trustees,” station management said in a statement. “A college president publicly saying she’s ‘considering’ legal action against a media outlet for reporting on an independent investigation paid for by her own institution, shows either a disregard for, or a fundamental misunderstanding of, the First Amendment.”
WPXI said it has received no notice of legal action.
Ms. Harvey-Smith previously told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette she would not retaliate against whistleblowers who came forward this summer with concerns that she was misusing school funds. An outside law firm hired by the school's board in July found evidence of potential misconduct and described the president as an "autocratic" leader in a confidential report that has since been leaked.
"Harvey-Smith rarely seeks or accepts the advice of others, regardless of their expertise," the report said. "This style of leadership has fomented extensive dissent from PTC personnel and created opportunities for misconduct."
Ms. Harvey-Smith, who retained a lawyer to refute the investigative findings, denies all allegations of wrongdoing.
In an Oct. 12 statement, some members of the board offered praise for Ms. Harvey-Smith.
“The college’s funding, recognition and positioning have increased dramatically under Dr. Harvey-Smith’s leadership,” said the statement, which was not signed by individual board members, making it unclear which ones approved it.
Four of the six trustees who reviewed the investigation have since resigned. The school brought on six new trustees on Oct. 16; one has already left.
The school's general counsel left the school this month, and its foundation chair quit earlier this month, citing an inability to fundraise under such leadership instability.
Other staff have chosen to leave due to what Ms. Harvey-Smith described as "great stress over the last three months."
“It's really important to know that when people leave, other great people come in. So right now I'm trying to re-cultivate an organization that's committed to our mission — the right people in the right seats moving forward,” she said at a Thursday news conference.
Several staff who spoke with the Post-Gazette said the president's reaction to the investigation was a key reason for the departures. Staff members also said they are fearful for the future of an already faltering institution whose enrollment numbers have slipped alongside other regional colleges.
At the Thursday presser, Ms. Harvey-Smith threw some of that financial strife back on what she called "a small number of individuals that are leading ... vicious attacks"
"It is because of this situation that we're confronted with, that we've had to put our foundation on hold, we've had to put our lobbying efforts on hold," she said. "An environment has been cultivated that has led to questioning not only the board's leadership, but the president's leadership, and the leadership of the college in general. It is really important that we come together."
The five remaining board members issued a joint statement of support shortly after the news conference, writing that they believe the president acted rightfully and with the college's best interest at heart.
They also expressed "significant concern over the efforts of certain individuals who are actively trying to harm the College and its students," suggesting that such people are "making egregious, inaccurate claims and spreading lies and misinformation about PTC."
Those actions, the board said, are "harming and placing every employee and student at risk."
The 75-year-old college, formerly called Pittsburgh Technical Institute, was restructured as a nonprofit in 2017. Based in Oakdale, it offers certificates, associate’s and bachelor’s degrees in more than 30 fields, including computer programming, nursing, welding, HVAC repair and culinary arts.
PTC had 1,066 students enrolled in the fall of 2022, according to the school’s website.
This story has been updated to include a response from WPXI-TV management. Evan Robinson-Johnson: ejohnson@post-gazette.com
First Published: October 26, 2023, 8:15 p.m.
Updated: October 26, 2023, 8:17 p.m.
