#Jackiessecret revealed: Liebergott to step down at Emerson in 2011

Via a clever hashtag on Twitter (conceived when Liebergott initially called the press conference and nobody knew what it was about) comes the news that Jackie Liebergott, president of Emerson College, will step down as of June 30, 2011. No successor has been named at this time.

As an Emerson alum, I find the situation difficult to assess. On the one hand, Liebergott did preside over a time period that saw Emerson increase its enrollment and revenue, mostly through moving its facilities from the Back Bay to the Theater District. Its academic reputation has improved. But her time as president was fraught with controversy as well. She was in charge during the contentious labor dispute with adjunct faculty members (which led to multiple "no confidence" votes from faculty members and trustees). She was also in charge this past fall when two African-American professors were rejected for tenure, calling the school's treatment of minority faculty members into question. 

Meanwhile, Emerson students seem to be most proud of the creation of the "#jackiessecrets" hashtag.