Don Green has resigned as president of the university for “private, personal, and family reasons,” according to the Board of Trustees.

“We support his decision and wish him the very best,” Joe Greco, chair of the Board of Trustees, wrote in an email announcing the resignation. “The Board of Trustees thanks Don for his boundless energy toward advancing the mission of the University and, in particular, his service to students.”

The university informed The Globe that they have no further comment on Green’s resignation beyond the statement from the Board of Trustees at this time.

Multiple students expressed that they were surprised by the suddenness of the announcement. 

“I was honestly very surprised as just a few weeks ago he stopped by the Chess Club at Point Perk and took some pictures with us,” Marc Palombo, a junior acting major, said. “I don’t know what to make of it yet, but hopefully everything is alright, and students can continue their education uninterrupted.”

Rosalie Anthony, a senior dance major, expressed both support for Green, and surprise at the resignation.

“I was really taken by surprise,” Anthony said. “He was such a friendly and kind person. I loved seeing him on campus, and it seemed like he was a wonderful fit for Point Park as president.”

Ryan Dawson, a junior sports arts and entertainment major, expressed support for Green.

“I find Don Green’s resignation to be very sad, as I knew him, he was supportive, kind, optimistic, and caring of the student body; he was always willing to meet students eye to eye and make necessary changes to improve the campus,” Dawson said. “I find the sudden announcement suspicious and worrying. I worry for Don and his family, and I hope they can overcome whatever they are experiencing right now.”

Dawson praised Green for his involvement with student organizations.

“My experiences with Don have always been nothing but good,” Dawson said. “He was a kind man to me and was always willing to lend a helping hand in achieving different projects and initiatives that I or the Horned Groundhogs were leading.”

Nanina Grund, vice president of the Student Government Association, declined to comment on Green’s resignation and confirmed that SGA had received “no information besides the email provided to us all.”

“Yes, it did happen quickly,” Grund said. “However, everything will continue as it was before. We have amazing staff and faculty who will make sure everything runs smoothly until the hiring process begins and the transition starts.”

Members of the Board of Trustees “are reviewing options for presidential succession and will be meeting with leaders of the various campus constituencies to discuss our path forward.” In the meantime, Michael Soto, university provost and senior vice president of academic affairs, will serve as acting president of the university. Nelson Chipman, associate vice president of academic affairs, will fulfill the responsibilities of the provost.

Green served as president of the university for sixteen months. He replaced Paul Hennigan, who served as university president for over fifteen years and retired in 2021. Following the announcement of his retirement, a months-long search for a replacement began, which led to the hiring of Green.

“I’ve been at Point Park since 2019, and there have been quite a few presidents during my time here,” Palombo said. “That tells me the position of president at Point Park is not an easy role to fill, and we haven’t found the person to take on the job long-term.”

Dawson is concerned about Green’s quick turnover.

“I find the turnover of presidents to be nauseating,” Dawson said. “I worry that this turnover will cause a lack of attention to the quality of education, tradition retention, and the correct allocation of time and money across our campus. My heart goes out to not only the Green family but also to the students that will surely be affected by the sudden departure of our Chief Executive.”

UPDATE: Dwight Hines, unit chair of the full-time faculty union, says that the union does not have a statement on Green’s resignation and that the university has not indicated that the union will be involved in the selection process for the next president.

“The Board of Trustees has not communicated in any way that the Union will be involved in the process to fill the vacant position,” Hines said. “However, we would welcome the opportunity to have a greater input in how this institution is administered.”

The Globe will have updates on the presidential search in further issues, as well as online on our website ppuglobe.com.