BCC prez bonus, competence questioned

BOLIVIA, NC (WWAY) — The Brunswick County Commission is making cuts all around and all non-state mandated expenses are in the line of fire. That includes the bonus for Brunswick Community College President Susanne Adams.

Dr. Adams was named president in 2011. In addition to her salary, which is more than $100,000, county leaders say she’s asking for a $52,000 bonus from the county. County Commissioner Pat Skyes says that amount is not their responsibility to pay, according to state law.

“We automatically looked at it, thought about it, and said that since it was not mandated we would take it out and save the taxpayers money,” Sykes said.

Meanwhile, someone sent a letter signed “Students and BCC Supporters” to college trustees that accused Adams of “gross incompetence” and a “lack of leadership.” Adams has not responded to our request for comment.

John Jones, the Chairman of the Brunswick Community College Board of Trustees, sent a statement to WWAY via email. “The Board of Trustees at Brunswick Community College received an anonymous complaint letter to which the authors declined to sign their names and identified themselves as Student and BCC Supporters, which may or may not be true, as it cannot be confirmed,” Jones said. “What I can confirm is that the Board of Trustees has complete confidence in the outstanding leadership, faculty and staff at Brunswick Community College.  BCC has much to be proud of, and we take great pride in our mission to enhance the lives of our students through education and workforce training.”