Dr. Benjamin Ola. Akande is still president of Westminster College, despite social media conversations implying he was leaving or that his job could have been in jeopardy.
"The focus should be on how we strengthen the Blue Jay Nation and ensure the quality delivery of our programs and student success," he said Wednesday morning in an emailed statement. "I have not resigned as president of Westminster College."
Alumni from Westminster took to social media this week, saying they suspected Akande's job was in danger and they supported him.
"There was social media chatter on Facebook," Lana Poole, vice president and chief communications officer, said. "There was a Twitter hashtag #KeepAkande, but most of it has been taken down."
An off-campus, teleconference meeting of the college's board of trustees was conducted Tuesday, Poole said.
"There was a meeting, but we aren't privy to any of the details," she added.
The chair of the board is John C. Panettiere. Vice chairs include Bruce K. Brookby, William D. Felder and Donald P. Lofe Jr.
"We have a new leadership team," Poole said of the college's board of trustees. "That transition took place July 1."
No board of trustees members could be reached for comment.
Westminster student Ben Davis, who is chapter president of Beta Theta Pi fraternity's Alpha Delta Chapter, said he sent out an email asking for support of Akande before the teleconference.
"I just heard about it from other alumni," Davis said Wednesday morning. "I believe a lot in what Dr. Akande has to offer, and I think a lot of the work he does goes unnoticed."
He also said he thinks the college currently doesn't need a change in leadership. Poole added Akande has backers who appreciate his job performance.
"There are plenty of people who support him," she added.
Akande began July 1, 2015, as the 21st president of Westminster College, a private college. Akande holds a doctorate in economics from the University of Oklahoma and has completed post-doctoral studies at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and the Said School of Business at Oxford University.
One of the recipients of Davis' email supporting Akande was James Hitchcock, who said he does not support Akande. Hitchcock is a 1986 graduate of Westminster College.
"I have not been a fan of his from the beginning," Hitchcock said. "In the fall, I started getting calls begging for money. I disagree with his plans for the future."