After losing in court to June Atkinson, Bill Harrison says he will leave his post as CEO of the Department of Public Instruction, effective Aug. 31.
Harrison’s announcement came less than a week after Atkinson won a favorable ruling from a superior court judge.
Now, why didn’t Mary Easley do something along those lines? Instead, she dug in her heels, even as the NCSU board of trustees chairman, provost, and, ultimately, chancellor resigned.
She participated in an embarrassing press conference where she stood, smiling tightly, as her lawyer dodged questions from reporters for about an hour.
As if that weren’t enough of a public relations nightmare, the story ended with her being forced out — that is, fired.
Too bad she didn’t read the handwriting on the wall and go quickly, as Harrison did.
