After being put on paid administrative leave for more than two
months during an investigation into his role in a controversial
hiring decision, Winston Doby will return to his position as Vice
President of Student Affairs with reduced authority, University of
California officials announced Monday.
The decision comes after an internal audit found that Doby did
not violate university policy in the hiring of James Greenwood, the
son of Doby’s then-superior, former UC Provost M.R.C.
Greenwood.
Doby has been on paid leave since Nov. 4, when the university
began the investigation.
M.R.C. Greenwood resigned in the face of a separate inquiry,
which recently found that she violated conflict of interest
policies. She is currently on paid leave and will stay with the UC
to teach at UC Davis.
Last summer, Doby provided money from the UC Office of Student
Affairs to hire James Greenwood for a one-year internship as a
Senior Student Affairs Intern at UC Merced.
The position included a salary of $45,000, and Greenwood was the
only candidate for the newly created position.
The report, conducted by the Office of the University Auditor,
found that Doby did not “technically violate”
university rules when he helped hire Greenwood, but his actions
constituted “a significant error in judgment.”
Doby’s reinstatement was conditional.
According to a letter from acting Provost Wyatt Hume, Doby had
to acknowledge his error and agree to avoid future “practices
in hiring that advantage known individuals over others who might
wish to seek employment.”
He also lost the authority to approve hiring decisions and move
money outside the Office of Student Affairs. The Office of the
Provost will hold these powers for the rest of Doby’s UC
career.
Doby said the conditions related to restricting his authority
were unjust, but his commitment to returning to the university was
more important than contesting a condition.
He said he helped Greenwood get the internship because he
thought Greenwood deserved an opportunity to work in student
services and demonstrate his worth.
“The reason I did what I did was because of the individual
and the qualities I saw in the person,” Doby said.
Doby said that Greenwood’s ability shows in his successful
performance in his internship. Previously, in a Dec. 18, 2005
response to the investigation, Doby cited Greenwood’s unique
background as qualification for the job.
Greenwood had lost his job as Director of Christian Education at
a United Methodist Church in Northern California due to a loss of
funding last year, and was looking for a job in May 2005, according
to the audit.
Greenwood applied to three Student Affairs positions at UC Davis
and two at UC Merced in 2005, but did not advance to the interview
stage for any of them.
He will continue working at UC Merced until the end of his 12
month internship in August.