Acting President’s Messages

Guilfordians,

It’s always a great day when outstanding prospective students are on campus and can get a preview of the unique Guilford experience. Despite the predicted cold and wet weather, tomorrow 30 admitted students and about 60 of their family members will be at Guilford for Scholarship Day, during which the students will interview for some of the College’s prestigious scholarship programs: Honors, Quaker Leadership Scholars, Bonner, S-STEM and Ethical Leadership Fellows.

As we move through the process of stabilizing the College’s finances and meeting the requirements of our accrediting agency, we remain deeply committed to attracting and retaining students who will thrive in the excellent liberal arts environment for which Guilford is well known. 

Thanks to Steve Mencarini, Associate Vice President for Enrollment and Retention, and his team for hosting these important guests. If you’re on campus and encounter them, please offer a warm welcome and share your own Guilford experiences.

Early Retirement and Reduced Hours

One aspect of our program to have a balanced budget for FY25, ending June 30, and for FY26 was to offer incentives to employees who wish to request reduced hours through June 30, or retire early, thus lowering our salary and benefits expenses. A number of employees have chosen these options. Their requests are being evaluated by department managers, Human Resources, Acting Chief Operating Officer Keith Millner ’82 and me, and decisions about implementing these changes should be finalized next week 

Temporary Academic Calendar Change

In another cost-saving action that will also open possibilities for strengthening the academic program, on Wednesday, the faculty approved a temporary academic calendar change for 2025-26 and appointed a committee to make recommendations for the long term on how the calendar can best support the academic program and students' needs, including the availability of financial aid. Nothing will change for the current 2024-25 academic year.

The temporary calendar adjustment will make the fall and spring semesters the same length and maintain the option for a three-week term at the end of spring semester. The FY26 cost savings to the College are possibly as much as $800,000.

Student accounts receivable update

Some students and their families responded to last week’s notification about revenue from student accounts for which payment was due at the start of the spring semester by paying their bills or signing up for a payment plan, but more is needed. During the last week, about $200,000 has been paid or committed to a payment plan of the more than $2 million owed. This shortfall in expected revenue makes the College’s cash flow and ability to pay its own obligations very tight.

This is a very serious situation. If the remainder of the revenue owed to the College is not paid promptly, or is not part of a payment plan, it will be necessary for Guilford to make additional reductions in its already very lean FY25 budget. 

Seniors are reminded that they will not be allowed to participate in Commencement this May if they have an outstanding balance on their account. Starting next academic year, students will not be permitted to start classes if they have not paid in full or arranged a payment plan for the semester.

It is unfortunate, in my view, that the College failed to practice the kind of stewardship and clear communication with students that would have avoided this situation, but now we must firmly move in the direction of integrity and accountability over financial resources. Only that will ensure the College’s long-term sustainability.

Thanks to all

I continue to be impressed with the Guilford community, the always interesting activities and ideas of students, and the creativity and commitment of faculty and staff. Together we are making difficult choices and thus moving steadily toward meeting the mandates of SACSCOC and laying the foundation for the College to thrive. Next, we must apply ourselves vigorously to fundraising. More on that next week.

Warm wishes,

Jean Parvin Bordewich
Acting President

Dear Guilfordians,

As we make the turn into our second month of the leadership transition period, we are making steady progress yet also have more work to do to meet the expectations of our accreditor, SACSCOC, by June 30. 

Trustees make additional gifts

As noted in last week’s update, our three-part approach to balancing the FY2025 budget includes reducing expenses by $3 million, raising $3 million in philanthropic revenue above what was budgeted and monetizing assets for an additional $3 million in revenue.

In terms of new philanthropy, trustees are donating $365,000 toward operating expenses in this half of the fiscal year in addition to their contributions in the first half of the fiscal year, with 100% of trustees participating. Interim Board Chair Dan Mosca said, "The College is experiencing very tight cash flow this semester and I am gratified that trustees are redoubling their efforts toward financial sustainability.”

As Acting President, one of my major responsibilities is fundraising and I take this obligation seriously. I have already met with some of the College’s most loyal donors and I will be doing even more in the weeks ahead. Dan and I urge alumni and friends to give to where their funds are needed most, which is the unrestricted Loyalty Fund. Giving to the Loyalty Fund is quick and easy.

Business programs are accredited

I am delighted to report that the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) has renewed the accreditation of Guilford's undergraduate Business Administration program and awarded accreditation for the first time for the undergraduate Accounting program and the Master of Business Administration. Congratulations to Department Chair Michael Dutch for his leadership! Read more about this good news here. 

Business Administration, our largest major with more than 200 students, was first accredited by ACBSP in 2014. 

FY2026 budget preparation

Work is underway on the FY2026 budget, which is very important to maintaining Guilford’s SACSCOC accreditation. The College’s Budget Committee with representation from faculty, staff and administrators across campus is preparing its preliminary budget. After extensive reviews and transparent sharing with the College community a budget eventually will be submitted to the Board of Trustees for approval in May.

Bruce Stewart memorial Saturday

Chattanooga Friends Meeting will hold a Memorial Meeting for Worship Saturday, Feb. 8, at 2 pm to celebrate the life of Bruce B. Stewart ’61, beloved Guilford alumnus, administrator and trustee chair, who died on Jan. 26. You may view the memorial on Zoom.

Celebrating basketball success

Guilford’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are enjoying success as they hit the home stretch in the regular season. The men’s team hosts Washington & Lee tomorrow at 3 pm while the women’s team visits Randolph-Macon. I encourage you to support our student-athletes, including senior men’s player Nick Farrar, who was featured today in the News & Record sports pages (may be subject to a paywall). 

Warm wishes,

Jean Parvin Bordewich
Acting President

Dear Guilfordians,

This has been another busy and eventful week at Guilford. Now at the end of our fourth week of our leadership transition period, I continue to be amazed at the resilience of our campus community, bolstered by the support and encouragement of alumni, families and friends.

On Wednesday evening more than 140 members of the wider Guilford community participated in a Post-Trustee Meeting Community Forum to hear College updates and offer questions and ideas for ensuring Guilford’s long-term sustainability.

In a presentation, we showed a chart illustrating our financial picture for the past few years – expenses did not vary much, but revenues declined dramatically post-COVID. We have a three-pronged approach to balancing the College budget for FY25:

• Reduce expenses by $3 million. Reductions of almost $800,000 have already been implemented, and on Thursday, Human Resources introduced to faculty and staff three voluntary programs: Early Retirement, Voluntary Early Exit and Voluntary Reduction in Hours, that are components of our budget-balancing strategy. 
• Raise $3 million in philanthropic revenue above the $2.4 million budgeted, for a total $5.4 million for this fiscal year. 100% of trustees have made a commitment to this fundraising effort. 
• Monetize assets for an additional $3 million in revenue, in particular, outparcels of College property.

Next week we should be able to share details about administrative restructuring that is designed to improve communication and collaboration, create efficiencies across campus and achieve some cost savings.

If you would like to listen to the forum, here is a link to the recording.

How can you get involved right away? Here are a couple of ways:

Alumni and Friends of Guilford (AFOG), through the Guilford Admissions Ambassadors Network, is rallying Guilfordians to write personal notes to prospective students. They will provide a packet of note cards and a script as a guide and will pay for postage. The letter-writing campaign is Feb. 1-15. Email gaan1837@guilford.edu with your best mailing address if you are willing to help with this critically important effort.

Another way is making an unrestricted gift to the Loyalty Fund at the College that can be used for our greatest needs at this time. Making a Loyalty Fund gift is quick and easy through our giving portal. Thank you for your financial support of Guilford.

As some of you know, former Trustee chair and beloved College administrator and mentor Bruce Stewart ’61 died on Sunday. Chattanooga Friends Meeting will hold a Memorial Meeting for Worship to celebrate his life Saturday, Feb. 8, at 2 pm. You may view the memorial on Zoom.

Finally, during the evening forum on Wednesday, Professor Eric Mortensen inspired the group of alumni, parents and friends with his reflections on Guilford today.

In part, this is what he said: “One of the most magical things about Guilford is our students are still very much Guilford students. There's something different about Guilford students that makes them really wonderful. (They are) brilliant, kind people. We're still attracting them. Guilford hasn't lost its soul. That I can promise you from experience on a day-to-day basis.”

He added, “There's a sense of hope now, finally, that we've been looking for and waiting for. … This is the moment we're going to get. We're not going to maybe get another one if we miss this one. This is the time that I would encourage people to find out how to best make a difference and get reengaged, financially and in terms of their connections in their communities. So please don't wait.”

Eric’s teaching inspires us all, and his words express better than I can the importance and excitement of right now for Guilford. Onward together!

Warm wishes,

Jean Parvin Bordewich
Acting President

Dear Friends,

I am saddened to share with you that Bruce B. Stewart ’61, a beloved Guilfordian, died Sunday morning after a short period in hospice care. The quintessential Guilfordian, he is a former Trustee of the College and served as Board Chair from 1999-2003. As one of the Richardson Fellows he encouraged and inspired, I am grateful to have known Bruce for more than 50 years.

The son of a Scottish immigrant and native of Lynn, Mass., Bruce was introduced to Guilford and the Quaker community as a teenager by J. Floyd “Pete” Moore ’39, who was studying for his doctorate at Boston University. He considered his choice of Guilford for college and the experience he had here to have transformed his life. And what a life he had.

After earning an Economics degree at Guilford, Bruce started his career as a social studies teacher and school counselor at Page High School in Greensboro, coordinating the school’s first efforts at integration in the turbulent 1960s. Next, he helped establish the N.C. (now UNC) School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, serving as the school’s first Dean of Student Affairs.

Bruce returned to Guilford as a faculty member and administrator, working in a succession of jobs, as Director of Admissions, Assistant Professor of Education, Director of the Richardson Fellows Program, Assistant to the President, Acting Academic Dean, Provost and Associate to the Vice President for Development. 

With Guilford classmate and fellow administrator Jim Newlin ’61, he was a founder of the New Garden Friends School in Greensboro. He consulted on the establishment of the N.C. School of Science & Mathematics in Durham and on public school desegregation in the state. 

Deeply committed to Quaker education, he served two notable secondary institutions as Head of School: Abington Friends School in Jenkintown, Pa. for 14 years, and Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., for 11 years before his retirement in 2009. He resided in Chattanooga, Tenn., in his later years.

Bruce was the recipient of Guilford’s Charles C. Hendricks ’40 Distinguished Service Award and Alumni Excellence Awards.

In 2003, trustee Bill Soles ’81 – for whom Bruce was a mentor – and his family made a significant gift to the College to create the Bruce B. Stewart ’61 Awards for teaching excellence and community service that are presented to Guilford faculty and staff on an annual basis.

We will share memorial arrangements when they are available. Please join me in holding Bruce’s family and friends in the Light as we mourn his passing and celebrate his life. 

Warm wishes,

Jean Parvin Bordewich
Acting President

Dear Guilfordians,

In the third week of the leadership transition at Guilford, I am very pleased to share that we are approaching this work in a spirit of optimism and making good progress on a number of fronts. Guided by a period of listening and learning for myself and other leaders, on campus and with Guilfordians at large, we are taking action to sustain the College well into the future and provide a positive experience for our students.

As many of you know by now, Guilford has been dealing with a structural deficit for a number of years. We are committed to resolve it so that it does not impede our future progress. Efforts are underway to align our revenues and expenses for this fiscal year, ending June 30, and make achievable, financially responsible projections for FY26 and FY27 that meet and exceed the expectations of our accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). We are approaching decisions about any cuts with the utmost care and sensitivity.

While dealing with pressing financial matters, our interim leadership team moved quickly to ensure that our students will have a great spring semester.

• We worked with the Provost’s Office and the bookstore to quickly get books for the spring semester in the hands of students when we learned there were some temporary delays.
• We worked with Facilities and Student Affairs to provide options for residents of Shore Hall to move to other locations on campus and will be taking the hall offline at the end of the academic year to bring it up to our residential standards.
• We worked with Finance and Student Activities to provide more funding for student clubs so that they can proceed with activities planned for the spring semester.

Some of you are acquainted with our long-term trustee and Guilford parent Dan Mosca. I am pleased to share that last week Dan was appointed interim clerk/chair of the board. Dan’s passion for the College is based on his deep appreciation for the education his son and daughter received here and his experience with the institution since the 1990s. Keith Millner ’82, Acting Chief Operating Officer, and I resigned from our board positions because SACSCOC, our accrediting agency, does not permit board members to serve as administrators, even in an acting capacity.

We are concluding our two-day, regularly scheduled Board of Trustees meeting later today, and I would like to invite you to participate in an hour-long post-meeting forum for alumni, families and friends on Zoom on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 6 pm EST. We will provide a briefing on the board meeting at that time. To register for the Zoom call, please click here. A link for accessing the meeting will be provided next week.

On behalf of the College, I want to express our deep appreciation for the support of the wider community of Guilfordians, including Alumni & Friends of Guilford College (AFOG) and the Black Alumni of Guilford College (BAGC). They and their members are organizing a variety of ways to support students and strengthen the College.

I will be in touch again next month by email and encourage you to join the Zoom call on Jan. 29. In the meantime, I welcome your suggestions, feedback and concerns. Please feel free to contact me at president@guilford.edu.

Warm wishes,

Jean Parvin Bordewich
Acting President

Faculty and staff,

We have made the turn into the second half of the fiscal year with roughly five months to go. As you all know by now, FY25 is critical for Guilford as we do the hard work of aligning revenues with expenses and creating achievable, financially responsible projections for FY26 and FY27. We must do this in order to comply with standards for accreditation with SACSCOC, which will make a judgement about our accreditation in December following two years of probation.

Balancing our budget and eliminating a structural deficit will require strengthening enrollment, generating more philanthropic support, leveraging third-stream revenues and carefully considering academic offerings while being very strategic in our budget planning and spending on an ongoing basis. Today, we are reissuing a set of spending control guidelines in effect through June 30, 2025, with a reminder of how important they are to our financial objectives.

To put a fine point on it, through the FY 2024-25 budget period, no spending shall occur unless necessary to maintain Guilford's essential operations. Essential operations refer to the core functions and activities that are absolutely necessary for the College to remain operational and achieve its goals. The spending guidelines lay out procedures for requisitions and reimbursement requests and limits on purchasing, travel, catering and hiring.

Please review the guidelines carefully as they have been prepared to assist us in being the best stewards possible of Guilford’s resources. Vice Presidents and other department leaders will work with you on compliance, but we are all accountable. If you have questions about spending, please inquire with your supervisor before proceeding with a transaction. The spending control guidelines, including employee liability, will be enforced.

Everyone in the Guilford community has a role to play in sustaining the College. We will be stronger as we come together to work toward solutions. We are grateful for your daily contributions to the College’s important mission. If you have questions or concerns about the guidelines, please contact Administration & Finance by emailing financeworkday@guilford.edu.

Sincerely,

Jean Parvin Bordewich, Acting President
Keith Millner, Acting Chief Operating Officer
John Wilkinson, CFO
Danielle Pfaff, Controller

Dear Guilford community,

I’m writing to let you know that after consulting with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), the Board of Trustees has made some changes in its leadership plan for the Presidential transition period.

SACSCOC has advised Guilford that members of the Board cannot have long-term administrative and trustee roles simultaneously under their rules. Therefore, Keith Millner ’82 and I resigned from the Board in order to fulfill responsibilities as Acting Chief Operating Officer and Acting President, respectively.

On Jan. 16, the Board approved Dan Mosca as Acting Clerk/Chair, to serve throughout the transition period. Dan, who has been a trustee of the College for nearly two decades, was serving as Vice Chair. As administrators for the College, Keith and I will report to the Board.

Those who know Dan will attest that he is deeply committed to the College, inspired by the education his children received here and his own experience with this community since the 1990s. He has been generous with his time and resources, and we will greatly benefit from his leadership as Clerk/Chair.

Relatedly, trustees Carla Brenner ’73 and Paula Sours ’76 will continue to provide support for the transition as representatives of the Board.

I am excited to work with Dan and the other Board members as we engage the Guilford community in resolving financial difficulties and our SACSCOC sanctions. There are tough decisions to be made and implemented, and we have dedicated people to do this work.

Thank you for everything you are doing to help Guilford thrive.

Warm wishes,

Jean Parvin Bordewich
Acting President

Guilfordians,

The Guilford Board of Trustees announced at the beginning of January that Kyle Farmbry was stepping down as President of the College after three years and that I will serve as Acting President.

As someone with deep family roots at the College and personal experience here dating back 50 years, I am committed to strengthening Guilford as a learning community of courage, compassion, creativity, accountability and excellence; a place where students learn to connect their talents, interests and personal commitments to the needs of the world. Here they sharpen their purpose and their ethical foundation to change the world. They don’t have to wait to have an impact. They can do it now, at Guilford, in practical ways that develop meaningful, lifelong habits and skills.

While the College works to resolve its financial difficulties, I want to make this clear: Guilford is not closing, it is changing to become truer to the unique set of values and identity that were embedded at its founding by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) almost 200 years ago. Our College has endured many hard times. It was one of the few colleges in the South that remained open during the Civil War. It survived the Great Depression of the 1930s. It has emerged from previous periods of financial peril by recognizing and deepening its unique calling in the field of higher education. That’s what we are doing now. They don't have to wait four years to make an impact. They can do it now, at Guilford, in practical ways that develop meaningful, lifelong habits and skills.

Our primary tasks this year are to ensure students grow and thrive, and to change outdated practices and attitudes that helped create the current financial difficulties. College leadership must pay greater attention to stewardship of our financial resources for the long term. We must change. We are starting now to reposition Guilford for the next generation – as a college grounded in Quaker values that is ever evolving to be a stronger beacon of light in each student’s life and in the world.

I am working with a team of four current and former trustees who are volunteering to be on campus during this period of change. Our goal is to put the College on track to meet and exceed the requirements of the SACSCOC accreditation agency this year. We are immersing ourselves in the community to rapidly institute overdue improvements in certain areas of the College’s operations. 

In the two weeks we’ve been on campus, we’ve met with, listened and learned from students, faculty, staff and friends. These open sessions have generated dozens of insights and ideas which we are acting on this month.

We also want to connect with you, as valued alumni, and we welcome your suggestions. We need your help. As Guilford alumni, you are our ambassadors. You amplify Guilford and its importance to the world and to the students who come here. I understand that there have been times you have felt like the College didn’t listen to you.. The College is working with existing alumni groups that want to become more active and more involved in supporting the students and supporting the College. 

Alumni and Friends of Guilford College (AFOG) is organizing a skills bank of alumni volunteers. That will be a tremendous resource for us. The Black Alumni of Guilford College (BAGC) works hard to connect the Black alumni with activities here on campus and offer scholarships for Black students. I hope you will consider reaching out to Toiya Hancock ’93 with BAGC or Esther Hall ‘74 at AFOG because the College and our students need you.

Stay tuned! We are consulting widely and acting fast. You will hear more from me and Guilford over the next few weeks. My hope is that in the coming weeks you will be as excited as I am about the path forward for Guilford.

I will be in touch again next Friday. In the meantime, please feel free to contact me at president@guilford.edu.

Warm wishes,

Jean Parvin Bordewich
Acting President

P.S.: You might enjoy this conversation Jacob Mitchell ‘25, President of the Guilford Student Body Association had with me last week. And here’s Jacob’s fun, 60-second version: 

P.P.S.: Finally, here’s another interview I sat for that I hope you find informative.

Members of the Guilford Community,

I am writing to thank many of you for participating in conversations with trustees last week that were incredibly informative and enjoyable. Your passion for Guilford and our students is encouraging. I urge all members of our campus community to be actively involved as we navigate our challenges in the coming months.

This transition period calls for transparency, intensive collaboration and a focus on what makes Guilford unique. These are priorities for my leadership. Compassion, courage, accountability and dedication to community will guide us and will be important as we make decisions and set the transformation in motion soon. The trustees are meeting as a full group along with College leaders Thursday, Jan. 16, and in their regularly scheduled board meeting next week. I expect to share more information with the community after those meetings including a more concrete timetable for actions to re-imagine, re-structure and re-invent Guilford to be a leader through its innovative and unique approach to higher education.

I have heard rumors that some people believe the College is closing. I assure you that the trustees, including those on the coordinating committee, are committed to our institution’s long-term success. The dedication of our collective volunteer time and energy reflect, I hope, our confidence in Guilford’s future. 

Guilford is actively addressing the issues of non-compliance identified by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and fully expects to meet the expectations of our accreditor. We are confident in our ability to demonstrate compliance through efforts of our faculty, staff and all members of the Guilford community.

I recognize that uncertainty can create anxiety, but I hope you will find reassurance in the steps we take in the coming weeks and months to strengthen our College and build for the future. Guilford is an institution rooted in resilience and community, and together, we will overcome any challenges we face.

If you have further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out. You will receive regular updates from me in the weeks ahead, and I welcome your comments and feedback. Please contact me at president@guilford.edu.

Thank you for your dedication to Guilford College. It is your passion and belief in this community that make our College truly special.

Warm wishes,

Jean Parvin Bordewich
Acting President

Dear students,

The first week of work for the coordinating committee was enlightening, including a series of informal meetings with students, faculty and staff. I want to thank everyone who participated in conversations with us and encourage others to be actively involved as we move forward.

I want to address particular concerns that some of you shared in last week’s meetings. 

Potential closure of Guilford: I want to assure you that College trustees, including those who make up the coordinating committee, are committed to our institution’s success long-term. The dedication of our collective volunteer time and energy reflect, I hope, our confidence in Guilford’s future. 

Guilford is actively addressing the issues of non-compliance identified by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and fully expects to meet the expectations of our accreditor. We are confident in our ability to demonstrate compliance through the efforts of our faculty, staff and members of the Guilford community.

Even while we are working on our compliance, Guilford is moving forward as it always has in preparing for the 2025-26 academic year. We are admitting first-year students for the fall semester, and our commitment to providing a transformative educational experience remains steadfast for you and new students.

Access to textbooks. Trustees became aware last Tuesday that some students did not have access to their textbooks a day after the semester began. We immediately removed the roadblock the same day and all students had access to their textbooks Wednesday morning. I apologize for the inconvenience this might have caused you.

Funding for student clubs. We became aware from the meetings with students last week, that the clubs do not have funding for this semester. I believe that Clubs should be able to access their allocated student fee-funded budgets in a timely way. We are addressing the issue this week. I will let you know when it is resolved.

Reports of mold in residence halls. On Friday, Carla Brenner, another trustee, and I made an appointment with the College’s Facilities & Maintenance team to inspect Shore Hall. We saw mildew and some instances of mold. We are looking at remedies and expect to have answers later this week.

I understand that being a student at a College that is working to resolve some challenges might be unsettling for some of you. I hope you will find reassurance in the steps we take to strengthen the College and build for its future. Guilford is rooted in resilience and community, and together, we have always overcome our challenges.

If you have further questions or concerns, contact me at president@guilford.edu. Open communication is vital as we continue to move forward, and I encourage you to remain engaged in conversations about our College’s future.

Thank you for your dedication to Guilford College. It is your passion and belief in this community that make it truly special.

Warm wishes,

Jean Parvin Bordewich
Acting President