Youngstown State University Interim Provost Dr. Jennifer Pintar has responded to allegations from former University President Leslie Cochran that the university violated accreditation standards in the hiring process of Bill Johnson as the university's new president.

In a letter penned to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Cochran alleged that all but one member of the university's Board of Trustees "ignored stated institutional values, accreditation standard and the important role of students in the [hiring] process."

In a statement released to 21 News Wednesday, Dr. Pintar called these claims "false and completely unsubstantiated" and stated that YSU is committed to maintaining the highest standards of quality in compliance with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC).

She went on to describe the claims as "a blatant attempt to tarnish YSU's reputation with false and frivolous claims."

"Accreditation is a crucial process of peer-review that ensures universities adhere to widely-accepted standards of quality. YSU acts with integrity, adhering to all of the Criteria for accreditation set forth by the HLC," Pintar said.

Dr. Pintar goes on to say that the HLC does not specify any method for hiring a university president and that the role of selecting a president lies solely in the hands of the Board of Trustees.

Cochran, whose concerns were also echoed by the only trustee to vote against Johnson's hiring, Molly Seals, never argued that there were standards for how to hire a president. 

Cochran instead pointed to the secretive process by which Johnson was hired, as well as financial contributions made by several trustees to Johnson's campaigns, as potential violations of the HLC's accreditation standards that deal with ethics and responsible conduct. 

Cochran's letter states eight different standards he believes the university fell short of. 

While none of these standards Cochran cited made any direct mention of the process of hiring a university president, Cochran argues that these standards were still violated by the trustees during Johnson's hiring process.

The eight standards Cochran cited are listed below.

- The institution’s actions and decisions demonstrate that its educational role is to serve the public, not solely the institution or any superordinate entity

- The institution’s educational responsibilities take primacy over other purposes, such as generating financial returns for investors, contributing to a related or parent organization, or supporting external interests

- The institution engages with its external constituencies and responds to their needs as its mission and capacity allow

- The institution operates with integrity in its financial, academic, human resources and auxiliary functions

-  The governing board’s deliberations reflect priorities to preserve and enhance the institution

- The governing board reviews the reasonable and relevant interests of the institution’s internal and external constituencies during its decision-making deliberations

- The governing board preserves its independence from undue influence on the part of donors, elected officials, ownership interests or other external parties

- The institution enforces policies on academic honesty and integrity

You can read Cochran's letter in its entirety here.