What Happened:
CU President Bashar Hanna announced he is resigning as president effective July 31 in a mass email from his office, a day before a planned walkout against him that had been organized by students.
Why it Matters:
This follows months of controversies that have plagued his administration. In the email, Hanna revealed that he will be accepting a new position he described as an “invitation” from Christopher Fiorentino, the Interim Chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). The email is quoted as saying. “This new opportunity is both humbling and exciting-a chance to bring the lessons we’ve learned at Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, and Mansfield to a broader stage.”
Hanna is slated to begin this new position on August 1. At the time of writing, his salary for this position has not been revealed.
University Response
The Voice had attempted to reach out to President Hanna the day of his announcement for comment. It was Julie Stellfox, the assistant director of strategic communications, who responded to a Voice email. Stellfox wrote simply, “At this time, President Hanna is not available for an interview.”
Instead, The Voice was referred to a press release by the university the day of the announcement. In which Council of Trustees Chair John Wetzel is quoted as saying, “The Council of Trustees would like to thank Dr. Hanna for his dedication and commitment to our students and their success.”
The release then quoted Fiorentino, who states, “We are fortunate to bring into the system office someone with decades of experience at the university level as we work to open new doors of opportunity for students across Pennsylvania. Dr. Hanna will be a great addition to the team.”
Reactions on campus
Dr. Eric Hawrelak, the president of Bloomsburg’s APSCUF chapter, was reached out to by The Voice for comment. In an email he wrote regarding Hanna’s resignation, “For some time now, APSCUF has believed President Hanna needed to step down. Moving forward, we need to make sure that the entire campus community is working together in the best interest of our students, faculty, coaches, and staff.”
The timing of his resignation did not come as a coincidence to one student, Michael Rafizadeh, the student organizer of the planned walkout. “I don’t know for sure, but I do feel like the timing is not a coincidence. I do feel like it’s possible that the email was a response to the planned walkout.” He elaborated further that while he felt Hanna’s resignation was already forthcoming, the walkout played a role in an earlier announcement than planned.
Regarding Hanna’s new position Hawrelak wrote, “I have heard from a lot of faculty. Their concern is, since we have had issues with President Hanna’s leadership ability here at Commonwealth, there are reservations about him moving up to PASSHE, which governs all state universities.”
A sentiment shared by Rafizadeh who went further by stating, “I think it’s an indication of something we knew, which is that the problem is not just with Dr. Bashar Hanna; it’s with PASSHE.”
The Controversies
Over the 2024-2025 academic year, The Voice documented several controversies that plagued Hanna’s administration. Starting with the announcement of Hanna, along with former Provost James Krause, Bloomsburg University, and PASSHE being found liable for the wrongful termination of former Dean of Business Jeffrey Krug, in 2018, after Hanna faced allegations of sexual assault the previous year 2017. With Krug award $3.9 million in the verdict.
Since then, in the suit, two appeals have been filed, and there is a possibility that the total could rise to over $6 million with accumulating interest and attorney’s fees taken into account.
Following a demand from Kenneth Mash the president of APSCUF the union that represents the faculty of all PASSHE-operated universities demanded Hanna either step down or be fired, and the announcement that CU will be closing the Clearfield branch at the end of the 2026-2027 academic year, APSCUF, enacted a vote of confidence. The results showed that 88% of faculty on all CU campuses voted that they had no confidence in Hanna.
In March, it was announced that at the “request” of President Hanna and Chair Wetzel, they requested a mandated PASSHE evaluation of Hanna be undertaken two years earlier than planned. The evaluation began after students returned from spring break in April. with an external consultant coming to campus to conduct the evaluation.
Finally the aforementioned walkout. However, Hanna would announce his resignation the day before it was to take place on the steps Carver Hall. The next day after discussing it with APSCUF Rafizadeh called for the walkout to stand down.
What comes next
In an email to The Voice, Kevin Hensil, the director of media relations for PASSHE, wrote, “Per PASSHE policy, the chancellor will consult with the Council of Trustees chair at Commonwealth University as they work to identify an interim president. The chancellor will recommend an interim president for the Board of Governors to approve at its regular July meeting. We hope to share the name of that person in the coming weeks.”
