Lincoln U. board votes to reinstate president Brenda Allen

The board, which originally named Allen the university's 14th president in 2017, voted about a month ago not to renew her contract, offering no explanation.

Lincoln University's 14th President Brenda Allen. (Abdul R. Sulayman/The Philadelphia Tribune)

Lincoln University's 14th President Brenda Allen. (Abdul R. Sulayman/The Philadelphia Tribune)

This article originally appeared on The Philadelphia Tribune.

The Lincoln University Board of Trustees has voted unanimously to reinstate university president Brenda Allen.

The past few weeks have been tumultuous for Allen.

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The board, which originally named Allen the university’s 14th president in 2017, voted about a month ago not to renew her contract. The board offered no explanation to the public or Allen.

Allen responded to the board’s decision by suing the board for violating the state Sunshine Act (open meetings law) and the university’s own bylaws when it voted on her contract in executive session and excluded several board members from voting. She received support from the state Attorney General’s Office and Gov. Tom Wolf, who also sued, echoing her allegations and adding to them.

The AG’s office also asked the court to unseat board Chairwoman Theresa Braswell, saying in its suit that Braswell exercised a “gross abuse of her authority” when she led the board to take actions that violated state laws in “willful defiance and wanton disregard” of the advice of the board’s attorney.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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