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GREENSBORO — Greensboro College closed ranks Wednesday following the retirement of President Craven Williams amid the school’s ongoing financial crisis.

Faculty, staff members and trustees declined to talk publicly about Williams, who abruptly stepped down Tuesday after 16 years at the Methodist-affiliated school. Board Chairman Robert Stout did not return calls from the News & Record.

But Williams was much on the minds of the city’s college leaders.

“He was a big player in higher education and in the city,” said Kent Chabotar, president of Guilford College. “His leaving is going to be an ebbing tide for independent colleges in Greensboro.”

Chabotar said Williams is a great communicator with charisma to spare, but a tough economy and mounting financial problems finally got the better of him.

Julianne Malveaux, president of Bennett College for Women, said it was a shame that Williams, who had done so much for the school, retired under a cloud of controversy.

“I think he made a very unselfish decision in leaving,” Malveaux said. “He knows that there’s been a lot of controversy, a lot of disagreements and questions, and he made a decision that allows the school to move on.”

Williams’ relationship with the faculty had been tense since the 171-year-old school’s financial problems led to layoffs and an across-the-board salary cut of 20 percent in April. The school’s 75 faculty members already were among the lowest paid private college professors in the state.

Faculty and staff also complained that Williams wasn’t honest with them about the school’s mounting debts — which include past due bills of nearly $1 million, most owed to local vendors. Last week, debt restructuring consultants renegotiated the school’s credit line with Bank of America in an attempt to meet operating costs this summer.

Williams resigned just as faculty members were organizing an up-or-down vote of confidence in his leadership.

Malveaux said when things got to that point, Williams probably realized he couldn’t go on.

“I think if there’s a lesson to be learned, it’s that you have to keep your finger on the pulse of your staff and your faculty,” Malveaux said. “In order to lead an institution, you have to have buy-in from all of your stakeholders. You may feel that you’re making all the right decisions, but if you don’t include others in that process they won’t support you.”

Nido Qubein, president of High Point University, said Williams’ experience will be missed — both as a leader in North Carolina education and in the North Carolina Association of Private Colleges.

“It’s unfortunate, but it’s just a very difficult time for private institutions right now,” Qubein said. “You get beat up by a bad economy and also by a student body and parents who all want a college experience of distinction, something that is hard to provide without more fundraising, higher enrollments.”

Enrollment is a problem for the school, which reported 1,100 students in April. According to the college, the number of new students expected on campus for the fall semester is slightly down from last year.

“At any private institution you are almost completely dependent on tuition and enrollment,” Qubein said. “You have to have more and better students all the time, you have to charge more as your expenses go up, and you have to build the educational experience and your school’s brand so that people will continue to pay.”

Everyone agreed that the school can rally — with the right leader.

“You shouldn’t ever count a small private school out,” Malveaux said. “This is actually a great opportunity for Greensboro College to have a conversation about their future and where they’re going, for a recalibration.”

Chabotar said the school’s next leader needs the financial acumen to lead it through the current crisis and the communication skills to reach out to donors and rebuild. Alumni and the community also must support the school financially, he said.

“It’s very hard to kill a school,” Chabotar said. “So, I think if the Greensboro College community will step up to the plate and support the school, they can come through this.

“If the community doesn’t have confidence in the school, why should a bank, or anyone else?” he said.

Contact Joe Killian at 373-7023 or joe.killian@news-record.com