SKC president resigns amid clash with board

PABLO — Luana Ross, president of Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, tendered her resignation on Friday, bringing a sudden end to her two-year tenure at the helm of the institution.

In a prepared statement released to the media, Ross said, “I am compelled to take this action due to irreconcilable visions between myself and some members of the governing board.”

In July of 2010, Ross, an enrolled Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal member, succeeded longtime president Tom McDonald, who had served as executive of the tribal college since 1978 – three years before the school ceased its affiliation with Flathead Valley Community College and began to operate independently.

Replacing such an influential figure in the college’s history would have been challenging enough, but unfortunately Ross felt as though some board members did not respond positively to the period of transition. 

In her resignation statement, Ross bluntly acknowledged that she had “anticipated significant hurdles associated with such a change in leadership and this proved to be true.”

SKC board of directors president Jim Durglo said that the board “regretfully accepted the resignation.”

“We respect her personal and professional choice, and we wish her well,” Durglo added.

Durglo declined to elaborate on the apparent disagreement between Ross and certain board members, saying that the board “(doesn’t) act as individuals, we act as a whole.”

Despite the circumstances of her abrupt departure from SKC, Ross finished her letter by reflecting proudly on several positive achievements that came to fruition under her leadership.

Those highlights included confronting “a high-profile grade changing incident at the College,” establishing a Sustainability Commission to enhance the school’s ecological footprint and launching a lecture series to “(elevate) the status and awareness of faculty accomplishments.”

Ross also expressed gratitude to the many students and staff members whom she befriended during her presidency, saying that “coming home for this work with my Tribe was a distinct honor.” Ross announced that she will “return to instruction, academic research, and writing” at the University of Washington, where she had worked prior to SKC as a film professor.