An associate professor in the department of organizational leadership has resigned mid-semester, according to employment documents obtained by the Herald.

Ron Mitchell, an associate professor in the department of organizational leadership within University College, resigned in October. Mitchell had been an employee at WKU since 2005, according to employment records obtained by the Herald.

Mitchell submitted a handwritten letter of resignation to Dennis George, dean of University College, on Oct. 18, according to his employment records. Mitchell’s resignation was to go into effect Oct. 23, according to the letter.

George was contacted multiple times for comment, but did not respond in time for publication.

Mitchell was hired in 2005 as an instructor in the business and computer studies department of the WKU Community College, according to a letter sent to Mitchell from former-president Gary Ransdell. Mitchell was promoted to assistant professor in 2007 and was granted tenure in 2010. In 2011, Mitchell was promoted again, this time to associate professor, according to Mitchell’s employment records.

In June 2011, Mitchell became the department head of professional studies in University College, according to a letter sent by George in 2011.

Mitchell had a semester-long sabbatical during the spring 2013 semester, where he received full pay while on sabbatical, according to employment records.

Mitchell’s resignation was effective Oct. 23, 2017, according to his letter of resignation submitted to George.

Mitchell was also contacted for comment, but did not respond in time for publication.

The Herald also requested Title IX records related to Mitchell, but WKU declined to release them under Kentucky Revised Statute 61.878(1)(a) and (k), the state statute outlining public records that are exempt from inspection. KRS 61.878(1)(a) states that records are excluded from inspection if they are “public records containing information of a personal nature where the public disclosure thereof would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.”

Emails between George and Mitchell and between George and David Lee, provost and vice president for academic affairs, were also requested by the Herald. WKU declined to release the emails because they contain information that does “not reflect any final action, and are thus exempt from disclosure pursuant to” Kentucky Revised Statutes, according to a letter from Deborah Wilkins, general counsel for WKU.

News editor Monica Kast can be reached at 270-745-6011 and [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @monica_kast.