The Highline College Board of Trustees (BOT) held a private vote on whether to address the status of Dr. John Mosby’s leadership of the college, or to continue waiting for word. The BOT privately casted their vote, and settled on asking Dr. John Mosby to resign as president. 

It’s unclear how this played out. Did Dr. Mosby acknowledge the distress on campus, or did he fight back, believing waiting on him was what was best for Highline? 

Dr. Mosby ended his nearly 8-year tenure as President of Highline College at the end of fall quarter. He came from a long career in higher education, making a legacy as Highline’s first Black president. While he led the college successfully though a global pandemic and falling enrollment, the nature of a two-year college means students all have very short memories when it comes to the impact of their college experience and how faculty, staff, and administration plays into it. 

A student from three, four, maybe five years ago would potentially be willing to sing the praises of Highline College’s leadership immediately following the COVID pandemic. Since 2020, enrollment, retention, and pockets have been growing, though in the last two years, trust, culture, and safety declined. 

For current and future students, Dr. Mosby’s legacy is now the shrouded image of his grasp for control. 

The ThunderWord attempted to reach out to Dr. Mosby to ask him to share his story and legacy, but was not able to secure a comment. The BOT also  did not respond to our request for comment.

It’s no secret that the end of 2025 held a climatic turn of events where Highline’s BOT asked Dr. Mosby to withdraw from his newly renewed contract. Dr. Mosby previously stated he would return before the BOT made this decision. 

It’s unknown what prompted the BOT to make this decision. Campus has been rumbling with criticism towards the direction of the college – not just issues with the president’s office and its communication, but the growing effect on students, campus culture, and day-to-day operations. 

The ThunderWord obtained two pamphlets at the end of fall quarter authored by an anonymous collective on campus. The first one: an official call for a vote of no confidence in President Dr. Mosby. It was shortly followed by a response to the statement from the Executive Cabinet that was released at the end of fall quarter. 

Titled “Highline College Is Out Of Time” the first pamphlet called for the campus and community to pass formal votes within unions, councils, and governance bodies. Dr. Mosby has spent the past five years on and off medical leave, lasting for nearly a year at a time while he undergoes medical treatment for an undisclosed kidney disease. Despite his increased absence, Dr. Mosby has received a 133% increase in salary in the past three years.

“At some point, a college must look itself in the mirror and admit the truth: this is not sustainable, and it’s not leadership. It is time for a campus-wide vote of no confidence in President Mosby,” the first pamphlet stated. 

Dr. Mosby has been on three medical leaves in the past four years. In the past two years, Dr. Mosby’s 2024 medical leave was extended multiple times following surgery, including a shared-leave request. Whether or not he was receiving his full salary at the time, patience began waning in the absent leadership and the BOT’s refusal to discuss succession plans. 

While health should maintain top priority for Dr. Mosby, many employees felt disgruntled at the shared-leave request. Dr. Mosby was making close to eight-times what the lowest Highline employee makes, with a last reported salary of $274,100 in 2024, the year he spent mostly on medical leave. According to GovSalaries, “This salary was 774% higher than the average and 1.193% higher than the median salary in Highline College.” It is unclear whether Dr. Mosby was receiving his full salary while on leave in 2024.

Dr. Mosby did not return until the beginning of 2025; coming back and immediately shaking up the campus with the termination of Dr. Lardner. No reason was given from Dr. Mosby on this decision, and he declined to give comment at that time. 

2025 under Dr. Mosby was marked with rising tensions and full-blown strikes on campus under his leadership. While he had officially returned from his 2024 medical leave, Dr. Mosby was hardly seen on campus. The college was working through negotiations with the state union, WPEA, and Dr. Mosby’s absence directly and negatively affected these negotiations. 

Instead of delegating the bargaining, Dr. Mosby considered ending local bargaining entirely. A contentious meeting in August of 2025 showed the height of classified staff’s anger and despondency, while Dr. Mosby’s hoarse voice showed his waning health. 

The distress across campus wasn’t ignored, and the Executive Cabinet (EC) responded by holding an open forum for students, staff, and faculty to bring forward concerns with the college. While there was a decent turnout by the campus, EC’s apathetic attitude and Dr. Mosby’s virtual appearance was not enough to inspire confidence, and in fact left the campus climate worse than before.  

Despite this, Dr. Mosby’s contract was renewed during the fall quarter, including a hefty salary increase. It took less than a month after that renewal for another medical leave to be announced.

By the time Dr. Mosby’s third medical leave was announced in November of 2025, an anonymous collective on campus was preparing to call for a formal vote of no confidence in Dr. Mosby. This movement was collecting support across students, staff, and faculty, but the Board’s announcement halted that effort. 

Did the BOT catch wind of the efforts being made to oust Dr. Mosby? Or were the calls for change becoming too big to ignore? The ThunderWord keeps an open line of communication for anyone on campus, including students, staff, faculty, administration, and the Board of Trustees to share the truth with the campus and community. 

The first BOT meeting of 2026 will take place next Thursday, Jan. 22, at 10 a.m., in the Library Boardroom (Building 25, 5th floor). The meeting minutes are available now, and the meeting will be open to the public. 

**Mavrie has been serving as editor for the ThunderWord since 2024. She is also the founding president of Highline’s Non-fiction Writers Circle.**