Thursday, 4:30 PM
Emerson College fires dean who consulted for loan company
By Marcella Bombardieri, Globe Staff
Emerson College has fired its dean of enrollment, who earned $36,000 consulting for a company that the college was recommending to students to consolidate their loans.
The school was not aware that Daniel Pinch was being paid by Collegiate Funding Services Inc., or that he was allowing the company to use his name and the college's name in marketing materials, according to Emerson spokesman David Rosen.
The relationship between Pinch and CFS came to light in a report, released last week, by the U.S. Senate's health, education, labor, and pensions committee chaired by Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts. Emerson put Pinch on paid leave last Friday.
"I applaud Emerson College's swift action in response to my office's report," Kennedy said in a statement today, referring to the paid leave, before the firing came to light. "These steps demonstrate the College's dedication to students and their education."
In an e-mail to faculty and staff today, Rosen said: "Emerson College has severed its relationship with former Dean of Enrollment Daniel Pinch,"
Rosen declined to comment on the specific reasons Pinch was let go. Pinch could not be reached, but told the Globe last Friday that he felt he did not do anything wrong.
