Alumni and students at Missouri-based HBCU, Lincoln University, are calling for the removal of its president in the wake of the death of Dr. Antoinette “Bonnie” Candia-Bailey.
Candia-Bailey, VP for Student Affairs at Lincoln University, died earlier this week due to suicide, according to HBCU Buzz. That publication’s sources attributed her death to “bullying and severe mistreatment.”
The Lincoln, MO-based HBCU released a statement on Thursday regarding Candia-Bailey’s passing:
The Lincoln University community is mourning the loss of beloved alum and leader Dr. Antoinette “Bonnie” Candia-Bailey.
Dr. Bailey passed away earlier this week. She was a gifted colleague and always a passionate advocate for Lincoln University, HBCUs and other causes in which she believed.
Dr. Bailey had many friends in the Lincoln University community. As a Blue Tiger community, we grieve with them and send our deepest condolences to Dr. Bailey’s family.
Lincoln University President Dr. John Moseley is being asked to step down from his position in the wake of Candia-Bailey’s passing by the National Alumni Association. According to the HBCU Buzz unnamed sources, Candia-Bailey was left “unsupported, disregarded, and abused after countless attempts to speak out on the bullying and harassment she experienced in her role from President Moseley.”
The report also cited a letter in which the deceased stated being stigmatized and bullied by the president and other leadership officials after disclosing she was dealing with mental illness.
Moseley, who is white, became the university’s president in 2022 after previously serving as its director of athletics and head basketball coach. Moseley has served as an assistant coach at North Carolina Central University under LeVelle Moton and at Winston-Salem State University under Bobby Collins before coming to LUMO in 2014.
NAA President Sherman Bonds calls for Moseley’s removal by the Board of Curators.
“…I find myself standing in the state of hopelessness,” Bonds wrote in his letter. “Therefore, my appeal to you and the Board of Curators is to find a resolution that restores the consciousness of peace and healing. As President of the Lincoln University (National) Alumni Association, I have become compelled to demand a change in the Office of Presidency of the University effective immediately.”
KRCG, a local media outlet, has obtained emails from Candia-Bailey, sent on the day she took her own life. She wrote that she was “intentionally harassed and bullied” and that after receiving a poor evaluation, when she asked for help, Moseley “ignored requests (failing to respond to emails), or when face-to-face, danced around the topic.”
Update: Dr. Moseley volunteered to be placed on paid leave while a third party reviews personnel issues and concerns