Jack Ohle

After completing some graduate work at Hamma School of Theology, Ohle earned a Master of Arts degree in higher education administration from Bowling Green State University.

This academic newspaper has noted that the financing "has raised red flags with its accreditor, alarmed some faculty members, and left Wartburg with a credit rating just one notch above 'junk.'"

It has "created some tensions" with the local community and was likely to soon "find itself in violation of a bond covenant requiring it to have at least half as much in unrestricted assets as it has in debt and other liabilities."

[3] Ohle was also criticized by the Wartburg chapter of the American Association of University Professors, which argued that he habitually violated academic freedom.

It deemed that these “actions reveal both disrespect for faculty as participants in shared governance and disregard for college policy.” It warned that Ohle's “unwarranted interference, if it became habitual, would eventually destroy shared governance and consequently the academic quality of this institution.” The AAUP admonished Ohle for believing that he had the right to “circumvent or subvert policies jointly approved by faculty and administration and adopted by the board of regents.

The regional newspaper, The Mankato Free Press, has described the situation as a case of "leadership in crisis," lamenting that the president flippantly "shrugs off complaints."

The local TV station, KEYC, devoted 5 minutes of coverage to the controversy during the evening news on May 28, 2009, explaining that "Faculty and students say behind the scenes, there is a quiet storm brewing.

To illustrate the level of fear among employees, it explained that "Faculty who speak critically of their presidents can expect some tension, but they seldom take out liability insurance before doing so.