The Board of Trustees revealed on social media that Burgess submitted his resignation "for personal reasons" on July 16, and it took effect Sunday.
"We extend our sincere gratitude to Dr. Burgess for his leadership and service during a pivotal period in the university's history," the Board said.
Dr. Verjanis A. Peoples, Provost of SAU, will assume the duties of the president until further notice, the Trustees added.
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In August, the university secured an injunction allowing it to maintain its accreditation and proceed with the fall semester as scheduled. Chairman Brian Boulware also stepped away from his role but remains a trustee.
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The SaveSAU Coalition released this statement in response to these changes in leadership:
"While these developments mark a shift, the Coalition warned against what it calls 'boardroom musical chairs -- reshuffling titles without addressing the deep failures of governance that have pushed the University into crisis.
Lenders have already made it plain: until both Boulware and Vice Chair Perry are gone, there will be no financing for Saint Augustine's...When the music stops, failed leaders must step aside. Anything less is more of the same dysfunction that has brought this University to the brink.
The Coalition also raised urgent questions about the qualifications of the newly appointed Chair and Vice Chair, emphasizing that stakeholders deserve transparency on the credentials, vision, and capacity of those now leading the Board.
The resignation of Dr. Burgess further underscores the University's instability, highlighting both a governance and administrative leadership vacuum. Without decisive reform, the Coalition warns, lender confidence will remain absent and the University's survival will remain in jeopardy."
In 2024, SaveSAU Coalition did file a lawsuit against Boulware and the Board of Trustees. The lawsuit states that the university "now teeters on the edge of chaos, brought to its knees by the utter neglect of its board of trustees and especially its most recent chairmen, Defendants Brian Boulware and James Perry." It goes on to state that "the board is led by a dictatorial and vindictive chairman who is more concerned with lining his own pockets than leading the university."
Boulware defended his actions and accused the push against him and the university's board of being filled with "lies and deception."