Murray State University’s acting director of Human Resources submitted her resignation earlier this month after refusing to deliver a letter placing the university’s procurement director on paid administrative leave. Her resignation letter said the process was inconsistent with the department’s past practice for handling leaves of absence.
Records obtained by The Sentinel through an open records request provide new details about personnel actions involving Human Resources Associate Director Haley Stedelin, Procurement Services Director Darcie Liddle and Vice President for Finance and Administrative Services Laura Foltz over a three-day period – Aug. 5-7.
The records also clarify the circumstances surrounding Foltz and Liddle. The Sentinel reported Aug. 7 that both had been terminated based on information provided by multiple sources familiar with the personnel actions. President Ron Patterson later disputed that characterization, saying neither had been terminated.
The records document terms of Liddle’s leave that included no anticipated job duties, loss of university system access and instructions to complete the “standard exit procedure,” while Stedelin’s resignation letter describes the process as inconsistent with past HR practice. They also provide new details about what happened in the days leading up to Foltz’s leave.
In her Aug. 6 resignation letter to Patterson, Stedelin said a letter had been delivered to her that afternoon following a brief conversation with him. She said the letter had been written on her behalf and that she disagreed with the process Patterson had asked her to carry out.
Stedelin wrote that the process was “not in alignment with past precedent” for how she or the HR department handles matters involving leaves of absence and said she was therefore unable to deliver the letter “per your request.”
At the time, she had worked in Murray State’s HR department for more than 15 years and had spent the previous nine months serving as acting director after Courtney Hixon left the university in November.
Citing a total of 23 years spent on campus as a student and employee, Stedelin described Murray State as a second home before telling Patterson she intended to resign and that her final day of work would be Aug. 21.
She emailed the letter to Patterson at 2:39 p.m. Patterson responded at 4:53 p.m.
“I accept your resignation,” he wrote. “Warm regards, Ron.”
The letter Stedelin refused to deliver was initially withheld from the university’s production of records. After The Sentinel asked Murray State to reconsider, the university produced the letter while maintaining that it disagreed with The Sentinel’s position regarding the legality of withholding the record. The university said it released the document “in the interest of openness and transparency.”
Addressed to Liddle, the letter notified her that she would be placed on leave with pay at the close of business Aug. 14. It stated that Liddle would continue to be paid under the terms of her employment agreement and retain her benefits.
It also said her access to university systems would end Aug. 14, directed her to contact HR to complete the university’s “standard exit procedure” before that date and stated that it was not anticipated that she would be assigned any job duties during the leave.
The following day, MSU General Counsel Robert Miller delivered another version of the letter to Liddle. It retained those terms but added that, unless Liddle’s new supervisor informed her otherwise, her employment agreement would not be extended beyond her current FY27 agreement.
Although the letter formally placed Liddle on administrative leave at the close of business Aug. 14, another record indicates she was considered on leave a week earlier. In a text sent Aug. 7 at 12:45 p.m., Finance and Administrative Services Executive Coordinator Sharion Meloan told a seven-person group that Liddle had asked her to let them know she was “on leave effective today.”
Miller’s letter to Liddle also referenced Foltz’s status, noting that her supervisor was unavailable that day and “will be on leave from the university after today.”
Unlike the records concerning Liddle and Stedelin, the university’s production contained no individual notice to Foltz explaining the terms of her change in employment status. The Sentinel requested the same categories of employment-status records for all three employees, including notices, personnel action forms and separation agreements; MSU produced Stedelin’s resignation letter and Liddle’s leave notice but no comparable document addressed to Foltz.
In response to a follow-up question Monday, the university said there were no additional responsive records regarding notification to the affected employees, personnel action forms or HR forms. HR reported that personnel action forms had been started for “various employees” after the time frame covered by The Sentinel’s request, but none had been completed as of Aug. 17.
The production does include numerous copies of emails from Patterson saying Foltz would be “on leave” effective Aug. 7.
At 2:30 p.m. Aug. 5, university spokesperson Shawn Touney sent Patterson, Miller and Jill Hunt, senior executive coordinator in the president’s office, proposed messaging for three audiences: the Board of Regents, Foltz’s direct reports and the campus community.
“Wow,” wrote Regent Tom Waldrop after regents received the leave notice.
Noting his role as chair of the board’s Audit and Compliance Committee, Waldrop asked Patterson what he could professionally share and whether the situation was a long-range issue or something that could resolve within a couple of weeks. Patterson responded that he could call Waldrop later that evening to “fill you in and answer any questions you may have.”
Later that afternoon, Foltz asked for Patterson’s permission to take Aug. 7 as a vacation day. Patterson approved the request, and the university’s campuswide notice that Foltz would be on leave followed shortly afterward.
But internal communications used different language. Meloan told directors who reported to Foltz that Friday, Aug. 7, would be Foltz’s “last day here at Murray State.” She said Foltz had asked her to relay that she enjoyed working with them and appreciated the relationships she had built.
The Board of Regents appointed Foltz treasurer at a special called meeting in January. On the evening of Aug. 7, the university issued notice of a special called meeting for the following Tuesday to appoint a new treasurer.
The Sentinel sought confirmation from the university shortly before 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, that Foltz and Liddle had been terminated and that Stedelin had tendered her resignation. The university did not respond before publication that night and responded directly to The Sentinel for the first time the following Monday afternoon.
In that response, Touney referred generally to “employee turnover” and said the university had “no further comment on personnel matters” regarding Foltz, Liddle and Stedelin. Earlier that day, Patterson had sent a campuswide message similarly referring to “employee turnover in some positions on campus” and said updates would be communicated “in the coming days and weeks.”
Following Tuesday’s special called meeting, Patterson provided more specific information to reporters for WKMS-FM and the Murray Ledger & Times. He said neither Foltz nor Liddle had been terminated “at this time,” confirming Foltz was on paid administrative leave and Liddle would be placed on paid administrative leave Aug. 14. He also confirmed Stedelin resigned.
During the meeting, Board Chair David Meinschein said a “change in employment status” necessitated the appointment of a new treasurer. Regent Andy Belcher nominated Assistant Vice President of Finance Wendy Cain, who was appointed by unanimous consent.
Before the meeting adjourned, Meinschein addressed Patterson.
“Dr. Patterson, we appreciate your leadership,” he said. “We support you in your endeavors. We wish you well.”
Last August, Patterson informed then-Board Chair Robbie Fitch, immediate past chair Leon Owens and then-Vice Chair Meinschein in a group text that he planned a change in leadership of Academic Affairs. Meinschein responded, “Thank you for the update. Lead on!” Owens told Patterson he had his “total support for this change in direction,” while Fitch wrote, “Same here. I support your decision.”
After Patterson later thanked the three for their continued support, Fitch added, “It’s why we gave you the job, Doc!”
That leadership change involved then-Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Tim Todd. Unlike Liddle, whose salary and benefits will continue under her current agreement while she is on administrative leave, Todd was reassigned before the expiration of his contract to a faculty position carrying a substantially lower salary.
Todd later sued Murray State for breach of contract. The parties settled the case in February, and it was dismissed by agreed order. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
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