Sheila Gassner's discrimination case against Lincoln University is going to a jury trial set for October 2023.
Gassner, LU's former executive director of facilities and planning, alleges administrators discriminated against her and she was "constructively discharged" in 2018 because she's caucasian, according to the 2019 lawsuit filed against the university.
Cole County Presiding Judge Jon Beetem will oversee the eight-day civil jury trial Oct. 2-12, 2023.
Lincoln's external general counsel said the university does not comment on pending litigation.
Gassner, represented by Jefferson City attorneys Roger Brown and William Hopkins, alleges in a 36-page lawsuit that her employment at LU was conditional upon her accepting a "disparate and unequal salary" along with additional duties and responsibilities.
Gassner began working at the historically Black university in 1989 as the research facilities coordinator and was promoted to design and construction director in 2000 under then-President David Henson.
She was promoted again in 2013 by then-President Kevin Rome, this time becoming executive director of facilities and planning and absorbing the duties and 40-person staff of the recently discharged building and grounds director. As compensation, according to the lawsuit, she received a one-time, 1.8 percent salary increase but no "commensurate raise."
When Gassner's request for a larger raise was denied and she said she didn't want to take the new position, the lawsuit said administration told her "that she did not have that option." A letter from Rome said if she did not agree to her newly assigned duties at the described rate of pay she would be terminated.
Gassner stayed with the university.
According to the lawsuit, Rome and then-chief of staff Jerome Offord told Gassner "that the budget for LU could not afford an increase" in her salary, despite a number of Black employees working in administration receiving raises ranging from 7.6-25 percent.
The lawsuit names a dozen other employees who were given raises, new positions or hired while Gassner received only the cost-of-living increases provided to all LU employees.
"During (her) employment and particularly during Dr. Rome's presidency, and as it continued under interim President (Michael) Middleton's term and President (Jerald Jones) Woolfolk's term, numerous African-American employees were hired, given substantially less duties but provided significant pay as compared to those duties and responsibilities given to (Gassner)," another section of the lawsuit argues.
Woolfolk became Lincoln's president June 1, 2018, and Gassner met with her 12 days after to detail her situation.
According to the lawsuit, she provided information "that would have clearly indicated and disclosed that (Gassner) was being treated differently and adversely as compared to African-American employees, and race was both a contributing and motivating factor in the discriminatory conduct and the creation of (Gassner's) adverse working conditions."
But, the lawsuit argued, Woolfolk "failed to alleviate the adverse conditions imposed by (Lincoln University) upon (Gassner)."
Woolfolk resigned from Lincoln in 2021 after being at the helm for three years.
Gassner's lawsuit argues multiple white administrators have been subject to race-based discrimination over the course of Lincoln's previous three presidencies -- Carolyn Mahoney, Rome and Woolfolk.
In her three-count lawsuit, Gassner seeks "fair and reasonable actual damages both economic and non-economic," punitive damages "in an amount that will properly punish the defendant Lincoln University for their bad acts," attorney's fees, costs, post-judgment interest and "any/all other further relief as the court deems just and proper."