Blinn College reviewing Title IX procedures, pre-employment evaluations

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - Blinn College said Tuesday afternoon it was undertaking a review of both its Title IX procedures and its pre-employment processes, including background checks and evaluations.

The simultaneous reviews come after a KBTX investigation found former Blinn Vice Chancellor Marie Kirby did not disclose a 1998 no contest plea involving the sexual assault of a child on her 2008 application to the college, nor was it discovered by the school’s pre-employment background and reference checks.

Blinn confirmed Tuesday that it began looking into Kirby’s background on Nov. 14 following an inquiry from KBTX. On Wednesday, Nov. 19, Blinn Chancellor Mary Hensley asked Kirby to resign, and she did so the next day. Blinn published new organizational charts on its website on Friday, Nov. 21, the same day it notified KBTX of Kirby’s resignation.

Kirby’s Title IX Oversight

While Kirby was tasked with overseeing the Title IX office as Vice Chancellor of Human Resources and Title IX, Blinn stressed that the day-to-day manager of its Title IX office is Adrienne McCain, the college’s Dean of Title IX and Student Conduct. McCain was among Kirby’s direct report employees.

In addition to McCain, Blinn employs two investigators, who the college stressed were trained to conduct “fair, impartial, and sensitive investigations that comply with all legal requirements.”

Online documents as recent as the 2024-2025 school year listed Kirby as Blinn’s Title IX Coordinator for Faculty and Staff. As Vice Chancellor, all of the college’s Title IX team reported to Kirby.

“We are strongly committed to providing our students with an educational experience that is safe and free from harassment,” read a statement attributed to Dr. Mary Hensley provided by email on Tuesday. “Our Title IX team, led by Dr. Adrienne McCain, along with our counseling and students service personnel, provide our students with resources and impartial investigations in the event of any type of Title IX concern.”

Tuesday afternoon, Blinn also directed us to its full Title IX policies and procedures, its board policy manual, and a flowchart for student Title IX complaints for further information.

Kirby and Blinn College

Kirby came to Blinn College as a human resources manager in 2008. The college said Tuesday she did not disclose any employment at a Texas school district on her application, but did include relevant human resources work from 1999-2008, along with “excellent references.”

Kirby’s pre-employment background check from 2008 is unavailable due to the college’s records retention policy, and no individuals on Blinn’s leadership team from that time remain at the college to comment on Kirby’s application or the procedures that would have been used.

“Blinn College takes very seriously its responsibility to ensure compliance with applicable laws, policies, and employment standards and to ensure all employees are qualified and suitable for their positions,” the college said in a statement first emailed to KBTX on Nov. 18.

In July 2020, Kirby was among several administrative changes following the retirement of the college’s longtime Vice Chancellor of Administration. At that time, Chancellor Mary Hensley elevated Kirby to Vice Chancellor for Human Resources, later to become Vice Chancellor for Human Resources and Title IX.

During nearly five years in the role, online records show Kirby earned as much as $254,828 each year, placing her among the highest-paid junior college human resources administrators in the state and nearly four times the average salary of a Blinn College District employee.

Lingering Questions and Statewide Impact

Blinn College has yet to directly address our request for an interview regarding Kirby’s employment and the questions it raises about both the work product she oversaw and the procedures that enabled her to rise to the position of Vice Chancellor.

Since Nov. 14, KBTX has repeatedly requested, by phone and in writing, to interview Chancellor Mary Hensley or a member of the college’s senior leadership team. Those questions have routinely been ignored in any email response by Blinn College’s communications department, and no phone calls have been returned.

Blinn’s first comments to KBTX on Tuesday came by email at 1:52 p.m. By 2 p.m., emails to Blinn College received an auto-reply stating, “The Blinn College District is closed for the Thanksgiving holiday and will reopen on Monday, December 1.”

Later Tuesday afternoon, Director of Communications Richard Bray sent two clarifications to KBTX’s questions by email, but did not respond to a direct request for an interview.

Blinn College holds an outsized role in the state’s junior college landscape, advertising itself as “the premier two-year college in Texas.” By enrollment, the Brenham-based college is among the state’s largest junior colleges, with five active campuses and a sixth planned in Waller County. It also boasts the state’s highest rate of students transferring to a four-year program and the largest number of co-enrollment partnerships in Texas, including its signature Blinn TEAM program with Texas A&M.