College Head Resigns Amid Controversy

A former top education aide to Governor Dukakis this week resigned as president of Bridgewater State College amid charges that he mishandled the way he bought land from the college, according to state and college officials.

Gerard T. Indelicato, Dukakis's special assistant for educational affairs from 1982 until last year, faces ongoing state and federal investigations over the way he purchased a $35,000 parcel of land from the Bridgewater College Foundation, officials said.

The Bridgewater State College Board of Trustees is also conducting an investigation into the behavior of Indelicato during his time as college president, according to anonymous sources.

The announcement of Indelicato's resignation came only two hours before the Board convened for an emergency meeting at which the trustees were going to question his conduct.

As Dukakis's aide, Indelicato, who planned to build a new home on the land he bought, acted as liaison between the State Board of Regents and the state department of education, said a spokesman for the Massachusetts Department of Education.

Governor Dukakis and members of his press office said they refuse to comment on the case or its effects on Dukakis's presidential campaign until the investigation is completed.

The investigations began when trustees, who double as directors of the college foundation, questioned the legality of the land transfer, according to published reports. The investigations will try to understand whether Indelicato handled his purchase properly.

"The board did agree to sell him the land," said Phillip K. Conroy, executive director of the Bridgewater College Foundation.

Conroy said that since the foundation exists solely to benefit the college, "the president could request the funds [he paid for the land] on behalf of the college." However, under no circumstances could he use those funds for personal reasons, Conroy said.

A major question in the current investigation is whether the chairman of the Board of Trustees, Vincent Magno, did indeed sign the papers agreeing to Indelicato's purchase of the land, Conroy said. Magno denies that the signature is his, according to an article in The Boston Globe.

Conroy praised Indelicato as "an excellent president who did many fine things for the college, including increasing minority recruitment of staff and students, and strengthening the admissions procees and the sports program."

The anonymous sources said that although allegations have been made against Indelicato, the State Police have not filed any formal charges.

The sources said they thought the Indelicato affair would only help Dukakis's campaign, because the anti-corruption unit investigating the case is directly connected to the governor's office.