Category Archives: Administration

Boston Magazine: The Crimson Coup

Probably the first sign that Larry Summers was in more than his usual trouble was the standing ovation the faculty gave to Bill Kirby, the dean the Harvard president had just forced out.

Leader-Post: It’s make or break time for the FNUC

It’s coming down to crunch time for the First Nations University of Canada. The chiefs have to make some decisions and those decisions must result in meaningful change. There has to be a new approach to the continuing crises at the university. Simply tabling discussion and seeking further consultation won’t work this time.

In April, the board of directors of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) met and the FNUC was on its agenda. The board decided to wait and see if and how the FSIN will address the recommendations of the task force at its next meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday in Prince Albert.

The Plain Dealer: Layoffs begin at Case; university mum on numbers

Case Western Reserve University started laying off employees this week to trim its expected $40 million deficit next year. But the university won’t say how many people will be affected or how much money will be saved.

The Press-Enterprise: Cal State faculty union sues over rehiring of former chancellor

The president of the California State University faculty union is asking a Superior Court judge to nullify the rehiring of former Chancellor Barry Munitz to teach one course for an annual salary of $163,776.
Munitz, who headed CSU for seven years in the 1990s, left in 1998 to become president of the J. Paul Getty Trust. He resigned in February amid allegations of lavish spending that led to a state attorney general investigation.

Chicago Tribune: College faculty sees `crisis’

Just five months into the job, College of Lake County President Richard Fonte is butting heads with faculty members who question his decisions on spending and personnel and contend he has created a culture of fear.

During a meeting Tuesday, faculty members gave the college’s board of trustees a letter that asks that”someone–anyone–step forward and display a level of leadership initiative capable of guiding us collaboratively out of this crisis.”

“There’s a great deal of concern among the faculty,” said Robert Kerr, chairman of the Faculty Senate, which consists of elected representatives from each academic division.

Worcester Telegram & Gazette News: UMass officials regret Laster contract

University of Massachusetts officials said yesterday that a former UMass Medical School chancellor who received a $2 million termination deal barely fulfilled the terms of a loosely defined contract awarded more than a decade ago and that the pact would not be approved today because of new controls on under-performing employees and chancellors’ salaries.

AP Wire: Cal State faculty union sues over rehiring of former chancellor

The president of the California State University faculty union is asking a Superior Court judge to nullify the rehiring of former Chancellor Barry Munitz to teach one course for an annual salary of $163,776.

Munitz, who headed CSU for seven years in the 1990s, left in 1998 to become president of the J. Paul Getty Trust. He resigned in February amid allegations of lavish spending that led to a state attorney general investigation.

He began his new job as a “trustee professor” at California State University, Los Angeles, this month where he will teach an English course and help raise money for the university. His salary is considerably higher than the $112,548 paid to CSU’s full professors.

Columbus Business First: Columbus State employees give no-confidence vote to president

Columbus State Community College President Val Moeller did not fare well in a union-sponsored poll on her performance at the two-year college.

A majority of college employees who returned ballots gave a vote of no confidence to Moeller, according to a release from the Columbus State Education Association, which represents the school’s full-time faculty members.

The Columbus Dispatch: Employees not behind Columbus State president

Columbus State Community College employees have issued a “no confidence” vote for President Valeriana Moeller.
Faculty union President Steve Abbott said the vote “reflects a loss of faith” in Moeller, who has been president since 1996. “We believe that the outcome accurately represents the views of CSCC employees.”

The vote came after the Columbus State Education Association hired an independent accounting firm to mail ballots to all full-time employees, including faculty, staff and academic administrators.

The largest percentage of votes came from the faculty, with 63 percent of the full-time faculty voting.

Of those, 85 percent — or 133 teachers — voted “no confidence.” Fourteen percent voted that they had confidence; three ballots were returned unmarked.

The Oregonian: Clark College – The union hopes its vote will factor into R. Wayne Branch’s annual review

Clark College’s faculty delivered a decisive no-confidence vote against its president Monday when the union leader revealed that 96 percent of participating faculty members cast ballots against R. Wayne Branch.

The Post Online: Faculty evaluations of OU administrators to proceed

The Ohio University chapter of the American Association of University Professors will proceed with evaluations of three top-ranking OU administrators but without university resources or administrative recognition.

The association originally called for an evaluation of the president and provost, a referendum that 80 percent of 477 voting faculty approved. After the Board of Trustees blocked OU Provost Kathy Krendl from approving the evaluation, the AAUP said at Faculty Senate’s May 15 meeting it would continue with an evaluation and include OU’s vice president for regional higher education.

“We see the assessment as something that 80 percent of the participating faculty wanted,” said John Gilliom, the association’s executive committee member. “One legal memo is not going to shut us down on this.”

In an e-mail to Kevin Mattson, president of the association’s OU chapter, Legal Affairs Director John Burns said he has “legally authorized the administration to deny the AAUP any right to utilize university resources to circulate or otherwise distribute and return the evaluation document or materials.”

Western Herald: Delene announces resignation under pressure from faculty

Western Michigan University Provost Linda Delene resigned from her post last Friday, less than 24 hours after the WMU chapter of the American Association of University Professors passed a resolution to conduct a no-confidence vote on her.
Her resignation is effective at the end of today.

Delene, 66, who has held the position, in addition to being vice president of academic affairs, since 2004, has been a member of the university community for nearly 30 years.

“Because I have come to know Provost Delene well over the past two years, I know that her goals have always been to preserve and enhance the quality of this university and provide the finest academic environment for the students we serve,” said President Judith I. Bailey, in a brief e-mail message to the WMU community.

Delene will take a year-long administrative leave before returning to the Department of Marketing in August 2007.

The AAUP passed the resolution at its meeting Thursday, where members gathered to discuss the results of the recent Graduate Program Review which Delene headed. The reviews called for the closure of 21 programs and the merger of 24 programs.

The resolution called for Delene to be censured for her conduct of the entire review process, and to conduct a no-confidence vote on her later this week. The AAUP also passed a second resolution, for a vote this week, not to have the Review’s results submitted to the WMU Board of Trustees at its meeting July 14. The AAUP noted that the plan and review were flawed.

The Chronicle: American U. Board Approves Sweeping Overhaul That Could Have Wide Impact in Academe

American University’s Board of Trustees on Friday unanimously approved a sweeping set of recommendations to improve the board’s inclusiveness, accountability, and oversight. The overhaul was conducted in response to the heat trustees have taken from students, faculty members, alumni, and the U.S. Senate over their role in the spending scandal involving American’s former president, Benjamin Ladner, who was ousted in October.

Prince George Free Press: CNC president under fire

Conflict has been brewing between the Faculty Association of the College of New Caledonia (CNC) and college president Ralph Troschke.

The association passed a motion of non-confidence in Troschke, March 25, and re-affirmed it at their annual general meeting in April.

Association president Jan Mastromatteo was out of town and unavailable for comment as of press time.

However, in a written statement the association listed concerns with Troschke’s leadership including: a failure to plan for a growing skills shortage; the erosion of college programs; comments by Troschke to the media regarding the millwright and volleyball program; and his actions regarding the selection of an executive vice-president, academic and dean of health sciences and social services.

Kalamazoo Gazette: WMU faculty to take vote on provost

Western Michigan University’s faculty union passed a resolution Thursday to conduct a no-confidence vote on Provost Linda Delene, who heads up academic affairs.

A union official said the censure move is due in part to the way Delene handled a graduate-degree review at Western, which ultimately recommended cutting some programs, merging others and creating several new degrees.

The Chronicle: U.S. Senator Threatens Legislative Action Against American University’s Governing Board

Members of American University’s Board of Trustees ignored damaging audit findings on lavish spending by the university’s former president, disregarded possible Internal Revenue Service sanctions, and proposed retribution against a whistle-blower, according to a letter sent on Wednesday by Sen. Charles E. Grassley to the American board.