So loyal readers, I realize you may be disturbed by the unseemly behavior of former president Watson. His attack on Board members, faculty and administrators and the laughable missive issued to the university community imitating Samuel Clemens' remarks are clear evidence that he is unfit to serve. I view his continued presence on the campus as illegitimate and any decisions including the firing of the former Director of Financial Aid as null and void. I would hope that equally invalid would be the $20,000 pay raise received by the University's General Counsel, a larger pay raise received by the Director of Human Resources and a similar pay increase for another attorney in the General Counsel's office.
I would hope that the Board of Trustees would rescind any offer of sabbatical and terminate the contract of Wayne Watson for cause. I realize that a suit would ensue, which ironically, would join the queue of current litigation brought since the tumultuous installation of this now disgraced president. They will have that opportunity on Friday March 1st, 2013 at 8 AM at the next scheduled meeting. And if after a vote in open session, the recalcitrant former president refuses to leave I would not be at all surprised if he were escorted off campus by officers from the Illinois State Police.
We should all be knowledgeable of the unseemly tactics used by the former president; scurrilous personal attacks, sucking up to elected officials like the governor, (see December Commencement), and spreading disinformation through sycophants and threatening to have random "community" leaders attend Board meetings to disrupt the lawful proceedings.
So here's the forecast for the rest of the week. Mostly weird tomorrow, followed by extreme downpours of weirdness on Thursday, Late Thursday we will see intermittent periods of normality. Friday should see weirdness beginning to clear by mid day with mostly normal by mid-afternoon. The extended outlook for next week is weirdness clearing out completely by Monday followed by normal into the middle of the week.
And now for something completely different...
In the spirit of Dave Letterman’s Top 10, I humbly present for your consideration the Top 10 positions that will need to be filled once the current illegitimate president is stood down by the Board of Trustees. Drum roll please.....
10. Dean of Students
9. Chief of Police
8. Dean, College of Education
7. Director Human Resources
6. University Ethics Officer
5. Dean, College of Arts & Sciences
4. University Registrar
3. Associate Vice President, Enrollment Management
2. University General Counsel
1. Vice President, Enrollment Management
10. Dean of Students
9. Chief of Police
8. Dean, College of Education
7. Director Human Resources
6. University Ethics Officer
5. Dean, College of Arts & Sciences
4. University Registrar
3. Associate Vice President, Enrollment Management
2. University General Counsel
1. Vice President, Enrollment Management
Of course given the numerous hiring irregularities of this disgraced president, there are several other positions that will need filling as well.
Stay tuned
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ReplyDeleteLet’s take a look at Wayne Watson’s performance in light of the financial rewards he has reaped from his time at City Colleges and Chicago State.
ReplyDeleteOverall, during his tenure at Chicago State, he has failed to improve relations with the faculty, failed to improve the school’s media image, failed to increase enrollment at the school, failed to decrease audit findings, and failed to function as a fundraiser in spite of the much ballyhooed “nearly half a million dollars in endowments,” (actually $300,000, $200,000 of it from one of Watson’s political patrons) the school recently received. Except for relations with the faculty and the improvement of the school’s public image, the criteria are all measurable.
As the investigation conducted by the Faculty Senate pointed out, of the seven criteria established by the board to measure Watson’s performance, he has failed in five. Based on recent reporting, Watson’s accomplishments at Chicago State include “streamlining operations, addressing fiscal concerns and establishing a culture of accountability.” The fact that these “accomplishments” are statistically unverifiable places them into the realm of doubletalk, nice things to say about someone you really want to get rid of.
However, in the state of Illinois, those towering achievements are well rewarded. In fact, since leaving the City Colleges in 2009, Wayne Watson has been the recipient of nearly $2,000,000 in salary and perks. Here’s a breakdown:
Wayne Watson receives $537,000 in sick leave pay from City Colleges.
Wayne Watson receives an “exit bonus” of $124,615 from City Colleges.
Wayne Watson receives a life insurance policy worth $112,602 in cash from City Colleges.
Wayne Watson receives a pension of $137,000 per year for his time at City Colleges.
Wayne Watson receives a salary of $250,000 in addition to a free mansion as President of Chicago State.
Wayne Watson cashes in sick leave from Chicago State worth $13,000 in 2011, the same year his misconduct while Chancellor of the City Colleges cost that system an enormous lawsuit settlement.
All figures come from the Huffington Post, March 30, 2012: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/30/wayne-watson-ex-city-coll_n_1392066.html
Since 2009 Wayne Watson has received at least $1,114,000 for his City College tenure and at least $813,000 for his time at Chicago State (with another $250,000 to come for his sabbatical year). It’s nice work if you can get it.
Go the F**k Away
ReplyDeleteWith apologies to Adam Mansbach and Samuel L Jackson.
The ivy is trembling ‘neath late winter snow.
Spring will come; and the cold will go.
Do not wait for the fragile buds of May.
Just pack up your things, and go the f**k away!
The Board Chair has spoken to the press and to you.
You are fired. That’s all. There’s no more to do.
“Wait! Not fair! It can’t be,” you say.
Baby it’s over. Just go the f**k away.
Watson, your tenure from the very first day
Has been a disaster in every way.
Just do yourself a favor and spare us this display.
Get you gone, don’t wait, just go the f**k away!
Can't he just go away?
ReplyDeleteIn 1940, when the government of Neville Chamberlain fell due to his disastrous leadership of Britain in the opening months of the Second World War, one of the MP's who voted No Confidence in Chamberlain quoted Oliver Cromwell's words when he dismissed the "Long Parlaiment" in 1653. Those words fit my position concerning Wayne Watson:
ReplyDelete"You have sat here for far too long for any good you might have done. Depart, I say, and let us be done with you. In the name of God, GO!"
I loved Phillip's blog. WONDERFUL!
ReplyDeletePhillip, I hope you are an accurate forcaster, particularly your forecast for next week.
Has anyone read this morning's Chicago Tribune article? But, among other issues, the board had been looking into whether Watson was having a relationship with a university employee, according to a source familiar with the situation.
ReplyDeleteRozier said he could not comment on a personnel matter.
Henderson, Watson's attorney, said Watson denies there was anything inappropriate about the relationship. "They are two consenting adults that engaged in a voluntary relationship and there is no evidence that anything improper or untoward happened. Nothing. Zero," he said. "You can't legislate who people love or want to date."
- See more at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/education/ct-met-chicago-state-agreement-20130227,0,7820719,full.story#sthash.abe9ZiQG.dpuf
Don't you sign an annual ethics agreement that explicitly states that you cannot give the "people love or want to date" promotions or better assignments, especially her position is based on that relationship. When do we go to the Illinois State Attorney General and demand an investigation.
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ReplyDeleteThis relationship apparently existed before Watson came to CSU. In fact, the administration created a position for her in 2009, Assistant Director of Human Relations, with a starting salary of $90,000. Despite her lack of any university or college-level administrative experience and her on-line Bachelor's degree, Wayne Watson's administration hired her for this position. She was subsequently promoted to Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management, a department filled with former City College employees. She currently makes $110,000 per year. I wonder how many other people had to lose their jobs in the layoffs of 2010 so that Watson could award this plum to her?
ReplyDeleteAll credit to Dan Aykroyd in "Dragnet" for the following:
ReplyDeleteWatson,we're gonna put you where your kind always ends up - in a seven by seven foot grey-green metal cage in the fifteenth floor of some hundred-year-old penitentiary, with damp, stinking walls and a wooden plank for a bed. Sure, this city isn't perfect, we need a smut-free life for all of our citizens; cleaner streets, better schools, and good hockey team. But the big difference between you and me, mister, is you made the promise, and I'm going to keep it.