CSU Faculty Voice: The Sound of Fall Crickets

Thursday, October 6, 2016

The Sound of Fall Crickets

So the silence on campus that is occasionally punctuated by crickets is generated by the bored trustees who are waiting for the world to forget September 16th, 2016 when they fired a president who was on the job for only nine months (eight of which he was shackled to the Management Action Committee) and gave no reason for his ouster.

Fortunately, the "enemy" of the university, the Chicago Tribune, has not forgotten and has once again added its voice to the deafening silence of the board. To wit, this editorial was published today. If only the Gov would take heed and do his job, then maybe the university would stand a chance. Or maybe the Gov believes this patient is too far gone to resuscitate and will only go through the motions of being a political leader.

And then there is this article by a long time critic of the university that appears in Forbes magazine of all places. The university does have enemies, but has done too much in the area of self-inflicted wounds to complain about being targeted by such critics.

That erratic, weaving vehicle you see in front of you is the #CSUclowncar. Until it gets pulled over, the university will never have a chance.

1 comment:

deeplyconcernedOct 12, 2016, 1:18:00 PM
It appears that CSU is hiding something that they do not want exposed. I believe Wayne Watson had input into Dr. Calhoun's discharge. I further believe that Wayne Watson has a vested interest in not having Dr. Calhoun or the Board of Trustees explain Dr. Calhoun's discharge. If Dr. Calhoun wanted to look at financial transactions by CSU, he may have caused the Board and Watson to be uneasy about what he might or did find. Remembering Watson was on campus and had an office in the library and access to the Board and the administration at his will. A forensic audit seems to be appropriate given the recent payout of Dr. Calhoun and the alleged miss handling of funds by Watson and the Board, this would also include the payout and office space Dr. Watson (Golden Parachute) received. As taxpayers, we are entitled to know how the reasons CSU spends our money.

This clause in the separation agreement with Dr. Calhoun denies taxpayers a right to know. "The parties agree that they will not disclose matters relating to the circumstances surrounding Dr. Calhoun's resignation as President to anyone other than their respective attorneys, accountants, financial advisers or Dr. Calhoun's spouse unless required to do so by legal process or court order...BOTH PARTIES AGREE THAT DISCLOSURE AND VIOLATION OF THIS PARAGRAPH IS A MATERIAL BREACH OF THIS AGREEMENT." Does this violate "Freedom of Information Act"?

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Thanks to Haki Madhabuti

"1. He/she must be a scholar of national note, with significant peer review publications and books in his or her field. There must be no doubt as to his/her standing in the community of scholars. This would also include a history of the candidate’s participation in the appropriate professional organizations.

2. He/she must have served with distinction as the administrative head of a major unit within an institution of higher learning or at the important position of Provost and/or Dean. Of course, prior service at the presidential level is preferred.

3. He/she must have a documented history of raising significant monies from the private and public sectors. At most major and research one universities it is not unusual to expect the president to come with a plan to raise in excess of half a billion dollars or more in the first few years.

4. The prospective president must have a consensus buy-in from the faculty, students, administration and staff, therefore, arriving with a unity mandate to lead by joining a University community that has bought into his or her vision for the future."

From an open letter to the CSU Community, 2009.