So a few years ago, I suggested several scholars that the university could consider for the office of university president. One of those suggestions was Dr. Ruth Simmons, the former president of Brown University. She retired and returned to Texas and after a short retirement she was recruited by Prairie View A&M, an HBCU that appears to be in the midst of a renaissance. The moral of this story is to have high aspirations, dare to be more and don't reward failure. Maybe the BOT will take this to heart.
I fear the die is already cast. If campus scuttlebutt is true the next president could be Donnie Trotter, Angela Henderson (Watson's first lady and queen of the patronage appointments), or Damon Arnold (Watson appointee at CSU from a few years ago). It explains the reason why the search committee excluded faculty on the committee from writing the job advertisement. It explains why the job advertisement contains no minimal educational requirements for the job of university president. It underscores the role of serfs in their hovels that we faculty continue to have at Chicago State. All the administrative listening tours, townhall meetings, and phony faculty appreciation luncheons cannot offset the fact that faculty can do nothing to effect the outcome of important governance issues at CSU. We have come full circle from the abominable Board of Trustees led by local pol and minister Leon Finney that rammed through the appointment of Wayne Watson and his grandiosity. Actually, Watson has never really left this campus. It would not surprise me that when Angela is made president she brings back Wayne. Chicago State won't be closed in September of 2018 for lack of enrollment and other financial failures that Paul Vallas outlined but was not allowed to pursue. It's an election year. We have about one or two years left probably if we continue on the path that the Board of Trustees seems intent on pursuing.
ReplyDeleteCorday, question, what is the purpose of posting "campus scuttlebutt?" What exactly is it that you are trying to accomplish with this post? How in fact is this helpful or productive?
ReplyDeleteJust a blog post by a faculty member who has had it with trying to prop up a university that the politicians in this state--local and otherwise--insist will remain a local patronage pit.
ReplyDeleteAs to the more existential questions--nothing we, any of us, do or say means anything as things stand. We steadfastly refuse to confront the past honestly and brush past it in the hope of "moving forward." So we think Quinn will listen to us in 2013, we think Calhoun's presidency will finally let us run like a normal university. We never think the administration including Angela Henderson the leader of the academic side would be so vindictive as to fire tenured colleagues. From what experience here tells me, the fate of CSU is not in our hands.
Your loyal readers agree 1000% with your suggestions of scholars for university president, Dr. Beverly. Maybe it's best to reprint or resend as the current BOT may have missed out on your spectacular ideas.
ReplyDeleteThere is a model that the BOT should consider and emulate: University of Maryland Baltimore County.
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