Posted at the request of our colleague Janet Halpin:
This post has been stewing in my computer for awhile. I’m submitting it now because my dear friend YS is waiting for something entertaining to appear on the blog.
Several weeks ago the CSU home page carried an announcement of the great honor bestowed on our Chief Counsel, Patrick Cage: Top General Counsel, at the August 2014 First Chair Awards Conference and Gala. Wow. I looked at the First Chair Website (http://firstchairawards.com/awards) and learned that, at the banquet attended by almost 400, the breakdown of awards was as follows:
Award—Honorees
Top General Cousel (including our own P. Cage)—56
Top Assistant General Counsel—62
Top Litigation Counsel—24
Top Compliance Counsel—10
Top Real Estate Counsel—11
Top Corporate Counsel—30
Top Intellectual Property Counsel—5
Top Healthcare Counsel—7
Top Legal Department—2
Top Private Equity Counsel—1
Top Employment Counsel—11
Rising Stars—20
Firms and companies included BMO Group, Walgreen’s, The Newport Group, Sunoco, Inc., Sears Holdings Management Corporation, to name just a few. The list of companies was almost exclusively from the private sector. The total number of awards was 239. I kind of feel sorry for the remainder of the almost 400 in attendance, who did not win an award.
While not mentioned on the University webpage, I would like to bring to the University’s attention a recent award received by one of CSU’s English faculty. Dr. Christine Ohale, Professor of English at CSU, was named one of the top 15 professors in art programs in the Chicago area by The Art Career Project. I checked out the website and learned that TheArtCareerProject is a national initiative to attract students to professions in the arts. There are similar lists for San Francisco and New York: a total of 45 honorees nationally. Which institutions were represented in our region?
Discipline: Institution
Architecture: DePaul University
Graphic Design: Columbia College of Chicago
Drawing and Painting: School of the Art Institute
Music: North Park University
Journalism: Northwestern University
Art History: University of Chicago
Theater: Loyola University
Industrial Design: University of Illinois at Chicago
Radio/Television/Film: Northwestern University
English: Christine Ohale, Chicago State University
Graphics: Illinois Institute of Technology
Music: University of Chicago
Fine Arts: Roosevelt University
Art History: School of the Art Institute
Music: Harper College
For each awardee there was a thumbnail sketch of their work and value to student learning. Christine’s spoke to the intersection of her work with art, to her expertise in African literature, and to her strong rapport with students in her classes. Furthermore they stated clearly that, while she was not in an art program, they wished to make an exception in order to honor her accomplishments and sensibility.
Now, why was Mr. Cage’s award so prominently displayed on the University webpage, while Dr. Ohale’s was not? Congratulations, Christine.
Dr. Janet Halpin
Professor of Geography
Omission of Dr. Ohale's award IS a loud statement. Perhaps CSU administration suspects her to be Communist or atheist. Or perhaps administration labels Dr. Ohale as "one of them whites". Never does website I.e., administration honor outstanding academics who courageously ask difficult questions. Academics who choose to respectfully open discussion and conversation are targeted for omission by this administrative cesspool. It's a wonder some of the finest & brightest manage to bloom amidst the stench & human filth "running" CSU. Those who lie and cheat (Cage, Watson & his accomplices) should be run out & not allowed to stay. Eavesdropping law got reversed 2014 & it's time to get rid of those willing to lie and make unethical decisions--deans, Chairs, provost assistants, provost, attorneys. If they lie by omission or by refusing to respond ethically, they've proved themselves human garbage that needs to go to the chopping block.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Christine!
ReplyDeleteThe reason that faculty achievements aren't recognized is that they highlight the non-achievements of the imposters. Page gets what amounts to a blue ribbon for showing up to the event, but can't manage to make a credible legal argument. Wayne keeps getting awards for being an educator, for doing nothing but lie and bluster about "his" accomplishments.
Wayne didn't get CSU's accreditation. Sandra Westbrooks did, with the help of many faculty members who worked on the endless job of providing information to the HLC. Wayne has not raised standards. In 2007, the average ACT score of incoming freshmen was 19.2. In 2013 it was 18.5 (CSU Fact Book). In 2010 the average plunged to 17.3.
I can't even give them a D for effort in my grade book.
Having been deeply immersed in the process of reconciling data on our admissions standards with actual outcomes for years, the above comment is spot on. We were actually gaining more and better students during this time when we worked to TIGHTEN standards based on data. The downslide began once those students graduated and continued under Watson's, Sidney's and Henderson's watch. If Watson thinks that our student populace have somehow improved due to his "raising standards", then he is hallucinating.
ReplyDelete