The report from the Board meeting:
After this morning's Sun-Times story, the Board meeting seemed somewhat anticlimactic. After the Board returned from executive session, they allowed Watson to speak about his impending retirement. Here are some of the highlights:
1) He gave the audience the usual boiler-plate about "right-sizing" the university's enrollment (4804 as of this morning), raising academic standards and putting in place policies when they did not exist or were ignored.
2) More meaningless boiler-plate about "students at the center" and "academics first."
3) More utter bullshit about the succession plan which will be "transparent and accountable." Here comes the Hollins Group I bet.
4) Then ominous promises that he "still got some things on this journey I want to accomplish." And "I will be 150% engaged."
After Watson's remarks, Board Chair Young reiterated the Board's committed to a "transparent" process and informed the audience that Trustee Nikki Zollar would head the search committee for a new president. Included on the committee will be 5 faculty; 5 administrations; 1 clerical employee; 2 civil service employees; 2 board members; 1 person from the foundation (which one?); 2 students; 1 graduate and 1 undergraduate; 1 community member (I will not guarantee the complete accuracy of this list as I was writing as fast as I could). According to Young, on March 6, the Board will announce the search firm as well as the search committee members. Can you say another rigged search?
So there you have it. A whole lot of nothing. Wayne Watson is retiring but we don't know exactly when. He could go all the way to June 30, 2016. Imagine the damage he will inflict on the university by that time. Someone please save us from these fools.
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