reproduced with thanks from:
http://xkcd.com/755/
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A MUST READ FOR ALL ACADEMICS! Now on Amazon Kindle. Click on Professor Goat above to be directed to the book.
DON'T BE A SHEEP
UT's Officially Disapproved Information Source and HISTORICAL ARCHIVE. The only source of truth, where Paradox Manifests: Hundreds of thousands of visits. Yet No One Admits to Reading It. Welcome to the "Grey Area" where "Unethical Utterances," i.e., criticisms of administrators, are commonplace. Make U.U. here where genuine civility still reigns, a.k.a., freedom......................... UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO'S EQUIVALENT TO RADIO FREE EUROPE
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NEW!!! Hard Eight by Professor Extreme
HARD EIGHT
Hard Eight: Auto-Ethnographic Essays on Academic Culture Featuring the End of the Arts & Sciences College, University of Toledo, 2010
Daily Koan
Should the newly discovered black hole be named in honor of UT BOT?
Swamp Bubble
Do you agree or disagree that University of Toledo suffers from administrative bloat?
How do you feel about the proposed UT Degree Guarantee program? (Reposted to allow more people to vote.)
How do you feel about the proposed UT Guarantee program?
How would you grade the overall performance of the Jacobs' administration on running the University of Toledo?
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
Bloggie applauds this perspicacious observer:
"The administration is in a panic mode to implement controversial and irreversible structural and curricular changes campus-wide by early February fiscal plan deadlines with only the vaguest notions of their impacts. The plan is, according to an interview with a top administrator published in the most recent Independent Collegian, to cast out many seeds and "see what grows." This experimental garden, as most senators articulated in many different ways, seems a costly recipe for disaster. Utter madness. Stay tuned."
Print Version of Dictionary of Academia Available on Amazon.com
The profound ruminations of the goaty Sage are now available in this 119 page satirical masterpiece. See: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1480292494/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B009RC0SJA&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1JV8N5BYAYY9WC9SJWD2
"Dictionary of Academia" Read it While it's Hot
A MUST READ FOR ALL ACADEMICS! Now on Amazon Kindle. Click on Professor Goat above to be directed to the book.
Comment of the Week
"This is that old tension between the corporate way of doing things and the academic way of doing things. In the corporate world, you sweep everything under the rug to make your b.s. as shiny, pleasing to the nose, and profitable as possible. In the academic world, you operate with a higher moral standard. Veritas and all that."
Comment of the Week of August 13
Re UT academic posers and hypocrites:
Have their checks calculated in units of postmodern theoretical currency and issued in photocopied legal tender notes signed by Walter Benjamin with a photo of Karl Marx and a seal stamped “In Derrida We Trust”.
Comment of the Era
Wow! Ain't that something.
-Anonymous
Comment of the Week
Mention goes to the the anonymous commentator of Feb 7, who, regarding UT President Llloyd Jacob's "Investing in Faculty" letter, stated: "If we could use the same criteria for 'investing in administrators' we could cut most of those positions."
Comments to HLC
Make sure you address your comments to HLC to the email address listed below in the "Higher Learning Commission Wants to Know" post. This may be the only chance you have to be heard. Bloggie hears that UT administration has discussed giving faculty "training" so that faculty members know how to "properly" talk to the HLC folks. How's that for stacking the deck? Does everyone get a little script to read? Make sure you practice before a mirror at being bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
Comment of the Week!
Definitely, the Comment of the Week award goes to Anonymous 12:14 pm, Dec 3, under the "Higher Learning Commission Needs to Know" posting by Diogenes. Pithy and pointed!
--Love,
Bloggie
MESSAGE OF THE DAY:
DON'T BE A SHEEP
Independent Collegian Article on Dicey Administrative Spending
IC reporter Casey Cheap looks at bow ties, apartments and movie tickets purchased by UT administrators at university/public expense. See
TO CONTACT BLOGGIE . . .
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Letter and Petition from Foreign Languages Faculty Member
A couple weeks ago, at the beginning of summer break, we in the Department of Foreign Languages were informed that our secretary's position was being eliminated and that while she will not lose her job (she'll be transferred), that position is not to be filled. We apparently will be expected to do our own jobs plus what we can of the secretary's. That is clearly not acceptable, and so one of the steps we in FL are taking against it is an online petition now available for any who want to (including those who for whatever reason--not a registered Ohio voter, not a US citizen, etc.--cannot sign the petition against SB5), to read and sign.
I know not everyone on the blog will be interested in this; I'm not asking anyone who doesn't want to, to sign or even read the petition. I do think that there are many who would be interested and would want to sign it--if they knew about it.
It's scary to post this under my own name; I'm as afraid as anyone of repercussions. But this is simply too important to keep quiet on, and we have to do something! FL is not the first department that this has happened to, and it's almost certain not to be the last if we don't speak up in a way that the administration will hear us and in a way that makes clear that other people are seeing that it's going on.
Here's the link to the online petition:For those who can make it, there will also be an informational meeting--including lunch and petition-signing--next Friday, May 27 in FH 2420, 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
I know not everyone on the blog will be interested in this; I'm not asking anyone who doesn't want to, to sign or even read the petition. I do think that there are many who would be interested and would want to sign it--if they knew about it.
It's scary to post this under my own name; I'm as afraid as anyone of repercussions. But this is simply too important to keep quiet on, and we have to do something! FL is not the first department that this has happened to, and it's almost certain not to be the last if we don't speak up in a way that the administration will hear us and in a way that makes clear that other people are seeing that it's going on.
Here's the link to the online petition:For those who can make it, there will also be an informational meeting--including lunch and petition-signing--next Friday, May 27 in FH 2420, 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Katherine Best
Wave of the Future or Merely Sometime Later This Week?
The Chronicle of Higher Education ran a deeply fascinating article called, "When to Dissolve a Faculty Senate." Apparently this is any time that it becomes "adversarial" to administration.
The online comments to the article are priceless.
Nemeth on Mammon in IC
David Nemeth's most recent tour-de-force
Professor Nemeth has another fabulous and timely article in the new and increasingly wonderful Independent Collegian. See http://www.independentcollegian.com/forum/the-kraken-attacks-1.2340091
Nemeth Does it Again
See the forum article in The Independent Collegian at:
Nemeth's New Article in Collegian
The Independent Collegian has run another of Professor Nemeth's fine and provocative articles in its latest edition. This one discusses the double-talk by mouthpieces for the current UT administration concerning the effects of and reasons behind so-called strategic reorganization. Make sure you get the latest version of Newspeak 5.1 if you want to decode what UT administrators are really saying.
UT Ranks 13th Nationally on Administrative Bloat
See Appendix B of the Administrative Bloat report posted on 8/28 for evidence, but UT now has a higher proportion of administrators to students than all but 12 public universities in America. President Jacobs has finally put University of Toledo in the top tier. With Strategic Organization he may be aiming for number one.
This Blog is a free and independent information source. Contributions and comments are welcome. Contact: ASCBloggie@gmail.com WARNING AND DISCLAIMER !!!! This blog is entirely non-official!! People may express opinion here, exercising freedom of speech and association.
Recent Letters from The Blade
Jacobs' arrogance is astonishing
Recently, President Lloyd Jacobs of the University of Toledo stated that bonuses were justified because his administrators "took all the risks."
As a professor at UT, I am outraged that President Jacobs claims that administrators take all of the risks. What risks do they take that the other faculty and staffs on campus do not?
Administrators are protected by state and federal employment laws and by their contracts.
When ex-President Vik Kapoor was terminated, he remained a professor with a salary near what he was paid as president.
As president emeritus, Dan Johnson retained a salary greater than his pay as president.
In the recent layoffs, exceptionally few administrators were terminated. It seems to me that low-level personnel at UT have far more risks because the greater proportion of the layoffs have come from their ranks. And they did not have continuing salaries.
President Jacobs' answer to questions on two occasions regarding relinquishing part of his bonus was to the effect that he earned his bonuses and what he did with them was his business.
Administrators do not risk their personal money in their duties: they use taxpayer money and funds collected through donations and grants to the university.
Administrators take home salaries in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and then add bonuses for longevity and whatever else the president decides is fitting for their contracts.
However, the lower-level personnel have much lower salaries and no such bonuses. Where is the risk?
It seems to me that these bonuses are convoluted: The lower-level personnel are taking the greater risks with no bonuses while the administrators with very rewarding jobs with little risk receive large bonuses.
Am I missing something here?
WALTER W. OLSON,
Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing
Engineering,
University of Toledo
It's the same old, same old at UT
I could hardly believe the arrogance of Dr. Lloyd Jacobs, president of the University of Toledo, when a reporter asked if he would be willing to forgo his bonus in light of the layoffs, raise in tuition, etc.
His comment was that he worked for it. Is that to say that the ones being laid off did not work for their pay?
All I can say is, business as usual at UT. Some things never change.
SANDY FLICK
Rose Acres Drive
UT also has checks, balances
In response to letter titled "Professors must focus on teaching," I would like to point out that the University of Toledo operates on the basis of shared governance.
This means that faculty members participate in the administration of the university.
A focus on teaching requires faculty to address administrative issues such as policies, procedures, and yes, finances, because these all affect classroom outcomes. A university with solid and equitable finances benefits everyone, including and especially the students. Just as the U.S. government is constituted to have checks and balances, so is our university government.
The UT-AAUP is one of those checks against UT administrators who most recently have displayed more concern for their own profit rather than a concern for the common good.
LINDA M. ROUILLARD,
Associate Professor
of French,
University of Toledo
Quote of the Year (so far)
The following is excerpted from the recent UT AAUP newsletter concerning the official university response to news of the bonus scandal:
. . . . Either Jacobs is misleading the media or he has misled the Board of Trustees. President Jacobs objected to "the general tone" of the UT-AAUP Newsletter. Many persons on this campus object to the "general tone" of the Jacobs Administration. During his tenure as President, he has introduced an administrative culture of fear and intimidation. . . . A point of logic must be raised here, with all respect to UT AAUP, the conclusions that President Jacobs has (1) misled the media and (2) the Board of Trustees are not mutually exclusive. Both would seem likely given his considerable talent at spinning "visions." |
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12 comments:
This must be sexist: a woman is attacking a guy!
Now that's experiential learnin'
actually, thinking that people with longish black hair are women and bald people are men might be sexist. maybe we are dealing with aging hippies and their parents. i am reminded of one of my favorite cartoons by r. crumb from my berkeley days... all people have the same amount of hair- people with long hair on the outside have more room for brains. people with short hair have it all crammed up in their skulls, leaving less room for brains. no disrespect, anon 10:58 :^)
Note. There is such an "other-worldliness" to this following comment that Bloggie could not possibly forego posting it:
Part I.
As someone who has served under 3 presidents on 2 campuses, I continue to be confused as to “how UT gets it wrong?” when it comes to the selection of presidents. As an outsider, the BoT appears to have handpicked internal candidates (first Kapoor, now Jacobs) associated with applied fields arguably “more interesting” and relevant to economic development than the traditional Arts & Sciences. While I have observed 2 ordinary presidents over the course of my 12 year academic career, it is truly exciting when a campus has a leader who balances the needs of all constituencies (internal and external). With respect to the ordinary types, one was a benign status quo type (a hand-shaker with fantastic teeth) and the other an imperious president who liked to travel (did no harm and improved the landscaping).
In contrast to #1 and #2, current president has emerged as a beloved and effective leader. While he assumed the presidency amidst economic crisis, he has gained the trust and respect of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the community. Oddly enough he’s gained respect by listening to folks. That doesn’t mean he agrees with the various constituencies (he seldom does and his decisions are not always popular), but he respects all actors and isn’t afraid to alter course or even start over. Indeed, he negotiates, bargains, and seeks out win-“kinda win” situations and he’s not always the winner. As a result of his approach, our campus has engaged in a comprehensive strategic planning process which was driven by the faculty and staff—not the executives. (Note: We’ve planned before, but prior efforts merely resulted in bulleted lists with cool graphics.)
Since the new leader’s arrival, we have also experienced economic trauma including over 100 layoffs and an additional 120 separations as a result of an early retirement program. In large part, I credit the president’s continued success and even popularity with his ability to be humane throughout and to critically examine the scale/scope of the “administration”. The result of administrative reorganization has been a reduction of upper level executives as well as non-instructional staff (middle managers)—and instruction was held harmless. Having said that, the reorganization did result in new titles (several at the AVP level) which symbolically reflect the importance of “X” or “Y” to the entire campus—but the net result was fewer administrators and fewer expenses. Concomitantly, the president made significant and important gestures (in an understated fashion) such as cancelling travel to international partner universities and reducing executive travel while urging deans and the faculty senate NOT to cut faculty travel (and we didn’t). In short, I suspect our current president didn’t plan on being a great president (according to the grapevine he was at-best mediocre at a prior gig); but he understands the importance of the entire campus community. As such, he respected and engaged the faculty throughout crises, reorganization, and strategic planning. One example of his willingness to empower faculty has been impressive reorganizations within and between colleges that were entirely faculty driven (new departments, name changes, movement of existing programs, and new programs). In all cases, proposals were developed at the dept (or program) level, approved college councils, and ratified by the senate.
Part 2
In contrast, UT appears to be plagued by leaders that convey the unintentional (or perhaps intentional) message that not all faculty are equal and that administrators have read all the right management books. Specifically, recent actions suggest that CAS disciplines aren’t as important as revenue generators or engines of economic development. Of course, as the PPTs evidence, if A&S were reorganized in such a fashion to explicitly create new synergies with medicine, engineering or other units the former A&S faculty could gain status and commence being “productive” pursuing the interests of the human condition. In the end, UT leaders have marginalized faculty, chairs, and I suspect (or at least hope) a few deans. While English composition may not be lucrative, the instructional costs of music are astronomical, and the relevance of geography may be unknown to the uninitiated (geography seems to be a theme?), the faculty, their disciplines, and shared identity as a college are important. In the end, I hope the BoT is able to recognize that the current “situation” isn’t merely a contrived crisis manufactured by a bunch of whiny A&S faculty with low enrolled upper division courses. Rather, the current leadership fails to recognize the importance of little things like tradition, discipline, and/or the faculty’s primary authority over the curriculum writ large which on most campuses include the organization of academic units.
Concerned Alum
Why is the BOT covering up their own evaluation of Jacobs?
It seems hidden.
Maybe they don't want everyone knowing how "beloved" the great man really is.
I wish I had a dozen paid PR people to write anonymously in my praise.
Now, I am totally confused!
Who by name “emerged as a beloved and effective leader”? Is the author talking about the University of Toledo or a different university? He claims to be an outsider so I suspect that he is describing a very different leader than the one that the University of Toledo has. In part 2, I think he makes this clear.
As an ancient that has taught at four different universities in my career and seen 12 different presidents at work, the current President is by far the most hated and the least ineffective President the University of Toledo has had since I have been here. And I think this includes Vic Kapoor who was also hated.
Before Dr. Jacobs, MD, arrived, I looked forward to extending my career well past my earliest retirement age. I once loved being a Professor at the University of Toledo. Now, I can not wait until I am eligible to retire. Before Dr. Jacobs arrived, I was full of energy and willing to tackle almost any new research or project. I loved teaching and teaching the most difficult courses. I never lacked for students either in my research or in populating my courses. I enjoyed going to the various team sporting events. I think my blood ran blue with the university’s colors.
Now, I mope all day thinking about the disaster that I am in and having no real way of changing its course. I am seriously depressed. I worry whether or not I can survive until either the day I retire or the day when this President is gone. My teaching has gone down hill. I no longer want to put the effort in. And when was the last time that I wrote a journal paper? Even my research is now a drag. I haven’t renewed my season tickets for sports in two years. One man and four+ years has really destroyed my love of teaching and research.
What is worse, most of my fellow faculty seem to have the same feelings. I don’t think that we as a faculty are teaching as well nor researching as well as we did five years ago despite the administration claims to the contrary. As a university, we have moved down to where many of us go through the motions even though we have difficulty believing that we are doing the right thing. . I did not know that universities could be like this.
And it affects the students as well: one of my recent Ph.D.’s basically said the same thing in explaining why he did not want to go into academia when I asked why he did not apply to several different university job offers. What he saw here in his four years as a graduate student jaded his views of being a professor.
Sad, sad situation.
The problem is that we as faculty care too much about our university. Being a professor is a calling not just a job. And we react when our senior administration refuses to see that. We all want the University of Toledo to be the best it can be. But our senior administration is hell bent on trying to force their corporation and small business mold onto us. There must be bosses and there must be employees. And the employees have to be forced to work. These Taylorian concepts of scientific management just do not apply to the university because we, as professors, do not see our positions as jobs. We do not do what we do for a paycheck: we do it because we love what we do and we do it because we think it is the right thing to do. Until our administration understand this, the is university will continue to suffer because we will fight each other rather than work together to find the best ways forward.
Wow, you really let others control your life to a degree that sounds unhealthy. You only enjoy your career and your interaction with students while you like the president? Bizarre.
I was NOT referring to UT...or Jacobs. I was merely providing an account of a different campus experience...perhaps otherworldly? Unfortunately, someone assumed it may have been an anonymous marketing attempt by Mr. Burns.
Concerned Alum
Hey Bloggie, wanna give credit for that xkcd comic?
It's licensed under a Creative Commons License, which means you can reproduce it, but you have to tell where it comes from -- as it says here: http://xkcd.com/license.html.
Um, my comment isn't enough. You should edit the original post with a credit line and the permalink to the strip. Here's the permalink (you're welcome): http://xkcd.com/755/
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