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Saturday, March 3, 2012

:o(




25 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Jacobs' administration has indeed used the late College of Arts and Sciences as a scapegoat.

Anonymous said...

The Goats of Wrath!

Anonymous said...

This article may be of interest: "When did executive pay at public universities get so high?"

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/moneybox/2012/03/uc_davis_chancellor_linda_katehi_s_salary_makes_her_a_member_of_the_1_percent_.html

Anonymous said...

I learned in the Toledo Free Press that an Obama administration official was on the Scott Park campus last week to discuss the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This wasn't mentioned in any UT Update email. I suppose Lloyd "Issue 2" Jacobs didn't want a big turnout for a Democrat.

Anonymous said...

Another reason for keeping quiet may be that Jeffrey Gold would have had to add yet another job title to his signature:

Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D.
1.Chancellor
2.Executive Vice President for Biosciences and Health Affairs
3. Dean of the College of Medicine

Did he forget
4. "God"?
5. might be "Director of Patient Protection"?

Well, if he added these, he might be just as important as Chuck Lehnert...

Anonymous said...

Does anyone have any insights on why the Provost is "retiring"? Has he been frozen out because he sometimes worked counter to the dictates of the administration?

Anonymous said...

The March 13 UT Update trumpets the College of Law's ranking as 129th of 195 programs. Am I missing something? I don't think the 33rd percentile is anything to be proud of.

Anonymous said...

About Provost McMillen:

He had already planned to retire last year, but agreed to do one more. In the wake of glowing success with the accreditation, he thought it's time to go.

By the way, we need to have UT-AAUP post a link to the HLC report on UT so we can all take pride.

Word has it that the library is short of being able to support your teaching and research, and the shrinking space and funds will not change this trend.

Does the HLC report contain information on the continuing destruction of the library? Better yet, just ask Jeeves...

They ain't getting back the hijacked library resource fee either by the way... How else will they pay the salary+bonuses for the ex-dean who started all this???

Instead, there will be more space for food, sleeping, facebook, tweeting, texting/sexting, and even mini-golf is not ruled out either. One thing you may consider for your staycation...

Anonymous said...

STEM(ed). From Slashdot (03/15/2012)

"'In response to the alleged shortages of qualified American engineers and technology professionals, numerous initiatives have been launched to boost interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers and to strengthen STEM education in the United States. Unfortunately, these programs have not proven successful, and many blame the laziness of modern students, the ineptitude of their teachers, poor parenting or, when there are no other excuses remaining, they may even jump to moral decay as a causative agent. However, the failure of STEM is because the very policies that created the shortages continue unabated. This is not a uniquely American problem. The best way to increase interest in STEM degrees is by making certain that STEM careers are actually viable.'"

Anonymous said...

I had heard that the Provost had indicated to departments that there was some wiggle room for hires - wiggle room around the absurd requirements that lj had established. I'm going to guess that this was at the Provost's discretion, and with the Provost leaving...

Anonymous said...

The Provost had aslo found some travel money for some faculty in the college formerly known as A&S - his discretionary funds. With his departure, there won't be any travel money available next year within that college. Not sure if the other colleges are in the same boat.

Anonymous said...

Anyone know what it's costing UT to host all these post-season consolation games for the basketball teams?

Anonymous said...

Are UT administrators secretly getting their ideas about synergy etc. from the TV sitcom 30 Rock?

You be the judge (30 Rock script excerpt below):

Pete: Liz, I have an idea -- something to boost staff morale.

Lemon: Pete, no. I listened to you when you wanted to take the staff to that R-rated hypnotist, and that sucked.

Pete: It was pretty bad. Nutmeg!

Lemon stands up like a zombie and starts to pull up her shirt.

Pete: Aaaah, rodeo rodeo rodeo!

[Lemon stops stripping and looks around in confusion.]

Pete: Look, I think we can take the show to Miami for a week.

Lemon: What? Can we afford to do that?

Pete: If we do it on the cheap, double-up rooms. Think about it,
Liz. Florida! I can rent a convertible. You can complain about the heat with elderly people!

Lemon: I can sell this to Jack.

[Cut to Jack's office. Pete holds a sign that reads "MIAMI = SYNERGY."]

Lemon (giving presentation to Jack): Cross-promotional... deal mechanics... revenue streams... jargon... synergy!

Jack (or is it JAKE??): That's the best presentation I've ever seen. Get started right away, Lemon!

Anonymous said...

Re "Upcoming election season offers UT prominent voice" in UT Update -- right, like I'm going to let IssueTwo Jacobs and his pro-corporate weenies get involved if my organization brings a candidate to campus.

Anonymous said...

Article in UTNews about Jacobs. Worst Boss. The article lists traits of horrible bosses. Surprised they printed this since you could read "Jacobs" in the description.

Anonymous said...

Have you seen the list of people of the "advisory" committee for the Provost "search"? Who are the candidates, I wonder. Maybe we should start a pool to bet on who will be chosen by President Jacobs with the advisory committee just nodding in consensus. Will it be President Jacobs' favorite consultant, Barry Cohen (who has an MA from the University of Texas at Austin)? Or Tom Brady, who will soon be inducted to the Plastics Hall of Fame?

Anonymous said...

STUDENT LOAN DEBT THREATENS ECONOMIC RECOVERY

As the U. S. and world economic recovery sputters along - the approaching drumbeats of the student loan implosion grow ever louder.

Both sides agree the status quo is unsustainable.

Obama says: "We can't just keep subsidizing skyrocketing tuition. We'll run out of money."

Newt Gingrich is even more blunt, calling student loans a Ponzi scheme.

Read all about it here:

http://money.msn.com/business-news/article.aspx?feed=AP&date=20120403&id=14951638

Anonymous said...

Gingrich may be right on the money on this issue: big schools -- the ones that get big research dollars from Uncle Sam (yet do not pay a cent of taxes on property they own) may be getting big kickbacks for each student loan signed. One such institution is not far from us...

Just imagine the interest (from student loan interest) that feed the administrators at these universities, their cronies in the lending/collections industries. If you even dare to challenge them, they come after you with their buddies in the collection who ruin your life like communists did when you challenged them.

In other words, you do get into the maze of American Debtors' Gulag if you are way in over your head in student loan debt. The education department, your representative -- don't expect them to help you since they may be part of it.

Anonymous said...

Yes.

Just as the unsustainable, politicized real estate bubble was artificially inflated with government subsidized home loans made to unqualified borrowers, whose sole purpose was to serve as fresh red meat to feed the bloated housing market's insatiable appetite for new home buyers...

... the unsustainable, politicized higher education bubble has been artificially inflated with government subsidized student loans made to financially and/or academically unqualified student borrowers, whose sole purpose has been to serve as fresh red meat to feed the bloated education market's insatiable appetite for more students.

The winners (at least in terms of professional career advancement, pay, benefits, job security etc. - not in terms of integrity and providing a valuable education to students) are the education elites (tenured professors and upper administrators - and the banking and lending and collection industries who make a killing in the boom times and get bailed out when everything goes bust -- private profit - public debt) and to a lesser extent the unwashed adjunct faculty and staff also benefit from the education gold rush.

The losers are 1) the taxpayers, who always end up holding the bag for these political Ponzi schemes, and 2) millions of grossly indebted students, who were conned into signing student loan "mortgages" they could never really afford in exchange for over-priced under-valued educations sold by fast-talking education sales reps (media, college recruiters, education propagandists, etc.)

Though some students will receive more or less fair value in their educations, many if not most will not -- i.e. needless to say the droves who never graduate and also those who receive essentially useless pseudo educations in the humanities, social sciences, etc. -- and even increasingly degrees in what were formerly pretty much sure things in the job market (law, medicine etc.)

The student loan bubble is approaching critical mass and it's now not a matter of if the trillion dollar bubble will implode but when and how badly the aftershock will cripple the economy and higher Ed.

Anonymous said...

STUDENT LOAN DEBT - ONE MORE THING

I neglected to mention what the co-conspirators in the student loan Ponzi scheme (education elites, banks etc.) are required to offer in exchange for getting their cut of the action.

They must agree to: 1) Look the other way as obvious, massive ongoing political, financial and educational malfeasance takes place right under their noses; 2) Always vote "D" for more taxes and more big government “education” and other “social justice” programs; and 3) Never, ever so much as question any of the accepted politically correct liberal academic, economic and political dogma that keeps the whole game going.

Liberal academics and politicians – particularly those at the pinnacles of university administrations and the high-level bureaucrats who manage the massive multi-hundred-billion dollar government education syndicate – are not so very different from Sam “Ace” Rothstein (Robert De Niro) and Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci) working the “skim” in Martin Scorsese’s ‘Casino’ (and I’m paraphrasing here) :

“Don’t forget. When those nasty looking men in expensive pin-striped suits walk out of the cash counting room with suitcases full of dough… ‘You didn't SEE nothin' and you don't KNOW nothin'. CAPICHE??"

Anonymous said...

The student loan postings are spam. The exact same postings have been appearing in all sorts of online forums for the last few months.

Anonymous said...

RETIREES WITH STUDENT LOAN DEBT

"About $36 billion of our nation's burgeoning student loan debt is owed by people 60 and older."

http://money.msn.com/debt-management/article.aspx?post=d921ed1b-2cda-4cdf-8289-9b6ec2ccc309

Anonymous said...

Re Anon April 5, 2012 2:00 PM

ATTENTION! ATTENTION! NOW HEAR THIS!

THE TRUTH IS ALL JUST SPAM - IF IT DOES NOT CONFORM TO ACCEPTED, SANCTIONED ACADEMIC LIBERAL DOGMA.

ALL PODS ARE HEREBY INSTRUCTED TO IGNORE ANY OBVIOUS FACTS OR COGNITIVE DISSONANCE.

SIMPLY CONTINUE LISTENING TO THE PLEASANT VOICE OF THE MATRIX PUPPET MASTERS PLAYING IN YOUR HEAD... AND GET BACK TO WORK.

IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS - PLEASE REFER TO THE RELEVANT SECTIONS OF YOUR LIBERAL PC HANDBOOKS (DURING REGULARLY SCHEDULED BREAK PERIODS ONLY, OF COURSE).

REPORT ANY THOUGHTS OR BEHAVIORS WHICH MAY DEVIATE FROM STANDARD GROUPTHINK MENTALITY MODULES IMMEDIATELY TO A TEAM LEADER FOR APPROPRIATE REPROGRAMMING PROTOCOL ACTIVATION.

THAT IS ALL.

...So, you're saying student loan debt figures and analysis from MSN (posted above) and the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal and CNN and Fox News and The Blade and Obama and Newt Gingrich and countless studies and books and articles from government, academic and other sources etc. etc. etc. are all just spam?

Better do a quick reality check.

Sounds like the likely source of the spam may actually be the result of your own sustained, long term indoctrination.

But thanks anyway for the spam.

Anonymous said...

I agree with this article. Cost of living has increased, I pray more for insurance, no raises for years...my real wages have gone down, tuition goes up...who is getting the difference? NOT FACULTY OR WORKERS! http://abcnews.go.com/Business/us-professors-stagnant-pay-leading-higher-tuition/story?id=16088503#.T4LA4vtSSXo

Bloggie said...

..and not students, either.