Search This Blog

Friday, March 21, 2014

Russian News Agency TASS announces transformative transformation. . .

UT President Lloyd Jacobs announces he will step down June 30, 2015
President led implementation of merger, hailed as ‘transformative’ leader

After eight years leading The University of Toledo and another three as head of the former Medical University of Ohio, Dr. Lloyd Jacobs announced today that he will step aside as UT’s president effective June 30, 2015.

“My time in Toledo has been among the most personally rewarding years of my life, and Ola and I are looking forward to many more at UT and in the community,” Jacobs said. “I’m excited by a new opportunity to help UT and other universities adapt to the financial and resource pressures that will grow only more challenging over time.”

Joseph Zerbey, chair of the UT Board of Trustees, said Jacobs has defined what transformative leadership truly is.

“Lloyd Jacobs not only led the way to make the merger with MUO a reality, he has led the implementation of the vision behind the merger and in a very literal way transformed this institution into one that is far greater than the sum of the two organizations that came together in 2006 to comprise the new University of Toledo,” Zerbey said.

Zerbey indicated that Jacobs will lead a new Institute of University Transformation. While still an initial vision that will be fleshed out over time, Zerbey said the institute would help integrate the ways technology can be used to improve the learning and retention of skills and information, increase access, and reduce costs for students.

“I have spoken often about the danger of higher education pricing itself out of the market. This is why I’ve been committed to ensuring UT has been a leader in slowing the pace of tuition increases,” Jacobs said. “UT plays a critical role in this community, and it is essential that The University of Toledo keeps pace with the rate of societal transformation taking place all around us.”

“This University and this community owes Dr. Jacobs a debt of gratitude for his success in raising UT’s national profile,” Zerbey said, adding that UT areas like the Interprofessional Immersive Simulation Center and the Ruth M. Hillebrand Clinical Skills Center are examples of pieces with a natural fit into the future Institute of University Transformation.

According to Zerbey, a national presidential search is planned and a formal search process will be announced soon.

40 comments:

Anonymous said...

In this case I will give due credit to the Toledo Blade as their story today on this news presented a more complete picture and background to recent events leading up to the news (and a shout out to Blogger for that great pic!)

Anonymous said...

And no-one publicly blames Jacobs, gold and company for the enrollment decrease that every term (but one) for nine years (17/18 terms for those who cannot count). not a single BOT member assumes they are complicit in this failure? AMAZING.

Anonymous said...

Enrollment decline, the Stansley debacle, the solar energy debacle, two closed door meetings, faculty at all levels publicly declaring they are watering down classes in response to the increased workloads and class sizes, and now Jacobs "resignation" with a still undefined position supposedly awaiting him to land on.

Maybe the dots don't connect, but...

And, by the way, don't anyone even comment 'It (Jacob's successor) can't be any worse' as I will be forced to remind everyone of Roman history and the countless Romans who counted down the days of Tiberius' reign by looking to the future and thinking, 'It can't get any worse,' and then they got... Caligula. History teaches us it can get worse.

Anonymous said...

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20140321/FREE/140329952

Tressel is not the only interesting name on this list.

Anonymous said...

His new position sounds to me like another opportunity to pull funding away from faculty, by having to fund his new job (how much will they pay him now?) and by him using his new position to outsource as many teaching opportunities as possible, through those technological advancements he plans to adopt.

Anonymous said...

Our long national nightmare is over....

Diogenes said...

The end of an error. And so long overdue that I can now barely muster a shrug at the news. Especially since the tedious exit of this Pleistocene megafauna -- Jacobs Inc. -- and its mindless mismanagement and moronic minions will take yet another year OMG before finally lumbering officially into extinction. Lord, please don't take me before that joyful day arrives!

Anonymous said...

We've been held hostage for a while now by Scarborough's job search, hence Imagine 2017. He tosses out half-baked ideas, and we have to fund and implement them to make him look good for potential employers, not unlike Jeff Gold. I won't mind Scarborough leaving, but I do mind the problems he'll leave behind and that we will have to fix.
As for Jacobs--his new "position" and the mess he'll create there will also be on the BOT's hands. They will also be responsible for letting him break more stuff at UT in the coming year. Jacobs should go NOW and numerous individuals should accompany him.

Anonymous said...

So our current Provost has also applied for the position of President at Akron, guess that stops the common discussions often heard around campus that he wants to finish his career here or is not currently looking to jump from his Provost position here - points many of us never believed but are remarkably commonly stated in conversations.

Anonymous said...

"Step down" or "buck off"?

Anonymous said...

We should wish the Provost well in his job search provided that it does not entail another inside hire at the University of Toledo.

Anonymous said...

The BOT and Jacobs are weakened by these announcements. Time for the faculty to regain their lost power.

Anonymous said...

Interesting poll running on the Blade website.

POLL

Will Dr. Lloyd Jacobs legacy as UT president be positive or negative?
Positive 20%
Negative 42%
Too early to tell20%
I'm not sure 18%
Total votes: 571

Anonymous said...

"Time for the faculty to regain their lost power."

By doing what, exactly? Whatever it is, I agree that now would be a good time.

Anonymous said...

It would be a very mean thing to say that I feel kind of giddy and hopeful as when Saddam, the Taliban in Afghanistan, Honecker, and Stalin all fell out of power...so I will not even attempt to do so. However, this video below demonstrates, at least in part, the problem between the academic world and the business world and business ways of thinking that having been running rough shod over it and much of the country for the past three decades. It it is the people who talk the best and loudest and take the most risks who "appear" to know what they are doing, then thinking people must get organized.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0KYU2j0TM4

Anonymous said...

Please give us one example of faculty having any power in the decision of a recent university Presidential hire in the US and how they were able to weld such power?

Anonymous said...

To Anonymous 7:48. You write: "Please give us one example of faculty having any power in the decision of a recent university Presidential hire in the US and how they were able to weld such power?" Teresa Sullivan is President of UVA thanks to strong support by its activist Faculty Senate. She understands her tenured faculty members and values their long experience and their diverse contributions to preserving and advancing academic excellence at UVA. Sullivan has authored six books and close to one hundred scholarly social science articles. She appreciates the difference between "weld" and "wield."

Anonymous said...

Sullivan was supported by faculty in a community and public effort to reverse the politically motivated action by a Board member to remove her, a President they liked. I was referring to recent national search for a new President where the faculty had enough power to get their preferred President candidate selected by a Board. UVA is not a comparable example to where UT current is in regards to the position of President

Anonymous said...

I'd like to say good riddance, but it seems he's found a way to keep wielding his destructive power (his "ideas") through a new and lucrative six figure retirement-ish position. I'm so glad I jumped off the sinking ship, and that I was well-positioned enough to make the jump to a decent place. I feel badly for all those who are left behind as the waters rise and the rats gnaw holes through the hull.

Anonymous said...

Imagine, he will be gone without a single faculty vote of no confidence. Imagine how much shorter hell would have lasted if the faculty chose to vote before he chose to step down? I don't recall a departmental or college vote either...power does not come to the faint of heart, that is for sure. Oh, by the way, at UVA the faculty voted.

Anonymous said...

If Jacobs were fired today, I suspect there would be dancing in the streets. The poll posted earlier says it all: 2 to 1, Jacobs' presidency will have lasting negative consequences.

Anonymous said...

Things I will miss when Jake leaves, (Not really).

"The Relevant University."
"Back Yard Barbecues."
New Colleges Every Year

Anonymous said...

Will we keep all of the security cameras, the spooky outside loudspeaker voices, and the anonymous reporting line?

Anonymous said...

And exactly what do security cameras and spooky outside loudspeaker voices have to due with Jacobs? These security measures are appearing all other the country and on campus due to concerns for public safety and emergency responses, so they are not going away after Jacobs leaves.

Given who reads and posts here it would at least be useful and productive to discuss the many real mistakes made by Jacobs and which may be repaired by a new President.

Anonymous said...

This is interesting:

http://swampbubbles.com/20140325/blade-ut-board-trustees-and-president-jacobs-weave-tangled-web

Anonymous said...

Concerning the cameras and such, maybe so but it sure all fits in well with this administration"s penchant for control.

Anonymous said...

The story as I understand it... Stansley owes the taxman a bundle (not sure if it's Ohio or the Feds or both). When the taxman came calling his employer, UT responded to the inquiries in a less than helpful way, which included Jacobs making various odd statements. The whole thing would be a media wet dream were it not for the fact that the media I am referring to is in bed with Jacobs and, well, Toledo is just a backwater place anyway and the national press has bigger fish to fry.

In any case, the Stansley Affair has bitten Jacobs in the ass and it would bite the BOT and the Gov in the ass, except, as noted above, it's not being reported in all the sordid details (recall that Stansley is a former BOT Chairman).

So the brilliant plan now is to phase out Jacobs in the most PR friendly way possible (dumping money in after bad just so the BOT doesn't get a black eye) and pretend as though UT and the BOT were just ignorant of Stansley's shenanigans and that no one notices the 10million investment fund is basically empty now after 8 years of Jacobs mismanagement.

Or, to put it in the most cynical way possible, all the recent class size increases, frozen salaries, increased workloads have nothing to do with shortfalls and everything to do with Jacobs/BOT mismanaging UT's finances the past 8 years.

Anonymous said...

Lawyers from the State Attorney's Office attended one of the recent closed to the public Board meetings when the status of a public employee (Jacobs) was discussed. The Blade many not be interested in publishing more on this story but if Stansley or anyone at UT is charged with a state or federal crime it will all then come out. Hard to believe that if Stansley was having his paid made directly to his brothers company (in order to avoid the state tax issue) someone at UT, possibly Jacobs himself, did not knew or should have been aware - either way looks like a crime was committed.

Anonymous said...

Today's Blade editorial stated that the next UT president will likely be hired about 6 months before Jacobs leaves, giving him or her time work work with Jacobs on a smooth transition. Man is that scary. Could you imagine a decent person being exposed to him for six months?

On a positive note, it was stated that a web site will be launched about the search and that applicants' names will be made public.

I can only hope that UT will hire a real academic who is not currently at the University. We need some new blood, not a Jacobs crony.

Anonymous said...

Recently been reported that Columbus is voting soon on a bill to increase workloads at public universities by 10% (not sure if it's 10% statewide or 10% at each university or for each faculty member, but probably the latter). Let me connect this with a recent meeting in which Jacobs said that UT was paying 30 million (a year?) for "unfunded research," i.e., presumably, course relief for faculty doing unfunded research like scholarship and publishing in their field which their peers and chair and dean reward with course relief.

My guess is this number had previously been forwarded to Columbus and is part of the rationale for a state mandated workload increase (despite the fact that many had their workloads increased already).

Faculty present who heard Jacobs remark were flabbergasted and he never answered where he got the 30 million figure from.

Here's my guess. He had some flunky compute all the work release accumulated by faculty (with the mandate 'make it a big number') which didn't accompany external funding, including probably work release for Chairs, advisers, etc. For Jacobs, and now Columbus, unfunded work release is the new mountain to climb, although I'd wager Columbus doesn't have a clue what it means and is just interested in a big figure to show off to the public when they make the case faculty are living high on the backs of the honest hard working folk. Faculty getting work release to conference, read, write, publish, and improve their teaching and scholarship? Outrageous!

Anonymous said...

The horse rider is Dr. Gold isn't it?

Anonymous said...

Yes it is! He is surveying the campus in Nebraska. He always wanted to build institutions from the ground up.

Anonymous said...

How faculty spend their time. See: https://thebluereview.org/faculty-time-allocation/

Anonymous said...

We are losing all of our young and best faculty.

Anonymous said...

I hear rumors of indictments on the horizon.

Anonymous said...

Jacobs has had recent health issues - I believe he recently was in the hospital. That may be the simple explanation for his departure.

I certainly hope the new President cleans house and downsizes the senior admin. Otherwise, it's just musical chairs.

Anonymous said...

Anyone see the letter to the editor in 4/16/14 Blade? The writer makes an interesting point: Jacobs is an inverted alchemist. He has managed to turn gold (UT) into lead. I think that sums it up quite nicely.

Anonymous said...

The problems with UT do not start and end with who serves as Presidents, it has to do with state, OBOR and the UT BOT. Until they have a better and correct vision for higher education in Ohio and at UT no President will change the current siutuation.

Anonymous said...

No golden parachute for president.

Collegian: http://www.independentcollegian.com/opinion/editorial-no-golden-parachutes-please-1.2864995#.U1BLkVcyswI

Anonymous said...

not too worry regardless of what the IC sayings or the views or opinions of anyone, unless Jake is charged with a crime as a result of the Stansley hidden pay scheme, this BOT will be certain to give Jake a nice gold parachutes one way or another.

At this point I would personally prefer they pay him off now and get him away campus instead of the suggestions circulating that he wants to serve on the search committee, mentor the new President for a new months before replacing him, plus taking up that new institute.

Does it occur at all to the BOT that keeping him involved and around is only going to harm any chance there may be of getting a solid pool of candidates and a good selection of the next President?