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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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10 comments:
is it true that many of the tenure candidates were never actually interviewed by Jacobs?
One of those snakes is wearing a bow tie.
Tuesday at Faculty Senate, I thought I heard Scarborough say that he did not anticipate a furlough for next year when asked if furloughs were being considered in the budget. But I have it from a fairly reliable source that they are putting a furlough package into the budget. She would not tell me the details but she inferred that it was more than one day. Our senior administrators are so disingenuous: why can't they tell the truth?
You guys teach finance some of you. Are you really so incapable of figuring out the most basic and straightforward facts? Yours is supposed to be the college of critical thinking and you're as helpless as children unable to understand where the ball goes when it's behind mommy's back.
The admin has been saying for almost a year they have a furlough package in place for if they need it. Your insistence that your two pieces of information are mutually exclusive is intellectually moronic and dishonest and what do you care? You've guaranteed PSA, CWA and other workers have to take more furloughs because you're too important to take a furlough despite working 8 months a year for $80,000 bucks.
I think the high level administrators are the most useless around UT--they spend money but do not make it. Furlough Jacobs, the CAS Dean,Provost Hagget, Scarborough, and a dozen others at the level for half the year. They will (1) do less damage to the University that way, and (2) save more money than you would by laying off thirty workers or faculty. (3) Plus no one will miss them.
reameyTo the commenter that said “Your insistence that your two pieces of information are mutually exclusive is intellectually moronic and dishonest and what do you care?”
Let put this in turns that you will understand with a little story:
Let say: you, your brother and your two cousins were given a pie to divide and eat. Now, there is plenty of pie for all of you to eat and be happy. But someone has to cut the pie. You trust your brother and one of the cousins. But the other cousin seems a bit shady. So you suggest that your brother cut the pie. But your brother really doesn’t want to do it and the shady one says that he can do it. You are not happy but for family piece, I will let him do if he promises to give us equal sized pieces. So shady cuts the pie: you get a 1/6th, your brother gets a 1/6th and your good cousin gets a 1/6th. And shady keeps half of the pie. You all got equal shares: are you happy? Are you just going to shut up and take it? Are going to let Shady cut the next pie and the one after that too?
That is almost identical to the process here at UT. Every year, the revenues at the University have gone up more than the salaries of the faculty and staff. The funds are more than enough to cover the costs of the university which are expended for teaching students. Check it out: it is a matter of public record.
Yet every year we are told that we need to take budget cuts. Why? Look at the growth in number of consultants on the university, the increase in debt of the university, the disbursements to non academic entities such as STIE ($10M I think was the number the Board passed a couple of years ago???) and the funding of pet projects of the administration such as a new energy school when the activities that it is supposed to be doing are already been done in both A&S and Engineering! So you get a smaller piece of the pie and they want still more. Then they lie about it in public meetings.
How is being upset about it intellectually dishonest and moronic? Would you rather we just ignore it? After all, are we just employees with no “skin in the game?” I am not attacking you but “wake up!” Your job as well as mine is on the line and it is not just about a few furlough days. Both of us will be without jobs if they keep spending money the way that they do.
Several points: As you point out, the administration took out money for UTIE a few years ago. They aren't taking $10 million out each year, they did it once. Now you are of course free to say that's good or bad, but to say that that is a continual budget issue that is every year zapping money from instruction is intellectually dishonest: it happened one year only.
The new school that you are disparaging will bring in current professors from A&S and Engineering. The million dollars you're complaining about being allocated for that school: it's going to recruit three new faculty and pay for their start-up fees, it isn't like the people currently doing solar research now will be excluded. To suggest otherwise is intellectually dishonest.
The reason you all think the admin is lying in public meetings is because very few of you have an understanding of the way UT works and those who actually come and sit in board meetings aren't the ones yelling and screaming cause, even if they disagree, they do understand how the budget process works. Yet because they understand, you all call them heretics and admin puppets.
You folks can have your "Tea-Party" type rallies on this page and elsewhere, but the adults have to address real concerns, like aligning UT with the state's strategic plan that calls on Universities to be strong economic development players. You're able to roll your eyes at the politicians, the admin has to work with them. But by all means keep complaining that faculty work too hard and are treated poorly. So long as the people (and therefore the politicians) think you all work 30-hour weeks, 4 days a week and 8-9 months a year, they'll never listen to you and will praise the admin for cracking down. If you all don't change the way you communicate you'll fine tenure and other faculty "rights" being dismantled to the sounds of cheers.
I don't want that to happen, but with the ass-backward way you all make your case, it will be hard to stop it.
Brian, in the likely event you don't post this, maybe just e-mail it to Poster # 6.
"very few of you have an understanding of the way UT works "
AMEN!
There is no transparency here.
So because of your ignorance and unwillingness to learn new things the admin is not transparent?
Do you need the admin to come to every prof, knock on their door (just kidding, faculty are rarely in their offices) and alert you to every decision?
Do you think you have no responsibility in finding out information? Several faculty attend board meetings and they would often have answers to the "rhetorical" questions you think you're asking.
By your definition faculty aren't transparent because students have to try in class to be able to learn. That's a mindless response, 7:16.
“Do you think you have no responsibility in finding out information? Several faculty attend board meetings and they would often have answers to the "rhetorical" questions you think you're asking.”
I too attend the BOT meetings. They are not a font of information: it seems that the Medical School and Hospital dominate most BOT meetings and very little is said that is enlightening about the Main Campus. I don’t have the answers and neither do my fellow faculty attendees.
When I ask questions of my Chair or Dean: they say they need to get the answers form the Provost or the President. Apparently, they are not allowed to make independent decisions. When I attend the Faculty Senate Meetings, I get lies from the Upper Administration. By the way, where are the Blue Books that the administration promised to publish for last year? When I complain about it, I am “intellectually dishonest” by your recrimination.
Since you are an apparent cognoscenti, perhaps you can explain the following statements:
“School of Solar and Advanced Renewable Energy – As the renewable energy field is
changing rapidly the University will be educating students for jobs not created yet and
preparing them for a changing economy. The new school will consist of faculty members
from multiple disciplines, including physics, chemistry, engineering and business. A
group of deans and faculty members are working out the details, including the types of
degrees the school will offer and the number of students it will accept.” taken from the audit report.
I am particularly struck by the statement “educating students for jobs not created yet” Will these jobs ever be created? What assurances have you that they will be? What degrees will they offer? I have been asking these questions for a while and still do not have an answer. I don’t think these would be classified as rhetorical in any sense.
Here is another: please explain
“Science, Technology & Innovation Enterprises, Inc – perform the following kinds of
economic development activities: develop a Research Institute to conduct applied
research, continue investment and support of UT’s incubation and commercialization
efforts through foundation and grant support, use prudent investment in UT spin-offs and
other economic development opportunities to generate funds with which to sustain the
broad range of UT’s economic development efforts and recruit and attract innovation
enterprises to Toledo.” also taken from the audit report.
Exactly what does the statement “through foundation and grant support” mean? Apparently, they received $5 million dollars in Foundation support last year after receiving $10M from the general budget… what do they have to show for it? Is this expected to continue into future years? Have they generated any funds? No one seems able to tell me.
The audit report also says, “Most higher education institutions including the University are faced with significant issues that are causing financial pressures. These issues include increases in energy costs, rising health care costs, the aging of university facilities, high cost of capital to develop high tech facilities, and insuring compliance with governmental regulations including environmental issues.”
If that is so, then why should we continue to expend the University funding for either the STIE or Alternative Energy School which clearly are not germane to the university and for which no one seems to state that they have accomplished anything significant.
“just kidding, faculty are rarely in their offices” Oh really? When have you come to my office when I was not there? Maybe when I go to the Faculty Senate or one of the committees that I need for my service content of my workload? Maybe when I am in my laboratory doing my research that is needed for the research component? Or maybe on Saturdays; wait… I am in there on Saturdays.
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