Ascension of Our Lloyd Into Heaven
Now the Great Man has left us, but hasn't really left us, we must pay heed to the future leader. Comments and questions? Now is the time, and here, the place.
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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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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
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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.
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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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20 comments:
Let's hope Jacobs is never enshrined in the name of a building on this campus. In fact, let's do more than hope: let's make a pact that we will never allow Jacobs' name to be placed on anything, except a dustbin.
Back in my day we used urinals to honor our favorite people. It made voiding one's bladder a much more satisfying experience. Every building on campus should have at least one with Jake's name on it. It's only fitting....
This picture is kinda scary. I hope he is not resurrected in the new president.
I keep checking my email of Friday's at 4:45 for the announcement that he is officially gone and that an interim has been hired.
Anonymous 5:47. That announcement won't come till every mother's child still eligible for a Huntington bank loan to pay for Fall 2014 tuition (plus "fees") at UT has been cajoled, collared, corralled and branded.
9:18am raises an interesting point: why is someone from Huntington Bank which does business with UT allowed on the board? Why is someone from Medical Mutual which administers one of our health care plans allowed to be a trustee on our Board? Why are such conflicts of interest tolerated?
Anonymous 9:18am: It may happen sooner than that! The entire Board of Trustees is having a "Special" Meeting tomorrow, June 5th. And there is only ONE agenda item. Look for yourself:
http://www.utoledo.edu/offices/trustees/committee_agendas.html
I know there's a BOT member from Huntington Bank. Yes, they've put ATM's and branches on campus. Yes they are funding some small program, the details of which escape me at the moment. People, in the overall scheme of thing this doesn't even rise to trivial, and I am as anti-capitalist as they come. They are providing us (faculty and students alike) with a service. Poll the campus, I'm sure almost everyone agrees that having a bank presence on campus is a good thing.
The GOP and its Fox mouthpiece criticize Obama for everything he does. If he does X they scream he should have done Y. If he does Y they scream he should have done X. Any action, statement, etc. is dealt with immediate rejection and scorn. Sadly, I see many of the good people on this blog doing the same with Jacobs and his cronies. I agree he is awful, but let's focus on our attention one a few key issues. It will make our arguments more credible.
Since the Horton era, and possibly earlier, the faculty role on this campus has been declining. I feel a partial reason for this is because the faculty have been divided by the various administration. Divide by ultimately meaningless differences. Much like religion, race, ethnicity, etc. divide people in many societies from uniting for common goals, the UT faculty is divided by other artificial distinctions or uniqueness.
My plea to the faculty is to unite. Quickly identify the key issues, focus the conversation, speak with a united voice. United we have a chance, divided we are doomed--and they are counting on it.
Board met at noon. Any news? Is the wicked witch dead?
Will they ring the tower bells?
Faculty Senate Writes:
Dear Colleagues,
It is a dynamic time for our university as we transition to a new president and new administrative team. The Faculty Senate Executive Committee (FSEC) is asking that all faculty begin to think about and focus on new directions for our university. During this transition period it is important to make certain that correct, up-to-date information is disseminated to the university and Toledo communities --- and that the content of rumors be either verified or invalidated.
To ensure that we all have the same, correct information about this transition, your FSEC will provide email up-dates containing new information or announcements. We ask that you take an active role in this process by informing us of rumors so we may verify or invalidate.
If you have questions about the transition or if you have a rumor you wish us to investigate, please contact the FSEC through email (facultysenate@utoledo.edu) or phone (419.530.2112), or simply talk with an Executive Committee member listed below.
Best regards,
Karen Hoblet, President
AY2014-15 Faculty Senate
AY2014-15 Faculty Senate Executive Committee
---------------------------------------------
Karen Hoblet, President
Kristen Keith, Vice President
Mike Dowd
Lucy Duhon
Mary Humphrys
Scott Molitor
Marlene Porter
Linda Rouillard
Fred Williams
"Who you gonna call? Rumormongerbusters!"
Mike Dowd, Scott Molitor, Fred Williams and other members of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee reprise the roles and comic misadventures of that wacky trio of eccentric entrepreneurs whose enterprise is beating the bushes for pesky shape-shifting rumormongers in league with the Devil ... .
And so it begins, this presidential search, with a lame-duck administration's orchestration of a conspiracy of silence. If this menacing message by so-called "faculty leaders" (who for the most part hold administrative positions) is intended intimidate a robust faculty critique of the search process as it proceeds, it is naïve. Common Biblical wisdom reveals the folly of the silence of the lambs and the silence of sheep:
“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth” – Isaiah 53:7.
A robust faculty critique includes senior faculty roaring like lions and taking rumors seriously to the extent they represent the vernacular voice of the oppressed suffering under the tyranny of oligarchs.
If the FSXC wants to monitor rumors, fine. To conspire to forbid them during this important presidential search is suppressing freedom of faculty speech on a state public university campus.
Here’s a question that the Faculty Senate super sleuths can tackle.
We all had to hold our noses last October as we learned that the antics of that loveable, collegial group known as the doctoral clinical psychology program faculty had put the program in bad odor with its accrediting body, the American Psychology Association.
What steps have been taken to ensure that a more scented fragrance is being emitted these days from the ground floor of University Hall?
Meanwhile, down at FSU:
"On Wednesday, the university’s Faculty Senate voted no confidence in R. William Funk, who is leading Florida State’s controversial search for a new president. Funk is head of Texas-based R. William Funk and Associates, which has placed presidents at some of the nation’s largest and most prestigious universities.
The vote of displeasure may be the first of its kind by faculty in a search firm. If faculty elsewhere adopt the tactic, the spread of no confidence votes could further complicate presidential searches."
Read more here (and be sure to read the comments to this article):
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/06/06/florida-state-u-faculty-open-new-front-battle-over-presidential-searches#sthash.JBDKAUVj.dpbs
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/06/09/four-faculty-members-offer-job-share-presidents-duties-and-salary
I'm taking a little time off. When I get back i hope to have a new president. See what you folks can do, ok?
It would be nice to have some pride in our institution again.
I also long to feel proud of UT, but I fear that that will be impossible as long as our trustees only see this campus as ripe for plundering. Who knows what other "Rick Stansley" sits on that board. Trustees appointed by governors for their political contributions and connections do not believe that they need to leave their conflicts of interest at the door. Our trustees do not practice stewardship. Instead, they are guided by greed, self-interest, and self-promotion.
Update:
"The no-confidence vote by Florida State faculty seems to have worked. If faculty elsewhere adopt the idea, the spread of no-confidence votes could further complicate presidential searches."
Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/06/10/bill-funk-top-higher-ed-headhunter-steps-down-florida-state-u-search#ixzz34Ei401hI
Inside Higher Ed
"We all had to hold our noses last October as we learned that the antics of that loveable, collegial group known as the doctoral clinical psychology program faculty had put the program in bad odor with its accrediting body, the American Psychology Association.
What steps have been taken to ensure that a more scented fragrance is being emitted these days from the ground floor of University Hall?"
June 7, 2014 at 8:14 AM"
____________
Don't believe everything you hear Sir/Madame June 7, 8:14
What happened in the doctoral clinical psychology program is a travesty created by the administration. The Dean and other administration cronies blundered then blamed the faculty for "infighting." How much money did the jacob's admin spend to clean up THEIR mistakes? How many careers did THEY tarnish and who was scapegoated?
This administration and Dean continue to destroy our university. They are reckless. The students and community deserve better! Godspeed!
Don't give up faculty, be vocal!
I hear that Jesus lawyered up.
The doctoral clinical psychology program was subject to an extensive accreditation review and report that included interviews with faculty and students that revealed long standing disputes that were impacting students, it was a situation created by the faculty and had existed for many years and was well known in the college. The various administrations over the last decade may have avoided it and recently not helped the situation, but lets be clear it was a issue created by the faculty and under threat of losing their accreditation they resolved to address the concerns leading to a positive follow-up review.
Pray tell how? And to what endgame?
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