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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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26 comments:
Hey Boggie.
Glad to see the president apparently reads this blog.
Thus, today's thank-you note to the UT community about the HLC visit.
Sure, the President was never planning to issue such a thank you, until prompted by this blog. Yet another example where the few posters and champions of this blog have an inflated view of themselves and self importance of this blog in actually impacting real changes and decisions.
to Anonymous 11:41. It sure seems that this blog has a great deal of power over you as evidenced by your anxiety over its postings. Regarding everyone and and every thing else, its influence is moot.
To Anonymous 11:41
The Gaber presidency is still very much a work in progress and she might, just might appreciate constructive suggestions no matter the source.
Knowledge of major issues facing UT and of institutional history, knowledge of the community and state, political astuteness, and attention to detail aren't the exclusive province of the board of trustees or 8-to-5, $200,000 suits working for her on the third floor of U. Hall.
CLASS = College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
No way at 2:28. Administrators are missing a chance to settle this in a way that allows for future reorganizations on the cheap. Call it the College of Scholarly Knowledge that way we will not need new signage and stationary every few years.
"Arts and Letters" is the name, not "CLASS." CLASS was one of the finalists in the online survey of faculty. I'm sure these facts won't prevent all the frustrated satirists from trying to prove that they don't need any training to be a creative writer- just an internet provider, basic typing skills and a blog where they can post their master works anonymously.
How about College of Related Arts Programming?
Will be College of Letters and Arts (CLA), faculty votes and decision has been made
ALAS = Arts, Letters And Sciences
Now another faculty vote on a name, as apparently a group complained to the President, as if the college name is really that important to students new and future. Sorry folks no name is going to keep everyone happy, some group from Arts, Humanities or Social Sciences is going to be left out and not happy. If CLA works for Notre Dame, certainly not an image or recruitment challenge there, should be good enough for UT. Anything would be an improvement over CLLSS. Keep it short, keep it simple, create marketing and branding for it, and lets get moving on the more pressing issues.
Here's a compromise.
College of Related Undergraduate Disciplines
Does this work?
The College Formerly Known as Languages, Literature and Social Sciences?
"CLA" is an acronym that represents nothing. It is even less than a clam. It is useless for branding purposes. "CLASS" in contrast means "demonstrating excellence" and is a brand we can parlay successfully into student recruitment and donor gifts. Moreover it respects rather than ignores the huge role that the social sciences play in the newly-merged college, while yet empowering all the liberal arts. If there is something negative about the acronym "CLASS" (College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences), please articulate it clearly ASAP on this blog.
All the college acronyms mean nothing, and they are not important for branding or marketing, just easier to say and type (NMS, COE, COBI etc...)The name College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences is too long, and frankly not much better then College of Languages, Literature and Social Sciences, and need to shorten to three letter acronym. If the University of Notre Dame can include Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences with their College of Letters and Arts why not UT? If faculty or departments in the Social Sciences actually seriously believe that not having Social Sciences in the college name is hurting their enrollment, fund raising, marketing, retention, and recruitment they are burying their heads in the sand as to the real problems facing them. Same for Arts and the Humanities.
It is long and almost as twee as COBI.
As much as I respect the views of the COMM faculty and their right to develop degree requirements, they still need to follow their College and Faculty Senate rules and procedures regarding reviews and approvals of all curriculum and program modifications. Unless I am in error (and please COMM feel free to correct me), a formal proposal to modify the foreign language requirement for COMM majors was not submitted to department and college for approval prior to Faculty Senate.
The COMM ploy was an attempt at an end run around a formal proposal. The idea was simply to make the FL change a fait accompli, and then shove the President's memo or email or whatever that thing is that she wrote that states and 'many shall not dictate to the few' into the faces of anyone who objected.
Anonymous 7:14. What's your "ploy?" You spout nonsense. Communication deliberated and voted as a department. The proposal passed. It was approved by the COMM Dept. Curriculum committee and the Chair, It was approved by the COCA curriculum-academic affairs committee. Then when it got to the COCA Council it was submitted to a VOTE by COCA faculty. It passe. 60/40. It has passed so far all the steps in the curriculum tracking system. And , yes, the next step it moves higher. But this "ploy" you are claiming is simply called "faculty governance.: "End run" you say? You are simply being dismissive of an idea that you apparently don't like or understand. It was a long and throughly discussed process. Now it moves onward.
President announced to faculty at the name College of Letters and Arts will be presented to Board for approval as name of merged colleges.
Darn.
I was hoping it would be the College of Literature, Arts, Sciences and Humanities Then we would have reason to play "Rock the Casbah" at graduation ceremonies.
"Less than a CLAm." Amen.
Are members of university communications and marketing on strike?
Why no news stories on myUT for May 17 and May 18?
Or is nothing going on at UT?
IT server was down.
Scarborough, Burns keep screwing up U of Akron.
http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2016/05/university_of_akron_drops_ohio.html
Don't forget the recent negative financial ratings UA received from Moody's and Fitch as well as the call by the Akron Beacon Journal for the board of trustees to change leadership and fire Scarborough.
http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2016/05/university_of_akrons_financial.html
http://www.ohio.com/news/fitch-ratings-lowers-outlook-on-university-of-akron-to-negative-1.682303?cache=18961415304345%25252525252fnews%25252525252fohio%25252525252fcss%25252525252fresults%252525252525%252525252527%25252band%25252b1%252525
The incompetence, arrogance and mismanagement of the Scarborough administration and the resultant destruction of UA is breathtaking in its scope and depth.
How does a guy who is paid around a half-million dollars, who enjoys kingly perks--think $500 olive jars in his free presidential home--and who was supposedly hired for his vaunted management ability screw up so consistently and keep his job?
One does wonder what is next.
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