Hey MSM, good luck trying to hire any faculty for the next couple of years.
WKU’s College of Arts and Letters stands in solidarity with the professors from MSMU and have a Facebook post about it:
https://www.facebook.com/WKU-Potter-College-of-Arts-Letters-349337805129742/
(BTW, WKU has a superb honors college and is decently priced.)
I wouldn’t be surprised if more statements of solidarity defending tenure were made. With what happened in Wisconsin, it is an issue that must concern a lot of faculty members. There may not be many, but sufficiently to make a noise if they take a stand. As for students, well, by definition students like to take stands and change the ways of the world when they’re unfair/bad.
@Sue22 #140: Sadly, the academic job market is such that they probably won’t have any trouble… :-S
I think a legal case can probably be made on behalf of the faculty. And I don’t think I have all the evidence, it might even be a slam dunk. But maybe not.
I hope there is a messy and well publicized lawsuit to follow. Maybe some at-risk bunny students can find grounds for a case as well.
Apparently MSMU does not offer a Public Relations major.
It is interesting to me that there is not a single poster on the other side of this issue. When every liberal, conservative and independent on this board thinks you are screwing this up badly, you really should reconsider your actions. lol
And what is the new college president’s name? D. Umbridge?
^I would like that twice if i could!
When I saw the name “Simon” I knew the guy was English. They like to talk about bunnies a lot, in that sort of context. Probably sounds less vile to English ears than to Americans.
Another article on the summary dismissal of tenured professors. http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-controversy-at-mount-st-mary%E2%80%99s-goes-national-after-professors-are-fired/ar-BBpkctB?li=BBnb7Kz
Some quotes from a small group of apparently well-connected alumni in their open letter to students:
Just because " change is Hard "… Doesn’t mean it’s good.
If students, alumni, and professors saw that hard measures were taken for the common good, then I’m sure we wouldn’t have such near-unanimity.
Right now I fail to see how the measures improve msmu.
“JE SUIS BUNNY”
(_/)
(o .o)
(__)0
The way I see it, the bunny that’s barely treading water here is Mount Saint Mary’s itself.
If you were a student, would you apply there now (or accept an offer of admission if you have already applied)? If you were a parent of an applicant, would you encourage your child to apply there? Or would you think that Towson/Salisbury/Frostburg or their out-of-state equivalents were better choices?
I don’t, as a rule, have anything against politicians and executives becoming college presidents. Some of the most successful ones have been politicians. However, they need to focus on what they do well (building relationships, fund raising, managing the administration, and being a leader), while leaning and accepting feedback/advice from their provost, deans and faculty on academic issues (shared governance).
With President Newman (and the Board, as they are tied up in this), the fatal problem is excessive vanity. He believes (as does the board, it seems) that he can see more clearly want is needed than his administration and faculty. Purging 20-25 freshman is “thinking out of the box”. The complaints from the faculty is simply old thinking, as they are “stuck” in their ways.
However, the situation is much more complicated. College isn’t a factory, It’s more than freshman roll in, graduates roll out. It’s an educational and social experience, that’s been developed over hundreds of years. Much has been tried, what’s failed has been discarded, what works has been incorporated. There is always room for improvement, but lessons of the past should be remembered.
His plan to purge freshman, is in direct conflict with the social experience and compact of college. It’s breaks trust with the students, by asking for personal information on false pretense, and by failing to offer the needed academic support to students (and families) that have put their trust into the college by enrolling.
He’s doesn’t see the implications. He will when he faces the coming Alumni/student/faculty blowback.
And that blowback is coming… :!! :!!
It occurs to me that parents elsewhere on this forum that are looking for a Christian college should really verify that having “Saint” in the title is no guarantee…of anything. Not that any two religious institutions would be the same. Hopefully, maybe some of the other Catholic schools nearby will accept “bunnies” that wish to migrate out of the bunny hunting grounds.
Anyone who runs a business knows that you need to know your market, and if you’re dropped into a leadership role in an area you don’t know well (such as moving from the Soap division to the Cleaning Product division) you spend some time listening, even if you have radical ideas to improve the division.
Your market is students with 1400-1600 scores (not terrible, but definitely average and needing support to succeed in college) who look for a nurturing environment described as “family”, an environment for which they’re willing to pay a preimum over the many possible public universities available to them: you may well wish you had a 1600-1900 group who’s aggressive and driven, but that’s not your market, and while you may wish for the 1300 scoring students to matriculate elsewhere, once they’ve been admitted, the company’s “brand” means they are “part of the family”. Another part of your brand is “social justice”. There are 20 competitors within 40 miles so your brand is important.
When people say you’re going to alter people’s perception of the brand by going against its core values, you chastize them for being entrenched in their loser ways. Then when they persist, you fire them, even though they’re key to the “brand”. Now that everyone who’s left in the company is terrified and will toe the line, you go ahead with your upturning of the brand, products, and customer base expectations.
However, the customers… The result is rather predictable, isn’t it?
(And at least 15 of your competitors are licking their chops right now).
Remember St Mary’s Maryland 3-years ago?
Same errors on the college’s “brand” and on firing key people, by a parachuted new president with radical ideas and no listening skills.
I don’t know if they have recovered yet.
Any new president coming in is going to want to make their mark, and that includes a little housekeeping and the installation of some new people.
In the three years since her installation my college’s new president has replaced virtually the entire leadership team, including the Dean of Students, Dean of Faculty, Treasurer, VP of Advancement and Director of Admissions.
The difference is that she listened to her faculty, worked hard to develop trust, and made changes that built upon the traditional strengths of the college. By the time the alumni noticed that key people had been replaced all they were hearing about was the great things the new people were doing. That’s because the changes were made quietly and respectfully. The president sent out long press releases thanking the old administrators for their years of service and highlighting their contributions to the institution. There was no massive purge, just a gradual replacement of key people over time.
The president of MSMU is clearly a train wreck, and in their desire to support their new hire the board of trustees has badly damaged this school’s reputation. They’ll be saddled with years of lawsuits, unhappy and mistrustful faculty and falling application numbers.
A lot of good, thoughtful comments on this thread, and @Gator88NE, I love your profile pic!
I will be interested to see how yield is this year. It’s at 12% now according to College Nav.
In Maryland, it’s not even a guarantee of a religious affiliation. St. Mary’s College of Maryland is a state school.
Most “Christian” colleges do not use saint in their names. When someone refers to a Christian college they do not mean a Catholic school.