Truth,

You are right: who would have predicted two months ago (except maybe Chess, in his cryptic way) that all of this good news would have happened by now?  And let's not forget the other good news that Gary Stringer will soon be at a university that will fully appreciate his talents, and that Frank Glamser will be drawing full pay while retired.  Of course, what happened to these men can never be forgotten or forgiven, but the gloatings several weeks ago by various Shelby-lovers that GS and FS were "toast" have proven ridiculously short-sighted.  And, if the past is prologue to the future, we can fully expect Shelby to make further messes of things in the coming months -- perhaps eventually to the point than even Roy Klumb will grow tired of supporting him. 

As it happens, I was thinking just today of what a great impact our old friend "Fire Shelby" had.  I hope s/he is doing very well and that we will hear from him/her from time to time.  S/he has a lot to be proud of!

Only two months?  Seems like a lifetime...

Do you remember, as we sat through the hearings (in person or tied to our radios and computers), the widespread incredulity as we all said to ourselves and to each other "he's got nothing"? 

Let's also never forget the damage he did with "nothing" and understand that he believes, truly believes, that he was (is) righteous.

Truth reminds us of our successes to date (and we should applaud and celebrate those battles won) but Shelby Thames is coming back stronger, smarter, and better advised this time around.  He's not done yet and nor can we be.

The raise process is an important one but not because of all the individual maneuvering that is going on.  The bigger question is this: if the money for raises is not coming from the state and is not being generated by tuition revenue increases, what will happen when projected "efficiencies" are not realized?  Will a "financial emergency" ensue, leading to "necessary" lay-offs?  Will he attempt to make said lay-offs selective?  Does the faculty handbook address this...with strength and clarity?  Is this entire flawed raise process a set-up for another attack on tenure?

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Originally posted by: Polyonymous
 if the money for raises is not coming from the state and is not being generated by tuition revenue increases, what will happen when projected "efficiencies" are not realized?  Will a "financial emergency" ensue, leading to "necessary" lay-offs?  Will he attempt to make said lay-offs selective?  Does the faculty handbook address this...with strength and clarity?  Is this entire flawed raise process a set-up for another attack on tenure?"

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In public comments SFT has already linked a decline in tuition revenues -- if student enrollment and retention is insufficiently strong -- to layoffs.  Indeed tenure would be threatened, most immediately in departments with comparatively low enrollment, in the name of facing fiscal realities. 

 

I cannot but feel that we are headed for censure by the AAUP. . .and I wish they would hurry up! Maybe then the board would get some sense into their heads and get rid of the SFT.

look at this one - kick.

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Originally posted by: Ditto Boy
"Russ Willis, Lee Gore, and Cecil Burge should be picking up the phone and thanking Stringer and Glamser. Thanks to them Russ has his job back, Lee has some authority again, and Cecil has the job he always wanted. Everyone should be thankful for their courage and glad that at least Stringer has come through as well as possible given the horrible circumstances."

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Amen.

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Originally posted by: From outside
"Heard from a reliable source that Texas A & M is providing many, many $'s to bid on rare John Donne editions at a Sotheby's auction. "

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Institutions that are serious about being world class realize the value of such things & are willing to make the resources available to obtain them.

And check out the TAMU mission statement:

Texas A&M University is dedicated to the discovery, development, communication, and application of knowledge in a wide range of academic and professional fields. Its mission of providing the highest quality undergraduate and graduate programs is inseparable from its mission of developing new understandings through research and creativity. It prepares students to assume roles of leadership, responsibility, and service to society. Texas A&M assumes as its historic trust the maintenance of freedom of inquiry and an intellectual environment nurturing the human mind and spirit. It welcomes and seeks to serve persons of all racial, ethnic, and geographic groups, women and men alike, as it addresses the needs of an increasingly diverse population and a global economy. In the twenty-first century, Texas A&M University seeks to assume a place of preeminence among public universities while respecting its history and traditions.

<MOCK HORROR>Where's "world class" & "economic development?"</MOCK HORROR>

The primary educational mission of The University of Iowa is to serve the people of the state and nation through (a) the dissemination of knowledge, (b) the development of new knowledge, and (c) the preservation of knowledge. The dissemination of knowledge occurs through strong undergraduate, professional, graduate, and continuing education programs as well as through extension activities, scholarly exchanges, publications, practical applications, research utilization, health service, and other public services to the state of Iowa and beyond. The development of knowledge is accomplished through scholarship at the most advanced level and through doctoral education. It occurs in the diverse forms of research, critical inquiry, and artistic endeavor appropriate to a major research university which strives for educational excellence and intellectual leadership. The preservation of knowledge is closely related to its dissemination and development; it is accomplished through the University's libraries and collections, through the impact of its instructional programs on each new generation, and through the professional activities of its faculty and staff. Knowledge, thus preserved, is a critical resource for educational activity and public service. The development of knowledge, its dissemination, and its preservation are inextricably bound together. None of these can be outstanding without the others.


The educational mission of the University requires an environment that promotes free inquiry and ethical behavior, which fosters the qualities of mind that lead to mature, independent, informed, and humane judgment. The creation and maintenance of a community of women and men that is multicultural, multiethnic, multiracial, multinational, and respectful of the dignity of all persons is essential to this environment. Within this environment, the University will maintain strong undergraduate programs and have a special role in graduate and professional education. Academic programs of the University are based on a philosophy of liberal education and include a panoply of undergraduate, professional, and graduate programs. The University is characterized by a general orientation toward human growth, the health sciences, the fine arts, the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. Overall, the University has a broad mandate that obligates it to maintain and enhance its stature as a distinguished public university.

In fulfilling its teaching, research, and service mission, The University of Iowa will recognize its joint responsibility, along with other public institutions of Iowa, to provide a full range of high-quality educational opportunities to citizens of the state. The University will cooperate with the other public institutions in the state, coordinate educational programs in order to function with maximum efficiency, and focus on its special strengths as a major research university

T-shirts, as a native Kansan I can't help but take (vicarious) pride in the excellent mission statement of our neighbor Iowa's flagship university--

Though high-sounding sentiments aren't enough to protect the good practices of the academy, you can bet that when the sentiments disappear, the practices and the values they embody are already decaying--or being destroyed.

And it helps to hear such good words, because it reminds us that we are not imagining the magnitude of the trouble we're in. I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling that we've somehow stumbled down a rabbit hole, into a place where everything is so distorted that it becomes difficult even to see ourselves as we are, and should be.

Or perhaps this hole belongs to some other kind of animal . . . I'll leave the nominations to you.

NO QUARTER.
Anne Wallace