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Tension erupted at Tuesday’s Faculty Senate meeting as University of Toledo Board of Trustees Chairman William Koester fielded questions for over an hour about faculty workload changes, the university’s deficit and administrative salaries.
Faculty workload has been a hot-button issue since administrators proposed reducing part-time faculty, increasing class sizes and cutting back on research that isn’t funded by outside sources. The proposals are part of “Imagine 2017,” UT’s main campus five-year plan.
For more information on the provost’s five year plan, visit the IC’s online resource for ‘Imagine 2017.’
Koester said the trustees are “trying to do what we believe is best for the university and its staff.”
But Andrew Jorgensen, associate professor of chemistry, said the suggested cuts to unfunded faculty research will alter the university “from the top in a way that would be very hard to recover from.”
“We’re making a dramatic change over a short period of time, and frankly, it’s informed and directed by leadership that doesn’t have the experience of leading the academic mission of a major university, as respected as those individuals may be,” he said.
Koester defended asking professors to focus on teaching rather than research, saying it would “go a long way in helping control some costs.”
“We’re not saying that you shouldn’t be doing research; we’re looking to see if we can improve that efficiency,” he said. “You professors are our best teachers and to some degree, are we keeping our best teachers out of the classroom?”
“Doing research doesn’t mean we aren’t teaching,” replied Patty Relue, associate professor of bio-engineering. “Doing research is a different kind of teaching because you’re usually working with graduate students.”
Amy Thompson, associate professor of health education, said students will be further hurt by recent changes to student services. She cited the elimination of director positions for the Sexual Assault Education and Prevention Program and the Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Prevention Program, as well as an increased emphasis on peer education.
“People are saying, ‘Well, we can provide that with peer education,’” she said. “Really? We’re going to have a student take another student to get a rape kit? Or really, we’re going to have another student go and do alcohol education and it be effective?”
In a January interview, former Dean of Students Michele Martinez said the goal for the new SAEPP is to have at least one employee from every college volunteer to become trained “first responders.” Those with more professional training who can lead victims through recovery and legal processes will be employees of the Counseling Center.
Koester said that because of budget constraints, the university is facing limited options.
“We want to do everything,” he said. “I would love to do everything, but we are limited to the resources we have, and we have to work with the resources we have to try to provide the services that we want.”
When Koester asked the senate to tell him if they felt the administration had misspent any money, Associate Professor Sharon Barnes of the women and gender studies department questioned Provost Scott Scarborough’s salary and bonus.
Scarborough’s salary, which the board approved on Sept. 17, is $389,000, not counting scheduled bonuses. The provost received a $100,000 bonus in December, and is set to collect two additional bonuses of $75,000 in June 2015 and June 2017.
Koester said the board does not “exercise direct authority” over President Lloyd Jacobs’ hiring choices.
“My guess is he believed that this is what he needed to pay to the provost that would be competitive with what he saw in the market place,” Koester said.
Applause broke out after some faculty comments, including when Thompson questioned several administrative decisions and spending choices.
“Why are we being forced to teach more and do the work when people are getting bonuses and getting raises that we don’t have?” she asked. “I don’t mind taking one for the team; I don’t mind teaching more if I have to. But let’s all take the load, not just the faculty.”
Koester said the plans are meant to avoid layoffs, citing Bowling Green State University’s plan to cut about 100 faculty positions this year.
Koester said the university is “maxed out” on the amount of tuition it can charge students, and the board is being pushed by the state to increase workloads.
“From the top down, we’re seeing pressure that we think we have to address,” he said. “We don’t think we can continue to raise fees to cover additional costs.”
“If we can fix the problem now, we can maybe later save ourselves from some government bureaucrat coming in and forcing changes on us,” he said.
Danielle Gamble 