faculty survey

8/8/2019 Faculty Survey

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Report on the Survey Results Regarding Faculty Perceptions of Transparency, Openness and Confidence

Jim Whitehead

Tom Petros

Kim Kenville

Jim iggins

June !, "#$!

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Overall Survey Metrics:

&um'er of respondents( )*+

&um'er of Faculty( *# -Fall "#$./

Response rate( .0*)1

Collection 2ethod( Online -email3invite only/ via 4ualtrics

Survey Timeline( Started 5555 Completed 5555

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Office of the President

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Office of the President Transparency

&ot at 6ll

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&eutral

Some8hat

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4uestion( o8 transparent do you feel the Office of the President is a'out decision3ma;ing on matters

of concern to the faculty5 Those 8hose ratings 8ere


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never 'een informed0 We have no idea 8hy this 8as done or 8hat this means for our future0 > found

out a'out this 'y accident0 &o e@planations have 'een given0

• >t appears that decisions are made 8ithout consultation 8ith appropriate faculty committees having

;no8ledge of the decision or reasons for ma;ing decisions0

• >t is not clear 8hat the president does0 For e@ample, 8hat 8as the outcome from his leave of a'sence

for a 8hole month5• >t seems that the president has a'diicstrd all responsi'ility and 'rought in a provost to ma;e hard

decisions on his 'ehalf

• oo;s li;e the President is leaving most decision ma;ing to his 7Ps 8ho don:t seem competent

• 2y perception is that the president has disengaged from the university and relinuished all decision

ma;ing to the provost0

• Other than the decision to overuse the 8ord EG@ceptionalE, > have no idea 8hat decisions are 'eing

made 'y the President0

• The -inelegant/ phrase > hear most often from others regarding this issue is that faculty feel that they

are treated as mushrooms3;ept in the dar; and fed 0 0 0 0 >n all my years at A&9, > have not

e@perienced so much EsecrecyE on the part of administrators as > havce 8ith the current president

and provost0 > assume there is a reason for this, for e@ample, announcing maHor changes or decisions

at the end of the academic year38hen faculty are scattering and unli;ey to resist, uestion, or even

hear a'out 8hat is 'eing done0

• The 6dministration spea;s a'out transparency, 'ut it is simply lip service0

• The Kupchella 6dministration 8as very good a'out see;ing faculty input 3 3 esoecially 8hen faculty

8ere directly involved0 2uch different than this President and Provost0

• The transparency of the president relates directly to the transparency of the staff0

• There have 'een several campus issues that 8ere covered up or hushed up involving deaths,

shootings, rape, not to mention systems changes, 'udget changes, and tuition alterations0

• There is a tendency to tal; the tal;, 'ut not 8al; the tal;0000 When they are caught000 they avoid, hide

under vagueness, or outright lie0 Only 8hen they are caught do they then 'ac;trac; and concede,and offer to 'e transparent0

• There is no discussion 3 or discussions are to;en discussions to provide artificial evidence that

faculty 8ere involved in the process0

• We typically receive an email directing us to a 8e'site that does not really communicate concrete

and specific ideas0

• 8ithout investigative reporting 8e 8ould have no ;no8ledge at all a'out 8hat is happening at A&90

re( nic;name domain names list that did not e@ist until a freedom of information reuest 8as ta;en to

the attorney general

• 6'out the only time > see an email or announcement from the president is 8hen he is indicates he is

sad someone died0 Other8ise, he provides no direct communication to faculty0

• ?oth decision3ma;ing processes and results are poorly communicated0• > do not 'elieve that the Office of President -or the Provost/ has 'een transparent a'out a num'er of

things0 >t seems, correctly or not, that there is a course of action 'eing pursed that has not 'een

effectively communicated to the faculty and staff at large0

• > feel as though 8e are notified after decisions have already 'een made0

• > feel li;e >:ve 'arely heard from or seen the President since Provost 9iorenDo 8as hired0 Prior to

the Provost:s arrival on campus, > felt that President Kelley 8as open to conversations 8ith faculty,

cared a'out 8hat they 8ere doing, and generally involved 8ith campus0

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• > feel the president is disconnected from faculty and decisions a'out faculty 33 > thin; the President is

not informed of policy changes and actions ta;en at the Provost:s level0 So, really, transparency is

not really an issue at the President:s level 'ecause he has nothing to share -he doesn:t seem to ma;e

decisions/

• > rarely hear from the President:s office until decisions are made, or more often, consultants are

hired0• > thin; the administration has 'een focusing a lot of attention on Ecommunication,E 'y 8hich they

mean finding 8ays to alert us to their decisions0 The pro'lem is transparency isn:t a'out informing

us after the factI it:s more a'out giving real opportunity to see the process at 8or; and give timely

and genuine feed'ac;0

• >t feels as if much po8er has 'een ceded to the Provost, and the President has less of a presence in

the past t8o years0

• 2any e@amples, 'ut most recently, 8hy 8as an internal search conducted for the raduate School

9ean5 What is the long3term plan for raduate education5 iven the propensity for outside

consultants in every other maHor adm position search, this is odd0 &ot transparent0

• Please 'e more present0 Consider using video to communicate 8ith faculty via email0

• President Kelleys decision ma;ing appears to 'e on one 8asteful topic0 e seems o'sessed a'out

the Siou@ logo more so than academic and research matters 8hich are more important to this

university0 >ts em'arrassing0 > 8as fine 8hen 8e stopped using the logo as Kelley himself said our

athletic teams 8ould compete Hust as hard as agreed0 Then >

hear him on a radio ne8scast saying feel harassed li;e > am some

'ad person or a happen to 8ear some clothing 8ith a logo on it and > 8ant him to stop0 >

8ant him to move on to more important Aniversity issuesL e is pandering to a small vocal group of

people0 > feel 'ullied0 >f Kelley truly is so concerned a'out &ative 6merican issues have him e@plain

8hy in &9 it only ta;es . percent of the population to 'ring a constitutional initiative to a vote of the

people 'ut 8hen $" percent of the people on the Standing Roc; >ndian Reservation -$### signatures

out of *"## population/ sign a petition and get get the

impression that it operates li;e a medieval lord( 'enevolent, 'ut una'le to truly grasp 8hat is actually

goin on in the lives of the peasants, and thus ultimately ma;ingMena'lingMdelegating disastrous

decisions0

• The President is, at heart > thin;, 8ell3meaning, 'ut he has placed too much trust in his 7Ps and they

are allo8ing him to 'elieve that all is 8ell on campus 8hen it is not0 e is relying on them to 'e

transparent and responsive 8hen in fact they -particularly the Provost/ is 'eing negligent and non3

responsive0

• These remar;s apply to many of the follo8ing uestions as 8ell0 The university appears to 'e

chronically short of money, 8hich is understanda'le, given the financial pro'lems of higher ed

generally0 What isn:t very clear is 8here the money is spent0 >n particular, considera'le resources

seem to 'e devoted to pu'lic relations and athletics, 'ut uestions, particularly concerning the latter,

are in my e@perience met 8ith evasive ans8ers 'y administrators, such as the move to 9iv >

Eincreaes visi'ility0E There:s not a shred of convincing evidence that money spent on sports in any

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8ay 'enefits academics, and may have a negative effect 'ecause of the 8asted financial resources0

>n a nutshell, >:d li;e to ;no8 8hat the 'alance sheet loo;s li;e regarding the impact on the A&9

'udget of funds devoted to athletics0

• things Hust seem to happen0 When maHor decisions are made, they should only 'e made after lots of

open discussion0 2y impression is that that is not the 8ay things operate around here0 Furthermore,

there seems to 'e a lot of indecision and delay, and then ?62 action is ta;en0 Planning appearsa'sent0

• This president is not very transparent at all0 2ost decisions seem to 'e made 'ehind closed doors

8ithout discussion or input from the university community0 >t appears he leaves such matters to his

provost and cadre of vice3presidents0 They are even 8orse than the president as far as transparency

goes0 ip service is paid to shared governance at Aniversity Senate meetings0 Since the threat of

no3confidence from students, there is even more lip service a'out openness and transparency0 Where

8as this president 8hile these issues 8ere developing5 President Kelly is asleep at the s8itch0

• Too many administratorsL

• We Hust get the glossy cover version

• What is said and 8hat is often done are vastly different0

• When the President does spea; a'out university operations, it is am'iguous management speech0

Thus, it postures as transparency, 'ut covers up the e@act details of university operations as if either

the faculty are not intelligent enough to understand it, or there is something to hide0 Why, for

instance, are the 'udgets not distri'uted to the faculty so 8e ;no8 e@actly ho8 the money is 'eing

spent5


of concern to the faculty5 Those 8hose ratings 8ere 'elieve in the president N his intentions for the university, 'ut > don:t 'elieve that this has

necessarily transferred to his provost0 There may 'e too little oversight0• > T>&K -not feel/ that they are very transparent 8ith some things and not as transparent 8ith

others0

• >:m not privy to many of the decisions made, 'ecause > don:t attend meetings -> am non3TT/

• >t:s hard to ;no8 for sure0 > suspect that the president is more invested in cheerleading and dealing

8ith the legislature, 8hile the provost is controlling everything else 33 mostly 8ith an almost total

lac; of transparency

• Regarding the incident 8here the student president called for a vote of no confidence, the email

response from the president 8as insufficient0 > had no idea 8hat 8as happening or 8hy0

• The president has allo8ed the provost to have too much po8er over decisions that impact faculty

and directors and deans in negative 8ays0 > don:t necessarily fault Kelley for lac; of transparency, >do thin; he needs to pay much more attention to the damage 'eing done to A&9 the provost0


of concern to the faculty5 Those 8hose ratings 8ere


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• > feel that the maHority of decisions comes from the Provost and that the President has 'ecome

less involved0

• ac;:s Transparency

• President Kelly has never 'een anything 'ut straight for8ard and honest 8ith any dealing > have

had 8ith him0 > thin; he is e@ceptional, and > very much value him, his e@perience, insight, and

leadership0 > also thin; that President Kelly has the 'est interest of the university at heart0 > feelthe e@act opposite a'out the Provost ho8ever0 e has never 'een straight for8ard or honest in

any dealing > have had 8ith him0 > perceive him to 'e a politician out for his o8n good0 The

Provost is consistently terri'le at communicating as demonstrated 'y the rumor mill that

continues to 'e the only source of information for the university and

still dont ;no8 8hat that is or means/ and the recent de'acle 8ith tuition0 When he does spea; >

feel it is only in half3truths at 'est0 e al8ays seems to have a personal agenda, and he never

shares his 8hole vision0 > have no idea 8hat his vision is, and > am incredi'ly distrustful of

anything he says or does, especially 8ith his drive for an administratively3heavy university0

• The uestion is too vague and needs to specify a decision to consider0

• With so many constraints from igher Gd ?oard > feel that Pres Kelly ma;es us a8are of 8hat 8e

• e has involved staff in multiple topics -e0g0 pic;ing a name, Senate, strategic planning, etc0

• > feel li;e they give us the information they thin; 8e need and that 8e have time to use0

onestly, >:m afraid that some people euate EtransparencyE 8ith decision ma;ing0 We get plenty

of information from the Presidents: office0 We don:t ma;e decisions, 'ut that:s another issue0

• > feel that the Office of the President is uite transparent0 > don:t thin; the creators of this survey

are0

• >f anything, the President has 'een TOO transparent in his decision ma;ing0

• >nformation is out there to find0 Communication happens0 6mong the un'elieva'le amount of

information that flo8s my 8ay, it often gets lost0

• President Kelley, his administrative 'oard and his staff do a solid Ho' of ;eeping the campus

community in the loop0 > am comforta'le 8ith the current level of reporting and have had notrou'le finding specific information 8hen > as; for it0

• The president has 'een so involved 8ith other issues that he has given too much po8er to the ne8

provost


of concern to the faculty5 Those 8hose ratings 8ere don:t feel >:ve 'een here long enough to have an opinion on this

•

> don:t recall, 'ut is that 'ecause the President is not 'eing transparent or > Hust missed themessage5

• > really don:t hear anything a'out the president0 > ;no8 8hen > am out in the community people

as; 8hy they don:t hear anything a'out this president0

• > really don:t ;no8 8hat decisions have 'een made, so don:t really have a 'asis to comment

• >t depends0 Some agenda items there is a lot of info very early0 The timing and uality of

information varies

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Office of the President Open

&ot at 6ll

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4uestion( o8 open do you feel the Office of the President is in providing accurate and timely

information a'out matters of concern to the faculty5 Those 8hose ratings 8ere 8ould descri'e the President as Ee@ceptionallyE unopen0

•>:ll give another e@ample( The Conflict Resolution Center 8as removed from campus0 There 8asno vote, no transparency, and no faculty discussion0 We literally 8o;e up one day and found out

that this office does not e@ist0 The Conflict Resolution Center 8as a valua'le resource on campus

that 8e desperately need0 &o8 it:s gone0

• >nformation is sent out after decisions are made0 This process creates a climate of uncertainty and

even fear regarding maHor changes 8ithin the university in terms of funding, Ho' security, tenure

and promotion, etci0

• Only open 8hen he has to 'e -8hen he feels some EheatE, other8ise he hides in the shado80 Feel

also he is manipulative and tries to appear li;e he:s trying to 8or; on things colla'oratively0 is

numerous emails feel manipulative0 They al8ays come out after things appear to 'e getting

tense, as if to appease0 9on:t trust him0

• Other than tooting Ee@ceptionalityE that office hardly ever communicates 8ith the faculty0 Seen

communiues from5 G@cept 8hen his hand is forced to do so0

• This is getting 'etter after the recent events, 'ut again, the pro'lem lies 8ith his immediate direct

reports

• Timely information5 ou never hear a'out anything here until after the fact0 6ll this president

has to offer is meaningless mar;eting slogans


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• Were any conclusions ever dra8n after the President:s study of tenure5

• What is up 8ith our 'udget5 We received a dollar increase in year over year monies, 'ut 8e do

not have funding to continue doing 8hat 8e did last year5

• 6gain, the President seems completely out of touch 8ith faculty and student needs0 > don:t thin;

it:s that he intends to 'e secretive0 > Hust don:t thin; he:s a8are of ho8 things are going in the

departments and 8ith students0 ?y ma;ing it clear that he is not receptive to anyone Egoing overthe headE of the Provost -and 'y not providing any mechanism to chec; the Provost:s actions/ he

ma;es it impossi'le for people to communicate concerns to him0

• 6gain, there has 'een a dramatic shift in openness since the arrival of Provost 9iorenDo0

• 6gain, through the Provost, restructuring and personel decisions have 'een made 8ith no faculty

input0 >:ve heard multiple times ho8 WO&9GRFA life 8ill 'e 8hen the ne8 'udget model

'ecomes operative and departments get 'ac; money to do their Ho's0 There has 'een no clarity on

ho8 success 8ill 'e counted0 For e@ample, 8ill departments of a second maHor get credit for that

student:s tuition0 > fear not0 > fear that on the 8hole, departments 8ill get 'ac; less than they do

no8 -do more 8ith less, again/0 > also see program directors 8ho have 'een long3time

contri'utors to the success of A&9 programs Eset up to failE 'y changing their Ho' descriptions0

Or even 8orse, set up to fail, as they are told to EvisionE and figure out -8hat the Provost thin;s/

they need to do to ma;e their programs 'etter0 6nd al8ays come up 8ith a plan 8hich reuires

no ne8 resources 'ecause those 8ill &OT 'e forthcoming0

• Cursory at 'est0 &o details0 2ust find out things via secondary sources0

• > really don:t hear much a'out the President33 it seems to me he has others doing the 8or; and the

information comes from others rather than from him

• > thin; the Office is open to it, 'ut the communication is not accurate or timely0

• > try to ;eep a'reast of matters affecting faculty, yet > often learn, may'e from colleagues 8ho

have an inside source, a'out decisions affecting me0 > hear freuently, especially from staff

-Chester FritD i'rary for e@ample/ that they are completely in the dar; a'out decisions that 8ill

affect them0• >nformation is not timely in the sense that it is post hoc0

• >t seems that the Office of the President shir;s this responsi'ility 'y passing the 'uc; to the

Provost:s Office0 ?ut the fact that there have 'een many openly e@pressed concerns a'out the

Provost:s office that have not 'een adeuately responded to 'y the Office of the President, it

essentially prevents faculty from open, timely, access to vital matters0

• Openness is not the cup of tea > have seen in any administration0

• There must 'e some 'udget discussion s going on in this legislative year and it seems that there is

much less pu'lic conversation it discussion of such issues than there has 'een in the past0

• This Office is clearly not engaged 8ith faculty in a meaningful manner and certainly does not mi@

8ell 8ith faculty0 President Kelley is a CGO3style president not a grass roots president, hence he

does not have the pulse of his faculty0


information a'out matters of concern to the faculty5 Those 8hose ratings 8ere


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• Can:t ma;e a certain rating0 > suspect that the president doesn:t al8ays ;no8 8hat the provost is

doing0 Of course, he should, and hopefully the results of this survey 8ill ma;e him a8are that he

should pay closer attention0

• >s the Provost running A&95

• OK0 The Pres does tell faculty 8hat is going on0 Anfortunately, it is often too late for faculty to

provide input0• Once the decisions are made, 8e usually hear a'out them0

• The office of the Provost seems to 'e the agent of change0 >nput to these activities may 'e more

timely0 o8 much is the president involved in these decisions is unclear0

• The president doesn:t seem to 'e very involved on campus anymore0 >f you:re not visi'le or

availa'le then you don:t appear open0

• The provost has too much po8er, and the faculty are not included in decisions0 Only a patina of

transparency e@ists0 Saying he is transparent -the provost/ does not ma;e it so0 > ;no8 > and

many faculty feel the president is ta;ing a Ehand offE approach in anything the provost does0 That

may not 'e so, 'ut it certainly feels that 8ay0


information a'out matters of concern to the faculty5 Those 8hose ratings 8ere do not have a pro'lem 8ith the EopennessE of the President0 > put EveryE to accentuate the lo8

e@pectations > have of the Office0 The President should 'e removed from the day3to3day issues0

Fosus on vision and progress to8ard that vision, including fundraising0 The President does that0

• > see to hear a'out things pretty uic;ly, especially 8hen there is a A&9 community loss of anindividual or a threat to safety0

• > thin; they are 8illing to have the conversation

• >n my e@perience, the President has 'een very timely in responding to concerns and has al8ays

provided accurate information

• >nformation is provided, 'ut heavy 8or;loads interfere 8ith information gathering0

• Recently the President has gathered information a'out the discontent 8ith the Provost




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• >t depends on the source0 The office of the President > trust0 Anfortunately, > thin; that all too

often the President leaves much of the communication to the Provost0 ere is 8here things seem

to 'rea; do8n0 ast year 8e received regular dont see or ;no8 8ho does 8hat, and > thin; this is a pro'lem0 The

interactions > have had 8ith the president have 'een fair, euita'le conversations0 The dealings >

have had 8ith the Provost have 'een authoritative, dictatorship3style interactions 8here he has

made it clear that he is not interested in my thoughts or opinions, he has his mind made up, and

my choice is to go along 8ith his decision uietly 8ithout any e@planation, or leave0 > dont trust

that at all 'ecause it seems li;e my thoughts are not valued, and > am merely e@pected to 'uy into

a personal, private agenda 8hich > have come to distrust tremendously0

• The President has al8ays 'een timely 8ith concerns and reuests and > have no issues 8ith him0 >

thin; he is very open and the 'est President 8e have ever had0

• >t depends again0 Sometimes completely open, other times seems less open or > may not 'e in the

conversation 8here he is open0

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Confidence in the Office of the President

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4uestion( Overall, ho8 8ould you rate your confidence in the Office of the President( Those 8hose

ratings 8ere say this 'ecause he allo8s 9iorenDo to run the sho8 and is fine 8ith him 'eing the E'ad guyE,

'ecause he is afraid to ta;e a stand000 rather spineless

• >:m sorry to say this0 Personally > li;e and respect 9r0 and 2arcia Kelley0 They have e@hi'ited

tremndous restraint and leadership through the logo de'ate0 ?ut again, it no8 appears that

President Kelley has granted all authority to the Provost 8ho is running the instituition and its

faculty and staff into the ground0

• >t:s hard to have confidence in a President that allo8s his Provost and 9eans to conduct 'usiness

as they do 8ithout regard for faculty and students0

• President Kelley needs to refrain from padding his retirement savings and travelling on A&9:s

time and announce his retirement immediately0 e has 'een an ineffective and indicisive leader

during his tenure and A&9 needs to move on0 This is evidenced 'y his o'session 8ith the

nic;name issue0 > am not necessarily a supporter of the previous nic;name0 o8ever, 8ith all of

the other issues and decisions facing this campus, he has chosen to ma;e this is legacy platform,

despite strong opinions from alumni, faculty, staff, and students to stay simply &orth 9a;ota0

This demonstrates a pattern of not listening that has plagued his entire administration0

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• Retired in office several years ago, leaving an incompetent Provost in charge

• The President has let the Aniversity do8n 'y allo8ing vice presidents to run amo; 8ithout any

accounta'ility0

• There has 'een little leadership in supporting faculty and our contri'utions to A&90

• 6s much as > 8ould li;e to have confidence in the Office of the President, > cannot0 This is

'ecause( $/ it continually fails to generate increased state funds to support our educationalmission -this at a time 8hen state revenues are the highest in its history/I "/ the hiring practices

related to adminstrative highers, 8hich this office ultimately has oversight, is overtly corruptI and

)/ 8hile using the catch phrase Eli'eral artsE education, the funding allocations and overall

emphasis of the message coming from the Office of the President is decidely myopically in favor

of the technical sciences0

• > don:t thin; he is a very good leader0 e needs to present a vision and sell it0 That is his $ Ho'0

>&stead he seems all over the place0 6nd ;ey decisions are punted do8n to the Provost 8ho does

a very very poor Ho' of running the sho80

• > feel that the President is 8ell meaning, and personally > li;e him0 o8ever, he has very little

visi'ility on campus, and > feel that the Provost is allo8ed to do 8hat he 8ants, 8ith little or no

oversight0

• > Hust don:t see president Kelley ta;ing clear actions on 'ehalf if the A&9 community0 >f he is

doing anything, he needs to pu'liciDe it

• > 8ould li;e to give Kelly the 'enefit of the dou't, 'ut he must accept 'lame for the sad state of

A&90 >ve served under three presidents and have never seen morale so lo80 ood people are

loo;ing to leave, if they havent already 'een sho8n the door0 ong time employees escorted out

'y university police5 What signal does that send to A&9 employees5 Who thin;s that is good

R policy5 A&9 is in trou'le, and the 'uc; stops 8ith the president0

• >t seems as if president is disengaged on 8hat has 'een happening on campus the last t8o years0

Felt times he is needed to reign in the 7Ps0 Too much change too uic;ly that 8as not needed

•

>t seems as if, from my vantage point, the President has relinuished his Ho' of running theuniversity to the Provost0 e no8 mainly seems to fund raise, tal; to the legislature, and give

opening remar;s at various functions0 is role in creating a vision and agenda for the Aniversity

no8 rests suarely 8ith the Provost0

• Hust send disengaged, retired already

• eadership and communication has 'een very poor, and the uality of the university and its

reputation has declined significantly0

• 2y main concern is that the office of the president is not particularly overseeing the activities of

the office of the provost0

• 2y rating of Enot veryE confident 8ould shift dramatically if > 'elieved that President Kelley

8ere actually running the Aniversity again, 8hich > do not 'elieve is the case at the present

moment000again, A&9 is in the hands of the Provost0

• Right no8 a placeholder 8ho is ma;ing poor hiring decisions0

• The present office has no vission and lac;s the a'ility to lead0

• While the Office of the President gives lip service to caring a'out the arts and humanities, the

rhetoric is not 'ac;ed up 'y practice0 2ost alarmingly is the lac; of ne8 hires in 6rts and

Sciences as it pertains to humanities and the arts0 ?uilding maintenance is another huge pro'lem0

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eating, cooling, and 'asic technology -that > use to teach 8ith/ is not at all adeuate in O:Kelly

all0


ratings 8ere t:s part of his Ho' to 'e a8are of 8hat a douche the provost is,

and it doesn:t seem li;e he is0

• e needs to reign in the Provost0 The Provost is ruining the university0

• igh confidence in the President:s local operations0 o8 confidence in the President:s a'ility to

advocate for A&9 at higher levels0

• > 'elieve that the president has simply lost his 8ay and needs to remem'er 8hom he servesI

students0

• > ;no8 little a'out 8here the President stands0 >t:s the Provost 8ho concerns me0

• > operate at a different level than most faculty in this manner, hence > have had different

conversations 8ith the President0 > thin; he has surrounded himself 8ith some very uestiona'leadministrators and that is a significant issue0 Further, not 'eing 8illing to deal 8ith the de'acle

that is the S2S is a significant detractor in my level of confidence0

• > 8ant to 'elieve he has the 'est interest of the Aniversity at heart, 'ut at some point, one 'egins

to 8onder0

• >t:s hard to ;no8 for sure 8hether the current faculty concerns are a result of pro'lems in the

president:s office, or 'ecause of the provost0

• 2y confidence 8as previously high in the Office of the President, 'ut that office seems no8 to

defer more to the Office of the Provost0

• This is a difficult uestion 'ecause ultimately the President is responsi'le for all the pro'lems 8e

have had0 e has to ta;e serious action on the t8o ;ey 7Ps 3 academica nd student affairs as these

t8o seem to 'e using scare tactics 'y firing people and not threatening to not rene8 contracts0

The uestion is ho8 much does the President ;no85 9oes he approve of the 8ay these t8o are

acting5


ratings 8ere feel he has 'een so a'sent in "#$.3$! and the Provost is out doing things faculty resent and

feel po8erless to deal 8ith0 >t feels li;e a mismatch 8ith ho8 President Kelly 8ould do things 'ut 8ithout his presence, 8e ->/ must assume the President is approving of things li;e an internal

and sudden search for a raduate 9ean0

• > still have faith that if the President 8ere a8are of all the pro'lems and concerns on campus, he

8ould act0 > have confidence in him 33 'ut not in his leadership team0 They are 8or;ing on 'ehalf

of their o8n careers, not on 'ehalf of the institution or the people in it0

• > thin; the general vision and direction are sound0

$. % P a g e


15/70

• 2y rating 8ould 'e higher if Kelley 'ecame more a8are of the provost:s calculated decisions to

e@punge perfectly good people0 The president, to gain faculty trust, needs to gather information

from facultyMdepartmentsMprograms to see the damage that has 'een done and continues to 'e

done, and then act accordingly0 The president:s Ho' reuires so many things, 'ut the most

important is to ma;e sure student and faculty needs are heard and inasmuch as possi'le

addressed0• Once an issue arises the President seems 8illing to ma;e amends 'ut there should 'e some

attention to getting the pulse from the faculty 'efore things 'ecome maHor issues0

• 9r0 Kelly has 'een doing an e@cellent Ho'0 Gspecially given the very difficult situation he 8as

given due to the inept prior administration0

• > really li;e President Kelly and thin; his heart is in the right place0 e has a complicated Ho'

running a large university0

• > really li;e President Kelly0 e has integrity and strength

• > thin; that 9r0 Kelley does a great Ho' navigating the treacherous -and treasonous/ 8aters of

A&9 politics0 e has my full support0

• > thin; the President understands the role and responsi'ilities0 Sometimes > 8ould li;e earlier

consultation0

• > trust the President0 > am uncertain a'out parts of the overall plan A&9 currently seems to have

in play0

• Please don:t do a vote of no3confidence0

• The president needs to ta;e supervise the provost:s actions more closely


ratings 8ere


16/70

Office of the Provost

.*1

"1

1*1

.1 +1

Office of the Provost Transparency

&ot at 6ll

&ot 7ery

&eutral

Some8hat

7ery

9on:t Kno8

4uestion( o8 transparent do you feel the Office of the Provost is a'out decision3ma;ing on matters of

concern to the faculty5 Those 8hose ratings 8ere


17/70

to even assess the status of accuracy 8hen 8e are left to dra8 our o8n conclusions a'out a

num'er of different policies affecting faculty0

• 9ecisions are 'eing made 3 from the most conseuential -dean searches, consultants, etc/ to even

the most trivial -formatting of forms for phased retirement/ 8ithout meaningful input or, in some

cases, 8ithout pu'lic disclosure

•9ecisions are handed do8n0 We need you to do this, any comments5 &o, good no8 do it 'ecauseyou don:t have any comments, you clearly 8ant to do itL

• 9ecisions are made at the President and Provost level0 6ny discussions are secondary and done

only to satisfy the perception of discussion0

• 9ecisions tric;le do8n through the ran;s0 >t is never clear 8ho made a decision or the reason-s/

for it0 Plus, pu'lic positions and implementation are inconsistent0

• don:t trust him

• Fire him immediately0 This university:s morale has 'een destroyed since he arrived0 e is a 'ully,

arrogant, N autocratic and 8ants change fast000 e 8ill step on anyone to do 8hat he 8ants0 e

has created an environment of fear at A&90

• he hardly spea;s to faculty0 8ill pass you on the street and not spea;0

• e lies a'out li'rary issues, 'udget issues, and > do not trust him or Steven ightat all0

• e seems slimy, has 'een responsi'le for the pro'lems 8ith the 9ean hire at the 6erospace

College, li'rary, firing of the raduate 9ean 8ho has done a tremendous Ho' 3 there are many

more e@amples0 e has a 'ad history in his previous Ho's 3 8hy do 8e even have him here5 >s

office several people 8ith fancy titles, 'ut is run most inefficiently as 8e have seen 8ith the

phased retirement policy implementation and other issues0 There are people in his office 8ho

8ere hired 8ithout an open advertisement and 8ith no credentials0

• > 'elieve that the Provost has his o8n agenda and caused a great deal of angst 8ith faculty and

staff0 2any are fearful to as; for more transparency0

• > don:t ;no8 anyone 8ho trusts him

•

> don:t ;no8 8hether the Provost is dishonest, forgetrful, 8ishy 8ashy, or Hust doesn:t have aclueL ?ut, lots of decisions are made in camera0 ots of actions are ta;en 8ithout them really

'eing announced or discussed, 'ut many of the actions affect A&9 faculty, students, and staff in

significant 8ays0 6lso, there are lots of huge initiatives, li;e SO6R, the ne8 'udget model,

enrolment mangement, etc0, that are all moving for8ard at the same time and it all is a 'ig mi@ed

up mess that ta;es too much of everyone:s time0

• > have attended several meetings at 8hich the provost spo;e and his comments and assurances do

not ring true0 > do not feel that his 8ord can 'e trusted0 Words, 'ut contrary acts0

• > have had a fe8 interactions 8ith the Provost over the past several years and have found him to

'e :slppery: and not dependa'le

• >n all my years at A&9 > have never e@perienced a provosst 8ho has no transparency and 8ho is

doing so much damage0• >n my opinion Provost 9iorenDo is trying to 'uild an empire and ta;e decision ma;ing a8ay

from deans, chairpersons, and facultyMstaff0 When 9iorenDo first arrived he spo;e to many

groups on campus to learn a'out each unit0 e initially gave me hope that he 8ould help facilitate

activities for research proposal 8riting and education methodologies0 > dont feel 9iorenDo is

helping to ena'le faculty and staff to conduct their 8or; on their o8n accord0 > feel he is

centraliDing the university po8er structure to ans8er to him on


18/70

acuiring control, 'y hiring his o8n staff to oversee deans and chairpersons and is ta;ing the

po8er of decision ma;ing a8ay0 e n the $! years >:ve 'een here, >:ve never seen such a climate of fear in faculty due to perceived

capriciousness and a'solute po8er of the Office of the Provost0 es, faculty are sometimesEconsultedE and reuired to serve on committees and prepare reports, 'ut > have not seen evidence

of their hours of 8or; and e@pertise actually 'eing considered in the final decision ma;ing0

• 2ost matters involving EtransparencyE are treated as potential pu'lic relations issues0

• 2y 9ean has even e@pressed that they are not 'eing involved in decisions0

• &ot at all see previous comments0 e failed at his last position and seems intend on trying the

same things here0 >:m 8eary or the 8ay he ignores and sometimes a'uses the many talented

faculty and administrators at A&90 Full speed ahead 8ith his vision 8hich failed already

some8here else0

• &ot at all0 > do not trust anything the Provost says or does0 The interactions > have had 8ith him

have 'een terri'le, leading me to feel that he spea;s only in half3truths at 'est0 e is not

interested in hearing others opinions and > feel that voicing any opinion 8hen it does not agree

8ith him could 'e dangerous0 The interactions > have had 8ith him resem'le those of an

authoritarian dictator0 > never ;no8 8hat his goals, o'Hectives, or visions really are, and > feel

that he e@pects me to follo8 his leadership 'lindly0 That leadership often seems to 'e filled 8ith

personal agenda, and > have no idea 8here the :ve felt a little more informed0

>n general, > feel that holding searches for associate 7Ps only through the Provost:s office ma;es

it impossi'le for facultyMstaff to have clear representation in these searches0 > find the intervie8

sessions to 'e insufficient representation0 > don:t value the proliferation of administrative positions at this institution, 'ecause > cannot perceive ho8 the roles serve A&9, and there is no

effort to clarify 8hy another associate vp is needed0 > do see changes that have harmed arts and

humanities programs, li;e the loss of truly open houses in order to fit the programs into the

orec;i0 es there is a need to use the space, 'ut no8 students can:t 'ro8se, 8hich has directly

harmed programs that rely on e@posure for attracting maHors0 > 8ish this 'o@ 8ere larger0

Regarding again the search issue, > feel li;e these Provost led searches are a maneuver to allo8

$* % P a g e


19/70

the Provost to have searches occur in the summer 8hen faculty 8ill 'e a8ay0 Gven if that is not

the intent, the lac; of communication or involvement of faculty creates this perception0 >f it is his

intent, > don:t thin; he should 'e leading searches for administrative positions in his o8n office0

• RGPG6T( &OT 6T 6 > have never e@perienced such a rapid agenda from a Provost and no

lead time0 For e@ample, suddenly there are going to 'e changes to the Phased Retirement plans or

policies33not lead time0 Faculty need to have time to provide input0 We are ?AS and must8or; in commitments 'ut these are so sudden, there is Hust no time to contri'ute0

• Tells people 8hat they 8ant to hear so they leave him alone0 >s doing here 8hat he did at A6?,

hiring admins 8ithout replacing faculty

• The provost -and his veeps/ are only transparent 8hen forced0 etting a straight ans8er out of

the provost is li;e trying to lasso a 8isp of smo;e0

• The Provost feels faculty governance is a Ho;e0 e ma;es unilateral decisions and only tells us

after the fact0

• The Provost has an odd set of hidden agendas0 6t 'est, the office is silentMunapproacha'le, at

8orst it is a source of stress N outright lies0

• The Provost is hiding 'ehind smo;e and mirrors and consultants0

• The Provost sho8s one face to the President and outside constituents and another to faculty and

staff0 is 8ord cannot 'e trusted 33 he says one thing in one meeting and something completely

different in another0 e has made very uestiona'le -even institutionally dangerous/ decisions

regarding the raduate 9ean position, the GS 9irector position, and 'y gutting his office staff and

EreplacingE them 8ith higher3paid administrators 8ho are ineffective and 8ho actually have made

almost all 8or; at the university incredi'ly difficult if not impossi'le0 e says 8hat he thin;s

people 8ant to hear and then does 8hat he 8ants, passing it off as Efaculty governance0E e has

placed far too much responsi'ility and trust in individuals 8ho are not capa'le -or choose not to/

do their Ho's0 Several important initiatives on campus are no8 foundering 'ecause of this

ineptitude0 &ever in my almost "# years here has it 'een more difficult to get things

accomplished0• The Provost, along 8ith the Office of the Provost, offers inconsistent information 8ith regards to

policies, decision3ma;ing, ne8 initiatives, etc0 6nd, in my e@perience -> attended, for instance,

the Provost 'rea;fast events this past semester/, 8hen as;ed directly to e@plain policies in

decision, the Provost and mem'ers of his office often appear to deflect and redirect inuiries,

offering instead platitudes and non3committal responses0 > thin; this contri'utes to an atmosphere

of e@treme an@iety among faculty 8hich >, even though >:ve only 'een at A&9 for a year, have

o'served on many occasions0

• The provost:s office seems to start a doDen ne8 initiatives every 8ee;, 8ith little information

a'out 8hy these initiatives are needed or 8here the impetus for them in coming from0 6s 8ith the

office of the president, it seems this office reports decisions -sometimes/ after they have already

'een made0• The 8ea; lin; in the president:s staff0

• There has 'een so much dysfunction that has occurred since the arrival of the ne8 Provost, >

fran;ly don:t even ;no8 8here to 'egin0 2y response 8ould 'e a novel0

• There is &O transparency a'out decision ma;ing at the provosts office0 9ecisions are made

among a select fe8 administrators, 'ehind the scenes0 Then faculty is called to meetings to give

the 6PPG6R6&CG of transparency and openness to the process0

$Q % P a g e


20/70

• There is not only no transparency from the Office of the Provost, it seems li;e > hear a lot of

contradictions, and since they seem to 'e conscious, > have to assume that some of them might

simply lies0 > don:t ;no8 if the Office of the Provost tries to lie to me or if they Hust do not care

and are Hust trying to play political games, 'ut then result is pretty much the same0

• This is a concern of mine0 6 ;ey e@ample 8ould 'e the decision for an internal search for the ne@t

graduate 9ean 3 8hy 8as this the case5 Rumor has it that the Provost intends to dismantle thegraduate school, 'ut this has never 'een directly addressed0

• 7ague illusions to practically all uestions 8ith no definitive ans8ers0

• We are only pa8ns on a large chess 'oard0

• We cannot get clear ans8ers a'out e@penditures from Provost:s office, 'ut 8e are supposed to

report every minutiae of our offices to him0

• When as;ed for clarification regarding decisions clear, transparent ans8ers are never given0

• While 8e may receive email updates, they do not contain any real information and are often after

the actual decisions have 'een made0 2oreover, they may not 'e truthful in the slightest, 'ut

rather PR pieces, particularly 'ecause anyone 8ho disagrees 8ith the Provost seems to 'e fired,

demoted, or EretiredE 8ith distur'ing freuency since his arrival0

• 6 lot of conversation, 'ut not a lot of input0 6 tour d:force is currently in operation0

• 9on:t remem'er many communications from his office0

• > have 'een very disappointed in the Provost and his office 8ith regard to efficiency and effective

communication0 > feel that on numerous occasions, the Provost has reuired additional 8or; of

the faculty 8ithout concern to the e@tra time reuired of an already stretched group of fol;s0

• >t appears to me that he uses a top do8n approach33 > don:t see that faculty are valued or included

on discussion on important topics that effect the faculty0

• >t depends on the issue0 With regard to SS, not at all0

• 2uch li;e the President:s Office, the concern from the Provost:s Office seems to 'e in informing

the faculty of changes rather than relying on the faculty to really guide sensi'le change that

ma;es sense 8ithin our culture and constraints0 e is ;een to say that things are Efaculty drivenE 'ut this is all the illusion of democracy0 es, faculty may sit on the committees, 'ut the

committees are either po8erless to ma;e real decisions or they are tas;ed 8ith selecting 'et8een

a narro8 range of predetermined options0

• &e8 layers of 'ureaucracy -) or . asso0 provosts/ ma;e getting information 'ac; in a timely

manner difficult0 >nformation does not seem to get to the Provost either0 e came to spea; to our

college and he 8as friendly and seemingly sincere in hearing our opinions0 We appreciated that

effort -a firstL/ 'ut more freuent, smaller get3togethers 8ould 8or; more to8ards a healthy

dialogue0 The faculty resents hearing a'out initiatives that seeem to come out of no8here0 > thin;

the Provost is amena'le to constructive criticism and fle@i'le 'ut he has put too many ne8 plans

into place, 8ith too many ne8 associates and assistants0 6 natural result is cynicism among

faculty and a passive aggressiveness0

• Only 'ecause the Provost has more contact 8ith faculty via 9ean:s council etc0

• See my comment under uestions one0

• See other ans8ers, lac; of grass roots 8ill al8ays lead to a very limited vie8 of transparency0 >

thin; the Office of the Provost is radically transparent, 'ut in this case it is opaue0

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21/70

• The provost seems to have good ideas 'ut his message changes depending on his audience0 So

8hile > 8ould li;e to 'elieve he is 'eing transparent and implementing positive change, his facile

resp


concern to the faculty5 Those 8hose ratings 8ere t depends0 When and ho8 info and data are released is not consistent0 We page has a lot of info

if > go there and loo;0

• The Provost is a micromanager 8ho can:t al8ays ;eep up 8ith all that he 8ants to do, so he ends

up ma;ing some decisions 8ithout uite enough -in my opinion/ consultation 8ith the faculty0

• The Provost provides many opportunities to the campus community to discuss initiatives0

Anfortunately, these sessions mostly consist of e@plaining the logistices of 8hat is proposed

instead of the underlying reasons or the ultimate goals0 Too often the presentations ta;e the guise

of mar;eting a proposed change rather than discussing it0

• To play devils advocate, > sometimes 8onder if the Provost:s office may feel that a vocal minority

of the faculty are opposed to anything the administration might do, so they ma;e misguided

decisions to counter that0

• 6gain, the President counts on a provost to lead so many areas, and our provost is not capa'leL

• The Provost is very clear a'out his decision ma;ing0 This is despite mem'ers of the faculty

continually misuoting him and attri'uting 8ords to him that the Provost has never used0


concern to the faculty5 Those 8hose ratings 8ere


22/70

.$1

)$1

$#1

1+1 !1

Office of the Provost Openness

&ot at 6ll

&ot 7ery

&eutral

Some8hat

7ery

9on:t Kno8

4uestion( o8 open do you feel the Office of the Provost is in providing accurate and timely

information a'out matters of concern to the faculty5 Those 8hose ratings 8ere get information, > do not ;no8 if > can 'elieve it0

• Gven simple things have 'ecome incredi'ly delayed0 The idea that every decision has to gotrough John 2iller is insulting to the chairs and deans 8ho actually ;no8 something a'out higher

education

• Failure to respond to phone calls or emails, or long delays are the norm0 John 2iller is the 8orst

33 to the point of callous disregard for any standard of professional standards or courtesy0 When

the provost does reply 33 usually after a lengthy delay, he usually evades the ;ey points of the

inuiry0

• From the time he too; this position, his actions have 'een concerning and not directed to faculty

concerns

• iven that faculty aren:t allo8ed to communicate directly 8ith the Provost, >:m not sure ho8

anyone could say that the Provost is EopenE a'out information or his decisions0

• aL &ot open at all0 ou can:t trust a thing he says0

• e does provide information to the faculty0 What he does not do is listen to faculty or involve us

in ma;ing decisions0 SO6R, for e@ample0 9id 8e decide to do this5 > Hust completed $* hours

of 8or; on the SO6R report0 Faculty 8ho are completing these feel that decisions a'out

programs have already 'een made, and that the SO6R e@perience is Hust one e@ample of a

EpatinaE of share governance and transparency0 >t:s not0 The information sought in the SO6R

report 8as al8ays availa'le through >nsitutional Research, Finances, etc0 T8o decisions made 'y

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23/70

diorenDo involving removing 9ean S8isher and the director of the li'rary0 &o transparency

there0

• e says one thing, that the specific audience 8ants to hear, 'ut does 8hatever he 8ants to do in

the end0 6'solutely no integrity000this does not fair 8ell in north da;ota

• e:s EopenE 8ith responses and general positions, 'ut generaliDed pu'lic positions do not seem to

'e reflected in implementation0• > find him to 'e uite secretive a'out all issues0

• > find the Provost is very good at customiDing a message for those in front of him0 ?ut if you are

in front of him 8ith different groups, you may hear a very different message0 > find him

duplicitous0

• > have no confidence in the Provost0 > do not trust anything the he says or does0 The interactions

> have had 8ith him lead me to feel that he spea;s only in half3truths at 'est0 > cannot thin; of a

single interaction > have had 8ith him 8here > didnt end up feeling thin; this is evidenced 'y the lac; of transparency 8ith still have no idea 8hat this is, or 8hat it means for me, my department, or

college/0 > thin; this is further evidenced 'y the recent uproar from students a'out tuition0

Furthermore, his pitch to departments to do more research, 'ring in more money, pu'lish more, is

not supported 'y the increased teaching loads that A&9 has e@perienced0 e seems to have hired

several administrators 8ithout ma;ing me understand 8hy resources 8ere allocated that 8ay

instead of freeing up faculty to do the research and pu'lishing he 8ants0 >n the dealings > have

had 8ith him it 8as made clear that he 8as not interested in my thoughts0 e 8anted me to

simply follo8 his orders unuestioningly0

• > thin; he only says the 'are minimum and only says that if it is to try to get himself out of

Etrou'le or a 'ad spotE

• >:d li;e to give this a rating 8orse than Enot at allE 'ecause that rating doesn:t convey the full

destructive effect that the Provost has had on A&9 and its faculty, students N staff0• >f he 8as open, maHor decisions on matters of concern to the faculty 8ouldn:t 'e conducted

uic;ly at the very end of the semester or during the summer, 8hen faculty are unavaila'le0

• >:m not sure 8here the pro'lem lies in the college or the provosts office, ho8ever, the late notice

of a faculty search put us at a real disadvantage0

• >nadeuate communication has 'een a significant hindrance from ma;ing progress on this

campus0

• Kno8s 8hat to say, 'ut actions spea; louder

• &ot at all0 Re timeliness and capa'ility0 o8 many reuested reports and sets of information had

to 'e provided 6S6P, only to sit on his des; unattended to5

• &ot sure0 et me hire a consultant to study that issue0

• Superificial gestures to8ards openness have 'een madeI ho8ever, > feel that > cannot trust theProvost nor information that comes from his office0 The faculty are often given very vague

communiues and directed to a centraliDed 8e'site that is supposed to ans8er our uestions0 This

is neither timely nor efficient as a 8ay to provide accurate information in a transparent manner0

• The Office of the Provost ;no8ingly uses 8easel 8ords 8hen e@plaining anything0 >n effect,

nothing that is said is accurate in any intellectually responsi'le manner0 That is the intent( to

avoid any and all accounta'ility0 When direct uestions are as;ed, the ans8er is almost al8ays a

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24/70

deferral to unspecified forthcoming dis'ursment of the reuested information -e0g0, ho8 much

8as spent on outside consultants/0 i;e odot, this information 8ill never arrive0

• The Provost actively participates in deception and manipulation

• The Provost does not respond to inuiries and concerns0 e does not listen 8hen you meet 8ith

him 0

•The Provost guards information, only releasing carefully scripted information that 'enefits him0

• The Provost has pledged more openness and, at the recent Aniversity Senate meeting, pu'licly

cited his Deal to get things done as a possi'le 'arrier to not 'eing more consultative and

communicative0 This is ine@cusa'le0 The Provost is 'eing paid to 'e a leader, not a manager0 We

are 'ereft of leadership and the Provost seems to have his thum's in too many pies at the

Aniversity 8ithout anyone ;no8ing 8hat:s changing or 8hy0

• The Provost:s ans8ers to uestions change depending on 8hom he is tal;ing to0

• The Provost:s office does not provide accurate assessments of many issues, including SO6R or

the 'udget model0 Faculty are portrayed as e@cited a'out these processes, 8hen in fact there is so

much depression and resentment0

• The 8ea; lin; 8ith the president:s staff0

• There are 'logs, 'ut are they accurate and useful5 &oL

• This Provost operates so fast at times, the decisions are over 'y the time faculty can contri'ute to

the thin;ing0

• Timeliness is terri'le0 Scheduling times to hear from faculty on important issues at the end of the

academic year and over the summer feels li;e a strategy to cut faculty out of the process 8hile

appearing to see; input0 6lso there is sometimes fe8er than ". hours notice for such events0

• We have to read a'out changes in the ne8spaper0 o8:s that for opennes and transparency5

• ETimelyE is the ;ey part of this uestion for me0 ?ecause the Provost:s Office has ta;en on so

many functions that it never had 'efore and has dramatically increased accounting and oversight

measures, they are al8ays 'ac;ed up and doing things a the last minute0 Things that used to ta;e

a fe8 days or 8ee;s no8 ta;e months0• 6gain, > 8or; at a different level and note that a lot materials leaving that office are highly

inaccurate0 ence, that simple fact ma;es it hard to 'elieve that difficult issues are 'eing

discussed openly, accurately, and in a timely manner0 The students actions > thin; have sha;en

up the upper administration and this could ultimately cause a paradigm shift0up the

• 6gain, there is openness a'out some issues, 'ut others feel micro3managed, and there is no

e@planation for the micro3management0 There is insufficient structure to support all of the change

management currently under8ay at the university0 There is poor communication 8ithin the Office

of the Provost itself0

• 6lthough some mem'ers of the Student Senate 8ere criticiDed for suggesting a vote of no

confidence in the president and provost, > commend them for having the guts to do 8hat faculty

mem'ers are too timid to do• ?roadly spea;ing -i0e0, 8hen the decision comes from an associate provost/ things move too

slo8ly0 2atters of urgency are occassionally handled uic;ly if the Provost himself is consulted0

• 9ecisions often seem to ta;e a very long time, such as reuests for ne8 tenure lines0

• 9itto0

• > 'elieve that in regard to administration:s relationship to the faculty, the provost:s office -vs0

president/ is critical and most important0 The faculty must perceive that the provost:s office has,

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25/70

at least, the intentions of 'eing transparent N open0 6t this time there is a feeling of suspicion 'y

many faculty0

• Read the comments a'out the president0

• See prior remar;s 3 3 3 in large measure only 'ecause he has to 'e a 'it more open than the

President 'ecause his decisions are more focused on faculty issues, etc0

•Seems li;e he is, 'ut > have concerns a'out implementation and ultimate decision ma;ing0

• The provost had a reputation at his old school that he started many proHects and never finished

them0 >t appears the same 8ay here at A&90

• The Provost rarely tal;s candidly to faculty0 6nd almost al8ays it is after the fact 8hen he does0

• The Provost schedules meetings and gathering 8ith faculty and students and then fails to sho8 up

or cancels the meeting0 This happens time and again0 e does not respond to reuests or emails,

even 8hen he reuests the email to 'egin 8ith0 When one finally does get $# minutes of his time,

he is charmingly agreea'le and then does nothing to follo8 up on the action items discussed at

the meeting0 e gives the appearance of 'eing open and friendly 'ut he remains illusive and non3

responsive on many issues0 6nd he uses Efaculty governanceE as a shield to ;eep people from

uestioning his actions and motives0

• What ever his audience, he says they are important, and he is 8or;ing for them0

4uestion( o8 open do you feel the Office of the Provost is in providing accurate and timely



26/70

.)1

"*1

$.1

1+1 )1

Confidence in the Office of the Provost

&ot at 6ll

&ot 7ery

&eutral

Some8hat

7ery

9on:t Kno8

4uestion( Overall, ho8 8ould you rate your confidence in the Office of the Provost( Those 8hose

ratings 8ere said, > don:t trust him0 ac;s moral conviction0

9oesn:t care 8ho he has to ta;e do8n0 e thin;s he is 'etter than most leaders and actually is the

8orst ;ind of leader, 8ho doesn:t have the respect or the E'ac;sE of the people 8or;ing for him0

• e ma;es ineffective, punitive decisions 8hich impact faculty, staff and students

• e uses a top do8n approach and > see very little colla'oration 8ith faculty or the community0

• o8 much longer til he ruins A&95 Should 8e hire a ne8 vp to find out5• > am not confident that the Office of the Provost shares my concern for valuing faculty research

and e@cellent teaching0

• > 'elieve that 9iorenDo lac;s the s;ill set to 'e an effective provost

• > can:t thin; of one good thing that has come from this office0

• > don:t thin; this provost has an understanding of higher education or A&90 e:s interested in the

school as a 'usiness0 7ery depressing0

• > feel he is single handedly ruining this university that many of us ta;e great pride in0

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• > have a'solutely no Confidence in this Provst

• > have great confidence that the provost is out to 'uild his resume at the e@pense of faculty effort

and student learning0

• > have no confidence in the Office of the Provost0

• > have no idea 8hat the Provost:s motivations are for his actions 'ut perhaps he is using A&9 to

get a 'etter Ho' else8here no matter 8hat the cost the this university in the short and long term0• > have none0 > cringe 8henever > have to deal 8ith him0

• > have none0 >f possi'le, less than none0 > 8ant a vote of no confidence33Hust in him, though, not in

Kelley0 PleaseL

• > have noted too many instances of his having said one thing3then done another0 > 'elieve he too;

the position only to cause maHor sha;e3ups on camous3and then move on, forcing faculty to clean

up the mess he:s made

• > thin; that the changes that have 'een implemented 'y the Provost:s office are incredi'ly

detrimental to A&9 and are destroying campus morale0

• >f he said there 8as a 'liDDard, >:d 'rea; out my shorts0

• >:m confident that the Provost 8ill ma;e a lot of decisions, Hust not the right ones0

• >:m confident that the real agenda of SO6R is to add enough to the provost:s resume to

camouflage the fiasco that occurred in his last Ho' -A6?/0 The seuestering of positions, failures

to communicate, and the general move to consolidate po8er in his office, are e@actly 8hat led to

the vote of no confidence in 6la'ama0

• >t feels as though the provost:s need to fill his resume 8ith all ;inds of EaccomplishmentsE at

A&9 is driving the $,##$ initiatives currently ta;ing place on campus0 The template for these

activities seems to 'e E8hat has 'een done at other campusE put onto A&9 as a coo;ie3cutter

template 8ith no concern for the local specifics of A&9:s conte@t and history0

• >t is o'vious from the recent events that faculty ahve lost faith in him0 is 'luffs are 'eing called0

We have no confidence that he is acting in the 'est interest of the organiDation0

•

ittle leadership e@hi'ited 3 3 much more management rather than leadership 3 3 3 uiteconcerned 8ith many comments he has made 3 3 3 8orst of the 8orst, Eif it ain:t 'ro;e 3 3 3 'rea;

itE 3 3 3 appears to have little appreciation for the many decisions over the years that made A&9

special0

• 2a;e him go, pleaseL

• 2y vote 8ould 'e one of no confidence in di orenDo

• no confidence at all0 have sat on committees only to turn around and hear him say something

totally untrue as if it came from the committee0 e says things are in the hands of faculty and

departments after ma;ing a decision0

• &o confidence, please remove

• &o confidence, 8hatsoever0

• &o trust in the current system0• &one, none, none0 The Provost has 'ro;en everything he can get his hands on0 > don:t trust

anything he says0

• Provost demand changes and implements these changes 8hen things are already in process

• 4uite simply, there has 'een no advancements of the university, my college, department, or

individual 8or; as result of the Office of the Provost -or any other relevant adminstrative office

for that matter/0 That is, nothing su'stantive has changed, 'ut 8e have had to 8or; in an

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enviroment constantly under threat of some pending decisions that may or may not have 'e

detrimental to our careers and 8or;place0 The SO6R process has 'een a complee shamI it 8as

thrust upon the faculty from this office, and then the false story has 'een repeated that it emerged

from our o8n efforts0 The latter is a 'latant lie0 The morale on campus couldn:t 'e any 8orse, not

Hust among faculty 'ut from our very 'est students 8ho are very much a8are of administrative

malfeasance0 There should 'e a vote of no confidence0• SO6R is a'solutely ridiculous0 >t is not a faculty3driven initiative and it seems un'elieva'le the

Provost:s Office 8ould as; so many to 8aste so much time on something that is so meaningless0

• The Provost -as he li;es to 'e called/ should primarily 'e the 7ice President of 6cademic 6ffairs0

>t appears that he has a uest for po8er over service to the Aniversity0 e seems to disenfranchise

much of the Aniverstiy, including 9eans, in order to create a Aniversity that meets his image of

8hat the Aniversity should 'e0 The uestion is 8hether he is doing this on his o8n accord or

8hether he is doing it under the direction and approval of the President0

• The Provost doesn:t care a'out A&90 e is only using us as a stepping stone for a college

presidency some8here else0 e doesn:t even live here, he lives in faculty housing0 is family

lives in 6la'ama0 e is trying to Esha;e things upE in order to 'uild his resume0 >t is uite sad

8hat he has done to the university in his fe8 years here0

• The Provost has given me no reason to have confidence in him0 Just the opposite0 e has made

s8eeping changes 8ith little or no input from faculty and students0 e has a top do8n approach

and appears to li;e the control he 8ields000al8ays a 'ad signL

• The provost has surrounded himself 8ith those 8ho support his agendaI this is e@tremely

distur'ing

• The SO6R process is the 8orst thing to ever happen to our campus0 >t:s a disaster0 >t has

accomplished a'solutely nothing positive0 6ll it has done is cause fear and suspicion among the

faculty and staff0 Students sense the climate of fear and uncertainty across campus and they are

responding in their o8n 8ay-s/ to this shift in climate0 >n addition to causing panic, fear, and

stress among faculty and staff, the SO6R process has ta;en faculty a8ay from our primaryduties33research and teaching0 This is 8hy 8e are hereL >:ve 'een so 'usy this year 8ith SO6R

that >:ve devoted less time to research and teaching0 This is the case for the maHority of faculty0

We are running in circles chasing paper8or; to prove that 8e deserve to have a Ho' at this

university0 6t the same time, our primary duties33research and teaching have 'een neglected0 This

is a'solutely ridiculous0

• The SO6R proHect is presented as a faculty led initative0 Who started the process and hired the

consultant5 Who chose the mem'ers for the committees5 Why is the process ta;ing place at one

of the 'usiest times of the year5 > do not need to 8rite a 'oo; response to uestions, to start a

conversation0

• This man has a 'ad trac; record in his previous employment and it:s no surprise that it continues

here0 > have not met a single faculty mem'er -in any department/ that has e@pressed confidence in

the Provost:s leadership or in his a'ility to consider the interests of sta;eholders 'efore ma;ing

decisions0

• This Provost seems to thin; he can import some canned ideas into the university and put them

into action instead of really trying to understand the institution and 8or; 8ith people here to

move it for8ard0 e came in 8ith a great deal of faculty support and he has lost almost every 'it

of it 'y 'eing unrelia'le0 e has no sense of 8hat is of value at A&9 and is only interested in

"* % P a g e


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carrying out a couple of highly visi'le initiatives so he can loo; good on paper and move on to a

Presidency some8here else0 >:ve served under ! Provosts at A&9, and this one is 'y far the 8orst

and most dangerous0 On a daily 'asis, almost every faculty mem'er, chair, and college3level

administrator > tal; 8ith finds the Provost impossi'le to deal 8ith and a 'arrier to progress0 >

have never seen an administrator so 8idely disli;ed and distrusted0 e 8ill, and has perhaps

already, caused lasting harm to the institution0• This provost, his vice provost and assorted vice presidents, have done more damage to A&9 than

imagina'le0 They have tried to consolidate po8er and money into his office since he arrived0 6n

e@ample, the Student Tech Fee0 Originally, these funds 8ere distri'uted democratically 8ith

great input from students0 The provosts office has ta;en control of most of these funds, 'rea;ing

a promise made to students 8hen STF 8as created0 Other e@amples of folly from his office(

SO6R U a colossal 8aste of everyones time, the 'udget redesign U another attempt to seiDe

money -hence po8er/0 The 'enefit of the student is no longer a concern of the provosts office0

Faculty positions go unfilled 8hile he adds vice presidents and other ma;e38or; administrator

positions -Chief Strategy Officer5 9irector of Strategy5/ The li'rary goes underfunded 'ut he is

a'le to find money for a ne8 A6S 9irector -reporting to him, of course/0 > have no confidence in

this provost or the sycophants he surrounds himself 8ith0

• 7ery poor Ho'0 6 very unli;ed person0 is actions have caused a huge drop in campus morale0

• Wea; lin; in the president:s staff0

• While the Office of the Provost gives lip service to caring a'out the arts and humanities, the

rhetoric is not 'ac;ed up 'y practice0 2ost alarming is the lac; of ne8 hires in 6rts and Sciences

as it pertains to humanities and the arts0 Second, the cuts to the li'rary are going to ma;e it

impossi'le for faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students to conduct research0 The

Chester FritD needs to have the top su'scriptions to Jstor, G'sco, ProHect 2use, and maintain a

commitment to 'oo; -it 8ould 'e nice is if the li'rary could 'y 'oo;s pu'lished 'y the faculty/0

?uilding maintenance is another huge pro'lem0 eating, cooling, and 'asic technology -that > use

to teach 8ith/ is not at all adeuate in O:Kelly all0• While the president and provost have stated they understand and have heard concerns of faculty, >

have not yet seen any concrete or pragmatic process proposed for immediate -'eginning no8/

rectification of non3transparency0 6dministration seems to 'e defensive rather than open and

8illing to learn0

• With the Provost:s top do8n model, he seems to not 8ant to interact 8ith faculty0 Seems to only

8ant contact 8ith other administrators0 With this approach, he has completely eliminated the

faculty voice0

• > thin; the Provost has had some good ideas and made some needed changes0 There have,

ho8ever, 'een dramatic changes that seem more oriented to ;eeping up 8ith others rather than

ma;ing a concerted effort to understand our conte@t0 The pro'lem is not that 8e aren:t 'eing

informed33something that could 'e fi@ed 8ith a 'log and 'etter emails0 The pro'lem is that 8e

aren:t involved0 Whether administration li;es to hear this or not, faculty ;no8 this campus and its

operations 'etter than any other constituency, and 8e have great ideas0 To shut us out only leads

to dramatic missteps and ill3informed policies0

• 2any promises, ho8ever, fe8 results

• Read the comments a'out the president0 The president and the provost are 'irds of the asame

feather0

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• The pro'lem is the top3do8n approach0

• The SO6R initiative has 'een horri'le0 > fail to see ho8 using a model designed for financially

trou'led institutions should have 'een selected for A&9, and furthermore it is no8 uncertain

ho8, if at all, the data 8ill 'e used0 Seems li;e a complete 8aste of time and resources0

• This is recent0 > supported the Provost for some time ta;ing on faith that his decisions 8ere all

leading to a logical -'etter/ outcome for A&90 >nstead, > 'ecome more perple@ed as to 8hat isgoing on0 The SO6R process, for e@ample, is a'solutely 'esides the point anymore0 We have a

mountain of 8or; thrust upon us and all > see are decisions ta;en, 8ithout consultation, a'out

program changes0 That 8ould 'e fine 'ut then 8hat are 8e doing SO6R for5

• Too many large un;no8ns -SO6R, 2>R6, etc0/ for too long 8hile simultaneously holding up

EsoftE funding for previously ongoing proHects and processes0

• While > understand and appreciate the need for visionary leaders, my confidence that the Provost

can support an effective management team to carry out that vision continues to 8ane0


ratings 8ere :m providing some comments

here0 > 'elieve that much of the unhappiness 8ith the provost:s office has to do 8ith a lac; of

communication and ans8ering uestions after the fact0 For the most part, > personally don:t have

significant issues 8ith many of the decisions that have 'een made as > see them as 'eing

consistent 8ith trends in G and a 8ay to 'ring A&9 up to date, 'ut in a conte@t 8here there are

a lot of changes all at once, little communication or consultation 8ith faculty 'eforehand, and a

faculty that has 'een very insulated -at A&9 and in regard to maHor shifts in G over the years/

communication is critical0

• > still thin; there are good ideas 'ut there is inappropriate or insufficient staff to carry them out0

John miller as Steve light are simply not adeuately informed or trained to have the po8er they

have 8hen it comes to implementation0 The provost needs to listen to a 8ider range of voices to


ratings 8ere am very confident that the Provost:s office has a vision for A&9:s future, 'ut it may involve

changes that some faculty may not li;e0

• The current Provost is doing an e@cellent Ho', is significant asset to the Aniversity and is actually

fi@ing pro'lems that have 'een occuring for decades0


ratings 8ere


31/70

There 8ere no comments here

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.1 !1

"!1

$"1"!1

)#1

Office/Graduate DeanTransparency

&ot at 6ll

&ot 7ery

&eutral

Some8hat

7ery

9on:t Kno8

4uestion( o8 transparent do you feel the Office of the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies is

a'out decision3ma;ing on matters of concern to the faculty5 Those 8hose ratings 8ere felt this office 8as doing much 'etter0

o8ever, since the Provost let the acting 9ean go, there has 'een a great deal of confusion and a

lac; of transparency surrounding the issue of raduate Studies0 Something that 8as starting to

8or; 'etter -as a result of the placement of the interim 9ean/ suddenly 8as completely 'ro;en0

• Ansure of transparency regarding the stage at 8hich deciding 8hether a large3scale thing should 'e attempted or not0

• Wasn:t the 9ean as;ed to resign 'y the higher adminstration0 There has 'een little communication

a'out this, and > 8onder 8hy the search for a replacement is internal and not reuiring an outside

resarch firm, 8hen other recent searches have 'een e@ternal and reuired outside research firms0

6re 8e to interpret that as the higher administration de3valuing graduate study at A&95

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4uestion( o8 transparent do you feel the Office of the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies is

a'out decision3ma;ing on matters of concern to the faculty5 Those 8hose ratings 8ere


34/70

• The raduate 9ean and his office team have had some challenges, 'ut do a good Ho' in

supporting the graduate program on campus to the 'est of their limited resource a'ilities0

• This has 'een true in the pastI under a ne8 9ean, 8ho ;no8s5

• This is ho8 an administrative unit should 'e run0

4uestion( o8 transparent do you feel the Office of the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies isa'out decision3ma;ing on matters of concern to the faculty5 Those 8hose ratings 8ere don:t deal 8ith the raduate School

• > have not interacted 8ith the rad School dean

• >:m not involved in this area, so > don:t have an opinion0

• There has not 'een a maHor change in the policy regarding graduate studies since > came to A&90

• We don:t have a dean of graduate studies0 This is silly0

• What 9ean5

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)1 !1

""1

$,1",1

",1

Office/Graduate Dean Openness

&ot at 6ll

&ot 7ery

&eutral

Some8hat

7ery

9on:t Kno8

4uestion( o8 open do you feel the Office of the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies is in

providing accurate and timely information a'out matters of concern to the faculty5 Those 8hose ratings

8ere thin; it has 'een difficult for the SS 9ean to 'e open

a'out sharing 8hy there have 'een cuts to his staff0

• 9ean S8isher has al8ays 'een very open regarding decisions that come from his office0

o8ever, given circumstances of late, > 'elieve that some of the decision ma;ing authority has

'een ta;en a8ay from him, leaving him in a position of &OT 'eing a'le to communicate openly

)! % P a g e


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8ith faculty0 o8ever, he has al8ays 'een supporive of my graduate programs and has al8ays

'een open to hearing feed'ac;0

• 9ean S8isher has vastly improved the climate of raduate Studies for students and faculty0

• 9ean S8isher provides ongoing information to the faculty and as;s for input on a regular 'asisL

• 9espite the fact that there have 'een a reduction in the staff at the graduate school, they have

managed to provide accurate and timely information0 >t is only 'ecause the staff there have atremendous respect for the 9ean and are 8illing go a'ove and 'eyond0

• > 'elieve that 9ean S8isher is the most effective 9ean of raduate Studies ever33yet the ne8

provost has started an >&TGR&6 search to replace him0 This is an incredi'ly stupid move that

may not 'e stopped, until it is too late

• >f he is in3his door is open and he is 8illing to discuss issues and share information

• >f only this openness 8as the norm in A&9:s administration0

• One phone call and you ;ne8 8here you 8ere at regarding a situation

• The current 9ean of raduate Studies supports students and graduate faculty across areas0 e is

reasona'le and listens to our concerns 8ith respect0

• The 9ean is constrained 'y the lac; of information from the ProvostMPresident

• The 9ean of raduate Studies is as respected an individual is there is on campus0

• There appears to 'e a free e@change of ideas 8ith a fair hearing of those 8ho have concerns0

There could 'e an increase in communication, 'ut the intent of the 9ean does not appear to 'e in

uestion0

• We feel supported and heard 'y the grad dean0 > 'elieve part of this is 'ecause he meets once a

8ee; all year, 8ith reps from every college, insuring healthy commmunication0 Other campus

entities shouldl try that0

4uestion( o8 open do you feel the Office of the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies is in

providing accurate and timely information a'out matters of concern to the faculty5 Those 8hose ratings

8ere don:t deal 8ith the raduate School

• >:m not sure 8hy this office is even needed0 The colleges can handle things themselves0

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)1 +1

".1

$!1",1

"!1

Confidence/Office of the Graduate Dean

&ot at 6ll

&ot 7ery

&eutral

Some8hat

7ery

9on:t Kno8

4uestion( Overall, ho8 8ould you rate your confidence in the Office of the Dean of the School of

Graduate Studies( Those 8hose ratings 8ere have no dealings 8ith the graduate school or the 9ean0

• > thin; it needs stronger leadership0

•

Since 8e don:t ;no8 8ho the ne8 dean is going to 'e, it:s hard to respond to this uestion• The 9ean is competent, 'ut could 'e more forceful 8ith the administration on issues that impact

the SS0

• This unit is valua'le and in need of support 'y the higher administration0


Graduate Studies( Those 8hose ratings 8ere


38/70

• This is a moving target and fran;ly don:t see ho8 this is pertinent given 8e are in the process of

selecting a ne8 9ean0

• With 9ean S8isher at the helm, there haven:t 'een many changes -given his interim status/ , so it

has 'een relatively sta'le0 > also thin; S8isher has done a good Ho'0 ?ut 8ith the impending

change in dean and rumored changes to status of the grad school, that sta'ility is up in the air0

That said, > thin; that the insta'ility and lac; of info a'out intensions for the grad school comesfrom the provost:s office0

• 9r0 S8isher and his staff has 'een a great to 8or; 8ith

• 9r0 S8isher has done a 'etter Ho' than the previous dean of graduate studies0

• 9r0 S8isher is the 'est 9ean of raduate Studies > have 8or;ed under in four decades at A&9

• 9r0 S8isher 8as a 8elcome relief after JoeyLL

• e is honest0 Can:t say that a'out his 'osses0

• e:s one of my favorite individuals on campus0 e listens very 8ell and is uite hum'le0 >t ta;es

a lot of strength to 'e hum'le0 6nd he also leads 8ith strength in ma;ing decisions 'ut is not

overly controlling0

• igh confidence in 9ean S8isher0

• > have al8ays had tremendous confdence in our grad dean0

• > have found 9ean S8isher to 'e very open to colla'oration and 'uild consensus 8ith others0 e

is a strong advocate of serving studentsL

• > have had no issues negatively 8ith the graduate school

• > have the highest confidence in his a'ilities0

• > thin; Wayne has done an e@cellent Ho' and has undone all of the harm Joey did previously0 >

thin; it is unfortunate that the Provost has Eno further useE for Wayne0

• The 9ean of raduate Studies has done 8ell 'y our College0

• Wayne has 'een an outstanding graduate dean0 e sees students and faculty as people 33 not

'ureaucratic pro'lems0 e has 'een treated shamefully 'y the provost0

•

Wayne has done a good Ho'0 > appreciate his service0• 8ithout reservation


Graduate Studies( Those 8hose ratings 8ere :m Hust not sure ho8 meaningful the provost is allo8ing him to 'e0

• 9on:t ;no8 himMher5

• > am concerned a'out 8hat 8ill happen 8ithout Wayne S8isher0 >t seems a case of ageism to

force him out0

•

> can:t say, 'ecause the candidates 8ere so terri'le0 > hope &elson is never chosen0 2ihelich isalso untena'le33nepotism0 The others are accepta'le0

• > don:t deal 8ith the raduate School

• Since 8e don:t have a 9ean at the moment, > thin; this is a misguided uestion0

• Since 8e don:t ;no8 8ho that 8ill 'e, > cannot ans8er0 o8ever, > have very little confidence in

the process of selecting the ne8 dean0 > cannot 'elieve that a research > institution 8ould not do a

national search for a graduate dean0

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faculty survey

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