Students express discontent over provost search at Campus Conversation with Board of Trustee chair
October 16, 2019
At the second Campus Conversation, students spoke about their discontent with the search for the provost with Judge J. Phil Gilbert, chair of the Board of Trustees.
The current provost, Meera Komarraju, is an interim and a search has been launched to find a permanent provost.
Student trustee Brione Lockett, said one big issue on campus is hiring protocol and procedures.
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Lockett said he was concerned about the current search for a new Provost.
See more: (USG meeting announces search for permanent provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs)
“I don’t feel that the campus thinks it’s a fair search that will be occurring,” Lockett said. “‘The fix is in’ is the phrase I’ve heard recently, that our current interim provost will be the permanent provost.”
Lockett said there has been some under performance in the provost’s area. He asked Gilbert how the campus could have a new chancellor come in with a provost or other individuals that have a great deal of baggage behind their names and still expect this part of the SIU system to grow.
Gilbert said baggage is in the eye of the beholder, and the board is trying to move away from SIU being known as an ‘interim university.’
“One of the goals I think of this board is to add some stability,” Gilbert said. “Interim Chancellor [John] Dunn is going to be in the process of taking the interim tag off several people, but that doesn’t mean they’re permanent. Everybody on this university, in administration, serves at the pleasure of the president and the board. ”
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Gilbert said nothing is permanent, and the new chancellor could evaluate the new provost and decide to reassign them. He said it is going to come down to performance.
“I don’t know anything about the search, but let’s just assume Meera is going to have the interim tag taken off,” Gilbert said. “She may have a two or three-year contract, but if the new chancellor comes in and after evaluating her he could reassign her.”
Dianah McGreehan, vice president for administrative affairs of the Graduate Student Professional Council, said she doesn’t want the “I” in SIU to stand for internal search.
McGreehan asked Gilbert how the board and administration are going to ensure SIU is hiring the best quality people, and student interest is seen as a priority during the search.
Gilbert said he would like to have “home grown” people serving in positions at SIU.
“When you look at the big picture, we are going to have a president from the outside,” Gilbert said. “We are going to have a chancellor from the outside, and we want some stability for that new president and new chancellor to do some adjustment and some own evaluation.”
Jeremy Allen, a graduate doctoral student studying sociology, said it is counter intuitive to maintain the old provost in the name of stability.
“If we don’t like the direction the university is going, then why do we want to continue with the leadership that are taking us in that direction?” Allen said.
Allen said as a student, it is his understanding that internal searches favor the incumbent.
“If the incumbent is part of the problem with the direction the university is going, why are we conducting an internal search?” Allen said. “On the one hand, we said we don’t like where we are going. On the other hand, we say we need to continue that direction.”
Gilbert said the status of the university cannot be blamed on a provost.
“I don’t know if it’s necessarily faulting the status of this university on a provost, I think it’s just saying that it’s not a fair search,” a student in the audience said in response to Gilbert. “How are we to know that we have a good candidate or a better candidate than the provost, […] if the search isn’t open externally? How are we to know what else we can look for in a candidate?”
Gilbert said if the search process that has been laid out is being followed, it is automatically a fair search.
“I understand there is going to be disagreement with any search, with anybody that’s hired,” Gilbert said. “You are not going to agree with everything, but as long as the process is being followed, it’s a fair search whether you agree or disagree with who gets hired or not.”
Gilbert said it is going to be up to Dunn to make the hires.
“If they turn out to be bad hires, the new chancellor is going to be making changes,” Gilbert said.
News Editor Kallie Cox can be reached at [email protected] of on Twitter @KallieECox.
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A. Hall • Oct 18, 2019 at 7:18 pm
I feel compelled to extend a well-intended hot dose of advice and history because SIU appears to have difficulty learning the correct lessons from it’s own mistakes. It should be remembered that the individuals occupying the position of provost at SIUC have been Interim for roughly the past decade. Dr. Susan Ford, who previously held this position, was Interim during her entire tenure as SIUC Provost. Associate Provost David Dilalla and Associate Provost Lizette Chevalier also briefly shared the position before Dr. Komarraju was appointed as Interim Provost. It is not at all clear why the provost position in particular must become permanent at this moment and before the new SIUC Chancellor is hired.
Please note that SIU’s own stated hiring procedures indicate that a national search should be held due to the provost position being that of an upper level administrator (https://policies.siu.edu/employees-handbook/chapter2/appt-policies/faculty-ap-staff/hiringfa.php) “…faculty positions that require doctorate or terminal degrees and upper-level administrative positions should generally be advertised nationally.” Remember that the Provost position is also the position of a Vice Chancellor and SIUC has recently held national searches to fill lower ranked positions (i.e. Associate Chancellor for Enrollment Management, Dean of Students). I am also unaware of any permanent Dean positions which have previously been filled at SIUC in the absence of a national search. It seems deeply incongruous and concerning that an institution which engages in an external, national search to hire a head basketball coach for a unit (Athletics) which results in a net loss of $5 milllon every year also fails to complete an national search for the Provost who will be the administrative head of all academic programs on campus. What does this demonstrate about the apparent priorities, values and quality of an institution which is supposed to be an R2 and claims to aspire higher.
Judge Gilbert’s position appears to be that students and everyone else should just ignore concerns that this internal search will reflect poorly on the institution. The problem is that in many ways this institution is on cusp of life-support with respect to student enrollment and retention. It has now developed a reputation for ignoring the feedback that organized student groups and student representatives provide them regarding the direction of the institution and the effectiveness of key administrators. I am surprised that it does not occur to Gilbert that continuing on such a path would be detrimental to SIUC’s efforts to recruit and especially to retain more students. I wonder if it occurs that the current Interim Provost’s actions to undermine the successful Saluki Success program will be harmful to that effort as well. Does it occur that this internal search reinforces negative stereotypes about corrupt Illinois public institutions? Does it occur that one of the best forms of recruitment is word of mouth (it is how I personally selected an institution to attend)? Who will want to recommend that their child, nephew, or family friend should attend an institution that turns a deaf ear to constructive criticism of students and matters of institutional integrity? Even current students will have to weigh whether they want to remain here and forever hold a degree from SIUC. Reputation matters. Reputation must surely affect other concerns that SIUC clearly values including levels of state funding, 3rd party institutional rankings and charitable donations.
Consider also concerns related to another equally important constituency: faculty. A poll of SIUC faculty conducted this past Spring by the SIUC FA indicated that 0% (as in none) of the faculty at SIUC believe that morale on campus is ideal. This was after more than a year of Dr. Komarraju’s leadership. They are also aware that it is normal procedure at SIUC for the use of external searches to hire virtually all faculty on campus in order to hire the best faculty possible. What does it communicate to this constituency that despite their low morale and the lack of any raises for them, members of the SIU Board intend to employ a weaker process for the hire of the permanent Provost position which oversees all academic affairs on the campus? Was ignoring the value of SIUC’s reputation Gilbert’s attitude when former SIU President Randy Dunn presented the last SIU Board with late Chancellor Montemagno’s nepotistic hires? Was this Gilbert’s attitude when diligent DE reporters revealed Montemagno’s inference in faculty searches as he attempted to ensure the hire of his friends from his former institutions? If Judge Gilbert and others in the SIU Board of Trustees do not recognize the significance of protecting SIUC’s reputation through correct, ethical action and if they don’t recognize the impact of the messages that their actions send throughout the community, then perhaps they should resign their positions so that SIU can be led by those who do.
The role of this new SIU Board of Trustees should be to demonstrate that the page has been turned and that SIUC is returning to a path of integrity and excellence and not through continued scandals related to these repeated “friends and family” discounts related to searches and hires. The best path forward for SIUC may truly lie through Dr. Komarraju, but perhaps the best path forward and fresh ideas will be presented by someone else who has experience and skills gained from other research universities. There is something to be said about giving opportunities to those who are “home-grown” and who are familiar with the institution. Current campus personnel are always free to apply to the national searches that are held for various positions. However, there is also something to be said about the dangers of inbreeding and the failure to bring in new blood and new, good ideas. To the best of my knowledge, only four current SIUC employees have past experience in the role of as Provost internally: the two Associate Provosts, Interim Chancellor Dunn, and Dr. Komarraju. Perhaps there are others however, anyone other than the current Interim Provost (and the unlikely possibility of Dunn) also must be concerned about applying for the position and risking retaliation for being perceived to challenge her ascendancy to permanent leadership on the campus. If SIUCs best interests are at heart, this campus and all of it’s constituencies should be given the opportunity to evaluate the strengths and benefits offered by the greatest number of experienced candidates for this position through the competition of a national search conducted once the new Chancellor is hired.