The Observer, March 3, 2006
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 19
Arts and Sciences faculty votes no confidence
Board of Trustees to side with Hundert and Anderson
Yesterday, faculty members of the College of Arts and Sciences voted 131-44 for no confidence in President Edward Hundert and 97-68 for no confidence in Provost John Anderson.
The special meeting, which took place in Amassa Stone Chapel, was called to discuss a no confidence issue against Hundert and Anderson, and culminated in a vote by the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences.
To hold such a meeting Ambrose Swasey Professor of Physics, Lawrence Krauss, who initiated the petition, needed 10 percent of the Case faculty to sign it. Krauss was able to obtain the signatures of 20 percent of the faculty.
"I have no agenda, personal or otherwise. I just want to generate an open and honest debate about certain problems that need to be addressed," Krauss said.
These problems include the current administration's fiscal mismanagement, mismanagement of programs such as the Seminar Approach to General Education and Scholarship (SAGES), and the alienation of donors and alumni, according to Krauss.
The Issues
Faculty Senate members have expressed concern with current budget issues as the five- year Vision Investment Plan continues. In the third year of this plan, Case faces an approximately $40 million recurring deficit.
In a memo to fellow Arts and Sciences faculty, the last three Faculty Senate Budget Committee Chairs, Professors Kenneth Ledford, Glen Starkman, and Cyrus Taylor, outlined financial issues specifically related to Hundert's term.
Three bullet points referring to the present situation outlined the issues currently facing the university.
First, Case's net operating position has not progressed as expected and projections do not show improvement.
Next, the university's working capital – a balance of available funds – has been stretched to its limit.
Finally, the memo stated that the research fund and development revenue increases needed to compensate for the budgetary issues have not occurred. "The university has essentially exhausted its ability to draw further on working capital," it stated; the university has drawn a $100 million line of credit as per the original budget plan.
According to Joseph White, Chair of the political science department, supporters of Hundert believe that he is not only one at fault. "Hundert should not have to pay the price because he is not the only one to blame. The Board of Trustees signed off [on plans]," White said.
The memo argues that because of these issues, the financial plan set forth by the administration has failed. It also states that the situation was at least somewhat foreseeable and that oversight by the Faculty Senate Budget Committee was inhibited.
Another memo from White pinpointed additional problems – namely the impact of the budget on the SAGES program. As a consequence of the shortage of funds, SAGES has suffered some unexpected blows. The program was implemented in full force with the plan to hire enough new faculty to cover the demands required by the curriculum, but budget concerns can hinder the process of recruiting new faculty.
Faculty members have also expressed concerned over the inadequate alumni giving throughout Hundert's term as university president.
"He [Hundert] upset the Western Reserve Alumni with the name change," said Taylor. He added that the Case Institute of Technology alumni were also upset by the creation of the Case Alumni Association, as well as the instability of their headquarters' location.
Another issue plaguing the faculty is the lack of information and communication between them and the administration, especially regarding the budget.
"Provost Anderson informed the committee that they should no longer assume that they had a right to financial information, and that all future requests for information were to be funneled through him personally and not through the Office of the Vice President for Planning and Budget or any other office," the memo from the Faculty Senate Budget Committee stated.
Earlier last week, Hundert announced the administration's efforts to balance the budget in 2007. "It is the responsible thing to make decisions now to balance the budget earlier. We will do the prudent thing to balance the budget in 2007 and we have gotten a positive response about this," Hundert said.
He went on to say that "certain income streams that are needed to increase to balance the budget for 2007 to 2008 are not coming through."
In an e-mail to faculty, he also stated that some forecasts were too aggressive and that he had failed to fundraise as effectively as the university needed.
When releasing the budget announcement, Hundert did, however, have a priority in mind. "The first principle when balancing the budget is that we want to avoid any reductions that detract from the student and faculty experience. We are here for the students and this is our mission," Hundert said.
The Results
Consequently, the meeting was held yesterday and two motions were discussed and voted upon separately. The first motion was that the faculty has no confidence in the President while the second motion states that the faculty has no confidence in the Provost. Seventy-five percent of 175 voting Arts and Sciences faculty voted no confidence in Hundert, while 55 percent voted no confidence in Anderson.
From these results, further action could be taken by the Board of Trustees.
A message from Frank Linsalata, Chair of the Board of Trustees, in response to the vote was featured in an e-mail to the university community. "Case is a strong university, built on discussion and debate. The Board is aware of and listens to the many voices on campus. As an alumnus and Chair of the Board, I am proud that Case is challenging itself to become a greater university. The Board and I support President Hundert and Provost Anderson. We are committed to working with the leadership team and the rest of the Case community to resolve the budget issues and other challenges before us," he said.
However, while the results could force the administration to re-evaluate the current situations, Hundert remains optimistic.
"I believe that the university is a big place for vigorous discussion. This situation will spark a lot dialogue and debate, and that is something I encourage," he said.
