: UCM News
Petition circulates to renew President's contract
Sep 17, 2009, 1:01 PM
By LORA POWELL, The Muleskinner
WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- With UCM President Aaron Podolefsky’s contract months from expiration, a group of concerned faculty members have decided to tell the Board of Governors how they feel about the group’s “inaction” regarding the decision to renew his contract.
One hundred twenty-five faculty members signed a petition titled “The Petition to Renew the Contract of President Podolefsky,” which was sent to the Board of Governors for review Wednesday.
“There were just a few of us working on this and over the course of just a couple of days with almost no effort, we came up with over 100 signatures,” said Michael Sawyer, Modern Languages department chair.
Jim Stabb, Political Science department chair, said no one person was behind starting this position, but it was a collaborative effort of an ad hoc faculty member committee.
"Inaction [by the Board of Governors] allows for a lot of distractions for us not to be moving in a positive direction in pursuit of the mission of the University,” Staab said. “We’re responding to inaction, not action.”
During the 2008-2009 academic year, 72 percent of Faculty Senate members approved of Podolefsky’s leadership abilities. Also, the Faculty Senate conducted a community poll which showed more than 70 percent of community members were in support of Podolefsky.
Richard Phillips, Board of Governors president, said Wednesday that no decisions will be made regarding the renewal of Podolefsky’s contract until January 2010, which is the deadline for the Board to make a decison.
“There’s a lot of procedures to go through and making sure there is no violation of statutes, there’s no violation of protocol. There’s several procedures to go through, so we’re not at that point,” Phillips said.
Although Phillips said proper preparations need to be made before the Board can come to a final decision on the matter, faculty members involved with the circulation of the petition think the January deadline is a little too close for comfort.
“The Board of Governors are stewards of this University, and I question why their decision [about renewing Podolefsky’s contract] is taking so long. If someone new comes in to the presidency, they will have to be brought up to speed. I am losing confidence in the Board of Governors commitment to being good stewards of the University,” said Bob Yates, an English professor.
Sue Sundberg, a mathematics professor, also shared concern for the delay in making a decision.
“I have a real concern about what will happen with the University if his contract is not renewed and the decision will not be made until next year. What will the University do next year for a president? It’s not like there’s somebody sitting in the wings waiting to do that. I think it would just be a real travesty for the institution,” Sundberg said.
Many faculty members involved with the circulation of the petition feel Podolefsky has made strides at the University in terms of developing comprehensive plans regarding the budget and finding funds for needed improvement projects on campus.
“I think he’s done a very good job with continuing forward due to economic situations that have nothing to do with him. It’s the overall economic problems in our state and the United States. He hasn’t let the effect him, as in being paralyzed,” said Mary Kelly, sociology professor and director of Women’s and Gender Studies.
Sawyer also said Podolefsky has done good work keeping the University afloat during tough economic times.
“The state funds a university receives in Missouri right now are getting propped up by the federal stimulus, without which we would have a really serious shortfall,” Sawyer said. “Those stimulus funds run out in a couple of years, and we need to do everything we can to prepare ourselves for that. He’s doing a very good job of moving in that direction and making sure that we are well prepared for it.”
Other faculty members were complimentary regarding the work Podolefsky has done with the ESCO project, the new student recreation center and the renovation of the Morrison Gymnasium.
“This building [W.C. Morris] has needed a lot of work and it has been done. He’s been really good about getting external funds, which has not been the case in the past,” Sundberg said.
Yates shared Sundberg’s sentiments regarding the upgrades to campus regarding the ESCO.
“The ESCO construction is not costing the University any more money, and it is much more efficient. It needed to be done. This administration made the decision to go through with the energy-efficient upgrades, and that is another good thing about this administration,” Yates said.
Last but not least, faculty members are impressed with his personality and willingness to communicate.
“He shares similar concerns with faculty members. He cares about the integrity of our programs and his primary concern is the students,” Kelly said. “That comes across in everything he does. I really admire that.”
Although the petition will be in the hand of the Board of Governors prior to Thursday’s meeting, the petition did not come soon enough to make it on to the meeting agenda. However, nearly a quarter of UCM faculty are in favor of the Board renewing his contract, and hope the petition may help them make their decision.
“To me, it’s really beyond anything having to do with President Podolefsky personally. I think this really isn’t a time where we need instability or uncertainty, and so I think that to renew his contract would be a step forward in creating more stability on campus,” Kelly said.
One hundred twenty-five faculty members signed a petition titled “The Petition to Renew the Contract of President Podolefsky,” which was sent to the Board of Governors for review Wednesday.
“There were just a few of us working on this and over the course of just a couple of days with almost no effort, we came up with over 100 signatures,” said Michael Sawyer, Modern Languages department chair.
Jim Stabb, Political Science department chair, said no one person was behind starting this position, but it was a collaborative effort of an ad hoc faculty member committee.
"Inaction [by the Board of Governors] allows for a lot of distractions for us not to be moving in a positive direction in pursuit of the mission of the University,” Staab said. “We’re responding to inaction, not action.”
During the 2008-2009 academic year, 72 percent of Faculty Senate members approved of Podolefsky’s leadership abilities. Also, the Faculty Senate conducted a community poll which showed more than 70 percent of community members were in support of Podolefsky.
Richard Phillips, Board of Governors president, said Wednesday that no decisions will be made regarding the renewal of Podolefsky’s contract until January 2010, which is the deadline for the Board to make a decison.
“There’s a lot of procedures to go through and making sure there is no violation of statutes, there’s no violation of protocol. There’s several procedures to go through, so we’re not at that point,” Phillips said.
Although Phillips said proper preparations need to be made before the Board can come to a final decision on the matter, faculty members involved with the circulation of the petition think the January deadline is a little too close for comfort.
“The Board of Governors are stewards of this University, and I question why their decision [about renewing Podolefsky’s contract] is taking so long. If someone new comes in to the presidency, they will have to be brought up to speed. I am losing confidence in the Board of Governors commitment to being good stewards of the University,” said Bob Yates, an English professor.
Sue Sundberg, a mathematics professor, also shared concern for the delay in making a decision.
“I have a real concern about what will happen with the University if his contract is not renewed and the decision will not be made until next year. What will the University do next year for a president? It’s not like there’s somebody sitting in the wings waiting to do that. I think it would just be a real travesty for the institution,” Sundberg said.
Many faculty members involved with the circulation of the petition feel Podolefsky has made strides at the University in terms of developing comprehensive plans regarding the budget and finding funds for needed improvement projects on campus.
“I think he’s done a very good job with continuing forward due to economic situations that have nothing to do with him. It’s the overall economic problems in our state and the United States. He hasn’t let the effect him, as in being paralyzed,” said Mary Kelly, sociology professor and director of Women’s and Gender Studies.
Sawyer also said Podolefsky has done good work keeping the University afloat during tough economic times.
“The state funds a university receives in Missouri right now are getting propped up by the federal stimulus, without which we would have a really serious shortfall,” Sawyer said. “Those stimulus funds run out in a couple of years, and we need to do everything we can to prepare ourselves for that. He’s doing a very good job of moving in that direction and making sure that we are well prepared for it.”
Other faculty members were complimentary regarding the work Podolefsky has done with the ESCO project, the new student recreation center and the renovation of the Morrison Gymnasium.
“This building [W.C. Morris] has needed a lot of work and it has been done. He’s been really good about getting external funds, which has not been the case in the past,” Sundberg said.
Yates shared Sundberg’s sentiments regarding the upgrades to campus regarding the ESCO.
“The ESCO construction is not costing the University any more money, and it is much more efficient. It needed to be done. This administration made the decision to go through with the energy-efficient upgrades, and that is another good thing about this administration,” Yates said.
Last but not least, faculty members are impressed with his personality and willingness to communicate.
“He shares similar concerns with faculty members. He cares about the integrity of our programs and his primary concern is the students,” Kelly said. “That comes across in everything he does. I really admire that.”
Although the petition will be in the hand of the Board of Governors prior to Thursday’s meeting, the petition did not come soon enough to make it on to the meeting agenda. However, nearly a quarter of UCM faculty are in favor of the Board renewing his contract, and hope the petition may help them make their decision.
“To me, it’s really beyond anything having to do with President Podolefsky personally. I think this really isn’t a time where we need instability or uncertainty, and so I think that to renew his contract would be a step forward in creating more stability on campus,” Kelly said.
