By DInsider
The lines have been drawn in the sand. Castell & Co. have gotta go! Faculty and students yesterday informed the Board that they have had enough of community college presidents and their little minds. No more! We want a qualified leader that has a Ph.D., and can come in here with earned tenure. These were direct body blows to a bewildered Castell & Co. after several failed attempts to regain their once dominant position at the top of the heap.
Castell & Co. took a 9 hour beating like a man. General counsel, Liz McBride was shaken and beaten at her dismal game of lie and speak, during the session on the “SBI Eight.” During tough questioning by trustees Diallo, Holmes, Benjamin, Agnew, and McWilliams about following policies, procedures and collective bargaining agreements and breach of contract. McBride finally threw her hands up and declared “Whatever, I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
Trustee Benjamin admonished her for sending out the coldest piece of literature she has ever read. The audience applauded her comments, while Trustee Holmes chimed in with an “Amen”. The SBI 8 served the board notice and delivered the 8 grievances which probably will turn into 8 more lawsuits against the university next week.
Austin and Hobbs were lost trying to explain where the university was in the SACS re-affirmation process. The university has been cited with several non-compliance and non-review issues during a recent visit by SACS. When questioned on the status of the university’s response to these issues, it was lot of finger-pointing between Hobbs and Austin as to who was responsible. Castell could not answer the tough questions about these compliance issues either, especially those of hiring much needed faculty. RN has not confirmed yet, but it seems the DOE has put a freeze on hiring additional faculty. At the same time, Castell & Co. are cranking up the firing machines with some 40 faculty and about 60 more staff firings to take place after July 1. If this pans out FAMU in all likelihood will be placed on probation by SACS, because there won’t be anyone to review.
Yesterday’s board meeting was a result of a gross abuse of power by Castell & Co. The results were placing the Inspector General on leave, firing the SBI 8, late audit, and a missing surplus. Rumors are beginning to surface that the IG was investigating several top administrators and maybe even a board member. Stay tuned while we continue to look into the IG placed on administrative leave.
Highlights:
ReplyDeleteMr. Liverpool (fool) needs PD like a mug. Kudos to Mr. Liverpool in a bright green suit with a yellow tie. His presentation was voted as the worst ever during a BOT meeting. Talking about PD. He’s a walking billboard for “I need PD.”
Dr. Beck (Othello) – not only has Castell stolen my purse (job), but me good name as well
Atty W. George Allen – what is shared governance? Let’s strike that from the presidential list of qualifications.
Challis Lowe – to Roosevelt Wilson you don’t know me; my mama don’t know me and I don’t even know me.
Trustee Benjamin – give me two traits that distinguished SBI from other business schools and don’t say Sybil Mobley. Liverpool’s response PD?
http://money.cnn.com/2005/06/17/news/newsmakers/tyco_trialoutcome/index.htm
ReplyDeleteEx-Tyco CEO Kozlowski found guilty
Second trial ends in guilty verdicts for former Tyco chief
A jury of six men and six women deliberated 11 days before finding Kozlowski and Swartz guilty on 22 of 23 counts of grand larceny and conspiracy, falsifying business records and violating general business law.
40 faculty members could get the ax?!? You've gotta be kidding me. We've let this administration get away with murder, and it's getting ridiculous... I'm worried about what the hell Castell's gonna do between now and the 2007 "deadline."
ReplyDeleteThe board appeared to have been in the first stages of growing a back bone. For many their admonishments were not enough.
ReplyDeleteMany at the University are outraged and want Castell's head on a tray.
Those feelings are valid but, it is all a little bit too little. Isn't it ironic that people did not start to give a damn when their jobs did not appear to be on the chopping block?
This has happened throughout history. When the first slave traders came to the continent of our ancestors and they pitted one ethnic group against another-and one assisted in the enslavement of the other. The stuff that Castell, Challis, and Austin are engaging in is NO DIFFERENT.
The broader Floridian community has always scoffed at the accomplishments of FAMU and thought themselves superior to FAMU. The broader community does not care at FAMU so; it is OUR responsibility to care for the school.
This mess should have been stopped at the front door when the first employees were fired LAST year for BOGUS REASONS.
Complaining about it does little or nothing to stop it and we (African Americans) seem to be excellent at doing that much. WE must back up our words with action- PLAIN and SIMPLE. If that means convening an Emergency Board Meeting to terminate the nightmare known as Castell then so BE IT. If that means Alumni raising money to hire legal counsel to initiate injunctions against the BOT and Castell then SO BE IT.
ACTION RATTLERS ACTION!!!!
12:19 comment
ReplyDeleteRIGHT ON!!!!
LET'S DO IT - NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
perhaps the homework and the action begins with determining if the firings were bogus or legitimate. it was announced that the preliminary SACs report indicated that there are major problems with credentials and those problems could prevent the school from being accredited which could mean closing the school. what if, without doing your homework, you exacerbate the problem. let's do the homework first.
ReplyDeleteSomebody should look at Castell's credentials. Why wouldn't her credentials prevent us from being accredited?
ReplyDeleteYEAH!!! Since the TCW wants to judge credentials...why not judge the personel director crendentials(Dr. Greenleaf). Or Vivian Hobbs, or even TCW herself. How about some of the BOT members and their credentials.
ReplyDeleteI hope we can get a university president next time, and not another community college president.
ReplyDeleteWith the Insp. Gen's. firing, I suspect that he was "on" to something more that Castell & Co. wants anyone to know. And as we all know, she has adamantly refused to address his firing. Sounds riather suspicious to me. I would like to know if it is possible for the preliminary reports of his investigation can be made public, since he was on the taxpayers' payroll and is, himself, a public employee. Sounds to me like Castell's hiding something big-time. And as we know, money is almost always at the center of this kind of cover-up.
ReplyDeleteFred Gainous had an Ed.D. degree and was a community college official. Castell has an Ed.D degree and was also a community college official. How about us getting a person with "real" academic credentials, a PhD, and real university experience?
ReplyDeleteIn the words of Dr. Adeline Evans, we DON'T need anymore community college people, we need people with REAL PhD and university experiences.
ReplyDeleteCastell, Austin, & Lowe must go. CA&L cannot continue to mistreat people and think that there will be no repercussions. FAMU already has enough lawsuits in the courts to last the next twenty yearsAnd don't you know that more are coming. Hello?
ReplyDeleteHow in the hell do some of y'all in here declare that an Ed.D. is not a legitimate terminal degree.
ReplyDeleteI don't disagree with the sentiments about the interim Prez however don't get ridiculous
An EdD is not a terminal degree. Please check with the Research Institution Associations before giving the public any mis-guided information. What FAMU need is a top-level executive with premier academic credentials that can lead the University and bring back its international standings amongst the Top level Institutions in the World. The PhD is the only Terminal Degree.
ReplyDeleteWell, the Ed.D. may not be as weak a degree as you say. But administrators whose ideas were formed at community colleges may not have the experience and vision to lead a university toward research status.
ReplyDeleteResearch and university teaching can be very different from teaching at a community college.
Indeed, one of the discussions we all need to have is: What kind of institution is FAMU?
Is FAMU a last-chance community college for underachieving African American kids who never got around to learning subject matter and learning skills?
Or is is an increasingly high-quality, demanding institution of higher education with standards comparable to the best state universities everywhere?
Or, more likely, is it an institution somwhere between these extremes?
Ed.d - Let's take a look at that statement. And by the way, the person who made that statement smells like a fanatic of Castell and Co.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, if one looks at the so called high caliber colleges and universities-their presidents (interim or not) do NOT come from community college backgrounds and the ALL have Ph.ds.
They sure as hell didn't take ten years to finish the undergraduate degrees.
Ed.d is a degree that gets NO respect in academia because it is not a terminal degree. You have to complete a project to "earn" a Ed.d. isn't that a basic skill we all learn by the time we're in Middle School?
"It is better to be thought of as a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt, Castell and co!"
What about Castell and her credentials? What about her gorlfriend (yes, i said gorlfriend) Austin with her mediocre track record?
ReplyDeleteThe real firing needs to be Jeb's Angels (Castell,Austin, and Lowe)
There are respectable, accomplished, effective, valuable faculty members with Ed.D. degrees. And there are ineffective ones with the Ph.D.
ReplyDeleteIt's not the degree we should focus on.
We agree that FAMU is in danger of adopting a community college mindset, and that needs to be discussed openly as a crucial policy decision.
It is important that we distinguish between two important issues in the SBI firings. The first issue is how the firing was done. Most people would agree that the how was indefensible. This was acknowledged by the BOT and there is no doubt should be addressed.
ReplyDeleteThe second issue is, "was the firing necessary" Only a student who is a true insider can answer that question and I hope I can shed some light on this issue. If anyone asks SBI students about PD, it can be gauranteed that the resounding response would be that the way PD has been practiced in SBI over the last few years under the leadership of one of the fired "professors" was having a negative impact on SBI. It was under his leadership that PD suffered its Most serious drawbacks.Someone who care to know would ask how many SBI students in the Professional MBA program that requires sixteen to seventeen semester credit hours of PD have transfered to the undergraduate program that only requires four credit hours because of their frustration with the inertia in the Professonal MBA PD. Most of these Professors who claim to be retired 15 or more years ago have been in academia where PhD is an important credential for teaching, particularly in a school that offers a Master's program beleived that all they had to do was depend on experiences they acquired over fifteen years ago. Those of you who care to know can attest to the revolution that has occured in Business over the last fifteen years. To just show up and answer professor without updating your credentials is at best fraudulent.
Many business professors with PhD degrees today came out of industry and had several years of experience, and yet, once they made the decision to stay in academia, they saw the need to go back and earn a terminal degree in a business discipline because they understand the need to combine theory with practice. Many other professional schools would wonder why SBI kept such professors with obsolete backgroud in SBI for so long. Law professors are required to attend continuing educational programs and to conduct research in order to continue to teach in law schools. Medical Doctors know that they must continue to upgrade their skills by participating in continuing education and conducting research in order to continue to teach in Medical schools. Pharmacist are required to participate in continuing education and to conduct research in order to continue to teach in a university. People should ask these laid off "professors" when was the last time they published their research or what was their last continuing education event.
I learned before we went on summer vacation that even those SBI faculty with PhDs in business are now mandated to do some publishable research. That made me happy because, if we are asked to compare ourselves with Harvard and MIT and other reputable Business Schhools, our professors must acquire credentials that are comparable to theirs.
SBI needs and must be accreditated by AACSB if it is to move out of its current downward slide. When a school goes from enrolling 400 plus freshmen to now struggling and praying to be able to enrol upto 100 freshnem this fall, something is wrong. As a student in SBI, I feel frustrated when I go out on internship or meet outsiders and their first question is "is your school accredited by AACSB." My frustration stems from the fact that I know my answer would be embarrasingly no.
No sane person in SBI will argue the fact the PD needs to be revamped. We have been doing the same thing that we did fifteen years ago. As a business student, I learned that those businesses that do not re-invent themselves will fall by the way side. Enrolment of 100 versus 400 freshmen appears to me as falling by the way side. Let all SBI students and Alumni rise up and demand some effective changes.
People should be asking questions and demanding some answers!!!!!!!!!.
I posess an Ed.D. degree and I am very proud of my accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteI am known to be very effective in my field of human endeavor.
for one to paint with a broad brush,holders of Ed.D. degrees is flawed.
BTW, I think what is going on sucks and is an indictment against the people not the degree
I posess an Ed.D. degree and I am very proud of my accomplishment.
ReplyDelete***********************************
Ok we have apparently hurt the feelings of those with Ed.ds.
But on a more serious note: We all need to realize what this is about. It's about Castell and her sappho puppets. She'd be crazy with or without a Phd. So, does that make all you Ed.d proponents feel better? God!
At this point in time. WE (students and alumni) need to stop this bogus administration. We can not rely on the BOT. They (BOT) have proven time and time again that they are useless.
ReplyDeleteThursday was a waste and time and no real decisions were made.
If we allow the Hollins ( which is also a waste of time and $) group to search until 12/2007. There will be no need for a permanent president b/c FAMU will be permanently destroyed.
What about Castell's credentials? This is a complete sham.
ReplyDeleteWell you haven't hurt my feelings about the degree issue.
ReplyDeleteHowever, since this forum presents the opportunity to sound off, I wanted to make my feelings clear about the fact that we need to choose folk on their ability to serve our unique needs rather than the letters behind their name.
Actually, in a few minutes, the person best suited to be the president should have a J.D.
In response to anonymous 7/1/2006 1:50 PM:
ReplyDeleteWhile your comments are well taken; the professor that was running PD during the time period that you mentioned was also the professor that responded favorably to PD student complaints re: (1) PD takes to much time, (2) PD is repetitive, (3) Two PD companies is to much, (4) Student teachers are not qualified and are not teaching the students anything, etc.
This professor reduced the company requirement from 2 to 1, he eliminated 50% of the companies based on whether not they added value, he eliminated student teachers in Business Writing, Orators, IRA; he merged Freshman Training with the BW/Orators module to reduce the impact upon student time. You should also know that that he initiated a tracking system to determine the "Real Reason" that students transfer to the 4 year program. The real reason is that the great majority of the students transferring did not have the 3.0 required to continue in the MBA program. The reduction in SBI enrollment is because of the drop in full ride scholarships.
I could continue, but what's the use; in the absence of anything else PD is the cause of everything. You need to ask SBI why corporate America does not hire SBI students into Finance and Marketing; the reason is tnat they are not qualified, but I guess that's PD fault too. You need to do some research about where many SBIans are today versus the initial hiring assignment; you will find that they have either not progress well or they are no longer with the firm that hired them. It's not PD fault if they do not possess the academic skills necessary for success. PD got them to the door, provided the skills to open the door, if they can not succeed the fault is not PD's. You should review their academic preparenessed.