Colleges in Dire Financial Straits

[Hegemony]

"Tertiary Education Union national president Michael Gilchrist expected many full-time salaried academic [sic] would continue teaching the New Start programme, despite not being paid." I hope they all cut that out right now. I do have colleagues who sometimes knock them out doing big projects for no compensation, and I don't think they're doing anyone any favors except the bean-counting administrators who would really like not to pay any salaries at all.

[marshwiggle]

Auckland is asking some of its lecturers to teach for free.

Polly should like this one.

Exploitation much?

I don't think Polly would like this one. (I'm not a big fan either.) But it will be interesting to see how many people go for it. Is it exploitation if people "'volunteer"? How will institutions ever need to be realistic about salaries if there's literally no lower limit to what people will accept????

Realistically, in the Auckland case, if the program needs charity to survive, it's not likely to last long.

[bacardiandlime]

"Tertiary Education Union national president Michael Gilchrist expected many full-time salaried academic [sic] would continue teaching the New Start programme, despite not being paid." I hope they all cut that out right now. I do have colleagues who sometimes knock them out doing big projects for no compensation, and I don't think they're doing anyone any favors except the bean-counting administrators who would really like not to pay any salaries at all.

All of this. What kind of a union is ok with scabbing? And I'm sick to death of academics who claim to be leftists happily working for free, undercutting their colleagues ("solidarity" my a$$).

OF COURSE the units where they're asking for volunteers are essentially remedial college prep for HS dropouts. They will be able to guilt some beleaguered academics into doing the "right thing".

I guarantee nobody is being asked to teach engineering or medicine for free.

[Hibush]

I was also shocked to see that Sweet Briar formerly had a positive outlook, along with a BB- rating. Good for them, I guess. I haven't seen them in the news or on this thread recently, so I guess that's a positive.

It's not a positive to drop out of sight and discussion.  We don't talk about Sweet Briar any more because they didn't really recover; they just didn't close immediately upon the first announcement.

If they were doing an Antioch-type recovery, then we'd be hearing about it everywhere that colleges in dire financial straits are being discussed.

Sweet Briar's most recent IRS Form 990 (FY 2018) shows a net loss of $1.4 million on $36.7 million in expenses, a -3.8% margin. Healthy institutions have a +3.8% margin.

The positive outlook is likely that SBs financial outlook is bad, just not as bad as in the year before when they pulled the plug.

[mahagonny]

All of this. What kind of a union is ok with scabbing? And I'm sick to death of academics who claim to be leftists happily working for free, undercutting their colleagues ("solidarity" my a$$).

OF COURSE the units where they're asking for volunteers are essentially remedial college prep for HS dropouts. They will be able to guilt some beleaguered academics into doing the "right thing".

Sure, this emotional blackmail is a tactic with extensive history.

A union that won't advocate for its members deserves defunding. Of course, the amount of work dues collected from these faculty is small, which means an unscrupulous union will throw them under the bus.

Realistically, in the Auckland case, if the program needs charity to survive, it's not likely to last long.

It's too big and too established of an empire to fail. the government (which means, of course, the citizens) will save it for those who are still employed.

Polly should like this one.

I have no choice at this point but to select 'ignore user' for Polly. It's explained on the 'Post Your Asides Here" thread #157-160 FYI. There is no logical reason to read a poster whose contribution is advice and who has revealed an intention to have that advice ignored.

[Parasaurolophus]

Ohio University cutting programs and people, including tenure-track professors: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/bobcats-stand-together-to-save-our-profs?fbclid=IwAR2e-65Ukds-aAeC1zW0IoXRGICAUqG1HWjqWbm-0esKI1N81j43PfjrqgY

Probationary faculty and adjuncts receiving notices of non-renewal. Interesting.

Tenured and tenure-track faculty, too.

[marshwiggle]

Ohio University cutting programs and people, including tenure-track professors: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/bobcats-stand-together-to-save-our-profs?fbclid=IwAR2e-65Ukds-aAeC1zW0IoXRGICAUqG1HWjqWbm-0esKI1N81j43PfjrqgY

Probationary faculty and adjuncts receiving notices of non-renewal. Interesting.

Tenured and tenure-track faculty, too.

Wouldn't they have to be "terminations" instead of "non-renewal" notices for anyone NOT on a limited term contract? (I'd think that would even apply to probationary employees, since they don't need to be "renewed".)

[Parasaurolophus]

Ohio University cutting programs and people, including tenure-track professors: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/bobcats-stand-together-to-save-our-profs?fbclid=IwAR2e-65Ukds-aAeC1zW0IoXRGICAUqG1HWjqWbm-0esKI1N81j43PfjrqgY

Probationary faculty and adjuncts receiving notices of non-renewal. Interesting.

Tenured and tenure-track faculty, too.

Wouldn't they have to be "terminations" instead of "non-renewal" notices for anyone NOT on a limited term contract? (I'd think that would even apply to probationary employees, since they don't need to be "renewed".)

I don't know what specific notices were received, but I know that two TT and one tenured faculty in my field have received them.

[tuxthepenguin]

Ohio University cutting programs and people, including tenure-track professors: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/bobcats-stand-together-to-save-our-profs?fbclid=IwAR2e-65Ukds-aAeC1zW0IoXRGICAUqG1HWjqWbm-0esKI1N81j43PfjrqgY

Probationary faculty and adjuncts receiving notices of non-renewal. Interesting.

Tenured and tenure-track faculty, too.

Wouldn't they have to be "terminations" instead of "non-renewal" notices for anyone NOT on a limited term contract? (I'd think that would even apply to probationary employees, since they don't need to be "renewed".)

Tenure means you have automatic renewal of your contract. On the tenure track means you need to be regularly renewed (most places it's once per year, AFAICT). Even though I have tenure, letting me go for financial reasons would technically be implemented as a nonrenewal. Firing me for bad behavior would be a termination.

[marshwiggle]

Ohio University cutting programs and people, including tenure-track professors: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/bobcats-stand-together-to-save-our-profs?fbclid=IwAR2e-65Ukds-aAeC1zW0IoXRGICAUqG1HWjqWbm-0esKI1N81j43PfjrqgY

Probationary faculty and adjuncts receiving notices of non-renewal. Interesting.

Tenured and tenure-track faculty, too.

Wouldn't they have to be "terminations" instead of "non-renewal" notices for anyone NOT on a limited term contract? (I'd think that would even apply to probationary employees, since they don't need to be "renewed".)

Tenure means you have automatic renewal of your contract. On the tenure track means you need to be regularly renewed (most places it's once per year, AFAICT). Even though I have tenure, letting me go for financial reasons would technically be implemented as a nonrenewal. Firing me for bad behavior would be a termination.

I'm not a lawyer, but is there some kind of time limit on "finacial exigency"? I know that tenured faculty can be fired under conditions like that, but could an institution get rid of someone claiming financial exigency and then a few months later hire someone else to essentially replace them? I'd guess the courts would take a dim view of that. In other words, if they get rid of tenured people they pretty much have to shut down departments. Anyone with any legal knowledge out there able to provide enlightenment?

[mahagonny]

At our state university they don't even refer to an adjunct re-appointment as a renewal. It's 'being hired'. Anything they can do to keep the outsiders outside. Oh, the language might be different in the union contract, but when the administrators are talking, they talk in the snooty way that they prefer.

[wellfleet]

I'm not a lawyer, but is there some kind of time limit on "finacial exigency"? I know that tenured faculty can be fired under conditions like that, but could an institution get rid of someone claiming financial exigency and then a few months later hire someone else to essentially replace them? I'd guess the courts would take a dim view of that. In other words, if they get rid of tenured people they pretty much have to shut down departments. Anyone with any legal knowledge out there able to provide enlightenment?

Legal claims are hard to pursue, and would depend on state law, right? The "financial exigency" declaration is what spares an institution public shaming by the AAUP if it terminates tenured faculty without individual cause, like malfeasance. Not that public shaming always works.

[Vkw10]

I'm not a lawyer, but is there some kind of time limit on "finacial exigency"? I know that tenured faculty can be fired under conditions like that, but could an institution get rid of someone claiming financial exigency and then a few months later hire someone else to essentially replace them? I'd guess the courts would take a dim view of that. In other words, if they get rid of tenured people they pretty much have to shut down departments. Anyone with any legal knowledge out there able to provide enlightenment?

Legal claims are hard to pursue, and would depend on state law, right? The "financial exigency" declaration is what spares an institution public shaming by the AAUP if it terminates tenured faculty without individual cause, like malfeasance. Not that public shaming always works.

There may be state laws, collective bargaining agreements, or written policies that create rights to be offered position if it's re-opened within a year or so. Absent those, the risk in the USA is that the former employee will file a civil rights complaint. Eliminate my position, then hire someone for essentially the same job within a year? If your new hire is under 40, I'll claim age discrimination and use those emails about how older faculty are less flexible and less popular with students as evidence. Those lawsuits can take years and be expensive for everyone, but winning one usually gets the former employee reinstated with back pay and reimbursement for legal expenses. Cheaper to offer early retirement incentives or to keep the position open a year while re-writing the position description so it's not the same job.

[spork]

Holy Family College (WI) is closing:

https://blog.holyfamilycollege.edu/news/holy-family-college-to-discontinue-all-operations-at-the-end-of-summer-term.

[secundem_artem]

Holy Family College (WI) is closing:

https://blog.holyfamilycollege.edu/news/holy-family-college-to-discontinue-all-operations-at-the-end-of-summer-term.

Après eux, le déluge.