Why We Must Teach What We Know

My friend Alan Bean, one of the first activists to break the story of the Jena 6, has written a story about the struggle to continue to teach the Civil Rights Movement and civil rights advances in a generation which cannot remember how significant the small steps were in this struggle. In his article, "The Face of White Supremacy," Bean describes an actual argument going on in the development of history courses for public education. Old prejudices die slowly, even when people hardly ever say them out loud anymore. Those who remember must tell the story.

Mike Broadway

Due Process Requires Unity

One faculty member is terminated on June 20, months after the University failed to notify him by December 31 as required in the Faculty Handbook and even after he signed a reappointment agreement in April. Also, during April, the President gives a secret appointment to a resigned employee to serve as Dean during the same time that the official areas of the University give a legitimate appointment of Dean to another person that the President also signs. The University honors the secret arrangement but waits to tell the standing Dean until June 29, one day before her appointment ends.

One of these faculty members has served an illustrious career at Shaw for a number of years; but of this, no account is made. The other has a wife and child who depend on him for food; but of this, no sympathy is deserved. The rights of the accusing supervisors to their prey are far superior to sordid values like kindness, compassion, and truth.

Let it be clear that the complaints of an irrational supervisor are frequently enough to endanger a faculty’s employment. The faculty’s testimony means nothing. They can bring no witnesses for themselves. As a result, Shaw’s system of discipline typically hears only one side, and that side is the side of the accusing supervisor.

We must not allow these two gallant employees to be forced into lengthy legal remedies challenging the right of any President to dismiss people in certain circumstances. Our issue is mostly a moral one affecting the integrity of Shaw University. Our administrators must not continue to endorse practices that mistreat our employees by targeting them unfairly for dismissal, by tormenting them during their stay, and by allowing them no processes to defend themselves. These disgraceful practices undermine employee morale, sap the willingness of employees to help Shaw University, and keep us all in perpetual states of distress.

When the voice of faculty is ignored and unappreciated, when the rights of faculty to due process and appeal are irrelevant, and when cruel, insensitive treatment to employees is tolerated, then it is incumbent on each of us to reflect on the meaning of a compassionate life. Faculty must unite now to end the shameless disregard for Professor Russell Robinson and Dr. Elvira Williams. By doing so, we take a step towards assuring all of us have chances for compassionate lives.

James Nelson, Jr., Professor, College of Arts & Sciences

Following Due Process

Conversations among the faculty concerning a recent termination have raised great concerns about due process. Can a faculty member accused of poor job performance answer the charges? Is there an appeal process? Do faculty have any place to turn to express grievances? What are the conditions of faculty employment, and are they being respected?

These conversations reiterate the concerns I wrote about in late June ("Secrecy and Morale"): the university must make documents such as the faculty handbook and its grievance policy available to the faculty. Delaying year after year in getting approval on such documents makes it seem that they just do not matter to the administration and trustees. I really don't think that is their view.

This situation concerning a faculty member seems to have ignited a fire to get action on these matters. We need to have a faculty handbook available. We need an approved grievance policy. We need to have access to a personnel policy manual. Even if the documents are in draft form, we need them now. It cannot be good for the university to be lacking easy access to such basic documents.

Mike Broadway

How Does Shaw Rank as an Employer?

The Durham Herald Sun reported on a survey of employment satisfaction done by the Chronicle of Higher Education. The brief article says that Duke is making strides to becoming a good place to work. Having been associated with Duke for some time, I can confess that they have had a long way to come; moreover, I will not believe this too seriously until I hear from a range of folks at various levels who work there.

I recently talked with a laundry worker who said that he was getting pressure to retire--I'm guessing it is to allow them to hire someone at a lower wage. Universities easily fall under the pejorative description of "the plantation." I've heard it used of Duke, and I've heard it used of Shaw.

So what did the article say about Duke as an employer?

Duke Ranks High as Employer
By Neil Offen, The Herald-Sun
Jul 7, 2009

DURHAM -- Despite tough economic times and some belt-tightening, Duke University remains a good place to work.

In fact, it remains one of the best colleges to work at in the nation, according to a new survey released Monday.

The Chronicle of Higher Education surveyed 41,000 employees -- administrators, faculty and staff members -- on 247 campuses across the country and ranked Duke as one of the top 10 large universities in the nation.

UNC Chapel Hill also was recognized in the Chronicle's second annual Great Colleges to Work for survey, receiving note in four categories: teaching environment, facilities and security, connection to institution and pride, and respect and appreciation.

Duke was cited for special recognition in 14 of the 26 categories evaluated, including

• Job satisfaction
• Healthy faculty-administration relationships
• Overall satisfaction with benefits
• Compensation and benefits
• Vacation or paid time off
• Work-life balance
• Confidence in senior leadership
• Internal communications

Last year, in the first survey done by the Chronicle, Duke was cited in only five categories.

"We're certainly thrilled with the recognition," said Kyle Cavanaugh, Duke's vice president of human resources. "Having an outside organization assess how we are doing on so many dimensions and finding out that we are one of the top places in America to work is gratifying. It reinforces the fundamental belief in the values Duke supports."

The Chronicle singled out the university particularly for the benefits it offers its employees. Maintaining those benefits during a recession has not been easy, Cavanaugh acknowledged.

"It's been incredibly challenging given the current economic environment," he said. "But compared to our peer institutions, Duke has been doing incredibly well these last six to eight months."

Unlike many other employers, including universities, Duke has not made significant changes to its benefits program during the economic downturn, and expects to continue most of its benefits through at least next year.

And while Duke had to suspend its pay-for-performance policy, under which employees and their supervisors set goals and evaluate their progress annually, the university this year did give a one-time raise of $1,000 to employees making under $50,000 while freezing the salaries of all other employees.

Cleo Proctor said she understands how fortunate she is to be working at Duke.

A histologic technician in the pathology department, Proctor has worked at Duke for eight years. Standing outside the medical school building on a muggy afternoon, she talked about how Duke is a good place to work -- "particularly given the present economy."

"Despite all the problems, they've kept things pretty much the same here," Proctor said. "When you consider what's happening in other places, that's good. And I also like the flexibility in my department."

While there's been belt-tightening, said Stephen Nowicki, the university's dean of undergraduate education, it's been gradual, not abrupt.

"It's far less than at Stanford and Harvard, where they've had to lay people off," said Nowicki, strolling across the quad in front of Duke Chapel. "Nobody has been laid off here. I think that's kept the morale up."

While pleased with the recognition, Cavanaugh said Duke still has much work to do.

"We want to be the premier employer in this area and in the nation," he said. "And that's incredibly challenging given the balancing act of trying to maintain morale and make the changes that need to be made. So far, though, we've hit a very good balance."

I can see some things in that list that Shaw needs to work on. When I can get access to the Chronicle, I will update the link or provide more information.

Mike Broadway

The "At-Will" Principle: Legal, but Not Right

I'm not a lawyer. The following paragraphs are not certified legal opinions. They are my attempt to make sense of court opinions and legal essays on employment law.

The doctrine of "at will" employment appeared historically in the years after the emancipation of slaves in the U.S. It is first asserted in 1877 in a law treatise discussing "master-servant" relations. In an imagined free market in which the master and servant enter into an employment relationship, nothing limits the ability of either, but especially of the employer, to terminate the relationship. This assertion came to be Incorporated into the late nineteenth-century understanding of the rules of employment, unless a written contract specifies otherwise. From the perspective of our time, it is not hard to see the residue of the slavocracy being repackaged at the end of the era of Reconstruction.

Since workers and employers are not by any careful analysis "equals," the result was a growing body of juridical decisions and traditions of employment practice by which the employer became the sole determinant of the conditions of employment for the vast majority of workers. North Carolina is one of thirteen states which does not accept the idea of an "implied contract." However, all states subject the concept of "at will" employment to certain limitations.

The most prominent hindrance to unilateral termination by the employer is a written agreement specifying the term of employment and the permissible causes of termination, a contract. In addition, the arbitrary and unilateral power of an employer also can face limits when an employee handbook describes conditions of employment, limits on causes for termination, and processes for termination and appeal. Such employee handbooks are among the expectations that accrediting agencies expect of institutions of higher learning. For example, the Faculty Senate and Dean's Council recently completed a collaborative effort of revising the Faculty Grievance Process. Not many years ago, the trustees had adopted the policy now being revised as a requirement imposed by the accrediting commission for the Divinity School.

North Carolina and forty-one other states acknowledge that public policy favoring justice and fairness demands that some reasons for termination must be unlawful: an employee may not be punished for refusing to do something unlawful; an employee may not be punished for exercising rights; and a "whistleblowing" employee cannot be punished for speaking up about unlawful conduct. Furthermore, some specific laws, primarily at the federal level, place limits on dismissal: anti-discrimination laws, family and medical leave laws, worker adjustment and retraining laws, and occupational health and safety laws. Finally, a range of case law, common law, and constitutional interpretations may impact the "at will" principle.

In discussions about employment and dismissals, it is common to hear the statement, "North Carolina is an 'at-will' state." So much for stating the obvious. The next step in reasoning is to examine the ways in which North Carolina employment law revises and limits the "at-will" principle.

But there is a far more important consideration for a liberal arts institution founded and grounded on Christian faith. Now I am moving into my specific training as a scholar of theological ethics. Certainly the laws of North Carolina allow employers to have a great deal of unilateral power over employees. But that does not mean that our moral convictions should be lowered to the least common denominator. Everything that is legal is not right. It is no surprise to any of us that people with the power to interpret the laws do not necessarily look out for the interests of others. Just because something is allowed, or possible, does not mean that we should do it.

Built on humane ideals, aspiring for the betterment of those who have been denied access, our institution should aim for a higher standard of treatment of its employees. The legacy of inequality and arbitrary exclusion that required the founding of HBCUs must not be allowed to remain the rule of their operation. The "at-will" principle deserves to go the way of the slavocracy which gave birth to it. Let us take the lead in this over the majority institutions who are our neighbors. We must be a community who treats its members better.

Mike Broadway

David Goatley Writes About the Lott Carey Youth Seminar

Rev. Dr. David Goatley put his own thoughts together on the Lott Carey Youth Seminar that was held last week at Shaw University's campus in Raleigh, NC. I read the article on EthicsDaily.com. This article reveals Dr. Goatley's insight and commitment to the right kinds of priorities for keeping the church from becoming a museum of our past. Those of us who work with young people should be encouraged to know of his perspective. Shaw can greatly benefit from continuing our relationship to him and the Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention.

Read the article at this link.

QEP Summer Reading

The following letter came to faculty about the process of developing a Quality Enhancement Plan.

June 29, 2009


Dear Colleagues --

Happy Summer! We certainly hope that you are doing well and getting excited about the upcoming school year. As you will remember from our work last semester, the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is an integral part of our re-affirmation of accreditation process with SACS. More importantly, it represents an exciting opportunity for us to identify one aspect of student learning that needs to be enhanced and to develop a project for making improvements in this identified area of student learning. We hope that you enjoyed our presentation at the Faculty Institute in January, and we appreciated your initial feedback on a survey at the faculty meeting on April 7, 2009. Our QEP Steering Committee -- comprised of faculty, staff, administrators, students, alumni, Board of Trustees, and community -- has experienced a great start to the planning process. In the Fall, the entire campus community will be inundated with vital information, and we will be soliciting even more feedback regarding QEP topics. There is a lot more work to do, and we will continue to ask for your support and ideas over the next few years.

In order to make sure that everyone fully understands the QEP, the procedures involved, and the wonderful adventure ahead of us, we have compiled a summer reading list for your enjoyment and placed it on page two of this letter. Please feel free to read up on the QEP, including the work done by other institutions of similar classification. Then, if you'd like to join the conversation about the QEP or ask any questions, please visit our QEP blog at shawuqep.blogspot.com or email us at qep@shawu.edu. Our website will be launched next month, and you will be able to stay up-to-date regarding all of our activities. Thanks for your help!

Dr. Carol Bunch and Dr. Derek Greenfield, QEP Co-Directors

SUMMER READING LIST

First, do you want to know what topics other schools have focused on for the QEP? Here's a brief list:

* From These Roots… A Foundation for Life: Mathematics and Financial Literacy (Hampton University)
* Using Technology to Improve Composition Skills in First-Year Students (Allen University)
* Strengthening the Quality of the Freshman Year Experience Through Student Engagement
(Johnson C. Smith University)
* Speak Well, Write Well, Work Well! Enhancing Communication College Wide (Durham Tech)
* R.E.A.S.O.N: Creating Coherent Pathways to Develop Critical Thinking Skills in Students
(Norfolk State University)
* Learning for Civic Engagement in a Global Context (Mary Baldwin College)
* Think for Yourself, Write for Others (Palm Beach Atlantic University)

(you’ll need to see the next page for the actual reading list!)
Now, if you would like a little more detail about other QEPs submitted by some institutions similar to Shaw, click on this link:
http://www.sacscoc.org/2008TrackBQEPSummaries.asp

Need a bit more information? Check out the Executive Summary for Hampton University's QEP:
http://www.hamptonu.edu/sacs/pdf/qep/QEP_Executive_Summary.pdf

Want the whole thing? OK, here is the actual QEP submitted by Eastern Kentucky University:
http://www.qep.eku.edu/plan/QEP_final.pdf

For those desiring an overview of the process and some relevant research conducted on QEPs from various institutions, this document is outstanding:
http://www.sacscoc.org/institute/2008/Tuesday,%20July%2029,%202008/Matveev-Norfolk%20State%20Univ..pptx.pdf

Finally, here’s a link from SACS to find out everything and anything about the QEP:
http://www.sacscoc.org/pdf/081705/QEP%20Handbook.pdf

Secrecy and Morale

In May 2008, the ad hoc Faculty Handbook Task Force completed its work on revisions of the Faculty Handbook. The product was submitted to the Office of Academic Affairs, then sent to the university editor. In September, the editor asked for responses to a list of questions about the text, and the task force contact responded to the questions promptly.

As a member of the task force, I have to admit that we took longer to do the job than we should have taken. The VPAA wanted the revisions to be submitted a year earlier. Partly, we were slow in doing our work. Partly there were some sticky issues that were not easy to resolve.

More than twelve months since the task force submitted its report, the faculty still have not received a draft of the revised handbook. Some deans and department chairs have received copies, but it is not widely available. Why is it necessary to keep a document such as this secret? Let the faculty see what has been proposed and think about it. Let them respond. If making revisions is worth doing, then talking them through should also be worth doing.

At a Faculty Senate meeting last October, we raised the issue of critical university documents which are unavailable to faculty because of the seemingly interminable approval process. A high-level administrator, with the authority to make such decisions, told us that there was no reason we should not be able to see them in their draft form. Specifically, we were asking about a Personnel Policy Manual.

Yet when the Senate President asked to receive a copy, the people who had it again hesitated. Eight months later, faculty still have not seen a draft of the Personnel Policy Manual.

In an institution committed to the dissemination of knowledge, information, a variety of perspectives, and critical reasoning, why would the practices of policy development have to remain behind closed doors indefinitely? These and other documents need to be made available to the people whose jobs and lives they effect. The steps and timeline for their approval, amendment, or disapproval should be clear and visible. The word of the times is "transparency."

It's time to get the Faculty Handbook out to the faculty. People who are consistently kept out of the loop of decisions and policies that determine their fate cannot be blamed for becoming suspicious. As my preaching daddy has said many times, "Tell the truth, and trust the people." Let's work on these documents together.

Mike Broadway

QEP--Work Continues at Shaw

Today I observed part of a meeting in the Faculty Lounge in Debnam Hall (my favorite place to hide out on campus). Dr. Greenfield and Dr. Bunch were meeting with Deans and others to discuss the development of a Quality Enhancement Plan for Shaw University. They will hold other meetings with other groups as time goes on. By the time of the SACS review, Shaw will have prepared a plan for specific improvements to make over the coming years. It is a process that Shaw says must be "faculty driven." You can get updates and make comments through a blog set up by the committee: Shaw University QEP. Let's roll up our sleeves and do our part to make this plan something that we all can get behind--Harambee.

Mike Broadway

Shaw University on the ONE Campaign Blog

As a follow-up to the post about the Lott Carey Youth Seminar, I wanted to let folks know about a story featuring this event at Shaw. The ONE Campaign is working hard to bring together governments, NGOs, churches, music fans, and many more to find solutions to HIV/AIDS and poverty. The youth at this seminar spent a day learning about and working with the ONE Campaign, in line with the them, "Called to Be a Blessing." The ONE Campaign blog wrote about the event and posted a video of David Goatley. This is great!

Mike Broadway

Lott Carey Youth--Hope for Our Future

This calm and clear morning on campus I found young people and their leaders gathering in small groups, walking from one location to another. The 55th Annual Lott Carey Youth Seminar is in mid-stride. The theme is "Empowering Youth to Impact the World." Along with mission opportunities, good preaching, recreation and fun, and devotionals, the seminar this year has allied with the ONE Campaign, the Genocide Intervention Network, and the NAACP to help young people understand the relationship between their following Jesus and their care for the people of the world.

Although the Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention is one of the smaller Baptist conventions, it's link to Shaw and our common history is very important. Named for Lott Carey, the first African American missionary to Africa, specifically to Liberia, this convention works to engage its member churches in a global vision of the gospel. Lott Carey was a former slave from the Williamsburg area in Virginia.

Under the leadership of Rev. Dr. David Emmanuel Goatley, this convention has expanded its work and enlarged the opportunities for ministers and laypeople to engage in mission work. Moreover, this highly intelligent and devoted leader has played an important role among Baptists of all regions and ethnicity as the President of the North American Baptist Fellowship.

As I looked at the young people and their leaders on campus today, I was encouraged to hold fast to what I have never stopped believing: there is yet much work for Shaw University to do, and there are many partners and allies who are committed to making that happen. I know that is true of the faculty with whom I have conversations. Along with the Lott Carey and leaders and youth, we can see a better future for the poor in our neighborhoods, for African peoples, for war-torn lands in need of peace, for U. S. communities in need of reconciliation, for people everywhere who have not had access to education, and for Shaw University as a part of pursuing those tasks.

Mike Broadway

Tangible ways to Improve Morale at Shaw

Dr. Broadway’s post on thinking big in fundraising is an excellent idea. Shaw should refocus its efforts on solving our deficit problem by raising money instead of cutting essential services. In particular, Shaw’s recent elimination of our pension match can have long-term detrimental effects on an employees’ future well being. I hope our Faculty Senate works to restore this benefit.

Morale at Shaw is still extremely low and should be improved. Here are my ideas for discussion.

Goal: Give everyone the clear understanding that we suffer and grow together for the good of Shaw.

• Immediately dismantle our two-tier system where a few live in plush, clean, and spacious quarters near Estey Hall with parking designated for Estey residents only and most other employees live in squalor, where molded, leaking buildings, unclean surroundings and mud filled potholes abound and little parking is available. In particular, we must eliminate the stigma that the elites at Shaw live in plush, gated communities and the rest live in squalor.

Recommendations: Return Human Resources immediately back to Tyler Hall. Do not permit the President, or anyone else, to have two offices when many employees are cramped in unclean quarters. Use the two buildings near McDonald for University gatherings on a reservation basis. Use the Estey Auditorium for community activities. Populate Estey Hall differently to allow offices for not only Alumni, but the Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, Community Relations and Student Government. Delete many of the administrative positions or spread them around campus with the people. Allow any faculty and staff the ability to park in the Estey lot and reserve no parking areas for an elite few. Show clearly that Estey is for the Shaw community and not just a privileged few.

• Improve the Appointment Process. Employing friends, relatives, and misusing power are rampant at our University. The result is not only a waste of money but not having the talents necessary to do certain crucial jobs.

Recommendations: Immediately notify the University community that no future appointments will be made without proper evaluations and assurances that all eligible employees are made aware of the position and have opportunities to apply. The entire campus community (Board, Administration, Staff, and Faculty) should be penalized for violating conflict of interest rules. New policies should be devised to assure all employees have a chance to contribute to the University.

• Start activities immediately this summer that address faculty and staff morale issues

Recommendations: Certain initial activities could alert the University community that we are truly a family and intend to help each other become our best. We could organize an all-University volunteer effort this summer to enlist employees to contribute to clean up our University. Modest efforts could be done to improve faculty and staff living conditions (leaks in Old Education and Tupper, mold in Graphics, modern boards in ISC and Tupper, paving the potholes from Debnam to Tupper, tearing down the wired fence). An employee’s salary equity study could be done with the plan of addressing the most drastic salary disparities first. Indeed, our Faculty Senate should be willing to help organize the opening orientation sessions that would involve all faculty and staff in recommending ways to further Shaw's growth.

James Nelson, Jr., President, Faculty Senate

Fundraising

I read in the Durham Herald-Sun this week that one of Duke's long-time fund-raising staff is retiring. Susan Cranford Ross has been raising money for Duke for 30 years. The article said that she has raised over half a billion dollars. One campaign she helped to lead exceeded its goals by $308 million.

The differences between raising money for Duke and raising money for Shaw are too great to list here. But the thing that stuck in my mind from this article described the changes in the development office at Duke over the past 30 years. In the 1980s, the development staff would gather around a table on Fridays. Then they were "were raising millions of dollars and now it's hundreds of millions." They can't have those kinds of gatherings any more because "now there are more than 200 development staff members."

Two hundred development staff! I don't think Shaw needs to add that many staff by any means. But the fact that well-funded schools understand the necessity to put out some funds in order to bring in more gifts and larger gifts is a lesson we need to learn. Seven years ago I had a conversation with a veteran fundraiser who lamented that Shaw's administration had not grasped the kind of effort that fundraising requires. We still find ourselves living with that legacy. I was shocked to hear an administrator a few years ago refer to a $25,000 donation as "a major gift." We must think bigger, expect more of our benefactors and alumni, and not be timid or embarrassed to ask those who are able to invest in the good work of this institution.

One $10 million gift and one $5 million gift are great landmarks in Shaw fundraising. But one or more gifts of that size every year would merely be a start toward building a strong financial foundation for Shaw University. Some schools are doing this very well. How can we learn from them? Even if Duke is not a good comparison, I believe that there are other peer institutions which are succeeding in this critical aspect of being a university.

Mike Broadway

Outward Calm on Campus

With students gone from campus, and with faculty mostly away, the campus shows very little outward activity. However, we know that administrators and the transition team are very busy. The conversations about the interim president and the communications director are cautiously hopeful.

One puzzling issue has been the status of the Leonard Building, home of the Wiggins Divinity Library and the Divinity School offices. Uncertainty continues about whether the building is going to be open through the summer. Closed on Friday, it reopened on Monday. Then this morning, it was locked again, only to be reopened later in the morning. I assume that this is part of the sorting out of decision-making that goes with a sudden transition like the one we are going through. It's confusing, but not really that big a deal.

The new web site welcome page looks very good. We look forward to seeing additional revised and new pages making it to the web soon. We pray for and want to support the efforts of the transition team and administrators who are focusing with renewed energy on the continued flourishing of Shaw University.

Mike Broadway

Trustees Contract with Marketing Firm

Dr. Bell wrote to all Shaw University email users to inform us that the Transition Team of the Board of Trustees has brought the university into a contractual arrangement with Tanya Wiley and her public relations company. Wiley will be Executive Director for Marketing and Public Relations, a new division of the Shaw University administration. She will work to improve the systems for communication within the university, and she will help to develop a marketing plan for the growth of the university. We look forward to learning more about how her work will help the university move forward.

The text of the letter appears below.

June 2, 2009

Dear Members of the Shaw Family:

As we move forward in this time of transition, with a goal of creating an even stronger community, it is imperative that we vastly improve our communications - both internally and to the outside world.

In order to achieve our goals and objectives, the University has contracted with WCP Communications - a globally recognized communications firm. WCP Communications' Chairman and CEO, Tanya Wiley, will directly oversee this process.

Ms. Wiley has worked as a transition specialist and consultant, specializing in business valuations, business acquisitions, marketing, advertising and related fields. She currently owns and operates WC Publishing Co., Inc., (a full service printing and publishing company), WC & Associates, LLC (a real estate development/property management firm, WC Consulting (a consulting firm specializing in crisis management and business/organizational development) and WCP Communications (a full service marketing, advertising. and public relations firm).

She holds a bachelors degree in English and Political Science from Winston Salem State University. Wiley aiso obtained her paralegal certification from George Washington University, and is a member of the Society of Certified Business Entrepreneurs. She holds numerous certifications for business studies and coursework. Wiley is a graduate of the Leadership America North Carolina Class of 2004 and is a 2008/2009 graduate of the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women's class.

Tanya Wiley has served as the editor for several published projects and has written two books which are scheduled for release in 2009/2010: Taming the Best "Unleashing Your Hidden Potential" and God Likes A Cheerful Giver "How To Effectively Market Through Giving and Getting Referrals."

Ms. Wiley will serve as the Executive Director for Shaw University's New Marketing
and Public Relations Division. She will be contacting you soon about various efforts
we will be undertaking in order to streamline, improve, and accentuate our
communications efforts.

Join me in welcoming Ms. Wiley to the Shaw family.

Sincerely,

Dr. Joseph Bell
Chairman, Transition Team

Interim President Named for Shaw University

This announcement was made public today. It looks like we have a person with extensive and appropriate experience to watch over us while we move forward.

For Immediate Release
June 2, 2009
Media Contact: Tanya Wiley, WCP Communications®
Phone: 336-765-0049 / 919-546-8250
shawu@wcpcommunications.com


Shaw University Names Dr. Dorothy Cowser Yancy Interim President
(Raleigh, NC) – Attorney Willie E. Gary, Chairman of the Shaw University Board of Trustees, has named Dr. Dorothy Cowser Yancy as Shaw University’s Interim President, effective immediately. Dr. Yancy becomes the first female president in the University’s 144 year history.

“Dr. Yancy’s qualifications as a university president are second to none anywhere in the nation, or in the world for that matter,” said Chairman Gary.

Dr. Yancy served 14 years as the president of Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC. While there, she ran two successful capital campaigns, and raised over $145 million for the University. She also increased the institution’s endowment from $14 million to $53 million.

While under her leadership, Johnson C. Smith became the first Historically Black College or University to issue laptop computers to all students. She also led the University through two accreditations, and helped the Business and Social Work programs receive their initial accreditations.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and social science from Johnson C. Smith University, a Master of Arts degree in history from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and a Ph.D. in political science from Atlanta University (Georgia), with further study at the University of Singapore, Hampton University, Northeastern Illinois University (Chicago), Northwestern University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Dr. Yancy has earned numerous awards and received countless recognitions from a variety of groups. She was the first woman to become the Benjamin E. Mayes Lecturer at Morehouse College. In 2008, she was inducted into the Women’s History Hall of Fame by the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs and the Levine Museum of the South.

For more information, contact Tanya Wiley at 336-345-2628.

Transition Update May 25, 2009

The following update on the transition to a new administration was distributed broadly today.



Transition Team Works to Name Interim President as Summer Session Progresses

The Shaw University Transition Team has been working tirelessly in order to ensure that a well-qualified Interim President is named, and that Shaw University's business and academic activities continue seamlessly during the transition.

The Team has met with a variety of individuals over the past week, including many deans, directors, department chairs, and other identified stakeholders, in an effort to gather information and gain multiple viewpoints concerning the current status of the University.

The team's primary mission is the selection of an Interim President. Dr. Joseph Bell, who serves as Chairman of the Transition Team, said "We have been reviewing resumes and doing full due diligence. We need to go through this process carefully . . . it cannot be flawed." The University will close out the fiscal year at the end of June, therefore identifying someone who can oversee that process is a priority.

The Transition Team has determined that the Interim President will likely serve 12-18 months, so they are proceeding cautiously in order to ensure smooth transitions into and out of the Interim President's tenure.

A Presidential Search Committee of the Board of the Trustees has been formed and will expand to include members of faculty, staff, students, and alumni. There will also be special advisors to
the search committee who will assist with the overall process. The committee is led by Dr. David C. Forbes, who has served on the Board of Trustees for 24 years.

Transition Team

(all Transition Team Members serve on the Shaw University Board of Trustees)

Dr. Joseph N. Bell, Chair
Dr. David C. Forbes
Dr. Maria Spaulding
Dr. James Nelson
Dr. Geneva Chavis
Mr. Thomas Elzey
Mr. Thomas Darden
Dr. Lorenzo Williams

Prioritizing Through Shared Sacrifices

In one of many team meetings, Attorney Willie E. Gary, who serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Shaw University said, "We are a community of distinguished scholars, talented students, dedicated faculty and staff, who are defined by our ideas and discoveries not by our financial resources."

And as such, when asked about Shaw University's debt, the Chairman of the Transition Team said, "Our challenge is to confront the new economic realities and intelligently adapt ourselves to them." He continued, "There is debt, but debt is part of doing business, and this university is a business. As long as the debt is both manageable and affordable, it is not necessarily a negative."

Even in a strong economy, financial sacrifices are often required. Shaw University faces the challenge of confronting new economic realities and intelligently adapting to them. The current economic environment dictates that the University be prudent in its financial management and that all Shaw University family share in this responsibility.

Right-sizing the University is necessary, and further staff downsizing may be inevitable. On May 21, 2009, the Transition Team, and the Finance Committee of the Board of Trustees announced that there would be no university-wide furloughs at this time. Although downsizing is still a possibility, University officials are exploring more creative and equitable ways to deal with the deficit.

The Transition Team stressed that they are working very hard to preserve as much staff as possible, but there is a recognition that sacrifices will need to be made. The Team added that, while there is a hiring freeze, some key positions that have been vacated will be filled.

Over the next few months, the budget situation will continue to evolve, both in scope and complexity. Although Shaw University must meet the challenges with an appropriate sense of urgency, the Transition Team has said that they must also act with unity of purpose.

"The engagement and support of the entire Shaw University family will be essential to our ability to respond in a timely way to changing circumstances, and I am committed to communicating with our Shaw family as frequently as I am able on issues of importance to the University's future," said Dr. Bell.

Questions or comments? E-mail transitionteam@shawu.edu or call (919) 546-8300.

Memo: Five Priorities to Improve Faculty Morale

Quoted Document:

FIVE PRIORITIES FOR LIFTING FACULTY MORALE AND PRODUCTIVITY

This document was created by Dr. James Nelson, Jr. after input from twelve senior professors at Shaw

As you know, faculty members currently have no independent mechanism to recommend and effect change. Even our department, school, and general faculty meetings usually function as instruments to disseminate information from the top. The result is that great ideas informally discussed among a few teachers rarely get a chance to be collectively discussed or adopted.

Nevertheless, twelve faculty members in the last few weeks contemplated five priorities needed to improve faculty morale and productivity at Shaw University. Having found that teachers at Shaw often expend much energy either in expressing anger and resentment, or in suppressing those emotions to keep their job, we sought to visualize what outstanding work faculty could accomplish if their presence at Shaw evoked more positive emotions. To begin progress toward such a vision, our group generated the ideas presented below.


1. Restore yearly contracts, multi-year contracts and tenure

➢ Goal: To support long-term commitment in employees.

Our at-will clause states that “both you and Shaw reserve the right to end the employment relationship at any time.” This statement provides no process to address arbitrary decisions, stifles creativity, and ultimately destroys the bond a teacher has in students and the administration. The result is often mutual exploitation, where many feel the administration is using implied intimidation to exercise control and where the faculty may retaliate by legally quitting any time during the school year. Both actions work to the detriment of students. We suggest the bond between faculty and the institution should be one of mutual respect, trust and devotion. Contracts and tenure have been time tested ways that support excellence.

2. Utilize an Evaluation System to enhance faculty salaries

➢ Goal: To reward the services of those who have contributed dearly to Shaw University.

Faculty morale is decimated by the numerous rumors and gossip circulating around campus about new hires, staff, and even secretaries receiving monetary rewards far in excess of existing faculty. In order to ensure commitment, our long term, dedicated teachers need to feel that their services are valued and rewarded. Several suggestions offered by faculty include an annual salary review and publication of a salary scale based on merit which would take faculty rank and years of experience into consideration. Several faculty expressed dismay that the administration has not developed procedures that match their statements of the last few years about salary equity.

3. Institute a maximum twelve semester hour teaching load

➢ Goal: To allow faculty time to pursue other important University goals, such as research, service projects, committee work, and student-oriented initiatives.

A twelve semester hour teaching load is a universal standard that many believe enables a faculty to carry on other necessary enrichment activities valuable to the University. Many faculty members attempt to supplement their low salary by doing overloads. Some faculty reported they taught overloads but never received overload pay. Some deplored the new rules in January restricting or eliminating overload pay after the Fall, 2006 overload work was already done. Others resented that part-time, lesser qualified faculty were sometimes paid more than regular faculty for teaching the same overload courses. We also recommend that the overload pay policy be addressed since the pay is far below that of comparable institutions of higher education.

4. Include the faculty in the employment process

➢ Goal: To allow all faculty members to feel they have a stake in the growth of Shaw University.

Almost all in-house positions on campus are filled by administrators who select their desired person. Most times this is done without informing any other faculty of the vacancy or any apparent public attempt to find the best person. The result is that many faculty members neither feel appreciated nor do they have a stake in the growth of our University. Several faculty members suggested that all faculty be informed of and be able to apply for in-house positions. The faculty also felt that external positions should be advertised not only on Shaw’s web site, but in a national publication, such as the “Chronicle of Higher Education”. Faculty finally felt that each area should have an employment committee that should be consulted before finalizing new employment within their area.

5. Restore the Faculty Senate

➢ Goal: To institute proper respect and consideration for the ideas of faculty.

Our group feels that teachers are given little opportunity to get involved in the decision- making process of the university. Faculty must have input in establishing the agenda of faculty meetings. Faculty felt they must have a place where they can voice their concerns, concerns such as the very unhygienic conditions in the Tupper building, lack of cleanliness in many of our other buildings, lack of effective boards, chalk and erasers, huge potholes on campus damaging their cars, and the low quality of many students on campus. Many felt that it is important that the administration create a sense of involvement of the faculty. Faculty representation is mandated by SACS and will make the faculty feel committed to the growth of the University and thus more willing to serve. In addition to the creation of a Faculty Senate, faculty felt that the Senate should choose representatives to serve on the President’s Cabinet and on the Board of Trustees.

Email: Five Priorities for Lifting Faculty Morale

Quoted Document:

From: Nelson Jr., James
Sent: Monday, October 01, 2007 10:42 AM
To: Faculty; Library
Cc: Newsome, Dr. Clarence G.; Perry, Martel; Thomas, Dr. Herman; Banks, Deogratias; Crawford, Diane
Subject: Five Priorities for Lifting Faculty Morale

Attachment: <>

During the last few weeks, twelve senior faculty members at Shaw University discussed five priorities to improve faculty morale and productivity. The attached report is full of recommendations that will help Shaw grow into the glorious institution we all desire. We seek faculty who firmly, yet respectfully, ask our University to adopt these priorities.

While some may dismiss these priorities as just another criticism of our administration, they are not written to disparage our fine administrators who probably love Shaw as much as we do. In particular, an initial discussion with our Vice President, Dr. Herman Thomas, indicates him to be a concerned, decent man who will support the broad outline of these priorities.

Instead, these priorities are written because we admire our faculty. It saddens us to see so many loyal faculty members at Shaw relegated into low paid jobs where they get dreadful respect, trust, or support. It further dismays us to watch teachers expend much energy either in expressing anger and resentment, or in suppressing those emotions to keep their job. We sought to visualize what outstanding work faculty could accomplish if their presence at Shaw evoked more positive emotions. These recommendations are provided to elicit these positive emotions.

Unfortunately, when faculty members acquiesce without resistance, we align ourselves with the very forces that seek to deny us participation in our university. This acquiescence further assures these forces that we are not worthy. As a consequence, they become emboldened into imposing even harsher sacrifices and penalties on faculty.

We urge all faculty members to do at least two of three simple, non-threatening, yet courageous acts:

(1) Write a letter to our President, Dr. Clarence Newsome, and other top administrators, indicating your support for the priorities and urge the administrators to adopt them;

(2) Introduce motions and suggestions at all future campus meetings involving faculty to discuss and approve recommendations in the priorities, such as

“I move that this area recommends the University reinstates the Faculty Senate by December 1, 2007”

“I recommend that Faculty Salaries be placed on the agenda of our next meeting”

“I propose that Faculty Loads and Overloads be placed on our agenda today”

“I move that this area recommends that the University abolish at-will appointment letters and reinstate a minimum one-year contract by March, 2008”

“I recommend that the University restores faculty input into the governance of the University by December 1, 2007”;

(3) Volunteer to serve on a committee of faculty that will coordinate all further efforts to improve faculty morale and productivity.

When we do these simple acts, we take the first steps that demonstrate our sincere desire to be an integral part in making this University great.

Simple, Non-Threatening, Courageous Acts

This week I received a forwarded email discussing concerns of some faculty at Shaw University. It was an invitation to a conversation. I was not part of meetings from which the document emerged, but I like very much what it had to say and how it said it.

Part of the difficulty university faculty face, whether at Shaw or elsewhere, is the time and opportunity to discuss and act on matters pertinent to their work and the work of the school. When these opportunities are not structured into university life, faculty find themselves relying on the conversations in the hallways, in the parking lots, and at the coffee pots. These fragmented conversations often elicit important ideas, but the bits and pieces of progress lie unresolved or even dormant, while the day-to-day concerns preoccupy our thoughts and energies.

Now and then, these scraps of communal discernment find their way into a document. Some such documents are carefully worded and diplomatic. Yet if there is no energy or structure to keep them moving, the conversation may not go anywhere. Other times, a faculty member may shoot off a hot letter to vent frustration. This often results in a crisis of relationships that forecloses further conversation.

The document "Five Priorities to Improve Faculty Morale" is not the kind of statement that should cut off dialogue. It is composed in reasonable language with appropriate respect for the conversation partners. It does not pretend that all is well, nor does it demonize people by singling them out as the cause of problems. It asks for conversation on important topics, and it expresses a set of priorities clearly. By showing respect and explaining reasons, "Five Priorities" offers to continue a conversation rather than to drop a bomb and see who are the casualties.

It would be pointless to ask for conversation on the pretense that faculty members have not already come to some conclusions of their own about how to improve the university and their place in its work. This document is direct on a number of issues such as at-will employment, contracts and tenure, hiring processes, structures of faculty governance, faculty workload, and compensation. Who would be surprised that these are on the agenda? Acknowledging them is a key step toward addressing them. Thus, by being specific, the "Five Priorities" helps establish the ground for a robust conversation.

Additionally, "Five Priorities" clarifies for the faculty that our role in the university is never as passive recipients of action, nor merely as responders to the work of others. We also are initiators of the work that makes a university what it must be.

All who have studied the history of universities would know that they began as gatherings of students in cities where groups of teachers had congregated. The essence of a university resides in its faculty's capacity to preserve, pass on, and create the knowledge which allows humanity to thrive.

Over the centuries, innovations have led to administrative units which structure that process so that students and public communities can better benefit from the university's work. Therefore the modern university depends on both administration and faculty to assure its effective work. They must work together. Even if they have not been at odds, in isolation they will be hindered from accomplishing all that they can. The "Five Priorities" asks faculty to take initiative to deal with matters which for many seem to have been delayed for too long.

I have been considering launching this blog since late June. The time now seems right. It is not a perfect medium, but I hope it can be useful. Perhaps it will provide a setting where topics of concern and interest to our faculty can be examined and discussed. It may be that some better way to have this conversation will emerge, and rest assured that I have no vested interest in being in charge of the conversation. For now, I look forward to seeing your comments and interactions.

With this commendation, let me encourage you to review the document. Ask a colleague for a copy if you have not seen it. I hope to include it on this site in future postings.