Pilarz to step down

[PBRme]

How many tenured faculty have been replaced in the last year.... or ten years.

[Pakuni]

How many tenured faculty have been replaced in the last year.... or ten years.

That's kind of a vague question.
Nationally? At Marquette? At the university level or across all educational levels?

[PBRme]

How about MU but I doubt if quantitatively it is much different nationally (if you exclude those removed by forces outside the University or for nonperformance related reasons such as inappropriate behavior with a student, etc)

[Pakuni]

How about MU but I doubt if quantitatively it is much different nationally (if you exclude those removed by forces outside the University or for nonperformance related reasons such as inappropriate behavior with a student, etc)

For some reason I don't have instant access to Marquette's personnel files.
According to the NEA, though, about 2 percent of tenured faculty are dismissed annually.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Theories as to his departure circulating campus this morning:

1.       He was not a good fund raiser – and introverted
2.       He did not interact well with the Jesuit community
3.       He was not liked by the students and faculty
4.       He did not attend the MU basketball games regularly – actually very infrequently
5.       the above could all be horse manure

6.        He got "Chucked"?

[brandx]

Not really...he issued additional clarifying comments the very next day, of course the media didn't pick those up....shocking.  At the end of the day, I doubt MU is ever going to have a President that supports abortion, which is very much not Feingold & Feinstein. 

This is why a politician does matter truly in the debate for a Catholic university...it gets down the core beliefs of Catholicism.  You would have such a backlash it would be incredible.  http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Russell_Feingold_Abortion.htm

I hope you are not naïve enough to believe what you just wrote. Notre Dame has had no problem having pro-choice commencement speakers - it was only when Obama was chosen that they decided to "stand up for their beliefs".

[ChicosBailBonds]

I hope you are not naïve enough to believe what you just wrote. Notre Dame has had no problem having pro-choice commencement speakers - it was only when Obama was chosen that they decided to "stand up for their beliefs".

Uhm, I think we were talking about leading the university as the president, not having someone come in and speak for an hour to graduates.  I fail to see how those to are comparable.  MU has pro choice professors, for that matter.  I don't think the MU community would go for a pro-choice president leading the university. 

[drewm88]

 Additionally, the university could tie it's "rankings" to outcomes of students performance....where and how many have jobs, median incomes, and humanitarian works.

How do you plan to measure humanitarian works? If we're tying rankings to outcomes, we need to have a clear understanding of outcomes.

Also, income is a tricky measure. Different careers pay different amounts, and many are completely happy with pursuing a lower-paying one.

[drewm88]

One person has to do what best for the university and fund raise (the president) and another has to run it (chancellor/provost).  You job description :

"involved in real estate decisions?  You want him talk to real estate brokers and reviewing building plans with developers?  Or does someone else do that he meets well heeled people when their private plans lands at Mitchell about putting their name on it?

You really want the President to hire all the administrators?  You want him spending his time reviewing resumes and negotiating pay?  Or, would you rather have him to be the last interview of the person that has already been picked for the job, giving him a broad veto only.

updating and enforcing university policies?  You want him riding around with public safety?  I thought the Deans enforce policy.  Yes he can sit in on high level meetings (which are infrequent) in setting policy.  But does he have to get involved in a discussion about .1 or .08 alcohol limit?

a liason with the city of Milwaukee.  You want him talking to local representatives about campustown garbage pickup?  Or do you only want him to get involved at high levels when necessary?  Like a problem develops and they University needs something from the City.  So, he only liason's with the Mayor and talks to the Mayor when the issues rise to that level.

serving as a liason with the Society of Jesus.  What if he is a layperson?

---

All of these things you describe are very important.  But a University like MU is a big and complicated place.  More than one person needs to so all these things.  More than 2 might be needed for what you describe.

That's why the provost is one of nine people who report directly to the President at Marquette. http://www.marquette.edu/president/images/ULC-ORG-CHART.png A provost runs the academic part of a university. There's a whole lot more to do than just that. The President's job is to worry about the top-level things in every area, including the academic part.

[mu-rara]

Yes!  

In his last year, Fr. Raynor met with me after I wrote an editorial in the MU Tribune critical of his lack of visibility on campus.  He mentioned that fundraising was his primary responsibility. However he stepped down six months later.

I think a high visibility, high energy, strong personality is important for the job (like an MU BBall coach). Helps draw attention and separates us from the pack. Love him or hate him, but Gordon Gee is a great protoype.

I remember Fr. Raynor to be pretty visible (78-82).  May have been age creeping up on him as he was closer to retirement.  He was the prototype President for his time.

[Eldon]

The notion of tenure is certainly not obsolete.  Tenured professors can (and apparently 2% do) get fired.  They can get fired for things like stealing from the university, inappropriate contact with a student, sexual harassment, and probably more common, not meeting the very basics of the contract (eg, a professor simply does not show up to teach any of his classes).

There are indeed professors (from my experience, a small minority) who get tenure and then almost immediately stop researching and do the bare minimum of teaching needed to make sure they don't get reprimanded.

[GGGG]

Trying to stay on topic ....

The President is a figurehead.  He is the guy (or gal) that makes the key phone call, and closes the deal with the VERY wealthy to put their name on the side of buildings.  He does this because he typical already has a relationship with them, and has for years, because he already traffics in those circles.  The Provost actually runs the school (and MU is also looking for that position too).  The University President helps pick the Provost.

That is why a politician is a good fit, and why many University presidents are former politicians.  Scott Walker and/or Paul Ryan would be very good fits for MU.  Problem is neither of them are leaving their current jobs.

So Herb Kohl, Tommy Thompson, Russ Feingold, Bud Selig, or another Milwaukee/Wisconsin person that would live on Milwaukee that can get the rich and powerful to do things for MU is a good fit (i.e., the next President needs to have enough cachet that if crime becomes a problem he can get the Governor and/or Mayor of Milwaukee off the toilet at 7AM and demand they "do something," and they would by lunchtime).

So who else fits this job description?  I would argue that a CEO (like Joerres of Manpower or Falk of Kimberly Clark) are NOT good fits.  CEOs like to run things, not use their influence to make rain.

Thoughts?

Presidents are *not* figureheads.  Not by any stretch.  Do you think Wild was a figurehead?

And a politician *can* be a good fit for a university, but not because they are a politician. But because they are visionary and can get things done.  I don't think any of the ones you mention really fit that description.  Not to mention they would never hire Walker since he doesn't have a bachelor's degree much less a terminal degree.

Feingold might be something, but he is likely the wrong political fit.  He might be more interested in the vacant UW System job anyway.

[Eldon]

That's why the provost is one of nine people who report directly to the President at Marquette. http://www.marquette.edu/president/images/ULC-ORG-CHART.png A provost runs the academic part of a university. There's a whole lot more to do than just that. The President's job is to worry about the top-level things in every area, including the academic part.

+1

I see the university situation as pretty analogous to our executive branch of government.  The president has all types of advisors in addition to a chief of staff.  The provost, as I've always understood it, is similar to the role of the chief of staff in the White House.

[brewcity77]

Feingold might be something, but he is likely the wrong political fit.  He might be more interested in the vacant UW System job anyway.

Of the ones mentioned, Feingold is probably the best candidate, but I'd guess he'd be too polarizing in Wisconsin. Might be better suited to look at politicians from outside Wisconsin if the political bent is the direction they go.

[GGGG]

+1

I see the university situation as pretty analogous to our executive branch of government.  The president has all types of advisors in addition to a chief of staff.  The provost, as I've always understood it, is similar to the role of the chief of staff in the White House.

Ehh...not quite.

A Provost is more like a corporate Chief Operating Officer.

[Pakuni]

The notion of tenure is certainly not obsolete.  Tenured professors can (and apparently 2% do) get fired.  They can get fired for things like stealing from the university, inappropriate contact with a student, sexual harassment, and probably more common, not meeting the very basics of the contract (eg, a professor simply does not show up to teach any of his classes).

There are indeed professors (from my experience, a small minority) who get tenure and then almost immediately stop researching and do the bare minimum of teaching needed to make sure they don't get reprimanded.

Agreed.
The irony here is that the people who complain most about tenure - political conservatives - are the people most likely to benefit from it, at least at the post-secondary level. Tenure protects a right-leaning professor from being dismissed because his political views run counter to the more prevalent (i.e. left-leaning) opinions within the faculty.

[tower912]

Tenure exists primarily to insulate faculty from hair-trigger, reactionary, politically motivated, personally motivated firings by administrators who are new, easily offended, or have an agenda.    It protects them from the big donor who was offended by a book/paper/commentary/political position and threatens the university if the professor isn't fired.     God bless tenure and the protection of academic freedom. 

[forgetful]

The notion of tenure is obsolete.  You would need to believe that every person granted tenure would stay on top of there field, not get burned out, lazy, etc.  

The dead wood has to be cleared out periodically or it affects the entire organization and Education is a prime example of this at all levels.

Get rid of tenure and prepare to double faculty salaries.  The notion of job security and academic freedom (without fear of reprisal) is what attracts brilliant individuals into academia.  They often turn down double the salary from industry for these benefits.  If you remove the benefits, they will need to compete with industry for salary.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Theories as to his departure circulating campus this morning:

1.       He was not a good fund raiser – and introverted
2.       He did not interact well with the Jesuit community
3.       He was not liked by the students and faculty
4.       He did not attend the MU basketball games regularly – actually very infrequently
5.       the above could all be horse manure

Well I can tell you for sure that number 3 is completely true. A lot of my friends were rejoicing when they heard that he was stepping down. Not really well liked by students for one reason or another.

[GGGG]

This is a complete guess with no inside knowledge whatsoever.

He simply was a poor fit for many of the reasons stated.  Many benefactors complained and/or cut off their funding.  The BOT cut their losses and forced him out.

His stated reason is complete bullsh*t.  No one starts an academic year and decides three weeks later they need a new calling.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Agreed.
The irony here is that the people who complain most about tenure - political conservatives - are the people most likely to benefit from it, at least at the post-secondary level. Tenure protects a right-leaning professor from being dismissed because his political views run counter to the more prevalent (i.e. left-leaning) opinions within the faculty.

What is this creature you talk of....does such a creature exist?  Sounds like the Hydra or other mythological creature.   

[ChicosBailBonds]

Get rid of tenure and prepare to double faculty salaries.  The notion of job security and academic freedom (without fear of reprisal) is what attracts brilliant individuals into academia.  They often turn down double the salary from industry for these benefits.  If you remove the benefits, they will need to compete with industry for salary.

Yes, it also preserves less than brilliant ones, as well.  Sort of like a teachers union...the good ones are great, the bad ones can't get fired often preventing the good (young ones) a chance.  Goes both ways.

[PuertoRicanNightmare]

This is a complete guess with no inside knowledge whatsoever.

He simply was a poor fit for many of the reasons stated.  Many benefactors complained and/or cut off their funding.  The BOT cut their losses and forced him out.

His stated reason is complete bullsh*t.  No one starts an academic year and decides three weeks later they need a new calling.

If it was a poor fit, the BOT would've recognized this earlier and either let him go over the summer or waited until the end of the school year. In other words, why is it a poor fit now? The suddenness of the departure is what screams that something is amiss.

[mu03eng]

How do you plan to measure humanitarian works? If we're tying rankings to outcomes, we need to have a clear understanding of outcomes.

Also, income is a tricky measure. Different careers pay different amounts, and many are completely happy with pursuing a lower-paying one.

Joys of big data on all of this.

MU could offer a website where potential students can pick career field and geographical location and then MU could report out both it's alumni information as well as the averages in the field.

Humanitarian works could be counted in community service hours, dollars donated, etc.

To gather all this data you would need the alumni base supplying their information, which is a potential issue, but if you frame it as a positive way to support and be proud of the university I bet you'd get a lot of support.  Plus depending on the information you collect it could be a good networking and collaboration tool for alumni.

[mu03eng]

If it was a poor fit, the BOT would've recognized this earlier and either let him go over the summer or waited until the end of the school year. In other words, why is it a poor fit now? The suddenness of the departure is what screams that something is amiss.

It doesn't have to be anything seedy....perhaps he pissed off a big donor in the last 3 weeks and the BOT said enough, we've got basketball season coming up we can't let this go any longer.  Something about a camel and straw or something.