Saying he wishes higher education could feasibly do a lot of the things it has done in the past, Emporia State Provost Brent Thomas joined KVOE’s On-Air Chat on Wednesday to discuss the university’s reinvestment work and recent criticisms from the American Association of University Professors.
The AAUP’s 16-page report, released Monday, was highly critical of Emporia State’s plan, calling it a “direct assault” on academic freedom and tenure while challenging ESU’s statement the move was based on extreme financial hardship. It also said the Board of Regents didn’t do their due diligence on Emporia State’s finances and it should not have reopened an application window for universities to take advantage of a COVID-based emergency policy allowing them to cut faculty without due process.
Thomas says Emporia State is facing a “challenging future,” based on a continued trend of declining enrollment and past budget cuts, what he called “non-strategic.” And he says Emporia State is not alone.
Thomas says enrollment and financial position played roles in ESU’s decision on programs, which then led to staff.
Since the university’s Framework for Workforce Management was approved by the Kansas Board of Regents in September, ESU has made numerous reinvestment announcements, including the most recent — a reconfiguration of programs into a new list of schools as well as a new Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies — as well as a new nursing and student wellness center, new programs and new or revived positions. Now that the new structure is in place, Thomas says the focus now is how to make everything work for students and the university.
The Framework led to the dismissals of over 30 faculty and staff, many of whom were tenured professors, although three professors — Rob Catlett, Michael Behrens and Amanda Miracle — had their appeals upheld by the state’s Office of Administrative Hearings. It also led to the end of the debate program.
