[AAUP-ULL-List] UL Lafayette AAUP Chapter resolution condemning the search process for a new Provost

[Keith Dorwick]

Dear Dr. Henderson:

I am the President of the AAUP Chapter of the University of Louisiana at
Lafayette, and a member of both the University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Graduate Faculty and Faculty Senate.

I am writing you at the behest of our AAUP Chapter concerning a matter of
grave importance to the health of our institution: the last minute
candidacy that has popped up less than a week ago for the position of
Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, a matter that has been
mostly shrouded in silence and a lack of communication from administration.
(While the search has been going on for several years now, this candidacy
is repeating a last minute attempt at a hire at the end of the 2016-2017
school year, at which point the search collapsed)

On Wednesday, one week ago, faculty received a mass email from President
Savoie announcing a last minute then unnamed candidate for the position of
Provost, who turned out to Dr. Jaimie Hebert, President of Georgia Southern
University. That campus visit would fall on the second to last week of
classes, a very busy time for faculty. On Friday of last week (a half day
for us, giving us even less time to respond) we received notice of two
sessions on Monday and Tuesday, in which faculty or "anyone interested" in
the search could attend.

The resolution attached does not discuss the qualities of Dr. Hebert for
the position of Provost. Instead, it addresses a much more grave concern,
that this last minute attempt to hire a candidate for the position of
Provost is misguided and will further increase the growing tensions between
faculty and the administration, and especially those with Dr. Savoie, a
relationship that is already deeply strained. A hurried, unthinking last
minute campus visit from a candidate during our second to last week of
classes is only going to make faculty morale here--already the lowest I
have seen with the exception of a few years under a previous Provost--much,
much worse.

As members of the AAUP, we are requesting that you intervene and require
Dr. Savoie to nominate an interim Provost and then, in Fall 2018, on a
timely basis, revisit the issue of the Provost when all faculty and other
interested parties can fully participate. We would have addressed this to
Dr. Savoie directly, but we feared we would not be heard.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Sincerely yours,

Dr. Keith Dorwick
Professor of English
Faculty Senator
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette
President, University of Lafayette Local Chapter of the AAUP
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