Over 50 CCRI Faculty Call Hughes’ Leadership “Challenging and Distressing”
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
More than 50 faculty and staff at the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) signed a letter calling the past year under President Meghan Hughes "challenging and distressing" - and a back and forth between Hughes and faculty has ensued.
"Dear Council [on Post-Secondary Education] Members and President Hughes," stated the letter dated May 1, signed by the respondents. "This past year at CCRI has been extremely challenging and distressing for many faculty and staff which has prompted us to write this letter."
SLIDES: See Letter to Hughes and Council BELOW
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST"Specifically, the budget, planning and lack of co-governance are troubling...the lack of co-governance is particularly worrisome," wrote the more than fifty faculty and staff members of Hughes, who was hired at the end of 2015.
Unrelated, the letter was soon followed by a vote by the CCRI Student Senate to censure and express "no confidence" in Hughes, as reported by the Warwick Beacon on June 22.
Hughes' Retort
In documents obtained by GoLocal, Hughes responded on May 24 to the letter that questioned recent top-level hires, and their costs, under her administration.
In a communication to CCRI English Professor Debra Lilli, Hughes acknowledged the content of the letter -- but levied her own disputes.
Dear Deb,
I am writing to affirm that I have received your May 1 letter addressed to the Council on Postsecondary Education and me.
Given that multiple people who signed the letter have come forward to say that they were not aware of the letter’s full content, I have included it here and as an attachment. My perspective differs fundamentally from the one articulated in this letter. Since my team and I have consistently worked closely with faculty and staff on all of the initiatives outlined in the letter, I would not have anticipated the assertion that we had worked in isolation.
The letter begins by claiming that I declined to assemble a negotiating team for the faculty contract. However, there was already a team in place when I arrived in February of 2016, and the contract was largely complete. As you know, it was voted on by the CCRIFA membership in April of that year.
I am surprised by the assertion that my team and I have not engaged in college-wide meetings to share our vision and invite input. We have held open forums on all four campuses every semester, attended department meetings, held many small-group meetings with faculty, and scheduled open office hours twice a month.
Regarding the composition of my team, when I arrived at CCRI, there were six FTEs charged to the President’s office. There were also four 19-hour employees whose collective salaries totaled $240,000 charged to the President’s Office. None of these four employees is with the college today. As of March 1, 2017, there are only six FTEs charged to the President’s office, providing a savings of over $165,000. While these figures may change over time, it provides a helpful view into the actual staffing levels in the President’s Office.
As I have communicated from the beginning, I remain eager to engage with you on all important issues facing the college, and I continue to invite your participation. I look forward to continuing to hold open forums on each campus, attending department meetings, hosting small groups of faculty in my office, and holding my office hours.
Faculty Member Responds
Lilli in turn responded to Hughes' letter -- and CC'd other CCRI faculty and staff in the response.
Dear All,
I am confused and concerned about receiving a letter just addressed to me that was signed by about 56 or so other faculty. I find it intimidating, and it further justifies the reason why faculty do not speak up. And for the record, there were no faculty members duped to sign the letter because faculty never, ever sign anything as such without being sure of its intent, content, and usage. I have been on the side of collecting faculty signature, in the past for various causes, and I can tell all from firsthand experience that faculty do not attach their names to something important blindly. They also ask a million questions, and usually decline.
Rather than receiving the letter below, I would rather that the response would be a full faculty meeting with President Hughes for an open discussion, something that has never been done. Yes, there are open forums, but usually when faculty are in class, and usually only about eight to ten faculty are able to attend. Yes, President Hughes meets with small groups, but they are handpicked. I know for a fact they were handpicked in my department, and I wasn't one of them asked to represent English faculty. Yes, there are many things stated in President Hughes' response that have been done. But, when around 60 faculty met with the Strategic Planning Company Representatives, there were also so many issues brought to light that have not been addressed or discussed with faculty until after the train has been long gone. And I am wondering when those issues, which the representatives wrote down, will be brought to life with faculty as a whole group.
I signed the letter in solidarity with my colleagues for the purpose of bringing issues to light. and for President Hughes and her team, to start listening to what faculty do, what they are up against, what they believe are important issues, and how a lack of transparency affects them.
It is time for a new administration, only a year and a half old, to listen to and acknowledge what faculty issues are, and for ALL faculty to be able to work with administration in a true shared governance.
Related Slideshow: Letter to CCRI President Hughes
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