Thursday, June 25, 2020

Something is rotten in Iowa

The headline of an editorial by Lyz Lenz, from The Gazette (Cedar Rapids): “The University of Iowa fires instructors and tells the rest to get back to the classroom.” A few choice details, my paraphrasing:

~ Bruce Harreld, the school’s president, promised in May to protect the well-being of students, staff, and faculty. But the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has fired fifteen instructors and is planning for in-person classes in the fall. And Steve Goddard, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has encouraged a woman of color with an autoimmune condition to seek counseling and return to the classroom, because she’s a “role model.”

~ Harreld’s yearly salary: $590,000. Goddard’s yearly salary: $372,000. The average yearly salary of the instructors who have been fired: $45,000.

~ Meanwhile, UI is hiring another dean. Lenz gives the starting salary as $350,000. But in the university’s job listings, the salary has jumped to $375,000.

This one small story captures much of what’s wrong with higher education: enormous administrative salaries, administrative bloat, and contempt for those who do the work of teaching, worsened here by a refusal to take a medical condition seriously when it affects a woman of color. As Lenz wrote on Twitter, “die for your job” seems to be the University of Iowa’s message to instructors. The university seems to be sending a similar message to its students.

Thanks to Daughter Number Three for pointing me to Lenz’s commentary.

A related post
College, anyone? (My 2¢ on reopening in the fall)

[I’ve added a link to a video chat with the dean’s advice. It’s worth watching.]

comments: 2

Anonymous said...

Hmm, i think this Dean needs some training on how to respond to questions especially ones that have several layers to it! I always liked to use, "I don't know but I would be more than happy to research and get back to you" or "that's a good question that might be better to discuss off-line so we can decide how to move forward" not tell someone that they need to deal with their anxiety!!!

At my undergraduate school, they are working with the county health department to determine how the university will re-open, how students will be spaced in on campus housing, how meals will be handled, etc.

The alumni association is hosting a series of calls with alumni, parents, students to present information about the upcoming semester. You can tell from the calls that everyone is on the same page and starts at the top with the university president in conjunction with the student health center, etc.

Kirsten

Michael Leddy said...

Are they looking for a dean? :)

My standard reply to questions I couldn’t answer on the spot when teaching: “That’s a good question. Let me see what I can find out.” And then I did. This dean seems interested in placating questioners rather than answering their questions.

I hope things go well at your school. My preference, even though I intensely dislike “distance education,” would be an online fall. I can only imagine what it’s like for parents thinking about sending someone off to campus for the fall.