An American Association of University Professors report out this week criticizes cuts and layoffs at the College of St. Rose in Albany, saying they resulted from “...a lack of responsible stewardship at the board and presidential levels, ” that undermined academic freedom and rendered tenure virtually meaningless.
The 17-page report chides the administration and board at the college for chopping 27 academic programs and terminating 23 tenure-line faculty positions. It says the layoffs violated academic tenure standards.
Since last May, 23 faculty members, 23 staffers and 28 programs including sociology, geology and Spanish were jettisoned. The college claims cuts were necessary to protect future viability.
The college has been in the midst of a pitched battle between the faculty and the president in recent months.
The report, available here , says the college began experiencing difficulties in October 2014, when president Dr. Carolyn Stefanco admitted St. Rose was not on solid financial footing. A $9 million budget deficit was disclosed. St. Rose faculty member Dr. Angela Ledford is vice president for the college's AAUP chapter. "They have yet to fully open the books and demonstrate that to us, after repeated requests."
A three-month “academic prioritization process” wrapped up two weeks before Christmas with affected faculty members receiving their termination notices. As enrollment continued heading down, college officials issued a statement defending the changes, saying they will "overwhelmingly benefit" students "now and in the future." "The college differentially incentivizes certain programs, meaning it gives a higher discount rate to students majoring in those programs that they are seeking, to boost enrollment in them. That's been the case for some time now. It's not something that they talk about openly and do, those enrollment numbers are skewed anyway, as a result of this."
College officials counter that the reduced or eliminated programs would impact just 4 percent of students.
Stefanco accused the AAUP investigating committee of "numerous inaccuracies and gross misrepresentations" in the 17-page paper. Committee member Professor Michael DeCesare: "As far as we're concerned the report is as accurate as it possibly could be. We spoke with more than 30 faculty and a dozen students. We communicated in writing with two former administrative officers, and everybody we spoke to kinda told us the same story, and that's what you find in the report. Unfortunately, the president didn't really give any concrete examples of the inaccuracies or gross misrepresentations."
Stefanco's relationships with students and faculty have been characterized as "confrontational" by the student newspaper, which said of the cuts and layoffs: "Saint Rose has ripped itself of its history and tradition." In February, faculty overwhelmingly voted no confidence in Stefanco.
Union organizer Sean Collins says AAUP has been holding out an olive branch: "They've been working with our union, SEIU Local 200 United, to organize and unionize at St. Rose and she's refused to meet with us. And likely a lot of the acrimony going on there could be addressed if she would meet with them and begin the process of healing and talking with them."
St. Rose officials sent an email statement in response to a request for comment, which said AAUP serves the interests of its members, not the college. The statement adds the college’s “responsibility is to serve the best interests of our students."
Dr. Ledford says the bigger finding of the AAUP inquiry... "...was that the college repeatedly violated, very clearly violated, based on evidence, our own faculty manual and our own governance document."
DeCesare confirms AAUP members may vote in June whether to add the College of St. Rose to its annual list of censured institutions: "I hate to call it a public shaming, but that's really what that list is. It serves as a warning to people who may want to try and get a job there, or go to school there.”
- POV of the college newspaper: AAUP Releases Report on the Administration Handled Cuts
