Vermont Business Magazine This weekend the Vermont State Colleges United Professionals, The VSEA Staff Federation, and the faculty assemblies of all four Vermont State Colleges overwhelmingly voted "No Confidence" in Chancellor Jeb Spaulding. These votes have been under consideration for several weeks, but Friday's announced plan to close three campuses increased their urgency.
Linda Olson, Vice President of Higher Education for AFT Vermont stated "There are many reasons for this vote of no confidence, but the most important is that Chancellor Spaulding has repeatedly made decisions without adequate consultation, without a thorough analysis of the data and without thoughtful consideration of the long-term consequences."
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Chancellor Spaulding's proposal for restructuring, which was released on Friday and was slated for a vote today, but has since been postponed:
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Restricts practical access to liberal arts and professional four-year degree programs for students in the more rural areas of the state.
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Was developed without full transparency or enough input from relevant stakeholders.
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Was made precipitously, as crucial data regarding federal and state funding are yet to be available.
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Includes no detail for how such action could be unfolded and executed in a manner that would address anticipated administrative, academic program, faculty and staff, and student transition issues, or in fact, simple details of whether his proposal is even logistically sound.
According to Kate Gold, President of the VSC United Professionals, AFT Vermont "We are dismayed with the Chancellor's representation of the needs of the Colleges to the legislature. Representatives from the unions have listened in as the Chancellor testified before both the House and Senate Education Committees. He presented no clear asks of legislators since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic."
Other reasons cited for the vote include the consolidation of the payroll system (Ultipro) that caused massive payroll and benefits problems, the fact that the campuses were told to start the process of notifying current and prospective NVU students that they would be moving to Castleton prior to a vote by the Board of Trustees, and the way in which Chancellor Spaulding consistently refers to the VSCS as "the corporation" and talks about the bottom line.
Olson also commented that "Spaulding's lack of appreciation for the unique role the Vermont State Colleges play in Vermont communities, their impact on our students and communities, and the future of Vermont make it clear he is not up to the task at hand. The Chancellor wants to retreat at a time when we need vision. The colleges should be central to the recovery from Covid-19.
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The American Federation of Teachers is a union of professionals that champions fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public education, healthcare and public services for our students, their families and our communities. We are committed to advancing these principles through community engagement, organizing, collective bargaining and political activism, and especially through the work our members do. In Vermont, American Federation of Teachers represents professionals in health care and higher education. http://vt.aft.org/ |
Source:American Federation of Teachers 4.20.2020