UNCA students and faculty members alike are continuing protests against personnel restructuring that led to the termination of some veteran university employees, most notably student counselor Maggie Weshner.
“The faculty is more upset than I’ve ever seen it,” says Gary Nallan, an associate professor of psychology who chairs the Faculty Senate, in a new article covering the controversy in the online journal Inside Higher Ed. Meanwhile, Chancellor Anne Ponder, who’s taken much of the heat for the dismissals, insists that “the amount of transition at this particular time is right on the middle, right on average,” when compared to previous periods.
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I agree that UNCA needs to be restructered. I am a recent graduate of UNCA and saw numerous problems during my four years there. Many of the faculty have become outdated. They might have developed followings of students that will stand behind them no matter what, but they are easily manipulated students who have little understanding of what they face outside school. Since I graduated I have not been able to find a job in my field or repay any of my student loans. This is a mark of a failing school.
Why are these students so enraged about something that will in the end benifit the quality of thier education? Some 3000 members of thier generation have died in Iraq, but have they protested about this? No.
UNCA has a duty to its students to remain up to date with changes in education. Many students work side by side with faculty and learn thier future trades from those faculty members. If a faculty member has been in a position for thirty years chances are they are unfimiliar with current practices in thier feild or the job market that the students will soon be facing.
I only hope the Anne Ponder has the ‘balls’ to stand by her decision and continues to clean up UNCA. It is unacceptable for a University to keep faculty simply because they have been there for a long. Almost everyone in todays economy is forced to change positions and/or occupations three times during thier working career.
I should also add that I have been ‘counciled’ by Maggie Weshner and found her attitude and opinions to be highly outdated. She was unable to connect with me, as I am sure she was with others. I did find councilers at UNCA who were younger and understood my situation a little better because they had worked in venues other then UNCA were councilers often don’t do much more then hold the hands of complacant youngsters who live off mommy and daddies hand-outs.
Restructuring may be the way to go at the present time at UNCA, but the administration should go about it in a very different manner. Ponder should not be so clandestine about her choices of who to fire. The student body ought to be notified as to her choices. It seems to me that there should be an open forum with the student body to determine if these faculty members should indeed be let go. If the majority of students find that these faculty members are helpful and are good teachers, their opinions should carry some wieght, as they have first hand experience with the educational style of these staff members. There may be a reason that these people have been at the University for a long while. I agree that faculty should not be kept on solely on the basis of their years of service, but if a professor still performs well, teaches well, and connects with students, firing them might be a counterproductive move. As to the comment that one hasn’t been able to find a job in their field or pay back student loans, that is not necessarily the mark of a failing school. There are several other factors contributing to these events. These include, but are not limited to, the field of study of the student; some majors don’t really lend themselves to careers, and some fields simply may not be hiring in one’s location.
In short, just because a faculty member has been teaching for a long time does not mean they should be dismissed out of hand. Also, just because a professor is young and fresh out of school doesn’t mean they are more qualified to deal with students. Merit should be the basis of whether or not to keep a professor, not age or years of service.