First Harvard, Then . . . Case?

Oh, things are afoot at CWRU. Things are afoot:

Dear Faculty:

Yesterday we learned from Harvard, which certainly IS one of the most powerful learning environments in the world, that faculty can ultimately take appropriate responsibility for responding to severe problems in University governance. The threat of a vote of non-confidence in the President by their college of arts and sciences, which was predicated on management issues there that pale in comparison to those we have had to deal with here over the past three years---which have had a disastrous effect on our budget, on faculty morale, and on the strength of our research and teaching enterprise---ultimately led the president of Harvard to resign.

I, and many of my colleagues, feel that it is time that we no longer remain silent about these things. I know there are several groups around the university that are considering mobilizing. However, learning from the Harvard experience, it is clear that the College of Arts and Sciences, which is in many ways the intellectual heart of the University, can have a dramatic impact by acting on its own.

I am therefore hoping to request that a meeting of the College faculty take place, according to the bylaws of the College, to consider a vote of non-confidence in the President and the Provost, and to relay the results of this vote to the Trustees. The proposed resolution which will be voted on at that meeting will read: "The faculty of the college of arts and science expresses its lack of confidence in the ability of the President and Provost to effectively lead the University, and recommends that the Board of Trustees take appropriate action based on this vote ."

To call such a meeting, our bylaws require a petition to the dean signed by no fewer than 10 percent of the voting members of the faculty. Thus, if you are interested in signing such a petition please send me an email. I have already received verbal support from a wide group of faculty, and will alert you all when the email threshold has been crossed. Also, because I do not have access to a current A&S complete faculty email list the list I am using is somewhat out of date. If you know of people who are not on this list (which is circa 2003 and therefore does not include faculty appointed since that time), please forward this to them.

Lawrence M. Krauss
Ambrose Swasey Prof of Physics and Prof. of Astronomy
Director, Center for Education and Research in Cosmology and Astrophysics.

That smile, that smile . . . that's how he smiles just before he calls for a no confidence vote. And sticks the knife in. (Now, this is a homepage. Not very humble, is he?) So, whaddya hear, Paul?