Two Emerson College Chairs Resign Posts Amid Discord

Two Emerson College department chairs recently resigned their posts amid the discord of contract negotiations.

BOSTON (PRWEB) April 17, 2004 --Two Emerson College department chairs resigned their posts recently amid the strong discord of negotiations between the administration and faculty. The resignations of Philip Glenn, Chair of the Organizational and Political Communication Department, and Marye Tharp, Chair of the Marketing and Health Communication Department, follow the departure of three Chief Academic Officers (CAOs) within recent years. The CAOs who resigned were, in reverse order, Dorothy Aram, Murray Schwartz and Philip Amato.

It is evident that President Liebergotts contempt for the faculty and for the colleges academic mission is having an extraordinary effect on our ability as an institution to attract and retain quality personnel," said Eiki Satake, President of the Emerson College Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (ECCAAUP). We either need a dramatic turn of events in the way the college is managed or we need a change in leadership."

In addition to an emphasis on economics over academics in the last several years, the administration has shown a grave disrespect for the faculty and for the role they play in preserving the colleges academic integrity. Since negotiations between the administration and the faculty began in September of 2003, the administration has threatened to limit the facultys role in the governance of academic affairs unless they disband the union and has chosen to negotiate only through its attorneys.

Moreover, the administration has continued to offer extremely rigid and increasingly dictatorial proposals. One such article proposed by the administration would restrict any professional or charitable work performed by faculty outside of the college unless given written permission by the administration. Another article would restrict the freedom of speech of faculty by preventing them from picketing, passing out handbills or expressing sympathy for other organized labor activity.

It is regrettable that Emerson is losing such talented department chairs," added Satake. We hope that the administration will see the unintended consequences of their actions before more faculty follow suit."

During the negotiation period both the faculty union and the faculty assembly have taken strong votes of no confidence in College President Jacqueline Liebergott and Vice President for Administration and Finance Robert Silverman. The current five-year contract between the ECCAAUP and the College expires on June 30, 2004.

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Contact:    
Owen Eagan
781-831-2494