PROVOST ATTEMPTS TO SLAP DOWN UTMB SCHOOL OF NURSING UNREST

Reports are coming in that Provost Garland Anderson, with no less than President Callender in attendance, really put on the freewheeling discussion today when he met with the School of Nursing faculty over the current crisis over the faculty workload and the Lucke nonrenewal.  Coming armed with a PowerPoint presentation, he asked himself questions and then answered himself (questions and answers on the slides).  It all boiled down to, according to reports, everything at the School of Nursing is just fine, and those faculty who don't like it can just leave. 

Well, fellas, that's what they've been doing, all 34 of them so far (not to mention about the same number of staff, I'm told), with a fair number in the line-up to leave in coming months.  In fact, after your sensational, slap-down performance today, I would imagine the queue at the exit door just got longer. 

Good luck getting competitive replacements for these faculty.  Word's out. 

The Blogmeister will have a more detailed report on this episode later.

And finally, "Et tu, David?" We've been waiting for you to show your stripes for some time now. 

 

Comments

Unbelievable! In the face of evidence of the destructive leadership of Dean Watson, Provost Anderson and the UTMB President choose to punish the messengers. This is how we put people first-now it's clear!

Wasn't that the weirdest thing you have ever seen? It was unreal. I have never seen such a sight.

And the YouCount Survey data. They not only know how you answer but they had the nerve to use it against faculty. I am not one of those faculty, but surely they won't ever ask any of us to ever complete one of those again. I could not believe they used that data against faculty.

The advice, "If you don't like getting hit, get out of the way" is actually good advice. What is shocking is that UTMB Adm condones it !

Its hard to know where to start after sitting through that. They can't possibly think that those respected faculty would go to all this trouble just because they don't like this Dean as much as they liked the other one. COME ON.

This meeting was the most chauvinistic show of power I have ever seen in all my professional years! I thought I was in a time warp back somewhere in the 60s or 70s when the hierarchy was strong. Dr. Anderson's closing comment of "support the dean or look for a new job" was a blatant threat. I don't like to be threatened like that. I may have to report that.

[Anonymous]

I think it's official now. Dr. Callender plans to continue in the footsteps of Dr. Stobo. What a shame. We had such high hopes for him. The honeymoon is over. I wonder how long he will last before turning away from the dark side.

In a previous meeting with faculty, Dr. Callender mentioned the recent research indicating that a major reason people leave their jobs is because of poor leadership. See this summary: http://www.fsu.edu/news/2006/12/04/bad.boss/

Apparently Dr. Callender subscribes to the "that must apply to someone else, not me" school of management. Dr. Anderson said that all this complaining was an embarrassment. Did it not once occur to him or Dr. Callender that highly qualified professionals who love their work might have a legitimate REASON for expressing their concerns? Today's meeting made it very clear that Dr. Callender isn't really interested in hearing from faculty, no matter what he has said to the contrary. He just wants us to put up, shut up, or leave. The heavy-handed show of force was disrespectful and patronizing. People first? Apparently only if you're in administration.

I guess a few weeks ago when they took her computer hard drive they were cleaning it.

A certain group of faculty was targeted at the meeting. Some might call that retaliation, but in the good ol' state of Texas it's legal. Dr Watson can use the loopholes built into the system and tell the Master's team "it's just not working out." She can give you a non-renewing contract, or change the structure to eliminate your position, or drop the program you teach in. She can do almost anything she wants to get rid of you. It's very likely more professional careers will be destroyed before this is over. Dr. Watson must be feeling very powerful right now.

If any other Schools of Nursing are reading the blog and looking for faculty-come on down! There's a whole team of experienced faculty with impeccable teaching and practice credentials who are looking for positions.

Even Dr Watson's supporters were disgusted with this meeting. It was clear she orchestrated the PowerPoint (unless Dr. Anderson is whiney too). Oops-another mistake in her leadership style? I wonder if Randall P. White (her latest executive coach) advised her about how to handle this one. If so, UTMB administration might want to think of other ways to spend the big bucks they're spending on him.

Dr. Watson said she would reveal her plan for the new SON structure after Dr. Anderson's meeting. She said "You'll just love it." Mind you, this is something she just dreamed up with no faculty input (there is no shared governance at UTMB SON). After the meeting with Provost Anderson yesterday, we can hardly wait. I suppose we'll hear, "If you don't love it, you can leave."

I wonder why people are so upset. Where have you been all along? Don't you know that UTMB is one of the most backward universities in TX? Don't you remember the Navigant scandal? Eventually all those that can find refuge somewhere else will leave, and you can just imagine what this place will look like then.

The PowerPoint did sound just like Dr Watson. I guess that's why the meeting was postponed: to give her time to get it all together for him.

Clearly, if he did actually talk with other people (he did not ask the new faculty for questions- he again just talked to them, telling them, "The SON had a problem and he'd solve it by the end of summer"), it's obvious that the only one he listened to was Dr Watson. I know the people (masters faculty) she talks about, and she and Dr Anderson & Co. are incorrect: this is not about not liking her. It's about something much bigger. She knows it. They have been taken in hook, line and sinker.

What a bunch of whining. And, it all sounds like it is coming from the same 3 or 4 people.

First, off stop with the conspiracy theories. Dr. Watson's hard drive was subpoenaed by TFA. Dr. Collander didn't take her hard drive to clean it so there was no incriminating evidence. Some of the lame letters, e-mails and meeting notices that TFA has posted on this blog is the best they got from that subpoena. Also, how would the rest of you like if somebody came in and took you hard drive and ransacked your desk files as part of subpoena? Maybe all of SON should be subpoenaed.

Finally, do you really think other schools of nursing would be interested in UTMB faculty after all the petty crap that has been made public in this blog. Do you really think Dr. Lucke will get a job with another school after she has lead two petition drives to oust two deans in the state of Texas: first, Dr. Froman in San Antonio and then Dr. Watson here at UTMB. Why would another dean want somebody so volatile and hostile as she and some of her supporters have presented themselves over the last several weeks.

[Blogmeister comment: Oh, stop it, Pam! :-) ]

Regarding the 'lame emails etc.' being posted here: If it weren't for the public information requests we would have no idea about the bizzare way the Dean has been conducting business. If the Dean had been operating in an above board manner she'd have nothing to fear from legimate requests for public information.

[utmb faculty]

I agree, other faculty at UTMB have a right to know how the nursing faculty and faculty in other departments have been treated and this blog is the only way that has happened.

I don't know the ages of the involved faculty but there seems to be an agenda in many medical schools these days to eliminate older faculty anyway possible. Not a new MO but perhaps a more desperate, concerted one and I have to wonder if it is in action here. We are a few short steps away from getting fired, "detenured" when we stand up against any injustice.

We need to get smarter about this folks. The problem is not the dean or provost or president. It is a cultural shift, or better stated, an administrative fantasy that the medical educational system in this country can be staffed and efficiently run by an endless supply of 30-40 year old, constantly funded, Nobel laureates (plus or minus ~6 FTEs to teach the curriculum).

What is the difference between whining and communication? I would say "perception."

[Anonymous]

I take exception to the "whining" comment. Faculty ARE invested in the SON & trying to bring to light some serious issues which happen to involve the administrators and dean. If some of the "male" members of the medical or graduate school faculty were speaking out, they would be called assertive. Because some female members are speaking out, we are called "whiny". What a slap in the face & I personally find it degrading.

[This is not a legal opinion]

As a point of reference, courts issue subpoenas, not TFA. Any PIA requested emails sent by or to Dr. Watson through UTMB's Exchange email system are already on UTMB servers. No need to take Dr. Watson's drive for those.

Legal might, however, be anticipating getting hit with a subpoena in the near future. Getting rid of any incriminating evidence now would be in their best interests.

Dear 'not a legal opinion'
You've got me thinking. Perhaps something came up on a public information request that scared someone in legal and they felt the need to copy the Dean's hard drive to make sure there weren't any more surprises waiting. Since then we've had some 'cleaning' days at the SON. We've been admonished to clean files off of our computers.

We all know Garland Anderson has never been a friend of nursing, so I wonder how he felt delivering that PowerPoint supporting the Dean of the SON. I'm sure it was humiliating for him to defend nursing when he's spent most of his career putting down nursing and blocking nurses from practice and research sites at UTMB and across the region. But, he's the Provost now and someone has to do it.

You want an example of the nature of oppression, ask what has been said among faculty since he came over for that meeting. The answer is nothing, it is as if he never came, as if nothing happened. Is that behavior of the oppressed or what? To act as if the beating never happened.

We were deeply affected by the abusive tactics of Drs. Callendar, Anderson, and Watson. Maybe we're not talking because we need a minute to catch our breath and move on.

[another interested party]

And maybe we aren't talking because we are still in shock. Who could believe that this abusive behavior could be condoned in today's world? We may be silent but we are not silenced.