Student Impact Awards
LindaMarie Rouillard, UT-AAUP Executive Board
The following letter, written by Don Wedding, appeared in a recent issue of the Independent Collegian. We are delighted that our colleagues received some much-needed recognition and compensation from the Jacobs Administration, though we would like to point out that the solicitation for student nominations initially included no mention of $5000 awards. This monetary compensation appears to have been an afterthought and a pre-Higher Learning Commission strategic decision, much like the Provost's sudden announcement of extra travel funds last fall. When faculty pointed out an embarrassing lack of funding to support LLSS faculty research expenses, in contradiction to rosy statements in the self-study document, the Provost quickly found a pot of money. It remains to be seen whether the $5000 Student Impact Awards and increased faculty research support funding will be available in next year's budget.
The Impact of the Student Impact Awards
Many faculty and students are not aware that Student Impact Awards were given out this semester by President Lloyd Jacobs and Student Government President Matt Rubin. There were 25 awards to faculty at $5000 each for a total of $125,000.
According to documents obtained under the Ohio Public Records Act, the idea materialized in an exchange of emails between Rubin and Jacobs in late November 2011. Nominations were quickly collected during December and the awards were finalized by January 4, 2012.
Because students and faculty were on Winter and New Years break from December 9, 2011 to January 9, 2012, there was little time to publicize the awards and collect nominations. It was a hurry-up process with students and faculty gone from campus. There were only 27 nominations. A student group formed by Rubin voted two off the island.
The 25 award recipients included part-time faculty, retired faculty, administrators, and at least one person employed at another school. The recipients also included faculty under false attack by the Jacobs Administration for so-called poor impact teaching. The UT-AAUP has been defending these faculty.
The awards are another example of the fire, ready, aim management style of President Jacobs, but he has made it easier for the UT-AAUP to defend the falsely accused faculty. All 25 recipients deserve the awards, including the falsely accused faculty.
The list of 25 award recipients is in contrast with Matt Rubin' s "hit list" of so-called liberal faculty previously announced on his webpage. The "hit list" got him an interview on Fox News. As it happened, the Student Impact Award recipients also included a number of very liberal faculty, all very deserving.
