Frequently Asked Questions

Please Note: The answers to these questions represent the perspective of the MU AAUP Chapter. The administration and Board of Trustees surely have a different perspective, and anyone desiring information about their views on these issues can contact them directly.

Why should faculty be upset?

The administration has made drastic changes without meaningful faculty input. Specifically, they have fired staff and faculty, and suspended the awarding of tenure. Faculty are upset about how this negatively impacts the quality of education received by our students. The recent violations of shared governance show that your voice and your power to affect change for the good of MU and your students has been diminished. (For a definition and importance of shared governance please see FAQ Exactly what is shared governance below; for specific violations of shared governance and how and when they occurred please see the AAUP’s “Timeline” and “Case”). 

Are drastic measures necessary due to the financial impact of COVID? 

No. Although COVID has resulted in a decrease in revenue, this impact is temporary and has been offset to a large degree by external support (e.g., through the CARES Act). MU remains in good financial health. The number of applications seems to indicate that enrollment will not be impacted negatively by COVID. 

Aren’t the terminations and suspension of tenure necessary for the long-term financial viability of MU, as the Board of Trustees and administration have claimed?

No.  The administration has failed to prove that these cuts were necessary.  The VPAA has said repeatedly that MU is fiscally healthy and we ended the 2019-20 academic year with a $2.9 million surplus.  Furthermore, while over 40 faculty and staff were terminated, no highly paid administrators were terminated or took a pay cut.  The suspension of tenure does not actually save money, considering those faculty up for tenure this year and next are still able to apply for promotion. These moves will actually harm the institution, primarily through affecting academic quality.  There will be:

What is the problem with having fewer full time (FT)  faculty?  Can’t they just be replaced by adjuncts?

No. Adjuncts, in order to make a living, are either teaching multiple courses (without benefits), or they also have another job elsewhere. Thus they are often less available to students and cannot teach during the popular daytime hours.  Although qualified, they are less likely than FT faculty to have terminal degrees in their fields.  Moreover it is often difficult, if not impossible, to find adjunct professors in the rural area where MU is located and is especially challenging to hire adjunct professors with the expertise necessary to effectively teach upper level courses.  Adjuncts also do not have the longevity or time commitment that full-time faculty would have which means the following are not possible:

Why is tenure necessary?

Tenure protects academic freedom, which is a core tenet of higher education.  The vast majority of colleges and universities in the United States have a tenure system. In working towards tenure, faculty are expected and encouraged to stay up to date in their field. Tenure attracts and rewards highly qualified and diverse faculty who are excellent teachers and accomplished scholars, which brings value to the Misericordia education. Tenure is a stringent process that occurs over a six year period. It gives ample time for the faculty member and the University to determine if a long term commitment is of value to each.  In addition, tenure means faculty have longevity, which is valuable for building a network for students. Given the current decision to suspend the awarding of tenure, a number of our highly valued scholars and teachers are looking for positions at institutions that offer tenure-track positions. Their loss will negatively affect our students’ academic experience.

What exactly is shared governance? And why is it important?

One of the key tenets of quality higher education, this term refers to the responsibility shared by faculty, administrators, and trustees to promote “the common good.”  According to the AAUP Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities,

Faculty should have primary responsibility for such fundamental areas as:

Faculty should also have involvement in:

If the administration makes decisions in the above areas without involving the faculty, or the involvement consists only of informing rather than true shared discussion and decision making, this is a violation of shared governance. Shared governance serves the students as the faculty are the stewards of the academic program.

Isn’t the VPAA the boss of the faculty? Shouldn’t faculty simply follow his orders and the orders of other senior administrators?

We work with the administration, not for the administration, per shared governance as described above. Administration are aware of this and do not contest it, however their actions do not reflect this relationship.

I am a non-tenure track (NTT) faculty member so I have never had access to tenure.  Why should I be concerned about the suspension of tenure?

NTT faculty members have always been more vulnerable because they do not have the due process and academic freedom protections that tenure provides.  The AAUP’s position has always been that all faculty, including NTT faculty, should have the protections of tenure after 6 years of continuous service.  The due process protections of tenure should be available for all faculty. We currently have an unfair two tier system that divides the faculty into two distinct groups: 1) Tenured (T) & Tenure Track (TT) and 2) NTT.  If our tenure system is eliminated by the Board of Trustees then NTT faculty have no possibility of ever getting tenure and will continue to be more vulnerable to the whims of the administration. 

Shouldn’t we focus on getting our NTT colleagues promoted before we do anything else?

Our NTT colleagues deserve access to promotion. But they also deserve access to the protections of tenure.  By providing a pathway for faculty to get promotion without tenure, it both delivers a rationale for why tenure is not necessary and further institutionalizes a two-tier system. This is particularly dangerous during a time when the Board of Trustees and our senior administrators are questioning and “studying” the value of tenure.  Even if granting of tenure were reinstated, having two separate pathways sets us up for having a second-class set of faculty without the job security and due process protections that the TT/T faculty have.

I am a tenured faculty member. Why should I be concerned about the faculty terminations and tenure suspension? I am likely not to be affected and simply want to focus on my scholarship and teaching.

Even if you are tenured, there is no guarantee that you are safe from the administration’s move towards “nimbleness”.  In the current environment we are all at risk.  Even if you did not/do not lose your job, your workload is likely to change as TT and NTT faculty are fired, not renewed, or leave because of the lack of a promising future at Misericordia. As your workload increases, the reputation of the university will also continue to decline, causing enrollment to decline. You will be faced with more service responsibilities, an uncooperative administration, and a diminishing student body.  Also these terminations may affect the ability of affected departments to offer elective courses and research opportunities for students and to propose new concentrations and specializations.  More courses will be taught by adjuncts.

I am a staff member. How do these decisions affect me?

Many of the same concerns that the faculty have about the faculty terminations and the lack of faculty involvement in those decisions also apply to the staff terminations. The failure of the administration to consult the staff demonstrates negligence of shared decision-making and disrespect toward Misericordia employees. The long term financial health of MU is at risk due to drastic decisions without the collective wisdom of true shared governance. Overall, the morale of the university community has diminished.

Do the actions by some of the faculty (e.g. speaking to the media, no confidence votes, protesting, informing alumni/students) hurt the students?

No, quite the contrary.  This is being done because faculty care foremost about students getting a quality education. The actions are necessary to preserve academic quality at MU.  It is our responsibility as educators and scholars, and experts in the curriculum, to protect Misericordia’s reputation for academic excellence. We are simply shining a light on how the administration is hurting the students by making poor decisions. To do nothing would be negligent and represent a failure of faculty to do their part in shared governance.

What is the purpose of no-confidence votes in administrators?  Doesn’t this harm our ability to work together in the future?

Votes of no confidence are very serious. These votes are only called when it is clear that an individual has consistently and seriously failed to uphold the duties of their position and/or has lost integrity.  A majority vote shows that the faculty as a whole believes that the administrator is not acting as a credible steward of the university and that they should be replaced. When the faculty loses faith in the competency and integrity of administrators, shared governance is no longer possible. Yes, it harms our ability to work together, but the way to repair the relationship is to restore mutual respect and trust by including faculty in important decisions that affect the University.

What was the response to the three votes of no confidence that were formally submitted to the President and the Board of Trustees?

The Board of Trustees and the President failed to recognize and/or respond to the specific faculty concerns that led to the no confidence votes and were outlined in the Senate’s memo of 12/21/20. In her response dated 1/15/21 President Owens stated “While Board members understand faculty concern regarding the Board’s decision to suspend tenure and the administration’s decision to execute faculty layoffs, we strongly reject the Senate and faculty votes of “no confidence”. The Board and President have the utmost trust and confidence in Dr. David Rehm, vice president for academic affairs; as well as the vice president for enrollment management and the vice president for planning and external relations.”

Contrary to what President Owens seems to imply, the faculty's lack of confidence is not overwritten by an expression of confidence from the Board of Trustees.

What are the concerns about working with Credo to make our strategic plan?

While MU (inconsistently) claims financial hardship, it has hired a highly paid consulting firm to organize a planning process that we could do ourselves.  No case has been made for why our current VP of Planning, Assessment, and Research cannot spearhead this effort. Credo’s own website mentions “pivoting”, “nimbleness”, “efficiency” as well as encouraging administrators to use the pandemic as an opportunity to fast-track decisions. These ideals run counter to shared governance and do not take into consideration academic quality or faculty input. Some of the institutions that have used Credo for strategic planning have a low percentage of FT faculty and a high percentage of adjunct faculty, a situation that we believe compromises academic quality. 

What do the faculty (or AAUP) want?

Okay, I feel a bit powerless about this situation, considering that nothing that the faculty have suggested or requested has been honored by the administration regarding terminations or tenure. What can I do?

Decide what is most important to you, and pursue actions that you are comfortable with. We understand that not everyone is ready to speak out, but there is a lot of room for action “behind the scenes.” One of the suggested ways is to notify the alumni in your programs and let them know your perspective. Faculty conformity of actions is not as important as faculty unification against unjust, unwarranted, and uninformed radical changes that threaten the education quality delivered to our students.

If you have questions about other ways to be involved please contact the MU AAUP chapter at misericordiaaaup@gmail.com.