After months of harsh words flying around the community, the issue of governance at RPI is finally starting to see some signs of a resolution: the Faculty Senate has been reinstated in an unofficial advisory capacity. Though this is a far cry from what many were looking for—indeed, it is a step backwards for the Institute—the fact that the faculty once again has a representative body recognized by the administration is comforting and hopefully will prove to be enough to carry the university through this crisis. For my part, I am satisfied with this compromise as an interim solution to the governance conundrum, and I am immensely grateful to all who were involved in getting this far.
With that said, however, the proposal that was approved by the deposed Senate and Provost Robert E. Palazzo only addresses the practical aspects of the issue. Unfortunately, the administration’s actions on the matter up to this point have had effects that are far less tangible—effects that may continue to have an immensely negative impact on Rensselaer well beyond the lifetime of the governance review committee. In pursuing their goals of a revised governance structure, the Board of Trustees as well as several senior administrators entirely disregarded the opinions and perspectives of the faculty. That this is utterly unacceptable in an academic environment should go without saying. There was no excuse for the incendiary propaganda-esque material posted on the official RPI governance website; the administration’s general unresponsiveness to criticism didn’t help, either.
These are very real issues, and they still pose a dangerous threat to the well-being of the Institute. Rensselaer cannot function in the absence of respect and trust; in particular, the faculty, student body, and the administration all need to be able to work together.
The Poly Editorial Board has come under a lot of fire recently for condemning the administration for failing to realize this. Unfortunately, most of the criticism we have received has not responded to the core issues at hand. Instead, it latched onto one particular point: the suggestion that some administrators’ actions (inactions?) have been damning enough to question certain individuals’ ability to lead. While this is indeed an extreme notion, it is one that I think warrants serious consideration. President Shirley Ann Jackson has done wonderful things for RPI during her tenure here; while I do not always agree with some of her priorities, I acknowledge that under her leadership, this school has made progress in great leaps and bounds. Such accomplishments do not absolve her or any other administrator of their responsibilities as stewards of the Institute, however. How can they be leading if they are destroying the fundamental ties that hold the campus together?
With that said, we are poised to make progress. The agreement between Palazzo and the Senate has the potential to begin the process of healing wounds caused by this blunder. Before that can happen, though, the community needs some sort of assurance that this sort of thing will not happen again. Everybody here is human; everyone makes mistakes. It is only when we fail to admit and apologize for our missteps, however, that they become unforgivable. And so I call upon the administration to admit their errors and try to make amends. It is time to start rebuilding bridges.
I cannot have confidence in any administrators who can look me in the eye and tell me that they handled the governance situation correctly. Likewise, I cannot respect those who won’t look me in the eye at all. Let us move on so we can restore that mutual trust and respect. Let us make the ’Tute as great as it can be.
