The SOPA Dean search.....continues?
No one seems to have an idea what is going on with the School of
Public Affairs (SOPA) Dean search process. The last news was that in
late November 2017, the former Provost Dr. Bobby Wilson chose Interim
Dean, Dr. Michael Adams as the new permanent Dean after a yearlong
search process. Yet somehow President Lane did not agree with his
recommendation and never provided any reason for his refusal to accept
the Provost's recommendation.
Strange indeed.....and yet things became even stranger.....in January 2018 with the new Provost, Dr. Kendall Harris, arriving on campus he sent out a mass email to the SOPA faculty and staff informing them that the search would continue but offering no reason as to why Dr. Adams was denied the permanent dean position.
In April 2018, it was announced that Dr. Adams would step down from his Interim Dean position and return back to his Interim Chair position of the Department of Political Science. Stranger still...the old, retired dean, Dr. Theo Herrington, who was fired/forcibly resigned(?) from his position in 2011 when Dr. Rudley was President returned unexpectedly back to TSU as the Acting Dean for SOPA (the 5th Dean in 10 years) and took up the office of Dean once again, ostensibly to stay on until January 2019. But who knows, he may stay on for awhile longer.....
The strangest twist on this whole saga is that Dr. Herrington took up the office of the Dean of SOPA in April 2018, yet for some unexplained reason he was only confirmed by the Board of Regents in August 2018.
Why did TSU upper admin wait 5 months to confirm him by the BOR? Moreover there appears to be a rule at TSU that any expense of more than $100,000 MUST be confirmed by the BOR PRIOR to authorization.....the rumor is Dr. Herrington is making more than $100,000 a year. Is it just corrupt politics at work?
Strange indeed.....and yet things became even stranger.....in January 2018 with the new Provost, Dr. Kendall Harris, arriving on campus he sent out a mass email to the SOPA faculty and staff informing them that the search would continue but offering no reason as to why Dr. Adams was denied the permanent dean position.
In April 2018, it was announced that Dr. Adams would step down from his Interim Dean position and return back to his Interim Chair position of the Department of Political Science. Stranger still...the old, retired dean, Dr. Theo Herrington, who was fired/forcibly resigned(?) from his position in 2011 when Dr. Rudley was President returned unexpectedly back to TSU as the Acting Dean for SOPA (the 5th Dean in 10 years) and took up the office of Dean once again, ostensibly to stay on until January 2019. But who knows, he may stay on for awhile longer.....
The strangest twist on this whole saga is that Dr. Herrington took up the office of the Dean of SOPA in April 2018, yet for some unexplained reason he was only confirmed by the Board of Regents in August 2018.
Why did TSU upper admin wait 5 months to confirm him by the BOR? Moreover there appears to be a rule at TSU that any expense of more than $100,000 MUST be confirmed by the BOR PRIOR to authorization.....the rumor is Dr. Herrington is making more than $100,000 a year. Is it just corrupt politics at work?
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