BLINN FACULTY EXPRESS DISSATISFACTION WITH REORGANIZATION EFFORTS

Frank Wagner March 26, 2014

377

Blinn College President Harold Nolte’s re-organization plan for the college was met with a wave of dissatisfaction at last (Tuesday) night’s meeting of the Board of Trustees.

A packed house, consisting mostly of faculty from the Brenham and Bryan campus gathered at the Administration Building to express displeasure in President Nolte’s reorganization plans. Nolte in his tenure has been replacing department division chairs with deans who serve all of the college’s campuses, allowing the faculty more time in the classroom. Friday classes were also re-instituted. Some of the speakers were concerned about using deans to administrater classroom instruction when the division chairs have more hands on experience with working with students. They also receive a stipend for being a division chair.

Several faculty members spoke out saying these plans are not working and that administration is not listening.

Leslie McGinnis, a math instructor on the Bryan campus, said it was time for the administration to listen to their views.

Nolte began the reorganization plan two years ago after getting a survey from then consultant Sylvia McMullen to survey of the faculty, the staff and administration to see how the college would ‘better achieve its mission’. McMullen has since been named president of the Bryan campus. Nolte believed the new plans would end reduction of teaching efforts, and streamline the campuses. Six deans now administer the courses of study.

The Blinn Board of Trustees could not take any action because the comments came in the public comment section.