I appreciate The Maroon’s invitation to respond to Kelly Roth’s well-written piece (Honors Program changes hands, Sept. 2) about the recent change in the directorship of the University Honors Program. I am equally grateful to Tom Macom for his skill as a photographer. However, I am perplexed about Dean Scully’s statement that “the university simply cannot afford” to do what “Koplitz wanted.”
Restructuring to make a full-time staff position costs at least $10,000 more than what I requested. But trying to look on the bright side, I think it’s the first time the University Honors Program has had anyone dedicated to it full-time in its 25-year history, so it’s the first time the Honors students can expect to find someone in the office all day, every day.
On the other hand, colleagues have suggested to me that the UHP students have lost something important, because I do hold the rank of professor – I have 19 years of experience at Loyola and two years as their Director already.
I did try, repeatedly, to get some guidance from the Provost and the President about their vision for the UHP given that major changes were about to take place. I was invited to meet with Father Wildes on March 13 to discuss the UHP and other matters. During that meeting, he asked me if the UHP was truly a university-level program. I told him that was a very good question.
I left his office feeling as though he understood the situation. He did e-mail me to say that we could work on the Honors Program after he “got through the Board meeting” on May 19, but I never heard from him again on that issue. On June 26, Walter Harris informed me that he had decided to “open the position to consider other candidates.” The normal term for the Director is three years, but it’s an administrative appointment with a yearly contract. His message indicated that he did not want me to continue as Director.
When no announcement of the open position had come out after almost two more weeks, I started losing sleep over the fact that time was running out for the students who would be back on campus in August. Here is an excerpt from the proposal I gave to Dean Scully on July 11:
“Currently, no one has been appointed to direct the University Honors Program or to cover the responsibilities of the Advisor for Nationally Competitive Awards for 2006-07. These position openings have not been announced to the university community and no searches have been run to fill the positions. The UHP Directorship will be vacant beginning August 1, 2006 and the ANCA position is already vacant. In order to meet the needs of all students who are participating in the University Honors Program, particularly the incoming freshman class, and to continue to help our students to have success at applying for and winning scholarships and fellowships, these positions need to be filled immediately.” I wanted to serve as the Director for 2006-07 and I did say so more than once.
I believe I made reasonable requests in order to be able to do the job effectively. I asked for the half-time administrative assistant position to be restored and for explicit teaching release in the Director’s contract. But, according to what Provost Harris was communicating to me, I was likely to be expected to take on the ANCA duties, I might be asked to forego teaching release again, and I would not have even a half-time administrative assistant.
As much as I love and enjoy the students, as dedicated as I was to the program, and as much as I care about finishing what I started, I would not have been able to accept reappointment under those conditions. The attendant personal and professional sacrifices are just too high. But I do not agree that we should search outside the university for a full-time Director at this time. I really do not think we need any more outsiders in charge of anything important at Loyola right now.
In my opinion, someone who is already familiar with the students, the whole university, and the Program would be a better choice. We have qualified candidates on our own campus who are ready, willing and able to serve if the administration will just make them the same offer they would make to any outside candidate.
Lynn Koplitz is an associate professor in the chemistry department.
