EDITORIAL: Grading CMU’s performance in 2011-12 school year
By Editorial Board on April 27, 2012 8:00 am / 6 comments
Read our Central Michigan University grade sheet for the school’s performance in various areas throughout the 2011-12 Academic Year.
Faculty: B-
Central Michigan University’s faculty put in good effort this school year but seemed to lose steam midway through. Dealing with bullies can be traumatic for students, and the Faculty Association had its work cut out for it in contract negotiations with the CMU administration. Unfortunately, as Nietzsche said, be careful when you fight the monsters, lest you become one. Or in this case, refuse to release your own voting results to members.
Administration: D+
The Bovee University Center renovation was both wanted and needed, and proved to be a successful addition to campus. However, the constant lack of transparency — including but not limited to the $10 million allocated to the Events Center — has shed a negative light upon the administration affecting their chance of a passing grade.
University Communications: Incomplete
What can we say about CMU’s UComm? A lot more than it said to us. Paltry efforts at transparency and arranging for a new website, which is almost as hated as it was expensive, leaves us unable to properly grade UComm course participation. Their attempt to exclude students from a speech by University President George Ross during the Faculty Association contract conflict led to his “grown-ups” gaffe. It seems they spent too much time attempting to manage tasks far outside their scope, meaning even their most basic tasks went unfulfilled. Perhaps CMU mixed up the syllabus with Dystopianism 101?
Academic Senate: C
CMU’s A-Senate efforts were all over the chart, with highs and lows eventually landing at a just-average grade. This year’s triumphs and travails can be summed up with its vote of no confidence against Ross and Provost Gary Shapiro: It was a brave, far-reaching measure undertaken off the agenda in the last ten minutes of the last meeting of fall semester, with no time for comment. Weak.
Board of Trustees: D-
CMU’s Board of Trustees is really all about class participation. Show up for meetings, speak up and take a genuine interest in the school’s welfare, and it’s an easy A. It’s pretty telling, then, that the trustees could only barely pass the course. A cursory commitment to renewed transparency saves Kottamasu and the gang from a failing grade, but immediate improvement in oversight, starting with a plan of action, is needed.
Student Government Association: D-
In an independent study course, SGA was able to set its own objectives. It chose to make a transformation from a larger bicameral to a smaller, more focused unicameral system it’s main priority. The effort did not go over well, with the eventual proposal removed from the ballot before students were allowed to vote on it. The chance for a fresh start seemed wasted by President Justin Gawronski’s new administration, which was embroiled in controversy almost immediately. Vice President Anna Dvorak resigned within a week, and things have since settled down. We wish SGA good luck in their Seminar in Advanced Campus Leadership next year.
Athletics: E
It was a difficult year for the athletics department. While wrestling and volleyball both won conference titles, football and men’s basketball — the two teams that bring in the most revenue — struggled again. So much so, Athletics Director Dave Heeke made the decision to fire head men’s basketball coach Ernie Zeigler, resulting in son Trey to also leave the program. Within the last two weeks, five athletes have been arrested for various reasons, three of which were dismissed from the football team. We also can’t forget the department distorting attendance numbers for football games. While we acknowledge that many other schools do the same thing, it is a testament to the university’s recent inability to attract attention to the program.
Shared Governance: CR
It’s too soon to say if the Shared Governance committee created this semester will work. But even the addition of it to the campus community is positive. This could be the first time the board of trustees, faculty and administration all hear each other out with no holds barred. It could also turn into a committee where nothing is accomplished and members leave frustrated. Hopefully when next fall hits, we can expect plenty of positives from the committee.
GPA: 1.33
Like us on Facebook
Recent Comments
- xe yamaha,xe may yamaha,xe máy yamaha,yamaha,gia xe yamaha,giá xe Yamaha,tim xe may Yamaha: Very great post. I simply stumbled upon your blog and wished…
- Samantha: Go Kirsten!!!! U are my mentor and I hope u will come back t…
- Hannah McCalister: I disagree with your statement. This was a great article and…
- Jason: Maybe it's just me, but I've never done anything this shorts…
- : no, this girl is insane. i went to high school with her. she…
AD LINKS
• Is your baby graduating CMU? Place a personal greeting and photo in CM Life's Baby Graduates special pages. Download the form here
• Contact local movers in Mount Pleasant to help with all of your moving needs.
• Download Campus Cash Coupons!
• Search for local apartments
• Add your link here
6 Comments
Perfect evaluations and grades! You young people are right on the mind!
I’d give the faculty a D since many of our departments are ranked low nationally.
The other grades are right on!
Although since we still rank at the top for MAC GPA’s, etc., I might go D or D-minus for athletics.
Seemingly CMU leadership has lost its way. Give the PR department an ‘F’ though they had little to work with. An inarticulate CEO flanked by second tier people misses a huge success story in an otherwise troubled year.
Most have no idea what this medical school is about to introduce. Ask people in Greenville NC about what’s happened since ECU opened their medical college: growth upon growth everywhere.
With McLaren’s arrival on cue, added to the Saginaw medical campus, I’ve heard a number in the 1300 range of new staff and ancillary people infused into the university community. With transfers up to record numbers along with international students, CMU is a marketing gem if only hierarchy had a clue.
As for the fall of CMU Football its lousy PR, where two year ago prospective students were motivated to be a part of CMU’s school chuavinism. I’ve been a strong advocate for Dave Heeke though belief is rapidly turning to hope.
Where’s the LEADERSHIP? The world wonders.
Tim, regarding Greenville,NC. I don’t think you can compare Greenville with any town in Michigan.
First, North Carolina is a right-to-work state and hates unions! One of the CEO magazines this month ranks North Carolina as the third best state to do business in with Texas, Florida as 1-2. The states ranked at the top are all right-to-work states.
The pro-union states—Michigan-Illinois-New York-California-Massachusetts are all ranked at the bottom.
So, CEOs and small business will say no to Saginaw, Mt. Pleasant, Lansing, Detroit, Flint and Michigan and yes to Greenville, Raleigh, Winston-Salem in North Carolina. Greenville has the 4th best business atmosphere according to Forbes. Again, it’s an anti-union town.
If Rick Snyder wanted to throw the unions out of Michigan, he’d be facing the same mutiny as Governor Walker is over in Wisconsin—-a recall election. Although, Wisconsin is now up to 20th. Indiana which just dumped the unions is now 5th. At least, the Democrats in Indiana are smarter than the union dummies in Michigan and Illinois. A good-paying job is better than food stamps and welfare!
Businesses will go where there are no unions so they’ll say yes to Greenville, NC and no to Saginaw. Michigan Democrats will never understand that.
Also, Michigan has lost 5 congressional seats over the last 2 decades while North Carolina has picked up several. I think NC now has 13 or 14 seats which is unbelievable compared to the Mayberry, North Carolina/Barney Fife era of the 1960s. People are moving to North Carolina because that’s where the jobs are at thanks to no unions. I don’t see how 20 CMU medical grads a year are going to generate tens of thousands of new jobs as North Carolina….and Greenville’s anti-union sentiment. If you want a Greenville-style business attitude in Michigan, then eliminate the unions and go right-to-work!!!! In fact, Tim, one moving van company in money-strapped, Democratic Party controlled Illinois said North Carolina was the number-1 destination with Florida or Texas second.
Governor Daniels down in Indiana is taking companies out of Illinois big-time. He recently told a Illinois Republican Group to keep the pro-union Liberal Democrats in office since it’s good for the Indiana economy. Indiana is running a surplus while Illinois is approaching bankruptcy. He’s over there plucking out businesses. I have an old friend who relocated out of the Chicago suburbs a year ago for Florida and Indiana.
As far as CMU’s leadership, it lost its way when Rao wanted to start research. You could dump half the faculty and do no research and cut tuition in half. That means the average student debt loan of $28,000 would drop to $14,000.
Someone name me one piece of research done at CMU that was so valuable that was worth putting several thousand CMU students $14,000 ($28,000 minus $14,000) further in debt!
I give the CM LIFE a solid D
I give CMLife, and in particular the editorial staff, an A-.
CMU–Gymnastics–3rd MAC Championship in a row!
Nice research “Editorial Board.”