NSSE, founded by Indiana University, collects information about student participation, learning and personal development to provide an estimate of how undergraduates spend their time and what they gain from attending college.

On Feb. 1, Provost Gary Shapiro emailed students asking them to complete the survey, which covers five National Benchmarks of Effective Educational Practice; level of academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interactions, enriching educational experiences and supportive campus environment.

Each benchmark measures student engagement and its importance to student learning, collegiate quality and institutional improvement.

OIR Senior Research Associate Ahmed Elgammal is working to raise awareness of the survey and its significance around campus.

“More than 640 institutions nationwide are participating in the survey,” Elgammal said. “Some Canadian institutions and American universities overseas are taking part too.”

He has helped spread advertising around campus, spoke to resident assistants and will continue to remind students of the survey through email.

So far, about 1,000 CMU students have taken the survey, Elgammal said. But CMU wants to see more students respond.

“It’s very important to get students’ feedback and engagement,” Elgammal said. “It helps increase the student-learning experience.”

Students who complete the survey by March 21 will be entered into a drawing for more than 100 prize,s including items such as an iPad 2 or a CMU Bookstore gift card.

In 2009, about 1.1 million students from 640 institutions in the U.S. and Canada were invited to participate in the survey. Of that number, 367,318 students responded. This year NSSE hopes more students get involved.

The survey closes in May.

Roger L. Kesseler

I have been following with great interest the progress being made by Central Michigan University in establishing the College of Medicine. The idea of a school of medicine focusing on training primary care physicians was being discussed during the last months of my tenure as a member of the board of trustees. Having accomplished so much in such a short period of time under the leadership of Chairman Dr. Sam Kottamasu, Dean Ernest Yoder, Provost E. Gary Shapiro and University President George Ross, is truly remarkable.

I understand medical students will be enrolled the summer of 2013 and the new $20+ million facility is complete and will soon be available for occupancy.

My wife Phyllis and I were both born and raised in Grayling, Michigan and we are acutely aware of the shortage of doctors in the northern rural areas of Michigan. We currently maintain a seasonal residence in the Traverse City area and have a vested interest in seeing quality medical care maintained in the Upper and Northern Lower Peninsula.

Addressing the projected shortage of 800 physicians in mid- and northern-Michigan and a total shortage of 6,000 physicians in Michigan by 2020 will be an important responsibility of higher education in the state, and having CMU leading the effort makes me proud to be a CMU graduate.

I am excited about the benefits of having a medical school at CMU. It may transform the academic mission of the University for decades to come. The synergy and expanded research capabilities brought by the College of Medicine will impact all of CMU.

My wife and I will continue to support the College of Medicine with our time and treasure and truly believe esablishing the College of Medicine is a “win-win” for the students, faculty and administration.

We look forward to seeing continuing visionary progress at CMU.

Roger L. Kesseler, 

Class of 1958, former trustee

I am writing as a student to express my grave concern over Central Michigan University’s future. I am also writing to revisit the CMU Academic Senate’s no confidence vote against University President George Ross and Provost Gary Shapiro. I also question whether CMED in its current form should be a part of that future.

The no confidence resolution against Ross and Shapiro was introduced before the CMU A-Senate and was passed on Dec. 6, 2011. Bear in mind that: (1) the resolution remains in force; and (2) the vote shows that CMU faculty and students have no faith in Ross and Shapiro. Allowing them to continue at CMU undermines shared governance and will further erode morale within the CMU community. The no confidence vote also serves as a referendum on the CMU Board of Trustees.

I addressed you at your Dec. 8, 2011 meeting, reminding you of your fiduciary and legal responsibility to CMU. I urged you to deal with this no confidence vote with the seriousness it deserves. To my dismay, the board did not discuss this issue. Instead, Chairwoman Sarah Opperman swept the matter aside, expressing hope that CMU would experience “healing” after the difficult events of 2011. Such a view is a fundamental misapprehension of the situation. “Healing” at CMU will begin only when President Ross and Provost Shapiro are removed because of incompetence with regard to CMED and their inveterate disregard for shared governance.

I would like now to illustrate how the board of trustees has failed in its fiduciary responsibility to the CMU community. This failure relates directly to the current CMED initiative. According to Dean Ernest Yoder’s own PowerPoint presentation before the A-Senate on Dec. 6, 2011, the CMED initiative entails many more fiscal uncertainties than certainties. According to Yoder, the overall cost of CMED’s East Campus at Saginaw is a complete unknown. That the projected cost of the CMED East Campus is a complete unknown is but one example of the financial uncertainty that surrounds CMED. As CMU trustees who have a fiduciary duty to oversee CMU’s financial affairs, how is this acceptable? In my view, this is not acceptable.

The CMED initiative should be terminated because funding it means diverting resources from proven departments and programs, many of which have attained national prominence. Continuing with this ill-conceived plan jeopardizes the ideal of excellence at CMU. Because of their continued support of CMED, Ross and  Shapiro should be removed. Do you really want the failure of CMU, and the failure that Ross and Shapiro are enabling, to be part of your legacy? I would hope not. Please recognize that now is the time for a course correction at CMU. Please do the right thing.

Yours in good faith,

Christopher J. Benison

Central Michigan University class of 2013

University President George Ross

The Academic Senate’s vote of no confidence against President George Ross and Provost Gary Shapiro at its final fall semester meeting had a mixed reception.

“The Board remains confident in the leadership of Drs. Ross and Shapiro and their commitment to the academic, personal and professional success for our students,” said Sarah Opperman, former Central Michigan University Board of Trustees Chairwoman. “Likewise, the board is firmly committed to the College of Medicine, which will improve access to care and increase the supply of physicians in under-served areas, with a specific focus on training physicians who will practice in central and northern Michigan.”

Student senators Christopher Benison and Michelle Campbell, founders of the registered student organization Students for Faculty, presented the motion in the last 10 minutes of the A-Senate meeting; it was approved in less than a minute by 52 percent.

“Dr. Ross’s and Dr. Shapiro’s refusal to abide by the Academic Senate’s resolution on the CMED initiative is evidence of their disregard for the principles of shared governance at CMU,” stated the fourth point of the motion.

Provost Gary Shapiro

During the presentation and discussion of the motion, Ross remained silent and Shapiro appeared to shake his head, chuckle and talk to surrounding senators. Both left immediately following the vote.

Student Government Association President Vince Cavataio did not support the motion.

Later that week at the regular Board of Trustees meeting, all seven college deans also rejected the motion in a similar signed statement.

“Any effort to undermine their leadership at CMU is detrimental to this institution,” said Charles Crespy, dean of the College of Business Administration.

Campbell and Benison attended the board meeting that week to urge the Trustees to take the motion seriously.

“We expect the CMU Board of Trustees to address this no confidence vote with the seriousness it deserves,” Benison said. “Once again, as student representatives of the Academic Senate, we will hold this board accountable for its response to this no confidence vote.”

The Board of Trustees listened to the public comments, but did not respond directly.

“There are certain roles as chair. One of those is not saying something when you’d really like to. But that has been the policy,” Opperman said. “I will try to not directly respond to comments made other than to thank all of those that have.”

Trustee Sam Kottamasu will be appointed as the Board’s chairman next year; Opperman will become a vice chair.

“In 2012, we start with being productive and building trust,” Opperman said. “Let’s begin to heal as a university.”

George Ross sits in the Academic Senate meeting Nov. 1. (Charlotte Bodak/Staff Photographer)

Some campus leaders hope for more action while others remain neutral following the December vote of no confidence against University President George Ross and Provost Gary Shapiro.

A student-led initiative presented by student Senators Christopher Benison and Michelle Campbell at an Academic Senate meeting on Dec. 7 was passed by a 52-percent majority.

The symbolic motion was met with an immediate response from Central Michigan University, and the board of trustees supported the leadership of Ross and Shapiro.

“The board remains confident in the leadership of Drs. Ross and Shapiro and their commitment to the academic, personal and professional success for our students,” said Sarah Opperman, former chairwoman of the board.

Student Government Association President Vincent Cavataio said the support of the board is a major component when deciding what should be done next.

“Since the board acknowledged their support, I don’t see (the vote) impacting students in any way,” the Shelby Township senior said. “I don’t see anything else being done with this.”

Provost Gary Shapiro sits in a September 2010 meeting in his office at Warriner Hall. (File Photo by Leah Sefton)

Dean Pybus, graduate coordinator of the Department of Recreation, Parks and Leisure Services, fully supports the vote against the Central Michigan University president and provost.

“I was pleased to hear it was student-initiated,” he said. “I hope there is a faculty and staff-initiated motion to follow.”

Cavataio said that although he saw the motion coming, he disagrees with the vote and does not believe it will solve any of the pressing problems between the faculty and administration.

“I fully expected the motion. When people are that unhappy, you can see something like this coming,” Cavataio said. “However, I don’t believe it was warranted and I don’t see it solving anything now or in the future.”

Pybus said the A-Senate made the right decision based on Ross’ and Shapiro’s actions during the semester.

“Ross, Shapiro and the board of trustees, through their actions, suggest that they value hoarding money for the proposed College of Medicine,” Plybus said. “This has been shown not only in their dealings with faculty, but with other employee groups on campus.”

Cavataio said the attitude of the university as a whole needs to improve before anything can change.

“We’ve taken some huge hits this year,” he said. “The administration, faculty and students will have to work together to improve morale on campus.”

Opperman said after the vote the CMU Board of Trustees and seven academic deans stood behind the president and provost, minimizing any campus-wide support behind the vote.

“I think it’s a small part of the university, from what I see, that is feeling very uncomfortable,” Opperman said in a previously published report. “In 2012, we start with being productive and building trust. Let’s begin to heal as a university.”

The vote is non-binding and does not directly affect the job status of Ross or Shapiro. However, Ross is not the first president to have received a vote of no confidence. In 1991, amidst collective bargaining disagreements, then-President Edward B. Jakubauskas faced a no-confidence vote by the Student Government Association and A-Senate. Two months later, on Nov. 8, 2001, Jakubauskas announced his resignation as president, saying it was not because of the vote or clash with faculty.

Ross was lauded for his financial expertise when hired, but over the course of his tenure the financial state of the university has gone from healthy, if uncertain, to confused and troubling.

Many confusing statements have emerged on the financial standing of this university as Ross and other administrators stressed to employees the need for “shared sacrifice” and how Michigan is going through a rough economic time.

University President George Ross

That’s difficult to accept when CMU increases its operating budget significantly year after year. With the College of Medicine slowly becoming a bigger financial burden  and the fiscal irresponsibility of both the administration and the board of trustees (for example, spending $1.5 million to add a Mongolian grill to what is already one of the best on-campus dining facilities), the reasons behind possible financial trouble are clear.

More than state cuts, our university’s uncertain financial future stems from mismanagement at the administrative level.

Ross should act as the public face of the institution as president of the university. However, his administration is becoming increasingly shrouded in its extensive public relations apparatus, making CMU look like it’s hiding information whenever possible.

CMU waited until one business day before the Liaison Committtee on Medical Education came to visit to release thousands of pages of documents about CMED requested by the Faculty Association, A-Senate and Central Michigan Life. Later that day, Provost Shapiro announced CMU would need millions of additional dollars to spend on CMED at the bottom of the email about the documents’ release.

Furthermore, at the December board of trustees meeting it seemed like the vote of no confidence was the furthest thing from everyone’s mind, despite happening a few days earlier.

While it’s encouraging to see the A-Senate taking action which other bodies on campus seem to shy from, the manner in which the vote was called unfortunately discredited it.

The votes, which were hurriedly taken in the last 10 minutes of an A-Senate meeting, left many confused as to what happened. For what may ultimately be only a symbolic gesture, its underhanded execution robbed it of much of its impact.

Regardless of the manner in which it was done, the vote was still an important step toward recognizing the actual state of the university.

The administration now functions almost entirely without oversight. The board that appointed Ross appears to have little interest in asking hard questions about the administration’s spending.

Senators seem to be doing a better job questioning what’s going on at CMU than trustees who spend perhaps a total of a week or two every year on campus, yet make decisions determining where millions of its dollars are spent.

After the December board meeting, then-Chairwoman Sarah Opperman said it was time to “begin to heal as a university.”

There’s little to disagree with in Opperman’s statement, but we may need to mend a much deeper wound than she imagined.

“It was realized in mid-October that additional funding would be needed to address the research and clinical components for the startup of CMED,” founding CMED Dean Ernest Yoder said in an email. “Following that, additional time was needed to clarify and expand how much additional funding would be needed.”

Dean of the College of Medicine Ernest Yoder talks briefly to the Board of Trustees about the College's latest progress in the President's Conference Room in the Bovee University Center. (Photo by Kaitlin Thoresen/Assistant Photo Editor)

Provost Gary Shapiro said in a release to the campus community Nov. 11 that CMU estimates the startup cost for CMED is “likely to exceed $30 million,” with an additional $3 million in annual support. The university initially set aside $25 million over five years to fund CMED startup.

Original plans for a teaching-only College of Medicine did not align with revised Liason Committee on Medical Education standards, which require research and clinical components as well, Yoder said.

The LCME visited campus Nov. 13 through 16 to decide if CMED will earn preliminary accreditation.

“The latest cost estimates include these components with about 30 percent of the increase earmarked for research and 70 percent for clinical,” Yoder said.

Shapiro told CM Life in December that CMU does not tag dollars, so he does not know how much money from tuition has gone toward funding CMED.

“Although we don’t tag dollars, we have not raised tuition to pay for the College of Medicine,” he said.

Total funding for CMED is coming from one-time capital reserves and operating funds that have been set aside in the operating budget for startup costs, including capital reserves budgeted in unrestricted net assets, Shapiro said in an email.

The $3 million in additional support is budgeted with several other revenue streams, Shapiro said. Tuition and fees at full operation will approach $19 million a year. Clinical practice and contracts are currently at approximately $10 million a year and are expected to increase. The plan for development endowment is to reach $1 million annually. GME funding (CMED partners) is currently $17.6 million a year.

Yoder and Shapiro did not say how many years the additional $3 million in annual support would be collected.

“The university’s $3 million support will be part of an overall operating budget for the College of Medicine of nearly $70 million,” Shapiro said.

LCME will vote in February to decide if CMED will receive preliminary accreditation; CMU plans to receive a letter regarding the results in March.

University President George Ross

“The Board remains confident in the leadership of Drs. Ross and Shapiro and their commitment to the academic, personal and professional success for our students,” said Sarah Opperman, chairwoman of the board. “Likewise, the Board is firmly committed to the College of Medicine, which will improve access to care and increase the supply of physicians in underserved areas, with a specific focus on training physicians who will practice in central and northern Michigan.”

The trustees will meet in a regular session Thursday morning.

The A-Senate had approved a motion by a 52 percent majority in a hasty vote at the end of Tuesday’s session against the two.

“Dr. Ross’s and Dr. Shapiro’s refusal to abide by the Academic Senate’s resolution on the CMED initiative is evidence of their disregard for the principles of shared governance at CMU,” stated the fourth point of the motion.

Student Senators Christopher Benison and Michelle Campbell presented the motion in the last 10 minutes of the meeting.

Benison read the motion and A-Senate Chairman Jim McDonald opened the floor to discussion.

Campbell said in an email the next step after the vote is for the Central Michigan University Board of Trustees to “examine the leadership of President Ross and Provost Shapiro.”

The board of trustees need to look at the issues brought up in the motion, she said.

“I and Senator Benison felt it was appropriate to present this at the meeting today because the evidence was overwhelming that the President and Provost have ignored shared governance and the voices of the CMU community to the detriment of CMU’s students, faculty, and staff,” she said. “I hope that the board of trustees takes the vote of no confidence seriously and reacts in an appropriate manner that will satisfy the concerns and grievances of students, faculty and staff on this important issue.”

The motion was approved against Ross and Shapiro in less than a minute.

Student Government Association President Vincent Cavataio said the wording in the motion regarding the “Resolution for the Proposed Central Michigan University College of Medicine” is inaccurate.

The motion states “Dr. Ross and Dr. Shapiro have ignored the results of a vote taken by the Academic Senate on Nov. 1, 2011, to support a motion entitled “Resolution for the Proposed Central Michigan University College of Medicine.”

“The motion in question was introduced as an incidental resolution. That means that no discussion can take place,” Cavataio said. “No one had a choice in the matter even if they wanted to.”

During the presentation and discussion of the motion, Ross remained silent and Shapiro appeared to shake his head, chuckle and talk to surrounding senators.

Ross and Shapiro left immediately following the vote.

McDonald opened the floor to more discussion but with one minute left in the allotted meeting time, George Ronan, a senator and professor of psychology, said there was “not enough time to make any decisions.”

Sarah Opperman, chairwoman of the board of trustees, sent her emailed statement through Steve Smith, director of public relations, to Central Michigan Life.

Ross and Shapiro were unavailable for comment and Smith said the university was “standing by the statement” made by Opperman.

University President George Ross

University President George Ross is not the first Central Michigan University president to receive a no confidence vote from the Academic Senate.

In 1991 former-President Edward B. Jakubauskas faced a no confidence vote by both the A-Senate and the Student Government Association. He also faced collective bargaining differences with clerical workers, which led to  the group striking in the fall 1991 semester. The A-Senate took a vote of no confidence on Sept. 4, 1991 following votes of no confidence from several departments.

He announced his resignation on Nov. 8, 1991 according to Central Michigan Life archives, though he said in his announcement it was not due to the no confidence votes or collective bargaining difficulties.

“If this were the most glorious place in the country, I’d still want to leave,” he said at the time. “It’s very tiring … You can work hard seven day a week and it’s not enough. It’s never enough.”

During a Board of Trustees meeting on Sept. 9 then-Chairwoman Margaret Ann Riecker read a prepared statement to audience members about faith in Jakubauskas.

“The Board of Trustees … affirms its confidence in and support of the administration in its efforts to incorporate the present economic realities in its negotiations with the various campus unions,” she said.

Provost Gary Shapiro

Ross, along with Provost Gary Shapiro both faced the vote from A-Senate Tuesday afternoon. After a 52 percent vote passed in favor of the no confidence motion Board of Trustees Chairwoman Sarah Opperman said she still supports them in their positions.

“The Board remains confident in the leadership of Drs. Ross and Shapiro and their commitment to the academic, personal and professional success for our students,” Opperman said Tuesday.

Jakubauskas, who began the presidency in 1988, finished in 1992 and Leonard Plachta took the top position. Plachta stayed as president until 2000.

Vince Cavatio, Student Government Association president and Shelby Township senior, said personally he has confidence in Ross and Shapiro but that doesn’t mean a vote can’t be taken in SGA.

He said he has talked to Graduate student Michelle Campbell and senior Chris Benison, both student senators in A-Senate who presented the vote of no confidence, and said the two “definitely” could present a no confidence resolution to SGA.

Frank Boles, director of Clarke Historical Library, said he remembers Jakubauksas’ resignation but could not recall if a provost ever faced a vote of no confidence.

Shapiro said in an email to the campus community Nov. 11 that CMU estimates the startup cost for CMED is “likely to exceed $30 million.” The university initially set aside $25 million over five years to fund CMED startup.

The initial vision for CMED emphasized only teaching issues, rather than research, Shapiro said. The estimates now include preparing excellent physicians, as well as engaging in high-quality research and clinical opportunities, he said.

The university also anticipates the need for an additional $3 million in continuing annual support for the medical program, he said in the release.

Shapiro said CMU does not tag dollars, so he does not know how much money from tuition has gone toward funding CMED. He said, however, tuition has not been increased because of CMED.

“Although we don’t tag dollars, we have not raised tuition to pay for the College of Medicine,” he said.

Shapiro said the projections were only projections.

He said CMU has been able to fund CMED through a variety of revenue sources and cost savings, including energy expenses.

CMU was fourth in the state for new freshmen before funding for CMED began, and it continues to be fourth in the state, Shapiro said. He said undergraduate enrollment has also increased because some students are attending CMU because they want to attend the new medical school.

The Liaison Committee on Medical Education visited campus Nov. 13 through 16 to decide if CMED will move toward earning academic accreditation.

Dr. Ernest Yoder, founding dean of CMED, said in an email the planning is inclusive of research and clinical services.

He said questions regarding the need for clinical and research programs were asked during the initial planning for CMED and reviewed in the context of LCME standards upon his arrival as CMED dean.

“LCME standards make clear the expectation that medical students must have the opportunity to participate in research,” he said. “Medical students are trained at clinical sites, and CMED must be in a position to assure that our students train in excellent, state-of-the-art clinical sites.”

After an initial email interview, follow-up questions about how much, if any, of the original estimated cost included research, and when they were aware extra funding would be necessary by Shapiro or Yoder were not answered.

“Unfortunately, both Shapiro and Yoder are unavailable due to meetings,” Director of Public Relations Steve Smith said in an email. “It is my understanding that (Central Michigan Life) have already had an opportunity to speak with both of them regarding this story.”