Its mindboggling they can earn nearly $600K for just being a rainmaker (University presidents today are responsible for raising visibility of and money for their institutions.)

Do they really “earn” their keep? Is it worth our tax dollars to pay Jordan that much? I wonder why universities give away free housing to them all the while throwing huge sums of $$$ to them all the while many other faculty members are paid peanuts.

It’s more than that. I. King Jordan earned $582,668 in 2004.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....Nov14.html

Anyone want to talk about that as I believe Jane Fernandes would undoubtedly get the same compensation. It would be unbelievable to pay her that much then if she doesn’t live up to her contract, she gets a “golden parachute” to leave.

http://pf.gallaudet.edu/description.htm

I enjoyed reading your comments on this blog, I found them very enlightening (and I’m sure others also did) so thank you for sharing your thoughts.

I’m sure there are also boards of other universities that probably don’t do any of that. However, for Gallaudet, it is inexcusable that the board didn’t stay connected with the community. Deaf community is very compact and indisposable. It’s much easier to stay in touch with what’s going on. It is odd that the BOT was disconnected from the community. Too odd given the culture and norms of the deaf community.

You’re right, there are more hearing professors with PhDs. My point was more about how much harder it is for the deaf to get opportunities to move up when the communication isn’t quite 100% accessible. David Evans wrote a great blog about that.

The university needs to be revived from its….stagnancy. The “liberal arts for the deaf” motto has gotten so stale and with the communication/video technology that is dominating our culture, Gallaudet must introduce new information technology or marketing majors & programs to increase its enrollment for the students and employment opportunities for the faculty.

I can understand how “hearing dominated” Gallaudet is and the signing fluency of most hearing professors doesn’t meet the expectations of the deaf students and faculty. But I have one question: to become a professor at Gallaudet, you must have a PhD, correct? If so, then it makes sense that most of the professors are hearing because there are very few deaf people who have PhDs anyway. Not sure about the administration, though.

It still does not address the remarkable changes deaf people have made in different disciplines and the contributions they have given to the community locally, nationally, and internationally. The number of deaf people employed in higher positions is growing. Technology has helped tremendously with the success rate of employment. And quite many of them are alumni of Gallaudet. And yet, they are not recognized by Gallaudet, invited to teach students for one session, meet students, and so on. That’s pride. That’s the advantage of a small community.

Gallaudet doesn’t employ a clear communication policy on campus where every one is respected and valued. It is still very hearing-dominated university. The higher a person goes in the administration, the more hearing he/she becomes. And the less ASL it becomes. Look at the majority of deans, chairs, and professors (not associate professors or assistant professors, but full professors). Hearing. There is this culture on campus where it allows half the faculty to teach students even though they can’t sign fluently. This is the culture where sim-com is used in meetings or classrooms. For years, suggestiosn and recommendations have been made for deaf awareness training, better information acquistion in classrooms (i.e. provide interpreters with faculty who are literally ASL-impaired), and admissions standards to keep drawing bright deaf students. Changes have been slow, almost non-existent, and painful.

The biggest irony is that Gallaudet is a deaf home, but it is not deaf-friendly. And this has been going on for years and years. It’s now ENOUGH.

The protest is an outcry of not being heard over the years. The BOT’s distance with the community during the selection process was the straw that broke the camel’s back. If the BOT had listened to the faculty’s no-vote of confidence on JK during her time as Provost and investigated it further (note: in higher education field, faculty’s no vote of confidence is a big big big deal. Somehow, that fact isn’t a big deal at Gallaudet) had talked with the alumni, and had an inkling of what the campus climate was like. If they took the time to assess the situation, met a few more times during this critical time in Gallaudet’s history of selecting the next president, and still selected JK, there would have been a very different outcome.

How can a community who has tried to speak up, has tried to work with the administration many times over, and did their best to put on a smile and say, “I love Gallaudet anyway”, celebrate the new president when the selection process, flawed or not, was not transparent and only limited inclusion was practiced?

The protest is often a product of years of festering and oppression. The administration has gotten arrogant, The BOT too. I completely wish Dr. Jordan will leave the way he came in—with glory, with pride, and with total respect for those that put him in the first place. Unfortunately, he came in as a giant icon and will leave as a tarnished hero. If he had only listened. If he had only stayed close with the community. Only if…

It is with sadness that the community has been divided. But, Gallaudet is morphing into a place that has to be a home for Deaf America. The protest will continue until peaceful resolution has been met. I don’t think reopening the search process is the answer. But, I think that “continued arrogance” is what JK symbolizes and the community is afraid, no, try petrified of another 18 years of same issues. JK needs to communicate with the community how her administration will be different. What kind of strategies will be in place to ensure that Gallaudet will be a better place. Strategic goals, diversity initiative, and other “big” ideas told by JK are not detailed enough so we, of course, are not content with what exactly will be happening with the University down the road. There is fear of the unknown and JK’s leadership, especially during this crisis, isn’t very reassuring.

So, tell me, what should we do?

That is very clear evidence that the highers ups have not been in touch with the community otherwise they would not have misread the mood when JKF was chosen. I especially like your contrast of RIT and Gally. The fact that they’ve been out of touch with the Gally community can not be disputed. This is a lot more important in the Deaf Community than in the hearing community. I’ve been looking for facts - not rumors or unfounded accusions.

I say this as an outsider. I did attend Gally years ago. I’m starting to think this isn’t about ID politics even though that’s the impression a lot of people have.