More than 85 Youngstown State University retirees oppose presidency selection process
A group of 85 retired professors, administrators and staff members issued a letter to the Youngstown State University Board of Trustees and Congressman Bill Johnson.
They’re joining alumni, community members and students who voiced opposition to the closed-door selection process for the tenth president.
Part of the letter emphasizes, “Our main concerns deal with how your decision will affect both the short-term and long-term welfare of the university that we have been part of for a good portion of our lives.”
The former employees have a combined 2,565 years of service to the university.
In the letter, they asked the board: “Will the decades-long progress in student recruitment... be negatively impacted? Most importantly, will your hasty, secretive, ill-considered, potentially politically motivated actions harm YSU’s efforts to attract top quality students and faculty?”
In the letter, the former faculty said their main requests are:
Take “a step back” and “go through this process again in an appropriate way,” said YSU Trustee Molly Seals and
“Initiate a process by which the two parties can find common-ground to rescind the offer in a reasoned and respectful manner,” according to former YSU president Leslie Cochran.
Here’s the entire letter:
We, the signatories to the attached petition, represent a unique set of stakeholders at Youngstown State University; namely, former employees / retirees with over a combined 2,565 years of active service who continue to support our university in various ways with both our talents and our treasures. By adding our names to this petition, we wish to join other voices (students, 2,500+ alumni, former Trustees, a former YSU President, major donors, the YSU Foundation, 70% of community members responding to a Vindicator poll, The YSU Academic Senate) in expressing our serious concerns with, and strong opposition to, the Board’s search process and the person designated to be the next YSU President.
Our main concerns deal with how your decision will affect both the short-term and long-term welfare of the university that we have been part of for a good portion of our lives. It is already clear that the good name and reputation of YSU has been severely if not permanently damaged as a result of the uniformly critical, sometimes scathing, regional and nationwide reviews of your decision. It is also clear that this and other actions have broken the bond between YSU and its employees, causing many to seek opportunities elsewhere and if not, disengage themselves from the University.
Compounding the above, will the decades-long progress in student recruitment (both domestic and international), capital improvements, campus student housing, improved ACT scores and the Honors College be negatively impacted? Will the momentum of recent record-setting fundraising efforts by the YSU Foundation suffer? Will this region’s most important economic asset be endangered? Most importantly, will your hasty, secretive, ill-considered, potentially politically motivated actions harm YSU’s efforts to attract top quality students and faculty?
As to the often-heard refrain “Give Bill Johnson a Chance”, we say to him, your voting record in Congress, your uninformed criticism of higher education, your total lack (except for 8 Trustees) of a constituency on campus and the absence of any demonstrated qualifications for the job do not bode well for the future. We are not afraid to say, “The Emperor has no clothes”. Should we take a chance only to find later that you were NOT, as you proclaimed, “what’s best for YSU”? We emphatically declare that the answer is NO!
For the good of Youngstown State University and in an attempt to resolve this predicament, we respectfully appeal to you, YSU Trustees and Congressman Johnson alike, to put away your selfish interests and act on the following two recommendations without delay:
“What I as a board member would like to see is a step back, and to go through this process again in an appropriate way;” YSU Trustee Molly Seals
“Therefore, I ask the members of the Board initiate a process by which the two parties can find common-ground to rescind the offer in a reasoned and respectful manner.” Former YSU President Dr. Leslie Cochran.
Signed by,
Stephen Hanzely, PhD (Physics and Astronomy), 40 years of service, George D. Beelen, PhD (History), 40 years of service, James H Andrews (Physics & Astronomy), 21 years of service, DM Price (Chemical Engineering), 22 years of service, Gary Salvner (English), 39 years of service, Timothy W. Kuzniar (Physics), 15 years of service, Chris M. Bache, PhD (Philosophy and Religious Studies), 35 years of service, Dan Wathen (Athletics), 32 years of service, Lauren Schroeder (Biological Sciences), 26 years of service, Dr. William R. Buckler (Geography), 34 years of service, Donna M. DeBlasio (History), 20 years of service, Robert Hogue (Computer Science & Information Systems ), 23 years of service, James C. Morrison (Psychology), 39 years of service, Sharon Shanks, Planetarium Lecturer Emeritus (Physics & Astronomy), 30 years of service, Bege Bowers, Ph.D. (English; A&S Dean’s Office; Provost’s Office), 28 years of service, Rosemary D’Apolito (Sociology and Anthropology), 30 years of service, Ted row Perkins (Dana School of Music), 29 years of service
Jane Kestner (Psychology/ Dean’s Office College of Arts & Sciences/ College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences), 46 years of service
Jonelle Beatrice (Student Life /Executive Director), 28 years of service, Dr. Gary R. Walker (Biological Sciences/ Cell -Molecular), 26 years of service, Stephanie Tingley (English), 31 years of service, Martin Cala (Industrial & Systems Engineering), 30 years of service
Thomas A. Shipka, Ph.D. (Philosophy and Religious Studies), 46 years of service, Daniel O’Neill (Communication Studies), 52 years of service, John Sarkissian (World Languages), 34 years of service
Ronald L. Gould (Dana School of Music), 42 years of service, H. Marlene Dailey (Office of the Provost), 38 years of service, Regina Rees (Beeghly College of Education), 15 years of service, Dr. Barbara Brothers (English and Dean of Arts and Sciences), 41 years of service
Gabriel F Palmer-Fernandez (Philosophy and Religious Studies), 31 years of service, Christina Hardy (Career & Academic Advising), 15 years of service, Joseph W. Antenuccci Ph.D., CPA (inactive) (Accounting and Finance), 22 years of service, Kriss A Schueller (Computer Science and Information Systems), 34 years of service, Diana Palardy (World Languages), 15 years of service, Lowell J. Satre (History), 35 years of service, Dr. Sharon A. Stringer (Psychological Sciences), 34 years of service, Dr. Karen Becker (Counseling/Reading &Study Skills; First Year Experience; Honors and BCOE adjunct), 25 years of service, Tod Porter (Economics), 35 years of service
Robert Twomey (Art), 2 years of service, L. Diane Barnes (History), 15 years of service, Dennis Morawski (Department of Social Work), 26 years of service, Dr. Janice Elias (Human Ecology), 36 years of service, Philip Brady (English), 33 years of service, Michele Lepore-Hagan (Performing Arts Series, College of F&PA), 28 years of service, Steven M Schildcrout (Chemistry), 36 years of service, Susan E Davis (Undergraduate Admissions/Director), 28 years of service, Birsen Karpak (Management and Marketing), 37 years of service
FW Koknat (Chemistry), 40 years of service, Phil Hirsch (Kilcawley Center/Administrative Services), 30 years of service, Sandra W. Stephan, Ph.D. (English/Metropolitan College), 21 years of service, Barbara C. Orton (Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Disability Services), 18 years of service, Susan Hertz Khawaja (Center for International Studies and Programs), 29 years of service, Ikram Khawaja (Geology/ Office of Provost), 44 years of service, Thomas Maraffa (Geography), 29 years of service, Hunter Morrison (Center for Urban and Regional Studies), 10 years of service, Virginia Kozarich (Librarian), 12 years of service, Michael Crist (Dana School of Music), 37 years of service, Jef C Davis, PhD (International Studies & Programs), 10 years of service, Linda J. Mohn (Business/MBA), 33 years of service, Donald Mathews (Marketing-Business College), 45 years of service, Gail Y. Okawa, PhD (English), 16 years of service, Brendan Minogue (Philosophy and Religious Studies), 35 years of service, Rebecca Barnhouse (English), 26 years of service, Debbie Yiannaki (Communication), 24 years of service, George H. Young (Chemistry), 4 years of service, Dr. Linda J. Strom (English), 29 years of service, Sandra M Driscoll widow of Wade Driscoll (Industrial Engineering), 35 years of service, Ronald Shaklee (Geography and Honors), 34 years of service, Dr. Gordon Longmuir (Human Performance and Exercise Science), 35 years of service, Clyde Morris (Economics), 35 years of service, Richard C. Mitchell (ART), 47 years of service, David MacLean (Biology), 30 years of service, Howard Mettee (Chemistry), 49 years of service, Francis Krygowski (Engineering Technology), 29 years of service, Susan Russo (Art Dept.), 32 years of service, Brigitta S. Hanzely (Maag Library), 22 years of service, Viktoria Orosz (Campus Housing, Campus Rec, Athletic Department), 2.5 years of service, Matthew Anderson (Athletics, HPES), 14 years of service, Sherry Lee Linkon (English), 22 years of service, John Russo (Williamson College of Business Administration), 33 years of service, Alice Budge (English), 28 years of service, Mark Masaki, PhD (Psychology), 35 years of service, Leslie S. Domonkos. Ph.D. (History Department), 43 years of service, Jim Lepore (Art), 40 years of service, Dr. Anne York (History), 24 years of service, Thomas A. Copeland (English), 30 years of service, Brendan Minogue (Philosophy and Religious Studies), 35 years of service
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