Thursday, May 17, 2012

"Organizational restructuring"—asking for "input" Thursday of finals week? WTF!


     Today, at 2:52 p.m., denizens of Irvine Valley College received the following email from VPI Craig Justice. It proposes substantial organizational and leadership changes to the college--the day before commencement and the summer faculty diaspora.

TO ALL FACULTY IN THE SCHOOLS OF FINE ARTS, LIBRARY AND LEARNING SERVICES, AND BUSINESS SCIENCES
CC: Members of VPI’s Council, President Roquemore 
Hello everyone, 
Rocky Cellophane
     As you may know, numerous initiatives and new mandates face California’s community colleges at this time, and yet budgets are shrinking while student demand is growing. As IVC itself has grown significantly, some areas of administrative responsibility have grown larger relative to other areas, creating an imbalance of workload for our deans.  Here are four specific challenges that we currently face: 
   1) The student success task force recommendations will require an identified administrative liaison to coordinate instruction with student services and our sister college.
   2) Online education coordination with district IT and Saddleback needs to be enhanced and efforts to improve student readiness for online learning need to be more effective.
   3) The workload of the deans—especially the dean of humanities & languages, social sciences, and library services—needs to be realigned so that the deans’ jobs are roughly comparable.
   4) ATEP class scheduling and ATEP site management needs to be aligned.
   Since we cannot add additional new personnel to address these challenges, the next-best (and only sustainable) solution is to think about some realignments of our existing deans’ assignments that will optimize performance. In plain language, I have been doing a lot of research and thinking about some organizational restructuring that will address the challenges cited above. The reason I am asking for your input is that this proposed restructuring will affect each of you in one way or another. My hope is that the changes will be positive.
     Please meet with me before Commencement tomorrow at 3 p.m. in Conference Room BSTIC 203D to discuss the following proposed reassignments: 
   1. Roger Owens to continue as dean of online education and also dean of library and learning resources and student success initiatives. His new title will be dean of online education, library and learning resources.
   2. David Gatewood to continue as dean of career technical education and also dean of fine arts and business science and technology. David has an M.B.A. and a degree in music.
   3. Kathy Werle to continue as dean of academic programs but become site manager at ATEP and coordinate grants. She currently coordinates class scheduling at ATEP and this new assignment would also enable her to be the site manager as well. 
     In addition to the open meeting tomorrow afternoon, I will also be available next week to meet with interested parties to discuss issues, concerns, and hear your thoughts. Drop in, call, or send me an email with your input. 
     I will post the proposed final plan (following everyone’s input) on the OOI Sharepoint site on Friday, May 25. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration. 
     Craig
     S. Craig Justice, Ph.D.
     Vice President for Instruction
     Irvine Valley College

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think IVC has just been set up. And the day before commencement--and he wants to meet before commencement? What a crock.

Anonymous said...

Less than one day's notice, and the "confessional" format--this is what passes for shared governance these days at IVC? Look for even more mischief during the summer while faculty are away.

Anonymous said...

This is his MO. Waits till the last day of summer to make changes without input. By the time the faculty return in the fall, done deal. Does the president of the college have anything to say? I think I saw strings attached to his hands. Dye his hair red and you've got Howdy Doody.

Anonymous said...

This is so wrong. Sending the email out late in the day on the LAST DAY OF CLASSES. An HOUR LONG meeting about a re-org right BEFORE commencement? Clearly, NO INPUT is desired.

Anonymous said...

Some people (most faculty?) had already left campus before the email was sent. Not everyone goes home and opens up their IVC email. I agree - they don't really want buy-in on this - they just want to make it "look" like they had an open process.

Anonymous said...

Glenn is asleep at the wheel. CJ is texting while driving the IVC bus off a cliff. This is a joke, right?

Anonymous said...

Not a joke. With dwindling state support for community colleges, campuses have begun competing among themselves for funds. Having proved his destructive abilities at Chaffee, Justice was sent by that college on a mission to wreck IVC. He needs to complete the job before retiring.

Anonymous said...

This is yet another smack in the face by the VPI. The plan may not be horrible, but the delivery and timing sure are. Typical of this guy. Wonder what other tricks he has up his summertime sleaves? Who says our Distance Ed students aren't prepared? Our budget hasn't been reduced and our schedule size has remained fixed. Why the need for the radical changes? Looks to me like he's paving he way for his favorite (L) to move into Admin.

Anonymous said...

Really? Does anyone think he wants feedback? I DON'T THINK SO. There are processes in place for discussion and orderly change. This is a pitiful attempt to pretend that your input is wanted. This is a done deal. Hours before commencement? I hope he gets boo'd off the stage.

Anonymous said...

I have no confidence in the Vice President of Instruction.

Anonymous said...

WTF is right. What's the big hurry? 8:12, I couldn't agree more. The plan may be workable, but the delivery and timing is atrocious. Wants our input? BS

Anonymous said...

I especially enjoyed his greeting: "Hello Everyone". This wasn't sent to adjunct faculty. Once again, the exclusion of the largest group of laborers on the campus. Yet another reason why DtB is essential.

Anonymous said...

Lipservice as usual. Wonder what he'll do next while the cats are all away.

Anonymous said...

Good judgment comes from bad experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

Anonymous said...

I just got off a plane in Indiana. Can't make the 3 p.m. meeting for input. Darn.

Anonymous said...

"Thank you for your thoughtful input." My ass.

Anonymous said...

This is total slime. NO CONFIDENCE IN THE VPI!

Anonymous said...

11:49 you must be able to learn from your mistakes. Not likely here.

Anonymous said...

Of course, not a peep from the pipsqueak.

Anonymous said...

I admire Dr. Werle and Dave Gatewood. I'd welcome Dave back on campus, but doubt he can devote the time he needs to Career Tech. Of course, there are few career tech classes these days, so maybe he has time to be dean until LD can be snuck in. Something is very fishy and it stinks.

Anonymous said...

Look on the bright side. At least we were notified before the change.

Anonymous said...

We're dealing with a psychopath here, folks. Like many organizations, we've let one move in at the top. Learn about it here:

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/436/the-psychopath-test

More info and what to do about it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgGyvxqYSbE

Anonymous said...

Can't we get rid of this clown?

Anonymous said...

1:28, very true stuff indeed. There should be College courses offered on how to defend one's self against these human preditors.

Anonymous said...

Many great leaders are psychopaths and sociopaths. They do well because they don't care who they hurt on the way up.

Anonymous said...

CJ couldn't wait to get his grubby, slimy, big hands all over IVC

Anonymous said...

This "restructuring" has happened in Student Services for years folks and throughout the entire area but because it involved primarily classified employees no one said a word. Barely a peep. Why is that?

You now are concerned about process because it involves faculty areas?

Yes, "what a crock."

Anonymous said...

3:45, Because they're trying to survive the firestorm. I believe admin was just moving around some toxic individuals (unionists) to minimize the damage. These people are notorious for creating rumors and spreading lies, yet they get away with it because they are a protected class. There lies our rumormill problem, the very people pushing the civility initiative. That's the crock!

Anonymous said...

5 28 The "reorganization" happened at all levels of Student Services and not always within the boundaries of processes. The moving around of "toxic" people (in your words) is a funny comment. They are simply "toxic" when they disagree with your friends and allies. Yet insightful and targets when they agree with your friends and allies. A group of employees at IVC were "reorganized" to the point of exhaustion in Student Services and no one cared. This is the reality. I am sorry another group may be going through this again at IVC. Maybe they will not be ignored.

Anonymous said...

Was anyone able to attend the meeting and give us a report? I couldn't because of the obvious reasons previously identified.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I'd like to know if anyone attended that meeting.

Anonymous said...

Classic move: send out a late announcement about a meeting scheduled at a time when no one can attend.

Admin 101: Creating the Impression of Collegiality

Anonymous said...

I don't understand the tendency to ask people to participate in a process and then either make it impossible for them to do so in a meaningful way or else once they have done so, completely undo what they have done. Crazy-making madness.

Anonymous said...

The tendency is very easy to understand: we're dealing with a psychopath here.

Anonymous said...

Like in the short video, psychopaths are driven even more crazy when they are forced to look in the mirror, another psychopath challenges them, or they are exposed for who they really are...

Anonymous said...

I didn't attend the meeting because it would be a huge waste of time. Everyone knows that.

Anonymous said...

It's summer. I'm taking a few months off from the drama that is IVC admin.

I'm going cold turkey and kicking psychopathology for 3 months. Ahhhhhhhh--feels good!

Anonymous said...

Watch out! Who knows what they'll do while we're gone!

Anonymous said...

I hope the accreditation team sees this sham of an attempt at open and transparent decision-making once again. Oh, and data driven.

Roy's obituary in LA Times and Register: "we were lucky to have you while we did"

  This ran in the Sunday December 24, 2023 edition of the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register : July 14, 1955 - November 20, 2...