James,  
     I hesitate to weigh in on this as it is apparent I am out of my depth.  But, I can't help but be reminded of my days in the Navy when sailors would bicker about whose job really was the most important.  The Engineers would claim "without the engines the ship could not get underway".  Gunners mates replied "without us we couldn't fire the guns, and could not fight", and on and on it went with each rate claiming to be the most important.  Of course, when it was time to work, or respond to an emergency, or even play, we were all there together as a team. You see, it took all of us to make it work. 
     That is why, after reading everyone’s e-mails, I also have a crisis of confidence.  It is not, however, in our administrators.  I do not begrudge them their raise or feel in any way cheated because of it.  In fact, I support the decision whole heartedly.  
     I have to say I am disappointed in the short-sighted view of many of our educators and staff.  Surely you are not blind to the complexity of budget allocation and the politics involved. I mean, none of us could argue that everyone deserves a raise.  So, where do you start?  You, of course, argue for the teachers.  But couldn't the custodians, or plumbers, or secretaries make just as eloquent an argument? The bottom line is you have to start somewhere.  Perhaps, in my ignorance, I am blind to the mass corruption that has given nine hard-working employees a raise.  I say congratulations; you deserve it.
     Being a leader is hard, and I do not envy the leaders of the institution for the decisions they are paid to make.  They are often hard, complex, and misunderstood. I feel confident that most of them are good, honest people that are simply making the best decisions they can based on the information they have (which is a great deal more than you or I have).  
	I have said more than I probably should (and probably should have said nothing at all).  But, I will say one last thing.  The people who really deserve a raise are too busy working to contribute this needlessly wordy discussion.  They are the guys climbing out of manholes, fixing your A/C, and cleaning your toilets.  They never come home clean, they sweat, and they don’t have the luxury of making demands.  They deserve a raise.  Of course, since (according to many of you) at least 50% of the budget should be set aside for academics, they can just make do…as always.
-Chip
     

-----Original Message-----
From: James Russell <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] 
Date: Mon, 8 Sep 2003 23:34:46 -0400
Subject: [UTCSTAFF] Crisis of Confidence

It is no secret that at this time there is a crisis of confidence at UTC.  The decision to raise the salaries of some administrators was just the tip of the iceberg.  Faculty and staff during the past two weeks have learned much that they did not know about UTC budgetary policies.  It has demoralized and angered many of them.

For some of us, the revelations have also been disappointing.  I still remember how positive I felt after hearing Chancellor Stacy preside over his first faculty meeting.  He reviewed budget decisions from previous years and made it clear that the patterns he detected would not continue.  Athletics would not take precedence over academics in the future.  Deficits in the football program would not be made up by cutting into the money available for scholarships.  This seemed like a breath of fresh air.

I have been on the faculty since 1970.  Last year I told Dr. Stacy to his face that he was the best of the four chancellors I have worked for.  Half jokingly, I added that he had not faced stiff competition.  I meant it.  After thirty plus years, I thought that there would be significant progress in the near future.  It hasn’t happened.

What I think needs to happen now is that the administration must make a more genuine commitment than I have seen in the past to improving the academic function of this university.  It must put its money where its mouth is.  Academics should get at least 50% of the budget from this point on.  Support staff need to have their miserable salaries raised also.

What a university administrator should do is marshal resources to make instructional programs perform at the highest level possible.  Let’s face it: Unless teachers do their jobs, nobody at UTC (including high level administrators) will be paid.  What the university gets from the state legislature depends on enrollments.  Students come here to learn from the faculty—not from the administrators.

Mike Russell