Dear Colleagues,

Probably quite unnecessary to say, but we've very lucky to get John to do
the job. Not only, as Marcia says, could we do much, much worse, we
couldn't expect to do better.

Fred Behringer




At 11:39 AM 7/3/01 -0500, you wrote:
>Dear Colleagues,
>
>I would like to provide a very different perspective on John Trimpey than
>that recently offered by Professor Gervarghese.  I disagree strongly with
>Professor Gervarghese's opinion of Dr. Trimpey but respect his right to
>offer it under the provisions of the First Amendment of the US Constitution
>and the academic freedom provisions of the Faculty Handbook.  I offer my
>views in the belief that the best way to find the truth in a democratic
>society is through the clash of differing opinions in the free marketplace
>of ideas.
>
>John Trimpey was my dean when I came to UTC as a naive assistant professor
>in the fall of 1986.  When I had the chutzpah to apply for promotion to
>associate professor in the spring of 1987, he took the time to sit me down
>and explain to me why I didn't get promoted and how I could strengthen my
>promotion application the next year (when I did get promoted to associate
>professor, with his help and support). He didn't stonewall me, stall me,
>bullshit me or shine me on; he treated me like a colleague and a peer and
>he was completely honest and straighforward in this and in other
>situations; in my experience these are rare qualities in a school
>administrator.
>
>John Trimpey is a highly qualified and experienced administrator who ran a
>tight ship when he was Dean of Arts and Sciences and he will do the same as
>Acting Provost. When he disagrees with you, he will let you know that and
>then he will do what he thinks is right.  He will not blow sunshine at you
>and then turn around and stab you in the back.  We're lucky to have him as
>Acting Provost.  We could do much, much worse.
>
>Marcia Noe
>Professor of English
>