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November 3, 2009

MSSU president: ‘We have work to do’

By Greg Grisolano

ggrisolano@joplinglobe.com

Missouri Southern State University President Bruce Speck says his goal is to move forward — even in the face of a resounding faculty vote of no confidence.

“We certainly have work to do in addressing people’s concerns,” he said. “It really wouldn’t have mattered if the vote had been the opposite. If there were still a minority who had concerns, I’d want to address those concerns.”

Speck on Tuesday offered his reaction to Monday’s vote. The faculty gave a no-confidence vote regarding Speck’s leadership by a margin of 140 to 44. Almost 78 percent of the university’s faculty of 237 participated in the vote.

Background

Tensions between the faculty and the president began mounting in the spring and summer semesters of 2008, when Speck over time cut more than $1.3 million from the university’s operating budget. The budget for the Institute of International Studies, an administrative arm of Missouri Southern’s international mission, was reduced by 40 percent. That decision prompted an outcry from students and faculty members, and became part of a list of 23 grievances compiled against Speck this fall by a faculty senate ad hoc committee. That ultimately led to the no-confidence vote.

Roger Chelf, faculty senate president and a physics professor, said after Monday’s vote that the margin clearly showed that faculty views Speck “as a failed leader.”

Rod Anderson, president of the Board of Governors, said Monday that the board will need time to review the situation before taking any further action. The board in June extended Speck’s contract for two more years.

Speck on Tuesday said he would continue to work on efforts to involve the faculty in making decisions and to improve communication. He said the “reinvigoration” of the administrative council and the formation of an executive budget committee will be elements of that strategy.

“My goal is to move ahead to try to find out how we can really work as a team to make sure the university is a vibrant place,” he said.

Budget committee

The budget committee was approved by members of the Board of Governors after a meeting Monday night of the board’s budget and audit subcommittee. Speck said the committee would be composed of himself, his three administrative vice presidents, the four deans of the colleges, the faculty and staff senate presidents, and the university treasurer. The committee would be charged with reviewing the budget in order to make recommendations for spending and for cutting, as well as making regular reports to the board.

“That new committee is going to be very helpful, I think, because we are going to go into some very difficult budget situations,” Speck said. “Now we have a formal mechanism for beginning that process. And that will help because some of the concerns from faculty have been how the budget was cut. And this will be an opportunity for us to sit around the table and talk about that.”

Chelf, the faculty senate president, said he thinks the budget committee is “certainly a move in the right direction.”

“We used to have a budget committee on this campus, but that’s been several years ago,” he said Tuesday. “I’m pleased that faculty and staff senate will be represented on that committee.”

Speck was directed by the board in September to “improve relations” with the faculty. He put on a series of “listening” meetings with the faculty during the week before the no-confidence vote. Many faculty members, including Chelf, have said the meetings were a positive step.

Chelf also said he is willing to wait for the board to “review” the situation, although he has previously said the faculty senate may initiate a no-confidence vote in the board if no action is taken.

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