Rome discusses LU faculty unhappiness

Lincoln University president Kevin Rome speaks during a news conference Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016 at Lincoln University.
Lincoln University president Kevin Rome speaks during a news conference Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2016 at Lincoln University.

Many members of Lincoln University's faculty appear to be unhappy at their work.

In just the last month:

More than 56.4 percent of the total faculty - and 78.6 percent of those who actually cast a ballot - voted "no confidence" in Said Sewell's performance as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs (VPAA).

Many (the exact number hasn't been released) of those faculty members also submitted requests to the Missouri National Education Association (NEA) for it to represent the faculty in collective bargaining with LU administrators.

"We take those concerns very seriously," LU President Kevin Rome told reporters during a 30-minute news conference last week. "Lincoln University is committed to creating an environment where our faculty feel good about where they work, where they feel supported.

"So that's our goal - our goal is to have high morale on campus."

Part of the faculty's no confidence resolution said: "Dr. Sewell has repeatedly violated the principles of shared governance and has not responded in any substantive way to the concerns expressed by our members. We do not expect any improvement from the current VPAA."

Rome said LU administrators believe "shared governance is very important. But you also have to define shared governance.

"And my perception of shared governance may not be your definition of shared governance."

Lincoln's Rules and Regulations include a chapter, which begins: "The faculty, staff and students of Lincoln University shall share a role in the governance of the institution."

That includes the formation of committees that can propose policies.

"The president of the university shall have the right to veto any action or resolution of any university committee if in her/his judgment the larger interests of the university so require," the shared governance chapter also states. "Should the committee proposing the vetoed policy or action reconsider the issue and re-enact the same resolution by a two-thirds vote, the measure shall become effective unless nullified or reversed by the Board of Curators."

Rome told last week's news conference: "Shared governance means that everyone has input, but you also have certain people who are hired to make decisions.

"We listen to everyone, but that doesn't mean that you get to determine the outcomes."

As an example, he noted children often share their opinions with parents, "and they think that they will get the outcome that they expect. That's not the way it works.

"And when we're working in a professional environment, we seek input from everyone on campus, but when we have to make decisions, we make it with the best information that we have.

"Shared governance does not mean that if you don't like my decision, then I change it for you."

Rome and other administrators also have said they're concerned with the diversity of the faculty and staff at the historically black college.

Until the U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 ruling that segregated schools violated the Constitution, Lincoln was Missouri's official school for African Americans, who were denied attendance at other state institutions.

After integration began, many whites - mostly from Mid-Missouri - began choosing Lincoln, and at one point about 20 years ago, the historically black school's student population was about 75 percent white.

Today, Rome said in a presentation the Faculty-Staff Fall Institute in August, African Americans comprise just under 40 percent of all students and not quite 22 percent of all faculty.

Rome said in August: "It doesn't mean that we don't have great faculty. But it's something that our students talk about, and we can't ignore the conversation."

He told reporters last week: "Any industry says that the more diversified a faculty employs, the richer experience that those who interact with the organization receive.

"And so our goal as we move forward is to diversify the faculty in all aspects of diversity."

Lincoln has hired Rolundus Rice as Lincoln's new chief diversity officer and assistant provost for academic affairs and strategic initiatives.

Rome said Rice will work with administrators to help make the LU campus a more diverse place.

"You don't kick out people to bring in others, so anyone who has that perception has the wrong perception," he said.

"What you do is, when you have faculty openings, you create an environment where you seek to diversify the faculty."

Lower pay - and lack of consistent raises - has been an issue some faculty have mentioned in discussions about the request to have the NEA act as a bargaining agent.

Rome said Wednesday he doesn't think that's been a big issue in efforts to hire a more diverse faculty.

"True, we would love to have more funding so that we could be equitable to other schools in the state," he said. "What we hope to do is to show how attractive Jefferson City and our community could be to any person.

"We believe that this is a great place to live (and) to raise a family. The quality of living is great.

"So I don't believe that everyone is motivated by money; there are some things that are greater than just your salary."

Rome said, while the school would like to have more money, "I think, as a state institution, we're better off than most state institutions in other states.

We're not in a position where we are laying off faculty or staff because of financial problems that we have. At this point, we're paying our bills.

"We're able to operate; we're paying our faculty and staff. So I wouldn't say that we had a financial hardship."

For those who remember the school's near bankruptcy almost 30 years ago, Rome said: "That's not something that I'm concerned with, no."