We are pleased to post Prof. Larry Roth's analysis of issues surrounding collegiality at SCSU. I want to endorse this effort, because I agree with the analysis Larry gives in his post to the campus:

My analysis suggests that SCSU's fundamental dysfunctions stem from three critical taken-for-granted but erroneous cultural beliefs: (1) faculty are workers and administrators are managers, (2) SCSU professors have academic freedom, and (3) labor relations processes can be used for university governance. The central underlying problem is that SCSU faculty lack academic freedom. The central underlying cause is that long ago SCSU stopped evolving from a normal school into a real university. As a result, there are fundamental contradictions between SCSU's culture and practices and the kind of institution SCSU is supposed to be. These contradictions produce many problems and enable the mistreatment and abuse of faculty, and this in turn causes many problems that result in escalating conflict, lawsuits, grievances, and the like. The negative effects can be especially pronounced for nontraditional and diverse faculty.

I encourage you to read the rest of Roth's analysis. I will report on any additional analysis of this issue as warranted.