By Grace Cardinal, Editor-in-Chief
Last week, Manhattan College faculty took part in a vote of no confidence against President Milo Riverso, Ph.D. Out of 210 full-time faculty members, 147 participated in the vote, which resulted in 89% casting a vote of no confidence in Riverso, as first published by The Riverdale Press.
Additionally, 7% abstained from voting, and only 4% expressed disagreement with the motion.
The motion of no confidence was sent to the Board of Trustees and the president on Jan. 29. In the motion, the faculty cited that their decision stemmed from four different concerns.
First was that, “The administration terminated faculty on the grounds of financial distress without providing tenured faculty with the notification and severance as contractually required by the Faculty Handbook.”
The rest of the section went on to explain that the administration was acting upon the claim that tenured faculty have fewer rights and protections than non-tenured faculty, another direct breach of the Faculty Handbook.
The second point covered the administration’s “blatant disregard” of the Faculty Handbook, which states that faculty have the right to oversee curricular decisions, including the decision they made in January to eliminate 20 programs.
The faculty claimed, “This will undermine some of the college’s distinctive strengths, such as our ability to meet a variety of student interests and needs, and undermine our ability to survive the current crisis.”
Third, faculty members stated that the administration has refused to adhere to the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) definition of tenure, as reported in the Riverdale Press, which states that “ a tenured appointment is an indefinite appointment that can be terminated only for cause or under extraordinary circumstances such as financial exigency and program discontinuation,” according to the AAUP’s website.
The AAUP’s definition of tenure combined with the definition listed in the Faculty Handbook also listed specific protections to which tenured professors are entitled under the 1940 Statement.
Lastly, the faculty addressed the lack of transparency from administration. Faculty listed the sudden shift from a “last in, first out” policy to arbitrary reasoning, including laying off faculty based on their enrollment numbers and course caps compared to others.
The letter from the faculty made it clear that President Riverso’s recent hospitalization due to a hip injury after a fall was not a factor in their decision to petition.
The motion garnered a response from Stephen Squeri, chair of the Manhattan College Board of Trustees, that was less than well-received by the faculty involved in the original vote.
“I was not at all surprised by the response of the chair of the Board of Trustees,” Marlene Gottlieb, a recently laid-off tenured Spanish professor wrote in a statement to The Quadrangle. “The Board chose Dr. Riverso so that he, an experienced businessman, could forcefully address the deficit the college was facing. That is the fiduciary responsibility and the primary function of a Board.”
Squeri responded to the motion of no confidence by saying that he respects the Council for Faculty Affairs (CFA) right to evaluate the college’s leadership and collect the opinion of the faculty on issues and appreciates the feedback.
“We do, however, respectfully disagree with the reasons provided which supported the vote,” the letter said. “Additionally, while we recognize the impact of the necessary actions taken by President Riverso and his team have had on our valued faculty, the Board of Trustees unanimously stands by those decisions which were taken to ensure the long-term financial stability of the College and its ability to pursue its mission for generations of students to come.”
Squeri went on to explain that the Board of Trustees specifically chose to elect Riverso as MC’s president due to his unique skill set, long-term vision for the college, and his ability to help Manhattan College address the challenges faced as a result of the effects of the pandemic.
“Dr. Riverso’s plan, which was presented to and endorsed by the Board, includes a number of difficult but necessary steps to put the college on solid financial footing and focus our resources on the areas that are delivering the greatest value for our students and the entire College community both now and in the future,” Squeri wrote. “We understand that not everyone will agree with the outcome, but we believe that the steps the administration has taken were appropriate and necessary.”
Gottlieb went on to express her disappointment in the college’s process for addressing the issue, including the lack of faculty committees that would have been able to work towards solutions in a mutually collaborative manner with administration.
“However, I have two concerns,” Gottlieb wrote. “First, where was the Board and its oversight of the former president and vice presidents of Finance and Facilities that led to the deficit the college is now facing? Why wasn’t this problem identified and addressed over 3-4 years ago? My second concern is the process and manner in which the deficit has been addressed.”
While Gottlieb acknowledged that there may have been layoffs and program restructuring even if the college followed the guidance of the AAUP and the Faculty Handbook, if the decisions were made in collaboration with faculty they would have been more carefully considered.
The letter to faculty from Squeri concluded by saying that the administration and the board are dedicated to working in the best interest of faculty and students.
“Importantly, the Board and the administration has been and remain committed to treating impacted individuals with the utmost respect and fairness,” the letter read. “Engagement with our faculty, staff and students remain essential throughout this process, and, as we have in the past, we welcome your perspectives as we continue to focus on the best interest of our entire College community.”
On Feb. 5, the president sent out an acknowledgment of the recent deficits and the letter sent from the CFA to the board.
In the email sent to the greater Manhattan College community, Riverso wrote, “These decisions have not been easy nor have they been pleasant – far from it – but, unfortunately, they were very necessary and, frankly, overdue. In that regard, I sincerely appreciate the Board’s recent statement of support of my leadership in view of the faculty’s recent resolution.”
The Quadrangle reached out to the office of the president for additional comment but did not hear back by the time of publication.
Editor’s Note: Some information reported above was first published by The Riverdale Press.