American Osteopathic Association
Council on Pre-doctoral Education
George Callel, D.O., Chair
142 East Ontario Street
Chicago, IL 60611-2864
RE: KCOM Clinical Faculty
Administrative Issues
at KCOM
Dear Dr. Callel and members of the Council:
We are writing you now as truly concerned KCOM alumni and Osteopathic physicians. Eight of the former KCOM Clinical Faculty (including tenured faculty) who first wrote your committee of the inconsistencies of the KCOM administration regarding increasing class sizes were not offered new faculty contracts. The steering committee of the Clinical Faculty also had all academic rank removed by the Dean and President of KCOM. They were all explicitly informed via a memo they would not be offered new contracts.(1) This response by the administration was an act of direct retribution of an action by the Clinical Faculty to bring concerning issues to the attention of the pre-doctoral committee.(2) The following issues outlined below may not only affect the accreditation of KCOM, but calls into question the practices of the administration at KCOM that have yet to be addressed by the KCOM Board of Trustees or the AOA. If these issues are not adequately addressed by the AOA, a detriment to our profession may result.
Many of the remaining Clinical Faculty were not offered renewed contracts and several of those who were offered contract renewals did not sign due to no confidence of the current administration. Contracts that were offered to select members of the former clinical faculty contained an unprecedented arbitration clause and a non-defined “gross misconduct” clause. Another clause would require a faculty member to reimburse the college if requested courses were not taught for any reason.(3) Recently, few members of the clinical faculty have been granted contracts in a rapid manner, while others have been discriminated against by requiring an unprecedented application method that requires a longer process of sitting before an “administrative/faculty council”, Presidential approval, then eventual board consideration.(4) This blatant method of discriminating consideration of faculty re-instatement is unconscionable and wrong. We protest vehemently against this discriminatory treatment and retribution of our colleagues who bravely told the truth about the current KCOM administration.
Our commitment to honesty and the desire to be associated with an outstanding osteopathic institution, preclude us from continuing within the current administrative environment at KCOM. We have repeatedly attempted to initiate dialogue with the administration.(5) When communication broke down, we again attempted to work within the internal processes available to us with no success. With our voices of concern denigrated or ignored by the administration, we are compelled to turn to the AOA for oversight of the administrative practices at KCOM that affects faculty issues, curriculum, student concerns, and quality education. This document is intended to elucidate several issues surrounding the problems facing the Clinical Faculty at KCOM and is a summary of events that have transpired over the past two years.
In years leading up to the current crisis, the Clinical Faculty has faced a multitude of problems that hinder the effective role of a clinician to teach students. KCOM offered little monetary support for clinical academic endeavors, in stark contrast to other college departments. This attitude has forced the clinical faculty to collect personal funds to pay for basic educational needs like teaching materials, computers, cameras, and slides. Members of the clinical faculty formed a private charitable fund to support educational improvements not only at KCOM, but for other educational needs of the entire Northeast Missouri community.
Not long after Dr. Kuchera assumed duties as Dean, it became apparent that problems with the academic functions of KCOM were developing which were not being addressed. Concurrently, there was a noticeable shift in the focus of KCOM policies. With the initiation of the Dean’s AFFOM program, the first year of the curriculum took longer to be taught with redundant integration of OTM into basic sciences classes that were also taught elsewhere in the curriculum. During multiple clinical faculty meetings, the Clinical Faculty was requested to move teaching hours to the third and fourth years in a videotaping format to accommodate the redundant hours in the curriculum. The Administration had no effective method to insure that essential clinical material from the second year could be uniformly taught outside the classroom in a videotaping format. Clinical hours had already been condensed to such a critical point that no more hours could be reduced without impacting quality student education at KCOM.
The curriculum committee is a forum where critical decisions are made that affect the entire educational process of future physicians. A noticeable shift in the emphasis at the Curriculum Committee has also occurred under Dr. Kuchera. Along with the dubious modifications occurring in the curriculum, it appeared that osteopathic theory and methods (OTM) was replacing 21st century medicine at KCOM. Untested claims were made of the effectiveness and usage of OTM in a clinical practice that was far removed from the standard of care required for modern clinical medicine.(6)
The Curriculum Committee also met at a time when practicing physicians have a difficult time meeting. Much of its business was conducted by PhD’s and other non-DO’s. Adding to this problematic environment, one of the co-chairs of curriculum was meeting with the Dean without knowledge of the other co-chair to accomplish a prearranged agenda for the Curriculum Committee. Another tenuous dynamic of the curriculum committee was the placement of the president’s wife, a psychologist, on the committee. This had an added effect of suppressing discussion. The unusual curriculum initiated by Dr. Kuchera has had a controversial and negative impact on student education at KCOM. The impact of this disarray of the curriculum committee has adversely affected student education by using students as test subjects in an untried and untested curriculum. The effect of changing the anatomy class to five terms, for example, precludes students from transferring credits to other osteopathic colleges who do not recognize the curricular format. The curriculum is in a state of imbalance with OTM outweighing any other discipline. The curriculum should be balanced at the expense of no subject to ensure quality student education at KCOM.
The Dean has also used other meetings to promote his own agenda, rather than to conduct business of the college or for him to gather information. A recent ECF (Executive Committee of the Faculty) recommendation to the board regarding a new faculty appointment for a full professorship, was intentionally misrepresented to the President and the Board of Trustees by the Dean. The faculty was informed of the new appointment only after the fact. Other deserving faculty members who had many years of service to the college were passed over in favor of the Dean’s personal appointments. Our only avenue of complaint was at a faculty meeting where the President tried to suppress the protest before finally listening to our concerns. The President openly, in the presence of the Dean, described the Dean as “immature” and “lacking good judgement”, but he refused to take any action. Furthermore, the Dean suggested the Clinical Faculty representative needed to “correct” his report to the Board of Trustees on at least two occassions. The copy of his suggested “corrections” are still available from the April 2000 KCOM Board of Trustees Report.(7)
The Dean has also misrepresented the faculty’s opinion regarding an increase of class sizes to the AOA. The faculty’s general attitude is that due to decreasing osteopathic post-graduate training positions, class size should at least remain the same, if not decrease. A poll of faculty at a Clinical Faculty meeting in April showed about 21 of 24 people present objected to increasing class size. Prior to this poll, the dean misconstrued the wishes of the clinical faculty with an informal written questionnaire. The “ballot” of the faculty was a vaguely worded subjective measurement of our “feelings” of the appropriate class size. The faculty was not aware the administration would represent us to the AOA using this measurement of our “feelings”. With the current absence of a significant number of resident clinical faculty in Kirksville, quality osteopathic medical education would diminish if class sizes were increased. This irresponsible action is also not in the best interests of future osteopathic graduates who compete for decreasing numbers post-graduate slots.(7)
Due to the suspect method how the Dean was selected by the President, neither have much credibility with most of the faculty. The Acting Dean at the time was a candidate for the permanent position, which contributed to discourage other serious applicants. A clinician on the Selection Committee had to insist that more than one obscure journal be advertised in for the Dean’s position.(8) When selected by the President, Dr. Kuchera was widely known to possess weak clinical credentials for the dean’s position. The AOA rules require qualifications for a Dean of an Osteopathic college to include board certification status. This was noticeably absent in Dr. Kuchera. These glaring weaknesses were known to the President and consequently ignored by the Board of Trustees. This was yet another example of how procedures, credentials, qualifications, and rules are keenly altered to meet the needs of a tainted administration with tacit support of the KCOM Board of Trustees. This does not serve the best interests of quality education at KCOM nor do these activities gain respect for our profession. The credibility of the AOA as an accreditation body will be held in question if these practices at an osteopathic institution are allowed to continue.
After it became apparent that the Board of Trustees were not receiving our concerns through the administration in a factual and truthful manner, we were allowed to present our concerns directly to the Board.(7) It was also obvious that the student body, particularly the second year class was in an uproar over the treatment of their concerns by the administration. They felt that the administration was not truthful on more that one occasion.(9) The Board of Trustees requested a presentation of the student issues at the June meeting.(10) Within two weeks of truthfully representing the student concerns to the Board of Trustees, the student government representative was placed on behavioral probation and was ordered to undergo psychiatric counseling by the Dean of Students, Ron Gaber.(11) This is another fine example of retribution by the current administration to suppress the truth and free speech.
At the Board of Trustee’s April 30-May 1, 2000 meeting and at a specially called board meeting June 4-5, the Board heard and was given detailed written material regarding the seriousness of the situation at KCOM.(6,7) By this time, approximately 36 faculty members (including some local adjunct faculty) had signed a no-confidence vote in the current administration.(8) Prior to the April Board meeting, the Alumni Board readily endorsed the clinical faculty’s efforts to bring positive change to correct the educational problems at KCOM. The Board of Trustees has yet to respond to the concerned faculty, other than to issue a short statement of support for the President.(13) Leadership from the Board of Trustees is sorely needed. Without timely action by the board, continuation of these administrative practices will adversely affect the quality of the student experience at KCOM.
Over the past few months, numerous phone conversations and meetings with the Dean and/or President have taken place. These have all been to no avail, without any changes of the administrative practices at KCOM.(5) The President and the Board of Trustee’s have both been made aware that problems exist at KCOM and what is necessary to get KCOM moving again to restore confidence in the governing bodies, alumni, and offices here at Kirksville.(6,7,10,12)
On June 9, 2000, the President learned that eight faculty members who represent the clinical faculty had complained to the AOA about a few of the irregular events at KCOM.(2) This group of clinical faculty, including tenured clinical faculty, were informed via a memo from Drs. Kuchera and McGovern they would not be offered new academic contracts and their faculty appointments and ranks were stripped.(1) A prior memo to the KCOM faculty and staff stated that this group of faculty would “be held accountable”.(14) Apparently, “whistle-blowing” of the truth by faculty or students will not be tolerated at KCOM.
The former Clinical Faculty has tolerated an environment of deception, half-truths, threats and out-right fabrications emanating from the KCOM administration. It was impossible to satisfy our educational responsibilities to the students under these conditions. The following clinical faculty members supported a no-confidence measure of the practices of the current President and former Dean. Eight steering committee members were not offered contracts and others decided to not sign new contracts under the current administrative environment at KCOM.
These members include:
1. Dr. Kent Blanke* Section Chief – Surgery
2. Dr. Jack Bragg* Chairman - Internal Medicine & Clinical Faculty
Representative
3. Dr. Robert Jackson* Chairman – Rheumatology
4. Dr. Les Landau Chairman – Surgery
5. Dr. Kevin Kline Chairman – Orthopedics
6. Dr. Michael Willman, Sr.* Chairman – Radiology
7. Dr. Ralph Boling*** Chairman – OB/GYN
8. Dr. Jeffrey Morasco Chairman – Pathology
9. Dr. Toni Smith*** Chairman – Anesthesiology & Director of
Medical Education NRMC
10. Dr. Robert Madsen*** Professor, Surgery
11. Dr. Charles Pritchard* Professor, Internal Medicine
12. Dr. Paul Williams Professor, Radiology
13. Dr. Burt Young Associate Professor, Ophthalmology
14. Dr. Marvin Sloin* Associate Professor, OB/GYN
15. Dr. Nathan Berry Associate Professor, Anesthesiology
16. Dr. Scott Anderson* Associate Professor, Internal Medicine
17. Dr. Richard Kenney*** Associate Professor, Rheumatology
18. Dr. Lawrence Miller Associate Professor, Ophthalmology
19. Dr. Glen Browning Associate Professor, Orthopedics
20. Dr. Kevin Suttmoeller* Associate Professor, Internal Medicine
21. Dr. Phil McIntire Associate Professor, Surgery
22. Dr. Karlis Sloka Associate Professor, Pathology
23. Dr. Don Maples Adjunct Assistant, Professor-Family Practice
24. Dr. Paul Petry*** Assistant Professor, Pediatrics
25. Dr. Robert Floyd*** Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine
26. Dr. Marc Bonin** Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine
27. Dr. Samuel Lee Assistant Professor, Surgery
28. Dr. Timothy Ernst*** Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology
29. Dr. John Bailey Assistant Professor, Orthopedics
30. Dr. Richard Misischia** Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine
31. Dr. Michael Willman, Jr. Assistant Professor, Ophthalmology
32. Dr. Mary Misischia** Oncology
33. Dr. Todd Sylvara Adjunct Assistant Professor, Family Practice
34. Dr. Karen Sylvara Adjunct Assistant Professor, Family Practice
35. Dr. Pete Moorton Assistant Professor, Radiology
(*) Members of the Clinical Faculty Steering Committee who had academic rank removed and were
not offered new contracts.
(**) Clinical Faculty members that have recently resigned and moved from Kirksville.
(***) Clinical Faculty members who were given new contracts on a fast-track basis.
Since our initial complaints and eventual exile from the institution, the college has agreed with some of our concerns. Last week the college re-arranged the curriculum committee into 5 basic science chairs and 5 clinical science chairs, removing extraneous personnel from this important decision making committee. It is unfortunate that KCOM has to come to these state of affairs to effect change. These changes have occurred in direct response to voices raised by the current exiled clinical faculty. Recently, Dr. Kuchera resigned his position as Dean of the college.(15) An interim dean was appointed who had previously been managing three administrative positions at the college.(16) These three administrative positions are currently vacant. The President has established a new search committee for a new Dean. It is compromised of a minority voice of clinical physicians. The Clinical Faculty is willing to participate in educational activities under a new dean.(17) However, they have been frustrated in the manner how the administration is discriminating the selection Clinical Faculty re-applicants.(4) The AOA pre-doctoral committee will visit the KCOM campus August 22nd, with the expressed purpose of re-inspecting the school to address issues raised by the former clinical faculty.
An osteopathic medical institution in a rural community such as Kirksville cannot recover from the loss of 30 or more clinical faculty. KCOM has attempted to solve the faculty required to teach with the hiring of an itinerant faculty. The solution of an itinerant teaching faculty will make KCOM for all intents and purposes the equivalent of an offshore medical school. There are also few numbers of resident clinical faculty to actively participate the many functions of the college to make it a truly quality osteopathic institution. It is absurd that clinical faculty members are to be exiled for making vocal criticisms of administrative practices that are eventually enacted upon by the college. At this juncture, we submit this information and ask for your assistance to help with this calamitous situation at KCOM.
The former Clinical Faculty, including the eight dismissed members, will continue to seek significant change at KCOM for the betterment of our institution and wish for excellence for the undergraduate education of our future colleagues. It is imperative that the AOA recognize the need for students, faculty, and staff to report inconsistencies and violations of the by-laws of the AOA without fear of direct retribution. These activities and other practices, if allowed to continue, will be to the detriment of the profession if an osteopathic medical school can subvert free speech, academic freedom, and the oversight of an accrediting body such as the AOA.
Respectfully submitted,
The former KCOM Clinical Faculty
We conclude:
1) The KCOM administration did not adhere to AOA rules in the selection of the former Dean.
2) The KCOM administration has actively pursued a policy of retribution on students and faculty.
3) The KCOM administration has not acted in the best interests of student education.
4) The KCOM administration has not acted in the best interests of the alumni
5) The KCOM administration has misrepresented faculty views on class size expansion to the AOA.
6) Experienced Clinical Faculty has been replaced on-campus by itinerant faculty.
7) KCOM administration “white-washed” problems in the OTM department with a bogus committee.(19)
8) KCOM currently has inexperienced and inadequate faculty to provide quality student education and 3rd and 4th year curriculum delivery at KCOM.
9) The majority of current department chairs have less than five years experience at KCOM.
10) Tenured clinical faculty members were terminated by the KCOM administration.
11) Discrimination exists in the hiring of new clinical faculty.
References:
1) Memo regarding rescinding of academic rank and not offering new contracts from Drs. Kuchera and McGovern.
2) Letter to the Pre-doctoral Committee by the KCOM Clinical Faculty.
3) Sample new contract for the 2000-2001 academic year.
4) Memo outlining the current method for former clinical faculty to return to KCOM.
5) Memo to Dr. McGovern to initiate dialogue from Dr. M.R. Willman.
6) Presentation to the KCOM Board of Trustees by the Clinical Faculty, April 2000.
7) Presentation to the KCOM Board of Trustees by the Clinical Faculty, June 2000.
8) Letter from Dr. Walker, member of the dean’s selection committee.
9) Student reports on the state of affairs on the KCOM campus.
10) Presentation to the KCOM Board of Trustees by the Student Representatives, June 2000.
11) Student memo outlining the treatment of the student government representative after the June 2000 Board of Trustees meeting.
12) Declaration of no-confidence in the KCOM administration by the clinical faculty, April 2000
13) Memo from the KCOM Board of Trustees.
14) Memo from the administration informing the staff that whistleblowers to the AOA would “be held accountable”.
15) Dr. Kuchera’s resignation memo.
16) List of open Faculty Positions as of 8/21/2000.
17) Letter indicating the Clinical Faculty’s willingness to serve under new leadership.
18) Memo from Dean Gaber instructing students to not talk to anyone outside of the administration.
19) Letter from Dr. Morasco criticizing the “whitewash” of the student OTM survey.
20) Letter from Dr. Willman describing the inadequacies of the Curriculum Committee.
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