Letter of Resignation
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KEEP THE FLAME BURNING
KEEP WELLS STRONG
PASS IT ON
April 29, 2004
To the Wells College Community,
As you may be aware, I have resigned from the Board of Trustees in protest of the current activities taking place at the Board and presidential level. I feel this decision has been made consciously and in a timely manner. I have truly enjoyed serving the Wells Community and could not in good faith serve the remainder of my tenure exiting quietly and unsatisfied. I would like to make clear that my resignation is not due to the issue of co-education. In this situation, I feel co-education has been a divisive measure to munipulate attention away from the long-standing issues which face our community.
Rather, I have found the lack of short and long term collaborative planning with the campus community, specifically faculty and staff, to be troubling. I firmly believe the faculty and staff are what makes Wells College an uniquely excellent academic institution. You have been recognized for your accomplishments on the national level and are truly the muscle of the college. In contrast, I see the current leadership of the College and Board as tired and uncommitted to the mission of the institution. This lack of direction is evident in the absence of any sort of collaborative strategic planning.
Colleges like Wells have the ability to implement change quickly as a result of their collegial environments that encourage campus-wide communication; these characteristics aid in the sustainability of small colleges. However, I feel that our current leadership fails to incorporate the campus community in vital planning and decision- making processes. As a community, we must ask why this communication is being--and has historically been--hindered. Why have we not conducted a strategic plan in almost ten years? Why is the community being divided with issues of coeducation when the real issues lie within the leadership of the institution? Why is the board unable to present an articulated and cohesive vision for the future? Vision, collaborative implementation, and ongoing assessment are crucial to the future of Wells College. While Wells is not alone in the challenges it faces in higher education, many other colleges have become proactive and incorporated campus-wide participation in decision-making. Transformation cannot be lead; transformation is an ongoing collaborative process. Will we transform collaboratively or will change be thrust upon us? We can no longer afford a lack of leadership and vision; we are in desperate need of progressive strides and involvement from all members of the Wells Community.
I truly hope the Wells community can come together and implement proactive change; however my time on the board has made me increasingly disheartened at this possibility given the current leadership of the board and president. The purpose of this letter is to instigate critical thinking about where we are and what type of leadership we see facilitating us through this opportunity. The time is now.
Jamie Favaro '02
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Interview by The Onyx
Ms. Favaro was interviewed for an article in the Wells College student newspaper.
1) Why did you decide to run for this position on the board of trustees? What did you hope to accomplish or to get out of the experience?
I ran for the board because my education at Wells had been such an intense, extraordinary experience. I felt as though I wanted to give back to the college through service. I was also consistently frustrated with top-down problems as a student. I couldn’t understand why problems were persisting.
2) How long have you been working with the board?
I was elected to the board in 2002, my senior year. My term began that summer.
3) What are the circumstances behind your resignation? Is there anything specific that you want to let the students know about?
I had a strong desire to resign for over a year but I felt a great responsibility to the collegiate body who I was elected by. Since each collegiate trustee has voting power, I felt my voice and ballot support for furthering the excellence of academic programming was imperative to the reputation of the college.
4) What are your concerns for the campus? What are the boards concerns? Do you feel that the boards concerns were similar to yours?
My major concern for the campus was environment. An academic campus must encompass a healthy atmosphere, this ranges from a modernized, safe, and inclusive physical plant to respect and freedom of thought and expression. Additionally, a healthy environment fosters communication and reverence between all facets of the community and particularly respects the judgment of those who have solid experience with the academic program. The board’s concerns, like any other, have to do with fiduciary responsibilities and less with campus environment which makes sense at this financially insecure day in age. Wells College is not the only academic institution in financial crisis, academic institutions around the country are struggling in the current economic climate.
5) As an alumnae representative on the board did you feel that your voice was heard, was your opinion recognized? Do you feel that the board has been taking into consideration student, faculty, and alumnae concerns?
I sense that Meg [McCune ‘03] and I are allowed a space to talk and voice our concerns however, it seems difficult for the board members to view us as trustees rather than students. Due to our close ties with the recent past it seems they view us as idealistically foolish and without adequate life experience to understand the problems facing the college. This erroneous mind-frame creates an insulting dismissive tendency. I have been privy to decision making which has reinforced my pessimistic view as a student that the board leadership has little motivation to collaborate with the community; therefore I view one of the major problems as not the board itself, but the leadership of the board. I believe confidentiality bars me from responding in address to faculty and alumnae concerns.
6) What are your opinions on the SWAT team proposals and the issue of co-education on campus? Is there anything from your experience on the board that you wish to relay about these issues?
In response to the SWAT question, I feel the lack of follow-up from faculty lead initiatives is inexcusable.
As a student I felt as though my opinion was welcomed but not taken into consideration, as a trustee I continue to believe that at Wells, “information gathering” is a form of pacification. While the campus community argues over issues of co-education, distraction from the real issue lays at the periphery.
To speak frankly, I seriously doubt President Ryerson’s ability to lead Wells College into triumph over our current fiscal crisis. Wells College ought to have a president who has exceptionally high academic credentials, experience in teaching, administration and programming. Additionally, this president must love a challenge (laugh). Wells deserves a president with the background and experience to lead us through this challenging moment in time.
Of great significance to our current situation is the lack of strategic planning. In her tenure, President Ryerson has never led a strategic plan in which campus-wide collaboration was used to identify and commit to long and short-term goals for Wells College. A strategic plan, linked with the accreditation process and endorsed by the community, would identify opportunities and establish a vision for the next five, ten years of the college’s future.
Without a vision, we are lost. I believe our current situation is a direct repercussion of this lack of vision.
7) Your resignation was obviously in protest, are there any further concerns that you want to share? Is there any message that you would like to give to the student body, or anything that you want to ask of them?
Basically, I am resigning to send a message to the Wells Community. If a recent alum, a collegiate trustee has voluntarily resigned, this signals a serious concern. It is my hope that the Wells Community holds the board accountable for communication, collaboration, and assessment. The lack of communication between the board and the campus community is blatant and dishonorable. Most recently, I’ve felt the board to faculty exchange has served as a divisive function.
I am also resigning from the board of trustees due to my lack of support for the present leadership of the Board and College. The breaking point occurred when the board hired a consulting firm with no experience in higher education. Wells is no doubt, at a serious juncture. I cannot support the current leadership ushering us through these crossroads, if so I have great apprehension for the future of Wells College.
More now than ever, the Wells community needs to start talking, envision goals, critically assess leadership, and demand action.
Bio: Jamie Favaro graduated Wells College cum laude with distinction in psychology in 2002. Recently published, she is currently an Advanced Clinical student at the Columbia University Graduate School of Social Work in New York City.
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