Dear editor,
Please allow me to address certain inaccuracies in the recent faculty motion regarding the college’s communications staff and my tenure as interim vice president of that team.
Contrary to language in the motion, the team is fully staffed at the same size as it has been for years. It is a strong and capable team that I’ve been proud to serve alongside. The motion also incorrectly states that I served 3.5 years as interim vice president, when I served for 2.5 years.
Finally, the motion accuses my company, my colleague Kim Verstandig and me of “conflict of interest.” Respectfully, that is not based in fact. The president’s message that announced Kim — who has 30 years of experience as a fundraising professional — as Lafayette’s interim vice president of advancement made explicit that she was an employee of my company. She answers in that role to President Hurd, not to my company or me. I should add that there is nothing unusual about a college contracting with several individuals from the same firm for services since it can bring together deep knowledge about the institution. It is also common practice for institutions to hire interim leaders during moments of transition to provide experienced leadership before and while the related search is underway.
Sincerely,
Pete Mackey, Ph.D.
Arnold P. • Jan 31, 2025 at 11:28 am
While it is true as Mackey states that interim leaders are sometimes hired “during moments of transition” to carry on needed key functions as a search progresses, “moments” hardly ever stretch out in any well-run institution or organization to 2 and 1/2 years in his case and 1 and1/2 years in the case of Verstandig. That is very irregular for any proper search to take that long, with “interims” remaining in place, and often indicates deeper problems within the institution or organization itself.
Key departments like communication and advancement cannot be led, built, and maintained for the future under “interims,” and ones especially who do occasional drop-in visits to the campus while running their own businesses and not there 24/7, for the simple reason that top flight prospective hires are reluctant to leave a job and accept an appointment at another institution, which often involves moving a family and buying a home, if they are not reasonably certain the new head who takes over for the “interim” will like them just as much as the “interim” did. Vice versa in liking the new head is also true. That is precisely why interims are meant only for the short term moment as temporary caretakers and not for long stretches of time at any properly run organization.
Pardsss • Jan 31, 2025 at 10:40 am
Quantity does not equal quality.
Respectfully, I need to point out that being “fully staffed” does not equate to new staffers impossibly replacing decades upon decades of employment of higher ed talent who left in droves, especially every single Vice President during her presidency.
If a VP leaves but you hire an assistant in another department on the surface, sure that’s the same headcount but in reality, a misleading distortion given the role, responsibilities, etc. We are not numbers.
A full head count (that I respectfully question given 27 staff current openings on the website implying vacancies including 3 directors and one VP; the latter has been open since last June) does not mean it has effectively replaced the staff/administrative leadership, especially IT, with the tremendous insight, knowledge, history, and traditions of the College and their passion for it.
There has been an extreme turnover and retention issue reflective of a toxic and ineffective president. Period.
Arnold P • Jan 31, 2025 at 4:16 pm
Well obviously the good and wise Board of Trustees did not care about any of these serious leadership failings that it was supposed to be overseeing. It has all been swept under the rug.