So, the powers that be think that the enrollment problems at Fort Lewis College can be ameliorated by changing the name of the college.
Harvard on the Animas? Stanford La Plata? Perhaps, as well, if the deck chairs on the Titanic had been rearranged, that disaster might not have occurred.
To torture the metaphor a bit more, why are the junior faculty not abandoning ship in light of the arbitrary nature of the recent events in which Professor Andrew Gulliford was dishonored and castigated on the fallacious grounds that he was guilty of plagiarism?
There was no transparency, due process, or attempt at mediation. In fact, the individuals behind this travesty never bothered to respond to or even read the written response by Gulliford.
There was no apology, no acceptance of responsibility by college president Thomas or her administrators, Barbara Morris or Maureen Brandon. Five or six conversations with the accuser, yet not one conversation with the 17-year tenured professor accused in this case, except to demand that Gulliford resign. Are these examples of Fort Lewis College’s core values and best practices?
Finally, there appears to be no monetary or in-kind recompense forthcoming to Gulliford for his costs and lost time. He spent $37,000 (and untold hours) in his defense, and Fort Lewis College admits to incurring $26,000, however, we still await the final tally, as the college has not told us what its lawyers cost.
Students, have you noticed your tuition going up? I know my taxes continue to rise.
Michael Lee
Durango
