Julie White: “OU's Future Depends on Saving Instructional Faculty Now”

Dr. Julie White (Professor, Political Science) has shared over social media an essay she wrote calling for the defense of Instructional Faculty here at OHIO, and with them, the University’s mission as a leading public four-year liberal arts institution. White, a recipient of the University Professor Award, the College of Arts & Sciences Outstanding Teacher Award, the Grasselli Brown Teaching Award, and the Honors Tutorial College’s Outstanding Tutor and Outstanding Mentor Awards, writes:

When I came to Ohio University almost 25 years ago we were proudly a four year liberal arts institution that housed strong professional programs and colleges. Instructional faculty members were critical to our ability to deliver that education. And as the university’s commitment to tenure lines waned, they became even more so. Tenure was too expensive we were told. Now it seems that four-year education itself is too expensive -- at least too expensive to maintain while we are committed to E-gaming, Division I Athletics and an oversized executive administration. Resources are always scarce. The process of prioritization is always difficult. But in the hands of the current administration the process unfolding is fundamentally misguided. Establishing priorities must take account of both what the institution has historically done well for students and where it must adapt into order to continue to serve them. Currently the priorities reflected in Ohio’s “Fearlessly First” plan do neither.

Download a PDF of the letter by clicking here.