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‘Evil’ people’s attacks cited by departing UNLV dean

Wednesday, June 3, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Steve Marcus

M. Christopher Brown II, dean of the UNLV College of Education, has resigned from his position. “I met with the provost this morning, and I don’t think we see a common vision of the college going forward,” Brown said on Tuesday afternoon.

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Action on cuts waiting until lawmakers say how much (4-6-2009)

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UNLV College of Education

The dean of UNLV’s College of Education has resigned.

M. Christopher Brown II’s last day on the job will be June 30. Administrators will name an interim dean and begin a search for a permanent successor when the university has the money to do so.

“I met with the provost this morning, and I don’t think we see a common vision of the college going forward,” Brown said on Tuesday afternoon.

Brown had sent a letter to College of Education employees last week informing them that he had decided to step down, but had second thoughts about his decision after many employees expressed support for him at a college meeting Monday.

Several of the 75 or so staff and faculty members present called for Brown to rescind his resignation.

Although some faculty members have criticized the dean’s leadership in private, Monday’s meeting was largely an outpouring of support for Brown.

At the start of the event, Brown told employees he had submitted his notice as a result of the college’s infighting. He said a small group of faculty members — “some of the most evil and mean-spirited people I have ever encountered” — had been making personal attacks against him, and that he just didn’t want to take it anymore.

Brown said one faculty member had made a racist comment to him that he did not want to repeat. And, Brown continued, a donor had recently reported hearing rumors that faculty members disliked the dean because he was a Republican. (Brown is a Democrat, but used to be a Republican.)

•••

In a June 2008 memo that Nevada’s public higher education chancellor distributed to legislators, the news media and others, UNLV Executive Vice President and Provost Neal Smatresk wrote, “THE IMPACT OF A 14% CUT ON UNLV’S PROGRAMS IS FATAL.”

The loss of classes and students “would begin a ‘death spiral’ of declining services and funding that could never be reversed,” Smatresk wrote. “Along the way UNLV’s research programs would cease, staff and faculty would leave and UNLV’s graduate program would decline by at least 50%.”

Now, instead of a 14 percent decrease in funding, UNLV is facing a 15.4 percent cut. And indeed, the university is suffering — administrators have reduced class offerings and eliminated or left open more than 360 jobs this year, including about 100 faculty positions.

But UNLV officials are no longer warning of a coming apocalypse. At a town-hall meeting last month, UNLV President David Ashley said in a packed auditorium that the university’s budget cut was “something we can deal with, and that’s the key message.”

•••

UNLV researchers have won more than $2.1 million from the Energy Department to lead four research projects related to nuclear technology. They represent steps in the right direction for a school working to establish a reputation for world-class research.

The projects deal with topics including nuclear waste separation technology and the disposal of nuclear waste.

The announcement last month of the awards brings more prestige to the university’s 5-year-old radiochemistry program, whose director, Ken Czerwinski, will serve as a principal investigator on three of the projects. He and colleagues competed against other researchers to win the Energy Department money.

At a time when state funding for higher education is shrinking, securing support from outside agencies is critical if UNLV is to continue pursuing its goal of becoming a nationally recognized research institution.

Often, a portion of grants and contracts from sources outside the university goes toward paying graduate student researchers. Without this outside money, the compensation many departments could offer graduate student workers would fall below average.

Some of the money the radiochemistry program was awarded will support graduate and undergraduate student research.

Administrators say that for UNLV to gain recognition for its research, faculty members need to successfully compete against colleagues across the nation for external funding for projects.

Discussion: 11 comments so far…

By Patrick_R_Gibbons

6/3/09 at 8:48 a.m.

Suggest removal

Research and teaching students can be (and often is) mutually exclusive.
By positivechange

6/3/09 at 10:37 a.m.

Suggest removal

M. Christopher Brown II...

UNLV staff members have hurled racist slurs at you? They have brought politics into education? They have insulted you and your position as dean of UNLV College of Education?

Please, you must not resign. Stay and fight.

Expose every educator who has abused you and disrespected your position as dean to Nevada taxpayers.

And do it today. It is your duty.

You must rotect yourself and your right to keep your job. Get an attorney to sue immediately. You have a great case.

You must stand up for what is right and fair. Racism and politics have no place in higher education in Nevada==or anywhere.

Your backing down and away will send the wrong message to young people.

You must help lead Nevada out of the stone age. You can do it!
By positivechange

6/3/09 at 10:42 a.m.

Suggest removal

Typo in previous post:

You must protect yourself and your right to keep your job.

Sorry. Rushing. Thank you.
By Elizabeth

6/3/09 at 11:49 a.m.

Suggest removal

I feel very saddened and angry that Mr. Brown has resigned over "some of the most evil and mean-spirited people I have ever encountered". Unfortunately, this is nothing new at UNLV. It wouldn't surprise me if these "evil and mean-spirited people" are left overs from Carol Harter's Administration. As a tax payer of Nevada I am requesting that the President request the FBI do an investigation into this harassment and racism that forced this Dean to resign. If nothing is done about this, the President is no better than these goons doing this. I don't appreciate paying the salaries of people who take pleasure in harassing fellow employees and get away with it.
By UNLV_Fan

6/3/09 at 8:23 p.m.

Suggest removal

This is unbelievable first we have these liberal professors pull down their six figure salaries and then we find out they have the typical liberal attitude do as I say not as I do. This is really sad, this is the college of education, these racists are teaching our teacher's students no wonder our local school system is in such shambles. Maybe we should make these liberal professors pay a prejudice tax in order to make up the huge democratic budget deficit. Tax and spend, tax and spend and repeat.
By car_1

6/4/09 at 3:15 p.m.

Suggest removal

.
By Unk

6/4/09 at 3:57 p.m.

Suggest removal

Use the Internet and stop jerking Taxpayers around. Seriously how many of these "courses" actually need to be held IN a classroom? hardly any be my guess.

I mean come-on, Grants to do Nuclear research? Claims of Racism? What's next? claiming anybody who tells these people to go fly a kite..terrorists?

This is 2009 get with the program...schools are boat anchors.
By Unk

6/4/09 at 4 p.m.

Suggest removal

BTW, who pays for the UNLV Library?

Hint, the same people who do not have access to the resources they pay for.

Now when these clowns want to grow-up and operate like the Intelligent People they claim to be, I am all ears. Till then I support all efforts to cut flushing more money down these ratholes.

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