Our Board of Trustees is about to meet again. At their December meeting they took some critically important steps toward addressing the crises at SLU. Most importantly, they replaced Vice President for Academic Affairs Manoj Patankar with Ellen Harshman. This action was in response to votes of no confidence in Patankar by multiple bodies at SLU, including the Faculty Senate, Student Government Association and the College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Council.

Much, however, remains to be done if we are truly to set a new, more responsible, more accountable, more inclusive, more imaginative course for our future. First on that agenda is to respond to the votes of “no confidence” in President Biondi by those same, multiple governing bodies. Those votes, based on mounds of evidence, long patterns of failed leadership, and lack of planning and vision for the future, must not be ignored or forgotten by the trustees. Be sure that the faculty, staff and students have not forgotten them. Indeed, we will continue to advocate for a revitalized SLU; an environment conducive to the best work of students and employees, management based on shared governance, and planning based on a broad, inspiring vision of academic excellence backed by the resources to realize it.

Trustees: be trustworthy! Continue to act on behalf of basic academic needs, principles and goals, and advocate for what we are capable of becoming.

– Penny Weiss, professor of Political Science and director of Women’s Studies