Posted on 07/20/2009 5:32:27 PM PDT by NYer
From Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J., Founder and Editor of Ignatius Press:
He said that the reason for my dismissal stemmed from a conversation I had in November of 2008 with Jack Donahue, then chairman of the board of AMU. At that time I felt it an obligation to speak to the board chairman before the upcoming board meeting, to make sure he was aware of the urgency of the university’s financial situation. After I had informed him, using projections based on publicly available documents and statements, he asked me what I thought was the solution. I told him that there were policies being followed that were at the root of the problem, that the present administration was irrevocably wedded to those policies, and that without a change of administration the university was at great risk.
Dr. Sites said that Jack Donahue related this conversation to Tom Monaghan, and it was decided (I don’t know specifically by whom) that the university could not have a faculty member making these criticisms of the administration and thus undermining the university.
Dr. Sites told me that there were unspecified others who had similar substantive concerns that I was undermining the university.
I continue to support the university. I pray for its success. I have great admiration for the faculty, students, and many of the staff. I do disagree with some of the policies of the administration. This seems to be the reason I was fired the first time, in March 2007, since the official explanation was “irreconcilable administrative differences”.
Nevertheless, I think it is an accurate summary to say that I am being dismissed as a faculty member because of a private conversation with the chairman of the board in which I made known my criticisms of the university administration; and because of allegations which have not been made known to me and to which I have not been given an opportunity to respond.
I will continue to recommend AMU to students and parents. And I will continue to think my dismissal is another mistake in a long series of unwise decisions.
Fr. Fessio will continue as Editor of Ignatius Press.
Ping!
So what are the policies in question?
For goodness sake, I hope he doesn’t just roll over and play dead. This reminds me of a type of whistle-blower firing...
The students are NOT going to like this! The vast majority of them LOVE the man! He is also a large reason why most of them are there, because their parents trusted him with the education of their kids.
oops...now = know
I would like to know because I am considering sending my kids there. If the university is not financially viable I’d like to know that before investing a lot of my childrens’ future in it.
Well, I am on the Founder’s List, but, no, I’m just interested in university politics and, well, more than a little curious. I don’t expect to get any true, straight answers. From personal experience, when dealing with universities, the given story is rarely the real one. This has some sort of politics written all over it - and tells me that if the Lord ever blesses me with children, +, they aren’t going to school there.
Notice that the supposed error of Fr. Fessio was “a faculty member making these criticisms and undermining the university.”
He made the criticisms privately, to the chairman of the board. For God’s sake, he was at one point chancellor of the university and chief fundraiser (because of his great reputation among faithful Catholics). It cannot be wrong for him privately to offer constructive criticism. Had he publicly criticized the university’s administration, that would be very different.
Monaghan is the policy that needs replacing. He has always interfered too much in the administering of the university and has surrounded himself with yes-men. Monaghan cannot grasp the necessity of an arms-length relationship between the money-bags person (himself) and the actual running of the institution. Fessio is not a yes-man. Monaghan should thank his lucky stars to have one honest critic. Instead he silences the critic. And he has to know that silencing this critic by firing him (instead of telling him to shut up and be a nice boy but stay on) would create massive whispering among the very constituency that Ave Maria wants to cultivate financially. This is just plain stupid. But that’s what people who cannot abide anything but yes-men associates do.
It’s sad because the school has a lot going for it. Fessio is trying to keep his firing from damaging the school too much—it’s generous of him. He can’t simply say nothing because his firing would at some point become public and then the negative publicity would snowball. Sometimes in a situation like this, it’d be best for someone like him to slink away quietly. But Fr. Fessio is no ordinary sombebody. Firing him cannot just be quietly announced. So he’s doing his best to encourage people to keep supporting the school. And for the sake of the good faculty and students there, he’s right.
But the problems with Monaghan’s interference in the administration of this school go back many years and if they are not addressed, in the long the loyal faculty and students will pay the price.
But it looks like the administration is just kicking the can down the road, again.
Would it have been that difficult to listen to Fessio’s constructive critique and actually make some changes?
“...there were policies being followed that were at the root of the problem, that the present administration was irrevocably wedded to those policies, and that without a change of administration the university was at great risk.”
I will enclose this in response to their next request for aid. Along with my editorial: “When you have divorced yourself for those policies I will reconsider my support.”
This is the kind of garbage thinking that has become installed as standard equipment in the minds of most graduates of business, law, and, now, unfortunately, medical schools.
The administrators of the schools have way too much power over the rank and file, they get drunk with power, and instead of incorporating the ideas of a lot of very smart rank and file professional people, they just dismiss them as an arrogant show of force.
It is why American companies are so corrupt, weak, and stagnant. They are rotten to the core, most of them.
The guys running just about all the institutions in the country have no integrity anymore... they are too insecure to accept legitimate criticism.
They bear grudges forever, never forgive, never forget.
A bad generation of so-called leaders.
Thank you for explaining it to us.
It is very sad.
Now they are taking our youth. They will take it all by next summer. They already have Great Britain. America is the greatest challenge because the people are more educated, and have a more precise definition of good and evil.
The clock is ticking and has been for very long and it is about to run out....
Again? For crying out loud!
Seems Monaghan has a pretty thin skin. I’m glad I ended my financial support of AMU the first time that Fr. Fessio was fired.
Fr. Fessio relationship with the administration has been strained for some time now, if I am not mistaken. They tried to dismiss him a few years ago and nominally kept him because of the protest. Since Fr. Fessio had very little real authority after that, maybe it’s in his best interest to move on. I doubt it’s in Ave Maria’s best interest, but they seem determined to continue on the path they are on.
Maybe someone will put the bug in Fr. Fessio’s ear that we need a Catholic Cyber College that follows the Magisterium and perhaps some retired Priests might have some fun developing the concept. Great Education today does not have to cost as much as private colleges charge and the Catholic Homeschool community already has shown how to do it on the grammar and highschool level.
However, John Paul the Great Catholic University is building up the student body and then will build a campus. They have do not have the money problems that Ave Maria and So. Catholic College have.
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