Odds & Ends

Happy New Year Bloggie!!

I cannot believe that it’s been a year since I started working at the Undergraduate Library. Time flies! I wrote my very first blog well over a year ago, and I have less than four months before I graduate! Let’s just say I’m not exactly bummed out to be leaving the University professionally or academically. When I think about it, I’m actually glad that my work contract ends once I graduate because it allows me to set my sights higher. I know, I know, you don’t bite the hand that feeds you, but what should you do when that same hand begins punching you? Enough, I digress. I guess my blog for this week will be a rant of some sort of why I am happy my time at Wayne State University is quickly winding down.

First, it was announced this week that the Interim President, Allan Gilmour, at WSU will officially become the University’s tenured President in late August of 2011. This was news to me because I didn’t even know Gilmour was the Interim President…Be that as it may, I was very curious to look deeper into his career. Apparently, Gilmour is both a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Michigan. He has a pretty extensive and impressive career in the area of finance and served in many high positions for Ford Motor Company.

Upon learning of Mr. Gilmour’s past career with Ford, I became even more interested to research just who he was. I started thinking about the Big 3 here in Detroit, and wondering if it was under his leadership that Ford Motor Company began to tank. No offense, but I’ve heard stories about the large sums of money paid to the company’s plant workers that didn’t seem to match their levels of education. I quickly realized that trying to blame Gilmour for the financial crisis of Ford a few years back was hardly fair. Still, something didn’t sit well with me about the hiring of this retired Vice President from Ford Motor Company…

On Thursday, I had lunch with a friend who introduced me to a distinguished staff member here at WSU. The person shall remain anonymous out of respect to his/her views and for the sake of privacy. During our introduction, this person mentioned the announcement of WSU’s newly elected President. Something was said in this conversation that I never considered. I finally understood why I had trouble accepting the selection of Allan Gilmour as Wayne’s 11^th President.

Despite Gilmour’s successes with Ford Motor Company or even Prudential Financial Inc., he lacks a substantial amount of experience in running an academic institution. Yes, his past work experience is impressive, but most of it has been spent in corporate America and not in Academia! So tell me, what exactly qualifies him to be the President of a University? Could it be the fact that WSU is becoming a business vs. an academic institution?

Last year, for example, before I could even register for classes I was prompted to enter into this agreement. The agreement said that I accepted all financial responsibility from my tuition as a student. This same agreement also stated that I could not file for bankruptcy and have my educational loan debt cleared because educational debt was separate from bankruptcy. I had to enter into this formal agreement before I could register for classes.

Behind the new registration requirements, I believe that Gilmour will no doubt run Wayne State as a business. Unfortunately, the powers that be seem content with the changes in store for Wayne and I don’t know if I should be jumping up and down because my ride on the Wayne Express is ending or falling on my knees to pray for what might lay ahead.

Just last year, the University made headlines about the disheartening number of blacks graduating in comparison to whites. Only time will confirm my suspicions about WSU becoming more obsessed with the Benjamin’s and less on equal access to education…