IMPORTANT ISSUE

A bizarre and unfair situation is occurring at LSU. The LSU administration (Dan Fogel) is funding a private dot com company ($10,000 a year) called VelocitySquared, which produces Universitytools.com. This website has an online evaluation of LSU faculty members (see www.universitytools.com), but the company will not include an online evaluation procedure for administrators (e.g., Deans, department heads, etc.).

            With one phone call Dean Fogel could get such an administrators evaluation system online. Apparently, he will not make the phone call or even answer my letter (see below). We have asked for a similar amount of funding to establish an online evaluation of administrators if the private company will not do so.

            Please talk to your faculty senators to pressure the administration to establish an online evaluation of themselves. What’s good for the goose, should be good for the gander. I encourage you to call or email Dr. Fogel about this important issue.

 Letter to the Administration

July 13, 2001

(Second copy sent on August 10, 2001)

Dr. Dan Fogel

Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

146 Thomas Boyd Hall

Louisiana State University

 Dear Dr. Fogel:

 As you know, a private company called VelocitySquared operates an internet site called www.universitytools.com. I have discussed with their officers the possibility of adding the evaluation of administrators (deans, department heads, etc.) to their site, but they will not. Apparently they are afraid that the money will stop coming from LSU.

 I believe if you will give written permission to VelocitySquared, the AAUP can help them add all LSU Administrators to their site so they can be evaluated like professors and instructors. Certainly this system is fair since professors are already formally evaluated each semester. As you know, evaluations of chairs and deans are quite sporadic, secret, and controlled by administrators.

 If VelocitySquared is unwilling to place administrators on its site, the AAUP at LSU would like to request $20,000 (or whatever amount LSU has given VelocitySquared) so we can build a site for professors to evaluate their deans and department chairs. I have already developed some of the material, and the $20,000 should get the site up and running.

 We hope to eventually expand to other campuses, first in Louisiana, and then throughout the U.S. In the interest of fair play, the AAUP believes that if scarce resources are being given to finance faculty evaluations by students on the internet, similar funding should be available for a faculty group to evaluate administrators.

 Hoping for a positive response. Your check should be made to LSU’s Chapter of the AAUP.

                                                                                                                     Sincerely,

                                                                                                                    D. Larry Crumbley, President

                                                                                                                    LSU Chapter American Association of University Professors

Resolution for LSU Faculty Senate

 Whereas students have computer access to evaluate professors and instructors through VelocitySquared website (www.universitytools.com), be it resolved that VelocitySquared be used to allow faculty members to evaluate Department Heads, Deans, and higher university administrators. If VelocitySquared refuses, be it resolved that the university shall give similar funds to another group (e.g., AAUP) to establish and maintain such a computer administrators evaluation site.