o_19mbb7ooc1svh1r9raht1nljcjga.pdf

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MEMO TO:
FROM:
Professor Gerald M. Finkel
Active LLC Members
DATE: May 22, 2015
A financial exigency was declared by the school at its December 2014 board and
LLC Members meeting and reconfirmed at its May 2015 LLC Members meeting, due to
the continuing reductions in student enrollment. Section 8 of the Faculty Handbook
expressly permits the termination of tenured and tenured-track faculty in the event of a
financial exigency, but in an attempt to avoid taking such action the school has cut
saw recently the school took substantial criticism for even cutting out a very expensive
post-graduation reception.
Additionally in an attempt to minimize the number of any faculty reductions, the
school made drastic reductions in staff. Since May last year, 24 members of the staff
have left or are leaving shortly due to attrition and severance packages offered by the
school. Further 4 faculty members left with a school sponsored buyout or severance
package. Unfortunately those efforts have not been sufficient to ameliorate the financial
shortfalls created by losing about one-third of our student body. As a last effort at
avoiding a reduction in faculty, consideration was given to across the board salary
reductions. Review of that option confirmed that reducing salaries would not result in
sufficient savings to keep the school financially viable.
Having determined that non-renewal of tenure and/or tenure-track faculty is
inevitable whether the school remains in operation or not, the active Members of the
LLC have selected seven faculty members for non-renewal for the 2015-2016 academic
year. You are receiving this correspondence because you are one of the seven.
Selection was on the need to reduce expenses balanced with the need to retain faculty
members who perform certain special skills or functions, such as serving as a Dean,
mission, objectives, and administration. Accordingly faculty members who are paid the
highest salaries and who do not perform those special skills or functions were
considered. You were determined to be in that group. This notice is to inform you that
you were selected for non-renewal and to apprise you of the process for appeal of your
selection if you wish to do so.
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If you wish to appeal, you should do so in writing received by the active Members
of the LLC at the administrative offices 414 King Street, Charleston, S.C. no later than
the close of business on May 29, 2015. In the week following the appeal deadline, the
active Members of the LLC will read and consider all appeals. At the end of that period,
all individuals who submitted an appeal will be offered an opportunity to meet with the
active Members of the LLC to discuss their position in person. Once all requested
meetings have been held, the active Members of the LLC will respond to each
appealing individual with a final decision as to each appeal.
The active Members of the LLC understand that this is an important issue and is
mindful of the impact it will have on all affected individuals. There simply is no
reasonable means of avoiding this action. This information is being communicated to
you via email to ensure expediency in informing you of this development, and also is to
ensure a level of privacy and discretion that might be compromised by placing
envelopes in faculty mailboxes.
Thank you!
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