UWA's Board of Trustees

[pipster]

Hi, all. I'm just stopping by to ask your opinions on the University of West Alabama's board of trustees and what you think about UWA getting put on probation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools because of the board of trustees. They're threatening to pull the school's accredidation in a year if the board hasn't straightened up. What do you guys know about this, and what's your opinion on the matter? Just curious.

*I posted it in the Demopolis Discussion board section because I believe this affects / will affect people in Demopolis; many from D'mop go to school at UWA.

[Scott]

If they will put AUburn on probation then i am sure they will pull UWA's accrededation. Auburn is one step from having theirs pulled and their situation is not as bad as the one that exsist in Livingston. Half of the board should resign

[BIG JIM]

what is accrededation....i go to UWA and I have no clue what all this is about. I've read it in the paper, but I need it in laymens terms.

[Eagle101]

It means if the school looses it accredidation, your grades have no value from from the effective date. They are not transferable to another college. Most if not all financial aid is cutoff. No Pell Grants, no state funds, no money fron GI Bill and private individuals generally will not donate to a school that is not accredited. Instructors will be resigning and moving to accredited colleges and universities. Students will be transfering. It will have a long term affect on UWA. Just like Auburn, UWA is having problems with the very people that is SUPPOSED to look out for the interest of the students and faculty, the Board of Directors. There are people like Lowder at Auburn that want the power to control a school. They are about like Saddam, it is a power thing. This probation will cause a lot of people to have second thoughts about starting next semester and present students may transfer out because the are not sure of the schools future. Governor Riley has a big problem at both schools.

[pipster]

Well, the fact of the matter, one of the things I was getting at, is that UWA has the lowest tuition in the state for four-year accredited colleges. If we were to lose our accredidation (sp?), then a lot of us would be out of a college education, because many of us are going to UWA BECAUSE it's the lowest-priced college in the area. Many of us can't afford to go to higher priced schools like the University of Alabama.

Good explanation, Sarge. One thing you left out, though: anyone who graduates from a college that isn't accredited can't go to graduate school (which I definitely have plans to do).

Five of the trustees on UWA's board have their contracts running out at the end of this year, and Riley is supposed to nominate five new trustees, then pass that on to the State Senate. I've read, though, that it could take MONTHS for the Senate to approve or disapprove his nominations. Some have said (this was from the Tuscaloosa News, by the way) that the probation period could have run out by the time the Senate decides on the nominations. Apparently, this has happened before (the Senate taking forever to decide yay or nay on someone for a trustee board).

My general opinion is they just need to get rid of the entire board of trustees and get people in there who actually CARE about the school and its students. Get some faculty members in there to serve as the board. UWA already has a Faculty Senate; from what I understand (from what Dr. Richard Schellhammer at UWA has said) the FS is getting ready to pass a vote of no-confidence on half of the board of trustees (the "majority faction," as the Tuscaloosa News calls it). Not sure how this will help, though.

[pipster]

And also, I think that this really has bad timing. Dr. Richard Holland is one of the best things to come to UWA; my sister (uwa_amanda) says that she's never seen the school better. Morale is up and attendance is up; the campus is cleaner and the education is of even higher quality than it was before. It's a great college, and it's gotten even better since Dr. Holland came along. I would hate for him to leave or for the school to lose its accredidation on his watch.

[Eagle101]

Like I said grades are not transferable, to any college, to include graduate work. Faculty members can't be board members. They would have a self-interest. They wouldn't fire themselves. Governor Riley must act NOW.

Would you want to enroll at UWA knowing the school may not be accredited in a year?

[BIG JIM]

Definately not...If they lose it I'll quit...maybe somehtign esle good can happen. I have a couple more things i could do. One depend ing on somehtign else happening. Lets hope The Gov. acts quickly!!!

[dave]

I might be wrong, but classes you take while a school is accredited are still good after the school loses it's accreditation.

The Board of Trustees issue at UWA is as wacky and embarassing as the high-jinx going on in the Linden City Council. You have the Chairman (Preston Minus) adjourn a meeting, leave, then find out later that a few trustees stayed behind and voted him out. What they are left with is a "majority faction", which consists of those trustees that still see Minus as the chairman, and a "minority faction" that consists of those that ousted Minus, lead by Thomas Umphrey. The five trustees that Riley is to appoint on Dec. 27th won't solve the problems facing the board as it stands now, especially if they follow the leads of the trustees they would be replacing. The best senario right now is for the entire board to resign and Riley appoint a brand new board.

What hasn't been addressed as heavily though is the fact that on the 14 points of the probation (problems) addressed by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, only 2 are directed at the Board of Trustees. That tells me the school has others problems besides the board to fix.

[mosaic]

Very well explained and well researched, Dave. Every point you made as to the situation status is right on the money. Working in Livingston (living in Demopolis) and being associated with the highjinx in a professional way, means I can't say more but thank you for making it clear as to how the BOT became the mess it currently is. Let's pray it can get resolved.
Peace,
~Mosaic~

[rob]

It's not right that the students have to suffer because of the actions of 5 dumb*ss individuals.

[Eagle101]

In 1999 a Ted Spring, a Vice-President at Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, was fired because he reported allegations of fraud and unethical conduct at SSCC to officials. He was fired by the then president of SSCC, Thomas Umphrey. It is being reported in the Tuscaloosa News and Birmingham News that a jurty has awarded Spring $2,000,000.00 in compensation and damages. Thomas Umphrey is now a trustee at the University of West Alabama. How much is Umphrey and his cohorts going to cost UWA? The infighting, along with not doing their job, making sure the university is properly operated, has landed UWA on probation.

What programs or services will SSCC have to cut to pay this settlement? Will SSCC raise tuition. Will Umphrey have to pay? I don't know.