CLA dean search draws fire

After a job search that seemed as if it would never end and that was surrounded by no small amount of controversy, the N.C Central University College of Liberal Arts now has its new dean – former NCCU history chair Carlton Wilson.

During the course of the job search, which began in late fall 2009 and was extended in January 2010, one search committee member resigned, the English and mass communication department chair, Michele Ware, complained to the search committee chair and the provost, then requested that the chancellor initiate a formal investigation.

After no formal investigation was initiated, Ware wrote a detailed letter of complaint to UNC General Administration Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Alan Mabe.

Despite multiple attempts, Mabe could not be reached for comment on this story.

Wilson took office January 3. Wilson, a native of Warrenton, N.C., received his undergraduate degree in history from N.C. Central University in 1978. He has taught at NCCU since 1989, and has been an associate professor since 1998.

"I always loved history. From high school, history brought the world to me," said Wilson.

"In the 10th grade my African American literature teacher introduced me to W.E.B Dubois," he said.

"I had no idea who he was. It was years later that I understood and thanked her for the experience … it just opened my mind."

After teaching for almost 30 years, Wilson decided it was time for a change and applied for the CLA dean position.

"On previous occasions I had the opportunity to consider administrative but I backed off. This time I took it more seriously," said Wilson.

"I thought it was time and the University needs individuals who are going to serve."

Part of Wilson's vision is to reposition the College of Liberal Arts at the heart of the University.

"We cannot allow the budget to be a cause for not moving forward," said Wilson.

"There were times when we had much less and moved forward. This forces us to be creative with the money we have."

Although the search has ended and the position is filled, some CLA faculty have said they are not happy with the way the search was conducted.

According to former CLA committee member Shawn Sendlinger, associate professor and interim co-chair of chemistry, the administration initiated the search process.

"The provost told us what to do for this search. It was a national search and ads were written up and placed in magazines," said Sendlinger.

Ads ran in print and online in the magazine the "Chronicle of Higher Education" and online on the state of North Carolina's Web site.

According to protocol, the appointed search committee reviews all the applications for a given position and then decides who is eligible.

From there, phone interviews are conducted. The final step consists of an invitation for three candidates to make on-campus presentations, to which students and faculty are invited.

The committee does not make the final decision. Typically, committee members are expected to rank candidates in order of preference, and to offer a final recommendation from which the administration to select.

Three searches were conducted for the CLA dean position. The first search was extended because only one applicant — then interim CLA Dean Mary Mathew — applied.

The second search consisted of three applicants. Several sources, including Ware, reported that Adele Taylor, the committee's first choice, withdrew her name from the search. Mathew was the committee's second choice.

The third-choice candidate also withdrew from the search.

Some staff and faculty concluded that the search would be over and Mathews would be offered the position. \

But in a June 21 e-mail to the search committee chair Pauletta Bracy, Provost Kwesi Aggrey announced that he was re-opening the search. At the Campus Echo's request, Aggrey forwarded the e-mail to the Campus Echo on Oct. 22.

In the e-mail the provost stated: "The expectation was that three candidates would be interviewed on campus and a recommendation forwarded to me with/without ranking. I was aware of the fact that the last candidate had withdrawn at the last minute and that the committee would continue and send a recommendation on two candidates. Unfortunately, one of the two candidates also withdrew prior to our final decision. … I have decided that the search should be re-opened with a new advertisement posted on Higher Ed Jobs sites immediately.  The withdrawals at the final stages resulted in a situation where there is neither the depth nor breadth in the candidate pool to select from."

The new search got underway in June 2010. On Oct. 11, English professor and search committee member Thomas Evans resigned from the committee "in protest because of what he felt were ethical breaches" in the search process, according to the letter Ware wrote to Mabe on Dec. 21.

In a letter addressed to Bracy, cited in Ware's letter, Evans stated: "The search, I believe, has been tainted by undue influence from the Provost that has made it impossible for the committee to treat all candidates equitably. Under such conditions, I do not think I can ethically continue my participation in the search."

In October 2010, the search brought in three new candidates: Arwin Smallwood, an associate professor of history from the University of Memphis and NCCU alumnus; George Arasimowicz, a dean of the College of Humanities at California State University; and Carlton Wilson. The three candidates made on-campus presentations in an open forum.

Some faculty members were not satisfied with the on-campus presentations of Smallwood and Wilson. At least two NCCU professors, including Associate Professor James Pearce and Associate Professor Michele Ware, both from the department of English and mass communication, wrote letters to Bracy questioning the qualifications of Smallwood and Wilson.