The new president of College of the Mainland says he wants to make the college the best community college in Texas. However, based on what I’ve been reading in The Daily News during the past year, and after talking to friends who work there, I think the president and board of trustees are taking the college in the wrong direction.
The college is already a pretty good institution. For many years, it has provided a good solid education to thousands and thousands of students. Who’s been responsible for the college’s educational success? It’s been the high-quality and dedicated faculty and staff who work there.
Unfortunately, in the past year, the trustees have changed college policies to make it harder for employees to bring complaints. Why change something that has been working well for so many years?
This is the wrong response to the large number of complaints during the past few years. It looks like the trustees and new president are trying to cover up problems faced by employees, and that is wrong. It probably also will lead to more lawsuits.
Hasn’t the college had enough lawsuits? I’ve read about one professor filing a lawsuit claiming he was denied tenure, another claiming he was denied the right to speak at a board meeting, and a college police officer doing so claiming he was denied due process and wrongfully fired.
As a community member and taxpayer, I don’t want to spend money to defend the college against alleged illegal actions by the president or board. That money could be better spent on students and employees. Maybe someone ought to investigate why all of these lawsuits have to be filed.
For many years, College of the Mainland faculty and staff had good job security, unlike many employees in our state. This was one of the things that made the college a better place to work, and we need more of those jobs in our county. However, the board has eliminated job security for everyone except faculty with tenure.
I have a big problem with the board making it easier to terminate employees who are doing a good job. The president has a contract and job security. Why should he oppose job security for employees who are doing a good job?
Friends who work at the college tell me the president and board have refused to consult with the employee union and have tried to ignore its members during the past several months. This is outrageous. The union deserves a lot of credit for helping to make the college successful over the years.
The president and board are just cracking down on the employees and their union. That’s a recipe for disaster. The president and board need to reverse course, and fast. If they continue, the college and its community are headed for serious trouble.
