UT union asks judge to halt college reorganization
10/26/2010A University of Toledo professors union asked a judge to temporarily halt President Lloyd Jacobs' reorganization of the university's academic colleges and departments.
The UT chapter of the American Association of University Professors filed the request for a temporary restraining order on Monday with Judge Gary Cook in Lucas County Common Pleas Court.
The union wants a judge or arbitrator to decide if the union contract requires the president to "effectively consult" with the Faculty Senate about the changes, which the UT Board of Trustees approved two weeks ago.
The change impacts 4,130 undergraduate and graduate students. The university has more than 23,000 students.
The reorganization has been controversial, and some faculty resisted with some characterizing Dr. Jacobs' management style as that of a dictator.
The major change is the reorganization of the century-old College of Arts and Sciences into three new colleges.
Dr. Jacobs and his staff say the plan is meant to highlight various academic specialties to give those disciplines, departments, and the university, in general, a marketing edge when competing for students.
The board in May instructed Dr. Jacobs to improve university standards and to improve the academic quality of its student body.
The change means the 20-some departments that were inside arts and sciences are now reorganized as the college of language, literature, and social science; college of mathematics and science, and the college of visual and performing arts.
Contact Christopher D. Kirkpatrick at:
ckirkpatrick@theblade.com
or 419-724-6134.