[Fumblerooskies]

Rumors swirling about RU provost
Meeting notes and a recent e-mail suggest a conflict at the top levels of the university.

By Albert Raboteau and Greg Esposito
The Roanoke Times

Radford University Provost Ivelaw Griffith was asked to resign by school President Penelope Kyle but refused, according to an e-mail describing a Friday meeting of the provost and the school's deans and acting deans that was provided to The Roanoke Times.

The e-mail was sent Monday to the chairpeople of 18 departments within Radford's College of Arts and Sciences by Associate Dean Judy Niehaus, who is in charge of that college while a dean search is under way.

According to the e-mail, "Dr. Griffith shared information with the deans on Friday. ... The president gave the provost until March 9 to resign; after which, she will make the announcement herself. Dr. Griffith refused to resign. His contract ends in mid-June and will not be renewed. The reason given was insubordination."

Niehaus would not comment on the situation. Like other deans and acting deans contacted for this story, she referred comment to university spokesman Rob Tucker. Tucker said school policy bars talking about personnel matters in the media.

Kyle declined to comment. Griffith did not respond to requests for comment made Tuesday and Wednesday. Reached at home Friday evening, he refused to discuss the situation beyond saying, "I am still the provost at Radford."

By e-mail, R.J. Kirk, rector of the Radford University Board of Visitors, said, "I am not going to comment on personnel matters at the university."

If Griffith leaves the provost position it will be another of many leadership transitions at Radford, where four of seven dean's posts are now vacant.

Griffith was hired in May by Kyle, a former director of the Virginia Lottery who had little experience in higher education before taking over at Radford in 2005.

Kyle called for the creation of the provost position shortly after arriving. It is considered the university's top administrative job with regard to academics. Provosts typically oversee academic affairs at a school, while school presidents have a host of other responsibilities such as long-range planning, lobbying, fundraising and serving as the face of their school at official functions.

Griffith was hired as both provost and a tenured professor of political science for $190,000 a year. He still makes that salary. His job offer letter from Kyle indicates his appointment is through June 24 and is "subject to renewal each year."

But tenure, which Griffith was granted as a professor, implies considerably more job protections. Griffith's offer letter, the only formal contract between him and the university, does not spell out whether he would revert to professor if his appointment was not renewed and what, if any, effect that would have on his salary.

Questions about the provost's situation have been swirling around campus, where many are waiting to learn what is going on.

James Lollar, a member of RU's Faculty Senate, said he's heard questions from other faculty about rumors concerning the provost's status but doesn't know anything about the situation. And even if he did, he wouldn't discuss issues about personnel decisions, he said.

"They say, 'Hey, what's going on?' But I can't talk about something I do not know," Lollar said.

He has been at the university since 1993 and is a former faculty senate president. Lollar said there isn't a week that goes by in which he doesn't hear rumors about something. And while he said he didn't receive an e-mail about Kyle asking Griffith to resign, he's received plenty of e-mails in the past detailing campus rumors.

"Most of the time ... even if they had some basis in fact, they got it wrong," Lollar said.

Other than "insubordination," Niehaus' e-mail gives no reasons for Kyle to call for Griffith's resignation.

But minutes from meetings of Radford's faculty senate and the senate's executive council suggest the new provost had issues with both Kyle and faculty members. Some highlights from the minutes include, verbatim:

Jan. 16: "President Kyle and the FSEC [Faculty Senate Executive Council] discussed several issues that were raised recently. Most of the discussion was devoted to the need for effective communication between President Kyle and Provost Griffith since they have considerably different perspectives on various issues of vital interest to and impact on Radford University."

Jan. 23: "[Faculty Senate President] Dr. [Claire] Waldron reported that President Kyle and Provost Griffith have met to discuss recent issues."

Jan. 25: "Individuals in attendance who were not faculty senate members were asked to leave in order to facilitate unfettered discussion and seek input regarding questions and rumors about the performance of the provost and of the president."

Jan. 30: "A summary of the issues identified at the January 25, 2007 Faculty Senate meeting have been sent to the president at her request. Dr. Waldron reported that President Kyle and Provost Griffith will meet to discuss the issues at some point. Dr. Waldron will contact the president and urge that she share the summary of the issues with the provost without delay."

Feb. 6: "Dr. Waldron reported that President Kyle and Provost Griffith met on February 1, 2007 to discuss the summary of the issues identified at the Faculty Senate meeting on January 25, 2007 and transmitted to the president on January 29, 2007. Dr. Waldron reported that the president will attend a Faculty Senate meeting in the near future to discuss issues that have been identified."

Waldron also declined to comment.

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/104610