An open forum was held Monday to discuss the potential permanency of Interim President Dr. Joseph Sheley. Students, trustees and department heads of California State University, Stanislaus evaluated Sheley’s performance as well as areas in need of improvement throughout the campus.
Much of the universities’ tribulations over the past few years arose from the state economy. Like many other California universities, CSU Stanislaus was heavily impacted by the Great Recession. Starting from 2006, the university lost about $1 billion in the span of three years.
Through budget cuts, tuition increases and budget reapportionment, the campus has regained $550 million from the deficit. As it stands, the university is down $450 million from 2005 to 2007.
Out of 21 faculty members, 18 expressed support for Sheley while three remained indifferent.
“I understand how important the university is to this community and the students who have come from this university to serve in so many numbers and capacities,” Roberta Achtenberg, CSU trustee, said.
“And while you do the job you do, I’d like to know how the interim presidency of Joe Sheley has contributed to that effort”
Some believe that 10 months is not an appropriate amount of time to judge Sheley’s performance.
According to John Halo, President of California Faculty Association, Sheley’s leadership still needs to be tested.
“I’m waiting to see what happens when we have a crisis,” Halo said.
Most of the testimonies were in support of Sheley’s permanency at CSU Stanislaus.
“He has already been to our campus and has interacted with our students and become a part of the community,” John Mayer, Theatre Department Chair, said. “He’s been tremendously supportive of our endeavors and reawakened what’s going on at the Stockton campus.”
Dr. Jon Borba, Professor of School Administration, also noted the kind of transformation Sheley has helped provide at CSU Stanislaus.
“He’s the right person for this community,” Borba said. “Not only the campus but locally as well. I’ve watched him interact with community members at a number of events. He is down to earth and is the right person for this campus.”
When appointed to CSU Stanislaus in 2012, Sheley was only expected to stay on campus for about a year while the university searched for a permanent replacement following former President Hamid Shirvani’s seven year term.
As many testified during the forum, Shirvani’s reputation was laced with turbulent relations with faculty.
Attendees in the forum unanimously attributed Sheley to a positive shift in faculty relations.
The forum also gave the CSU Stanislaus community an opportunity to make suggestions for improvement.
Dr. Thomas J. Carter, Professor and Chair of Computer Science, testified that technology needs to be updated throughout the campus, especially for those who take classes through media.
The university community also recognized the lack of awareness among students which many hope to improve.
Members of the audience addressed the fact that many students go to class and leave campus, remaining uninvolved.
“The campus has been on a wild ride the last five or six years,” Paul O’Brien, Department of Sociology, said. “What we witnessed this year is some stability, and that is a positive for the university community. We as a department support him.”