By FITSNews || S.C. House Speaker Bobby Harrell has reportedly intervened to save the job of one of the University of South Carolina’s most influential (and unpopular) administrators – overriding the recommendation of the University’s provost and raising fresh concerns regarding legislative micromanagement of the state’s “flagship” institution of higher learning.
Mary Ann Fitzpatrick, embattled dean of USC’s College of Arts and Sciences, will be reappointed to a new five-year term on May 15 by USC President Harris Pastides, sources tell FITS.
Fitzpatrick’s reappointment – which is said to have been “insisted upon” by Harrell – comes less than a year after she was roasted in faculty reviews which were obtained exclusively by FITS. That barrage of negative feedback – combined with Fitzpatrick’s penchant for squirreling away surpluses during “lean” budget times – resulted in a recommendation that she not be retained beyond the conclusion of her current term (a.k.a. “fired”).
Sources tell FITS that the decision to fire Fitzpatrick was supported by the University’s provost and by President Pastides himself – at least until Harrell stepped in and applied pressure on Pastides to keep her on.
Fitzpatrick makes $260,580 a year running the University’s largest campus, overseeing more than 500 faculty members and 8,200 students. That’s nearly a third of the University’s total student population.
It’s unclear at this point what motivated Harrell to intervene on Fitzpatrick’s behalf, although in fairness it’s also unclear what motivated Harrell to pour tens of millions of state tax dollars into the University’s failed “economic development” efforts.
Obviously he’s into rewarding failure … which is pretty much par for the course over at USC.
By Bluto May 5, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Faculty may very well revolt. This is unbelievable. And there’s nothing anyone can do about it, no recourse at all. 1.3 million-plus over a five year span.
By crackahasscrackah May 5, 2010 at 3:13 pm
Same old USC story . . . mediocrity by legislative fiat.
By cloudtipper May 5, 2010 at 3:28 pm
This state need to be investing money in education, not in rewarding people for doing a bad job.
But it this stated wants to pay me, um, um, say $130,290 to oversee Ms Fitzpatrick’s work (or lack of it), I’m on board.
Shouldn’t be too much to it.
By R May 5, 2010 at 4:35 pm
And USC wonders why I laugh and hang up when they call asking for money. This is one alumnus who will not give a penny to this school.
By . May 5, 2010 at 7:22 pm
This certainly makes a laughing stock out of our new Provost Amirdis – the provost went around promising to abide by the results of the dean review. Amiridis just lost all credibility with the faculty, but perhaps that is the point since Fitzpatrick wants his job anyway, and she may get it since incompentence is increasingly rewarded at USC.
By beetrave May 5, 2010 at 8:16 pm
Evidence, please, Will? Can you give us some information about where your sources are placed? At USC or in the legislature? (Your article about the “surplus,” by the way, was not your best piece of reporting. Total hooey, in fact. I am no fan of some of the USC administration’s choices, but you had no traction on that one.)
By fitsnews May 5, 2010 at 8:31 pm
beetrave: university provided the numbers for our surplus story.
regarding our sources, you might want to go ahead and mark May 15 on your calendar.
-FITS
By Facrebel May 5, 2010 at 8:42 pm
Amiridis is the big loser but like all losers he will
get rewarded down the line – he wants to be president
possibly at Carolina and for that he will bleed.
But not all is well between the two Greeks: Amiridis
lost a battle with Pastides regarding his buddy James Hebert.
Amiridis lost credibility with faculty for sure but Pastides
had none to start with. He might recuperate and live
to fight another battle. The big winner: not Fitzpatrick
who reports to Amiridis and will see her college bleed
in contrast to the 102nd ranked college of engineering
which will have almost 20 new hires in the next few years
with Saint Michael as they call him in Swearingen as provost.
We have a BOT and a meddling legislature who
will destroy what’s left at USC.
And a football team that sucks…and buildings that leak….
Back to the future Carolina!
By beetrave May 5, 2010 at 8:46 pm
Will: no idea what’s meant by May 15, but looking forward to finding out.
Re the “surplus,” I encourage readers to review comments to the original article. The way I read that spreadsheet, one of two things is going on: a) you were hitting the Olde English and wearing a tinfoil hat again, or b) there was unprecedented law-breakin’ going on at the Horseshoe. Maybe both?
By and then there is the law school... May 5, 2010 at 9:19 pm
This reportedly passed (unconfirmed tho):
Senator MASSEY proposes the following amendment (DG ASMLAW):
Amend the bill, as and if amended, Part IB, Section 6, COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION, page 378, after line 28, by adding an appropriately numbered new proviso to read:
/ 6.___. (CHE: Law Study) From the funds appropriated to the Commission on Higher Education, for fiscal year 2010-2011, there is created a study committee to examine the governance model of the University of South Carolina School of Law. The committee shall study the law school’s governance model and the models of other public law schools, including the University of Virginia School of Law. The committee shall also study the feasibility of creating a Board of Trustees and a Foundation for the law school. No later than June 30, 2011, the committee shall complete its study and report its findings and recommendations to the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The Committee shall be comprised of 11 members. Of the 11 members: 2 shall be appointed by the Governor, 2 members shall be appointed by the Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court, 2 shall be appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, 2 shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, 1 member appointed by the President of the University of South Carolina, and 1 member appointed by the Dean of the University of South Carolina School of Law. The final member shall be the Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court who shall serve as chairman. The committee shall be staffed by the Commission on Higher Education. /
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend sections, totals and title to conform.
By Constantin M May 6, 2010 at 8:13 am
This is truly sad for USC. Rewarding incompetence is truly becoming the norm. The review of the Dean was 2 to 1 against keeping her and had nothing to do with the tough times we are facing but with a total lack of vision, an obsessions in micromanagement and surrounding herself with “weak” people in her office . The Provost went around and promised to “take care of it”, even the president said that the review will determine the fate of the Dean.
Apparently, all of that is irrelevant! Most productive faculty are giving up on the current administration that will not put academics first but bend over under pressure. They should stand up and even resign at least with their dignity. God forbid they did that! Their careers are more important. There is a lot of talk about civility, you can’t inspire that is you loose the trust of your colleagues.
The best thing Dean Fitzpatrick can do is to step down for the best interest of the College. Any leader that has not a strong support from its constituency and was about to be “dismissed” only to see her job saved because of secret, shadowy and border line corrupt influence, will have no credibility at all to guide the College during this tough times. She will have to accept all the cuts send her way and cannot pretend to be speaking for the faculty in the College.
If she truly cares about the College as she says, she should do the honorable thing and resign. Keep your self respect and don’t become the “dean who was about to be fired but saved her neck because of a politician’s influence”. As Dean of the largest College you should have 75% of the faculty behind you, not against you!
Truly sad to see that after all the talk on how far we have come, the same old boy system prevails.
Let’s see if the parties involved do the honorable thing!
By Facrebel May 6, 2010 at 9:26 am
Constantin M I agree but WE also have to
stop ‘playing nice’ and ‘having manners’.
This kind of mockery would not be possible
at top universities. Larry Summers was told
by his faculty in no uncertain terms that his
statements were unacceptable.
As long as faculty don’t hold their administration
accountable and play along the ‘divide and conquer’
game senior admin is plating here THEY will continue
to engage in this banana republic behavior.
and the big losers:
our students and this state
By Darth May 6, 2010 at 9:41 am
Was Bobby hearing voices, like Mike Mungo’s again? Gotta take those meds with Ashley River water, not Congaree river water
By Jim May 6, 2010 at 9:45 am
Anyone who expects Dean Fitzpatrick, Pastides etc to “do the right thing” has no idea how much depth of contempt the administration has for the faculty at USC.
You think it shows contempt to reappoint Dean Fitzpatrick AFTER a 75% negative review? In fact she was reappointed BEFORE the review. Yes, that is correct! Dean Fitzpatrick got reappointed in November 2009. This came from what source? Dean Fitzpatrick herself was recently boasting about this.
The “review” was designed to be a whitewash, and immediately manipulation was obvious. The evaluation committee included two of Dean Fitzpatrick’s closest colleagues, until faculty outrage finally caused them to be removed from the committee. Close colleagues of Dean Fitzptrick manipulated the vote, destroying many negative letters. But for all their hard work the review came out strongly negative! This is why the administration does not dare release the review despite FOIA. If released, the “loss” of so many letters would become obvious.
The administration does not care if deans are popular or even successful. By all measures Dean Fitzpatrick has been a spectacular failure. But she did help them suck money out of inflated tuition into Ineptovista and into the pockets of overpaid administrators. So she is just the kind of person they like.
No, the administration will NOT do the right thing. There will be no resignations. USC is going to slide into oblivion as the faculty give up, retire or leave.
By Poor Richard May 6, 2010 at 9:56 am
Ah, classic FITS reporting…Made up story to hit target XXXX,make false claim YYYY, insert politician ZZZZZ for a little added guilt by association, promise readers it is true and that “just wait more is coming on this”, and then never write follow up story.
Will, considering that your the one that gets to make up all the “facts” that you use, I at least thought you would be a little more creative than this.
Next time you take a swing at making up another false allegation, swing a little bit harder. If I’m going to waste my time reading your fiction, at least make it worth my while.
By Richard's Friend May 6, 2010 at 10:14 am
Ah, “Poor” Richard. Classic defense of Dean Fitzpatrick!
Now, would you like to disclose how much you have benefited financially from Dean Fitzpatrick?
I have a good estimate, but maybe you would like to be more precise?
No? I didn’t think so!
By Robert May 6, 2010 at 10:32 am
This makes Provost Amiridis a complete laughing stock.
He did say that he would abide by the results of this review.
So much for credibility!
By CNSYD May 6, 2010 at 11:22 am
When will you academic types learn that the inmates do not run the insitution. In the words of Alex Baldwin in “Glengarry Glen Ross”, you don’t like? LEAVE. With the current economic situation, the university can fill your position in a micro second. Also, really big news here. The legislature, especially the Speaker of the House, runs USC. Perhaps you have never heard of Sol Blatt.
By Mike Jones May 7, 2010 at 9:55 am
To put skeptics to rest publish the results of the review of Dean Fitzpatrick as you have promised
By Faculty May 8, 2010 at 10:54 am
I am quite sure that FITS would publish the “review” of Dean Fitzpatrick, if only Carolina releases it. They don’t dare to do this, because of the amount of manipulation that was done to get the review as positive as 2 to 1 against.
Put in another FOIA Sic!
By mygraduationday May 8, 2010 at 8:48 pm
Dean Fitzpatrick is indeed “stupid, arrogant and inflexible” publically boasting about her $22M tuition “war chest”, stated to faculty that Pastides recommended reappointment in November (before the corrupt and highly manipulated review), as she was desperately trying to find another job. Unfortunately for USC, her professional reputation is well-known nationally and she cannot find another job. Now PAstides will not fire her when given the chance due to his spineless need to pander to political influences and Saint Michael wants a weak CAS to send more cash to engineering. YEs the best faculty are indeed finding jobs elsewhere and can be replaced with additional mediocrity, and that appears to be the future course of events at USC. Unfortunately, USC students will be the losers.