UPDATE: Moments after hitting the publish button on this story, news is breaking that Chancellor Loftin is resigning:
In the wake of Tom Wolfe’s resignation as the president of the University of Missouri, Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin finds himself on the hot seat now. He’s only been in the post since February 2014, but his tenure is already being viewed as a failure in leadership. Now the deans of nine different MU departments are calling for his immediate dismissal:
The nine deans met with Wolfe on Oct. 9 and on Oct. 13 met with Wolfe, Loftin and Provost Garnett Stokes to express their concerns, according to the letter.
"The issues we raised in those meetings have continued to deteriorate into a campus crisis that demands immediate and decisive action," they wrote. "It is the Chancellor’s responsibility as the Chief Executive Officer of the campus to effectively address these campus issues."
The deans’ concerns are similar to those of MU grad student Jonathan Butler, who staged a week-long hunger strike demanding Wolfe’s resignation, along with a list of demands designed to increase diversity among the student population and the faculty. Emboldened by the success of the student protest, MU faculty are seizing the moment to rid the university of other failed leaders, including the chancellor:
The deans said Loftin has shown failed leadership through a number of instances, including the elimination and eventual reinstatement of graduate assistant health insurance and the elimination of the vice chancellor for health sciences position. The deans claim Loftin created a "toxic environment through threat, fear and intimidation."
The faculty appear to be fed up with continued budget cuts from the state and the university. More from their letter to the Board of Curators:
"The demoralizing campus climate under his lack of leadership is no longer conducive to our fundamental duties of teaching, research and service," the letter said. "We believe that the only way out of this impasse is to find a new Chancellor who … will find the resources needed to increase rather than dismantle the excellence of our institution."
Stay tuned. The faculty is on the march.