Instructor claims intimidation ahead of Catanzaro vote

photo Jim Catanzaro

A Chattanooga State instructor says top administrators tried to intimidate teachers to vote in support of college President Jim Catanzaro during the faculty's recent vote of no confidence.

One instructor in the Tennessee College of Applied Technology -- a division of Chatt State -- said a department head visited with instructors and lobbied them not to vote against Catanzaro. The instructor, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, said the department head in the technical college tried to downplay recent controversy surrounding the college president, who is under investigation by both the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury and the Tennessee Board of Regents.

"He talked about how it was just a bunch of lies and a bunch of rumors," the instructor said.

That administrator also implied that voting no confidence in Catanzaro would have consequences, he said.

"I assured him I was voting no confidence and his face turned beet red," the instructor said. "He said when you vote on things you don't know anything about they have a way of coming back to haunt you."

Vice President James Barrott, who oversees the technical college, acknowledged that he and his administrative team urged instructors to wait on any vote against the president, but denied trying to sway their votes.

"Out of respect for the many wonderful years of service Dr. Catanzaro has provided to Chattanooga State and our community, the TCAT administration was advocating to the faculty that the no confidence vote was premature in that the state audit was not yet finished," Barrott wrote in an email Wednesday. "Also, if the faculty wished to hold a no confidence vote after the release of the state audit report, and with full knowledge of its findings, that timing made the most sense to us."

The interference from administrators was reported to Catanzaro's bosses at the Board of Regents, Faculty Senate President Kenneth Goldsmith said Wednesday.

In Barrott's role in Catanzaro's cabinet, he oversees the Volkswagen academy, information technology, engineering technology and the technical college.

Both the department head and Barrott visited with technical college instructors in the days leading up to the vote, the instructor said. The vice president told them they could take Friday, Oct. 31, off and offer students at-home assignments for the day. The faculty's vote was held the following Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 4 and 5.

"It was just a way of saying 'watch yourself,'" the instructor said.

Some questioned whether technical college instructors could participate in the vote of no confidence, though they and all full-time professors ultimately were allowed to vote. Barrott said he urged their participation in the process.

"We also advocated that the TCAT faculty should be included in the vote, regardless of when it would be held and without discrimination, since Dr. Catanzaro is their president as well," Barrott said. "We regret that anyone felt pressured to vote one way or the other."

Goldsmith said the administrative interference with technical instructors was reported to TBR Vice Chancellor Warren Nichols, who oversees community colleges. Nichols met with Chatt State faculty members earlier this month and he was on campus again Wednesday to meet with professional and support staff members.

Goldsmith said he doesn't know of any such interference or intimidation of Chattanooga State's academic faculty.

Faculty members said Catanzaro's hiring of Chief Innovations Officer Lisa Haynes was the final straw in a slew of administrative missteps. Haynes was hired from out of the country to fill a high-paid administrative position, though she did not have a required bachelor's degree.

In an email he sent to hundreds of community leaders on Nov. 10, Catanzaro blamed the faculty's discontent on their fear of change. But this week, he seemed to backpedal some of that language in an email to faculty. He said discussions with his newly formed advisory board helped him "see the college through different lenses."

"... I recognize the value of input from the entire college community and apologize for any offense that I did not note in my recent 'Letter to the Community' what is certainly the case -- that very many of our faculty and staff are highly innovative, operating at the cutting edge of their professions," he wrote. "Indeed, I am proud of their attainments. We are a forward-thinking college committed to change and growth."

Contact staff writer Kevin Hardy at khardy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.

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