Jim CatanzaroPREVIOUS COVERAGE• Some call him visionary, others say it’s time for him to go• Travel expenses add up for Jim Catanzaro
CATANZARO’S EMAIL TO FACULTY
To the Campus Family:I have been hearing the concerns of faculty as they have been expressed in emails, phone calls, and in the department and division meetings I’ve attended over the past several weeks. Based on these sincere expressions, I am implementing the following initiatives to create a more equitable power structure that I truly hope will answer concerns and clear up any previous misunderstandings that, it is clear, have caused resentment and hurt feelings.It is also my hope that this new structure will produce a renewed culture of open communication that will erase any fear of retribution at any level.Here are the initiatives:• 1. A 15-member committee will be established that will represent the various campus constituencies. The committee will regularly meet with me and college leaders and therefore have a voice in decisions that affect the campus community.• 2. A system will be established that will provide opportunity for suggestions, ideas, and concerns to be submitted with total anonymity. These items will be reviewed and responded to in a timely fashion. I am open to ideas as to how best to construct and implement such a system.• 3. A salary compensation study is underway through The Centre Group of Memphis to address inequities in the compensation of all regular employees.• 4. It has become apparent that we must do more in support of our adjunct faculty. A committee will be formed straightaway to address inequities and work toward desired solutions. There will be adjunct faculty representation on the committee.• 5. I will institute a more open door policy to allow time each week to meet with college divisions, departments, groups, and individuals.• 6. A regular campus-wide newsletter will be instituted to keep you more informed from top to bottom, because we all know that an informed campus is a successful campus.• 7. While you all understand that I have a large external role, our commitment is to develop more internal focus in my office so that I may be more visible and accessible on campus. If you have suggestions for additional ways to achieve greater transparency in campus decision making and higher levels of participation by faculty and staff, please feel free to let me know. I am immensely proud to be President of Chattanooga State. I believe and have stated publicly on scores of occasions that we have outstanding faculty, staff, and students. Perhaps I have not let each of you know sufficiently the important role you play in having our college be recognized as one of the “best of the best” among community colleges nationally. With these initiatives, I hope that we can put the issues that divide our campus to rest so we may continue to provide outstanding academic and training opportunities for our students and for our community. I look forward to working with each of you toward our continued success.
As faculty prepared Monday to put his reputation to the test, Chattanooga State President Jim Catanzaro offered a final olive branch.
In an email to faculty and staff, Catanzaro pledged to create a more “equitable power structure” by creating several committees, instituting a campus-wide newsletter and setting aside time each week for meetings with departments, groups or individuals. He also said an outside company is completing a compensation study and a new committee will evaluate inequities in adjunct pay.
“With these initiatives, I hope that we can put the issues that divide our campus to rest so we may continue to provide outstanding academic and training opportunities for our students and for our community,” he wrote.