MIZZOU PREXY TIM WOLFE MAY FINALLY MEET FACULTY ON UM PRESS CLOSURE
August 3, 2012 9:36 am | Author: Jerry Berger
Way back in May, University of Missouri System Tim Wolfe announced his decision to shut down the University of Missouri Press to save its $400,000 annual subsidy. Now Wolfe says he’s willing to get around to discussing his decision with Mizzou’s faculty members. Or their representatives, anyway – Wolfe sent a smoke signal that he is open to sitting down soon with officials of the faculty council, representing the academics. The UM Press has published many literary titles and has a large catalog. But a spokeswoman says Wolfe decided the UM Press wasn’t part of the university system’s mission. Academics, authors and other supporters of the UM Press have expressed outrage at the autocratic moves by Wolfe, who was picked for the system presidency from the corporate world. They say Wolfe has ignored the longstanding practice of shared governance between administration and faculty on academic matters. After the Columbia campus agreed to oversee the UM Press, its 10 or so employees got pink slips with no specific dates, so they are in limbo. To rub in salt on raw feelings, Mizzou announced it would hire a new UM Press editor for a salary almost doubling the pay from the editor who was sacked.
Wolfe is an idiot.