A group of DePauw University faculty members, concerned about stagnant salaries, has asked President Mark McCoy for more transparency in the University’s financial decision-making process.
In an email sent to McCoy Aug. 28 and shared with faculty and staff, Professor Nahyan Fancy and six other faculty members asked McCoy to, among other things, bring down the curtain that stands between the administration and the DePauw faculty and staff.
The email referenced a June 18 email from McCoy titled “Appointment Letters,” which alerted faculty and staff of a one percent salary raise.
“That’s what the email spelled out because we wanted to call the administration out on what basically was what we felt at its best, really exaggerating the situation, or at its worst, just lying,” said Fancy, associate professor of Middle East/Comparative History and faculty development coordinator.
The email was signed by Fancy and six other faculty members: Mona Bhan, Rebecca Bordt, Leonard Foy, Susan Hahn, Glen Kuecker and Alejandro Puga.
“This was a joint endeavor among the faculty, but we felt we only needed seven or eight signatures on the actual letter. Many people contributed and helped with it, though,” Fancy said.
More than 20 other faculty members expressed support via email throughout the day.
McCoy, in response to the Aug. 28 email and responses, has scheduled a “budgeting session” on Sept. 4 for faculty and staff members.
“It will not be easy or quick to solve the challenges before us but together, I believe we can,” McCoy said in his email. “A strong understanding of higher ed finance and how our budgeting process works will aid us in working together.”