There will be news out of the University of Central Arkansas tomorrow. President Lu Hardin will address the Faculty Senate at the beginning of its 12:45 p.m. meeting.
UPDATE: Hardin has decided not to address the Faculty Senate after all. Dr. Kurt Boniecki, head of the senate, said Hardin took him up on his offer to postpone the address until the September 9 Faculty Senate meeting. Boniecki expects the agenda to otherwise remain the same, so the rest of this post holds true.
Boniecki said that, as far as he knows, this doesn’t mean there’s been a setback in Hardin’s health. Rather, Hardin would prefer to postpone the address until his recovery has progressed further.
Hardin is scheduled to be the guest of honor tomorrow evening at a roast hosted by Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Central Arkansas.
At the Faculty Senate meeting tomorrow, the faculty will still discuss — but not vote on — the question of whether to have a vote of no confidence on the president oron a resolution calling for Hardin’s resignation. There’ll be no vote on a resolution of any sort until Sept. 9.
Evidence is mounting of unhappiness among the faculty, particularly relating to a memo Hardin wrote over the name of UCA vice presidents in favor of a personal pay raise. It’s an act many believe would have been a firing offense for a faculty member. It also has the unfortunate timing of occurring as the campus is considering a new honor code for students. Favoritism in dealing with students and others also is a growing issue.
Department chairs at the university met yesterday and my report is that the sentiment was far short of a vote of confidence for the president.
Here’s some interesting reading. It’s the agenda for the Faculty Senate. But it includes a time line of events in the Hardin pay controversy and faculty interviews with UCA vice presidents. The vice presidents disavow involvement in the pay episode.