A majority of faculty disagreed with his appointment for various reasons including leadership, which is critical to the responsibilities of a dean. Progression to appointment at that point of contention shouldn't occur unless there is outstanding reasoning, which there was not, according to what I could find.
Leadership? He was a federal judge for years. Before that, the United States Attorney for the EDKY. Try and find someone with more leadership experience.
I agree it was at least partly politically motivated, but I believe the statement signals that the state will be watching how things are done from here on out.
If there was something illicit, refer the matter to the Ky AG for investigation. Pumping out tweets on the official Ky Twitter page is not the way to go about it. It was PURELY political.
Are boards acknowledged? Are the proper channels and bylaws in place and being followed? The appointment of the dean and MB's golden parachute show a concerning lack of input from the faculty and discretion from established leadership when it comes to hiring and creating positions.
UKAA is a distinct entity. There should be board and president oversight, but I do not think the faculty have input.
If the faculty have left concerns, voice them. ONE said he was not published. WTF? The guy is more published than most people. He is a freaking judge. He publishes daily on the law and the application of the law. Hiring a judge to be a dean is not out of the ordinary. UL had Dean Donald Burnett who also came from the bench to be dean. This is a good hire. The pushback is political.
Just my 2¢ as someone who deals with **** like this for breakfast. Faculty getting the shaft is nothing new. Legitimate complaints getting silenced is commonplace. Glaring holes getting shelved is another Tuesday.
What are the legit complaints? The guy has taught at the law school. State the complaints. It appears there is nothing legit. He loves UK and is highly qualified.