University of Akron president is Dr. Scarborough

[Dave in Green]

Turning over one rock at a time, it turns out that Dr. Scarborough was instrumental in Randy Best's first move into higher education. In 2005, after making millions off of No Child Left Behind programs, Best sold his Voyager company for $361 million and started looking for an entry point into the college ranks. The opportunity came in the form of Barat College, at the time part of DePaul University. Following is from a story in Inside Higher Ed:

It’s no coincidence, professors say, that Higher Ed Holdings ended up on Toledo’s radar. Scott Scarborough, the university’s chief financial officer, has a history with the company, and once sat on its board.

When Scarborough was executive vice president of administration at DePaul University, he helped broker a deal with the American College of Education. In a controversial agreement, the college acquired DePaul’s Barat College, and – more importantly – Barat’s accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Toledo officials concede that Scarborough’s history with American College was what started the conversations with Higher Ed Holdings.

A description of what Best did with Barat College after he bought it was in the second story I linked to in my previous post:

Best says that during his Voyager years he saw just how poorly America’s education schools were preparing teachers. His research guru Reid Lyon famously remarked in 2002 that “if there was any piece of legislation that I could pass, it would be to blow up colleges of education.” Instead, Best bought one.

In 2005, Best purchased Barat College, a Catholic liberal arts school in Chicago with a rich 200-year history, an empty bank account and, most important, a valid accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, which is key to acquiring the government aid that often pays for students’ college degrees. Best fired the faculty, sold the campus, dispatched the old curriculum, and renamed his school the American College of Education. The new school had little connection to what had been Barat College, but despite the changes, Best managed to retain the school’s accreditation. The new college’s sole product was graduate degrees for working teachers. Buying and overhauling a college, keeping little more than its accreditation, takes advantage of a massive loophole in the system—the same one for-profits like ITT Educational Services exploited on their march to ubiquity. Soon after, Best did it again with another school, the New England College of Business.

Best's vision for the new American College of Education and his opinion on college accreditation boards is summed up in a Mother Jones story entitled Hooked On Phonies:

Shrugging off such criticism, Best has focused on ever-more-ambitious for-profit education ventures. In 2005, he started the American College of Education, an online business that offered master's degrees to teachers. His expansion plans for ace were foiled by college accreditation boards—"cartels," as Best describes them.

So what does all this have to do with UA? When new UA President Dr. Scarborough was questioned at UT about his connection to Randy Best's operation, the Inside Higher Ed story linked above stated the following:

In an e-mail to Jacobs, Toledo’s president, Scarborough sought to dampen any suggestion that he had a stake in the negotiations with the company now courting the university.

“I have no financial ties to Higher Ed Holdings,” he wrote in a Feb. 20 e-mail. “I do know the people who work at Higher Ed Holdings and admire the quality of their work.”

If Dr. Scarborough admires the quaiity of the work of Randy Best's operation, there's a good chance that he will either try to develop a relationship between UA and Best's company or try to institute some of that philosophy. Anyone who works for or attends or has any interest in UA owes it to themselves to become more familiar with the company and philosophy that the new UA President so admires.

[UAZipster0305]

Well isn't that just great. What's next? Is this guy going to start a medical school at UA??

Sorry I ever doubted you, Zach.

/s

What would be so bad about a medical school at UA? Medical education is in a state of flux right now because the system of memorization is ~100 years old and is no longer adequate. UA's curriculum could be innovative and modern, and research associated with a medical school would spur new technology that produces jobs. Also, a city the size of Akron with the quality hospitals Akron has should feature a medical school. One thing that immediately stood out to me about Dr. Scarborough's background is that it would enable him to pursue a medical school for UA.

[LZIp]

What would be so bad about a medical school at UA? Medical education is in a state of flux right now because the system of memorization is ~100 years old and is no longer adequate. UA's curriculum could be innovative and modern, and research associated with a medical school would spur new technology that produces jobs. Also, a city the size of Akron with the quality hospitals Akron has should feature a medical school. One thing that immediately stood out to me about Dr. Scarborough's background is that it would enable him to pursue a medical school for UA.

It won't happen in a million years with the current partnership with NEO Med

[ksu sucks]

What would be so bad about a medical school at UA? Medical education is in a state of flux right now because the system of memorization is ~100 years old and is no longer adequate. UA's curriculum could be innovative and modern, and research associated with a medical school would spur new technology that produces jobs. Also, a city the size of Akron with the quality hospitals Akron has should feature a medical school. One thing that immediately stood out to me about Dr. Scarborough's background is that it would enable him to pursue a medical school for UA.

Twas a joke, good sir.

I'm teasing Zach for saying stupid shit.

[skip-zip]

It won't happen in a million years with the current partnership with NEO Med

"We've selected our new President. It's time to get over it and root for him"

Sound Familiar??

[LZIp]

"We've selected our new President. It's time to get over it and root for him"

Sound Familiar??

My post has nothing to do with not rooting for him. You're trying too hard.

[skip-zip]

My post has nothing to do with not rooting for him. You're trying too hard.

No, it had to do with not getting over it.

When you were so sure Tressel was getting hired, you told the rest of us to do the same thing.

[LZIp]

No, it had to do with not getting over it.

When you were so sure Tressel was getting hired, you told the rest of us to do the same thing.

Am I not over it? Am I not rooting for him? Were you not positive Tressel was going to be the President as well and the whole selection process was "staged"?

[GP1]

Am I not over it? Am I not rooting for him? Were you not positive Tressel was going to be the President as well and the whole selection process was "staged"?

I actually thought it all was a farce and a bit of a put on for show. I really thought Tressel was as close to a lock as one could get. How else could anyone look at a guy with Tressel's shallow resume and not see the same thing?

The new president has a lot of work in front of him. I can't say I would root for him, but I will say I expect him to do a good job and wish him luck at it.

[GP1]

If Dr. Scarborough admires the quaiity of the work of Randy Best's operation, there's a good chance that he will either try to develop a relationship between UA and Best's company or try to institute some of that philosophy. Anyone who works for or attends or has any interest in UA owes it to themselves to become more familiar with the company and philosophy that the new UA President so admires.

This is a all really good stuff Dave. Thanks for posting.

[skip-zip]

I can't stop laughing at this quote out of Youngstown......Enjoy!!

“We are confident that Mr. Tressel is the one candidate who will continue to build and nourish our efforts to establish an environment of trust, transparency and open collaboration that we, as union leaders, have worked hard to create,” said a statement from the leadership representing the faculty, police and professional and administrative employees’ unions.

[Dave in Green]

This is a all really good stuff Dave. Thanks for posting.

I hope you find the background information as interesting and informative as I have. Dr. Scarborough is a bit of a mystery man around here, and no one is really sure of what to expect from him. I think it's helpful to understanding what he might do at UA to look at his past track record. Obviously there's much less published material about Dr. Scarborough than about Jim Tressel, so it's not nearly as easy to track his past actions. But I keep finding bits and pieces, and will share them with everyone here so we can all have a better understanding of the man who's going to be leading UA.

[GP1]

I hope you find the background information as interesting and informative as I have.

I do find it interesting. It ties into my concern over the general direction of public higher education in this country. The priorities are becoming disjointed and unusual in a way that I don't think is good for the country. I think the chase for the almighty dollar has put many schools in a position where they do things against their best interest. Since they are doing things against their best interest, they are acting against the public's interest as they are public institutions. The goal of public universities used to be to do great research and educate people in a forward looking manner. Now, it seems as if funneling in more students (even if that means they sit in front of a computer and take classes that way) and churning out degrees is the goal. Not sure how devaluing a college diploma is good for the country.

On the other hand, we have an American public that believes the key to success is getting a college diploma. It helps get someone in the door, but is not the key. The key to success is the same as it has been forever...hard work and performance.

Americans have become an odd bunch. We expect a lot out of our government, such as public universities, but we don't want to pay for them in the form of higher taxes. Therefore, university presidents are stuck chasing dollars any way they can. Seems like the new president sees this company he was on the board of as a method of chasing dollars where there are none. One of the myths I think people on this board were operating under was if Tressel was president, people in Columbus would bow down and shell out millions to UofA closing the debt. That was never going to be the case. Why? The State of Ohio is as busted as a Daytona stripper. There is no money, so in order to make the balance sheet right, more revenue has to be brought in via other channels or cuts have to be made....probably both.

So, where is UofA in the big picture? We live in a society where the trend is fewer people attending college and UofA is in line with that trend of fewer students enrolling (people who actually sign up for classes and pay for them). We are not getting the money we need from the State to pay for the ever bloating campus. Ohioans do not want to pay more taxes for universities and their bloating footprints. So, the solution for increased revenue is to increase tuition and student fees, which are putting our young generation in a crippling state of debt coming out of school in the form of student loans. This is a terrible solution for the country. Another option is to slash programs and staff at UofA to try and bridge the difference. Another solution is to increase the student population. Sounds good, but UofA isn't immune from the national trend and enrollment will decline so they will set up Mickey Mouse on line programs in order to churn out diplomas and generate fees making my college degree less valuable...Terrible solution for the country. From the resume of the new President, this is probably going to happen sooner rather than later. I'm not sure if the cuts will be a bad thing for UofA or the general public because cuts made in the right Departments can eliminate worthless majors that don't really produce a productive citizen.

I would not want to be the President of any university under these macro conditions. The financial bubble in the form of future financial liabilities for the public universities is a huge problem in this country. American public universities are in big trouble and we are a public university. UofA will not be immune from the problems.

[Dave in Green]

GP1, although we don't always agree on everything (who does?), we do agree on this. The one thing I never question about you is your concern for and support of UA. Although I never attended UA, I share your concern and support. I went to a different university, but have settled near UA and will probably be here the rest of my life. I don't contribute to the university I attended, but I do support UA. It's my adopted home university, and I really want it to do well. I want American education to do well because it's the key to America doing well.

Whoever was going to be the next UA President, I wanted to hold them to a high standard. I do not want to see UA turned into a cheap internet degree mill churning out tens of thousands of graduates and making more millions for some Texas multimillionaire supersalesman. I sincerely hope that this is not the vision of Dr. Scarborough, and it concerns me when my historical research keeps leading me back to that model. It's disturbing to me that Wright State University spent a fortune with the Texas multimillionaire getting their internet degree program up and running and only enrolled 100 students in the first 13 months.

So I will continue to research Dr. Scarborough's background and report here what I find in the public records. I sincerely want him to make me forget that I ever considered Jim Tressel to be a viable option for UA. But no one gets a free pass from me. Respect has to be earned.

[UAZipster0305]

It won't happen in a million years with the current partnership with NEO Med

I disagree. NEO Med is a logistic disaster for the state and region. There is a reason the Medical College of Ohio became affiliated with UT...and guess what pedigree our new President has.

[Dave in Green]

I mentioned earlier The Arts & Sciences College Forum, "UT's officially disapproved information source" where "criticisms of administrators are commonplace." It's a pretty rough place in terms of criticizing UT's administration, with disgruntled professors, students and other assorted citizens participating. One of the criticisms they leveled against UT during Dr. Scarborough's time there was an increased sensitivity from UT toward any criticism of UT's administration and attempts to stifle it. The person who runs the forum (Bloggie) wrote about one such attempt:

Bloggie never fails to be amazed at how much time and money UT administration spends on monitoring this blog and posting comments under various aliases. As soon as Dr. Tinkle posted this, several comments sprang up under different names, all apparently written by the same person, all amounting to the same administrative whine. Even if the posts are late at night, these comments appear within minutes. Bloggie deletes them as a rule, but shows enough of them so you get the idea. they have perhaps a dozen channels they use to pipe palaver, let them use them.

Do they have a person full time assigned to this blog? Apparently. Why does it so bother them that they cannot control all information in the University.

The gossip network has it they are even monitoring emails now of people whom they suspect. Whose job description includes that function? Some VP or a flunky?

Good work, Tinkle. You have annoyed them again by stating something everybody knows but which we are not supposed to discuss.

Things really got heated when charges of nepotism at UT were made on the forum. In a piece called UT AAUP Brings Home the Bacon; Family Pigs at the Public Trough, the following was published:

High salaries and bonuses are only part of the payout to the UT administrative elite. The Jacobs Administration has provided other perks including the hiring of family members of administrators as highly-paid consultants or employees. The UT-AAUP has sought information on these family hires under the Ohio Public Records Act, but has been stonewalled by the Jacobs Administration.

Tammy Scarborough, wife of VP Scott Scarborough, has been hired as a Senior Accountant on the Health Science Campus. Also, Gordon Haggett, husband of Provost Rosemary Haggett, is employed by the UT Foundation. The UT-AAUP is seeking detailed information including salaries for these hires and others. For example, were the positions newly created? Were the positions posted or advertised? There are many questions, but UT has failed to provide information requested under the Ohio Public Records Act. UT-AAUP will continue to press for more information. We also request that persons having information on the above hires and others provide such information to the UT-AAUP in confidence.

That brought a quick response from legal counsel and an update entitled UT AAUP Stands Corrected: It's Not Bacon, Only Pork:

The UT-AAUP newsletter of last Thursday, October 1, 2009 stated that Tammy Scarborough, wife of Senior VP Scott Scarborough, is employed on the Health Science Campus.

In a letter dated Friday, October 2, 2009, the University of Toledo Physicians legal counsel has advised that Tammy Scarborough is NOT employed by The University of Toledo, but is employed by the University of Toledo Physicians (UTP).

The letter from UTP legal counsel reads in part:

"....UTP is an independent entity that is separate and distinct from UT and not subject to the Ohio Public Records Law as it is not a "public office" as that term is defined under Ohio Rev. Code § 149.011(A). UTP is not a state agency, public institution, or other entity established to exercise any function of government. Moreover, UTP does not receive any governmental funding and is not controlled, regulated, or created by the state."

It is noted that Ms. Scarborough's listed email is tammy.scarborough@utoledo.edu. Her listed telephone and fax numbers are the exchange for the Health Science Campus.

At the end of the above piece, a forum member summed it up this way:

You mean this private organization that somehow contracts with a government agency employs a family member of someone in that government agency who might directly or indirectly be responsible for these contracts going to this private agency?

It's obvious that there's been a contentious relationship between UT administration and certain elements within the university who pull no punches in tossing charges around on that forum. Dr. Scarborough will undoubtedly be making some decisions at UA that will make some unhappy, and it's not unreasonable to think at least some criticism of UA administration will arise. Let's all hope it doesn't reach the proportions it has at UT.

[ksu sucks]

Reading all of this really makes me question the decision making of the UA board of trustees. I'm going to be pretty disappointed if I see a push for "online education" at UA and find out it's through some company connected to Scarborough.

[GP1]

Reading all of this really makes me question the decision making of the UA board of trustees.

Me too. I guess I would have a couple of questions that I'm not sure I could ever get a straight answer too.

1. Was the search process designed to give Tressel an easy run at the Presidency?

2. How surprised were they when Tressel didn't get the support of the students and faculty?

3. How surprised were they when Tressel started to look at YSU?

Word on the streets is Tressel is a charming guy. I wonder if his charm caused them to think his commitment to UofA was greater than his commitment to his own ego.

[skip-zip]

I wonder if his charm caused them to think his commitment to UofA was greater than his commitment to his own ego.

With his history, lack of experience and lack of a high level degree, how else could he have gotten as far as he did in the process?

[GP1]

With his history, lack of experience and lack of a high level degree, how else could he have gotten as far as he did in the process?

I work in the construction industry and the term "grin f@#ked" is used quite a bit. I don't think I need to go into detail about what it is. Over the years, I've become pretty good at spotting a person who is doing this. I have a feeling Tressel left a sloppy mess on our Board of Trustees.

[ZachTheZip]

You can watch his welcome reception live at the link above. Didn't know YT did livestreaming.

[Dave in Green]

This is an update to my last post where I quoted accusations from The Arts & Sciences College Forum that there was an increased sensitivity to criticism and efforts to stifle it by UT's administration during Dr. Scarborough's tenure. By chance I happened to have a conversation with someone with firsthand knowledge about some of the things that have been happening on the UT campus, and what they told me is not inconsistent with the observations above.

I was told that the offices of the top administrative executives at UT are located on the third floor of the administration building. Prior to Dr. Scarborough's arrival at UT, a number of students (including graduate students) worked on that floor. After he moved in, a new policy was instituted that students were no longer allowed to work on the third floor and students already working there were moved out. Apparently there was no formal reason given for this change, which led to much speculation among students. Some said they noticed a change in attitude on the third floor, with students being challenged for even setting foot there as if they were no longer trusted.

So far I haven't been able to find any written references to either this policy change or to any similar situation that may have occurred at DePaul University during Dr. Scarborough's tenure there. But it could tie in with The Arts & Sciences College Forum item about an effort to plug suspected information leaks from within UT administration and the comment that "The gossip network has it they are even monitoring emails now of people whom they suspect." If anyone knows anyone at UT, please feel free to ask them if they know anything about this.

If it should turn out that this change at UT was influenced by Dr. Scarborough's arrival there, then it's not unreasonable to think that similar things could happen at UA. I don't know UA's current policy regarding students working on the same floor as top administration executives. Maybe Balsy, ZachTheZip or someone else can help out on this. My understanding is that there's currently a fair amount of openness and transparency between students and administration at UA. If this should start to change after Dr. Scarborough's arrival, it would be verification that he was also involved in the change noticed by students at UT.

[Balsy]

@DiG We need to be carefull with what we "hear" from other people, without supporting evidence. Anecdotes and here-say are not evidence. There were a lot of moves when Tressel came on board at Akron too; many of those in the student union. Several Student groups and the Buchtelite had to fight to maintain their places within the student union, and were only allowed to when Proenza stepped in.

As far as I know, with the exception of academic offices, Athletic Director, and the Dean of Students, most administrators are in Buchtel Hall. Now there is by no means any "rules" against students being in Buchtel Hall, however...there's almost no reason students would ever go into Buchtel Hall either. I will say with personal experience that there is a fair amount of openness and transparency between students and administrators, however "openness" is a relative term. The openness is rather controlled (as you would expect of any organization). Administration is rather open if you go through the proper channels.

[Dave in Green]

Balsy, I'm very careful about drawing conclusions from what I hear from single sources and am always looking for multiple reliable sources. I never present anything as fact as long as I have any doubt, and I haven't drawn any conclusions yet. I'm only asking questions. There is no doubt that the problems at UT over the last few years are not imagined but are well documented. There was virtual open warfare between the academic side and the administration side at UT. Here's a link to yet another article that vividly documents details some of that conflict between UT professors and administration, and it's not pretty.

Dr. Scarborough was part of the administration at UT during all of this. Prior to that he was suspended from the administration at DePaul and within days left that university. If it's fair to question Jim Tressel's background it's certainly fair to question Dr. Scarborough's. You've made it clear over the past few weeks that you were against Jim Tressel and in favor of Dr. Scarborough. You may be 100% convinced that Dr. Scarborough's problem at DePaul was inconsequential and that he was not part of the problem at Toledo. But not everyone else is. If you have any factual information to share, I'm sure I'm not the only one who would welcome seeing it.

[ZachTheZip]

I think most people support Dr. Scarborough for the simple reason that he's not Jim Tressel. Doesn't matter if he's the worst person on earth, he's not Jim Tressel and that's more than enough for some people.