SSU president faces no-confidence vote this week
Press-Democrat 5/14/07
"A new president with fresh insights could do better," said Susan Moulton, an art professor. "I like Ruben, personally I like him a lot and have great compassion for him, but I don't see his skills and vision in line with what we need to get out of this."
Even those who stop short of demanding Armiñana's resignation said they believe the state will have to step in to reverse what they see as misspending of money that should go to education.
"We believe the California state auditor is our best hope," sociology professor Noel Byrne said. "The state auditor is looking into fiscal practices on the part of other CSU presidents. I do believe with pressure the chancellor would go ahead and effect some influence here."
Arminana, however, said he has no intention of resigning, and is not offering any conciliatory messages to the faculty.
"I will take the vote into consideration and move on," he said. "I feel very comfortable in what I have done at this institution. I have had a charge and I have accomplished those charges."
Arminana said in the short term the no-confidence vote will hurt Sonoma State as it tries to attract students and financial donations.
"People invest in leadership, people invest in organizations that have vision and will run," Arminana said. "If employees are challenging that, as an investor, I would be more thoughtful about it."
The vote of no-confidence is being taken beginning today among 454 full- and half-time faculty, who are being asked to evaluate whether Arminana has supported the academic program, consulted properly with faculty and effectively managed SSU's finances.
Balloting continues until Friday and the results will be announced a week from today, said Elaine McDonald, chairwoman of the Academic Senate, which approved the referendum.
In pressing for the vote, Arminana critics contended that he has not made funding education the priority.
Among other things, they say SSU hired a fund-raiser for the Green Music Center instead of adding new teachers; new buildings have little classroom space and the number of administrators has grown during Arminana tenure.
And, they say, there have been 1,500 new students in the past four years but there are 17 fewer faculty members.
"I just had to go duct tape chairs in my classroom and fix the curtains myself because I couldn't get someone to do that," Moulton said. "Buildings are lovely and we are appreciative of them, but we need to teach our students."
Peter Phillips, an associate professor of sociology, said he's going to Canada to present a research paper, and SSU is giving him only $300 toward the trip.
"That is not supporting faculty research, and that is very typical," Phillips said. "The last conference I went to I got $200. We are doing these things on our own money."
Critics contend that the Green Music Center, which grew from a $20 million rehearsal hall to a $100 million performing arts center, is sapping the university's finances.
"It is just a hugely expensive project for a university this size," Phillips said.
Arminana, a political scientist who has been SSU president for 15 years, said the faculty's frustration is misdirected, and should be aimed at the state for underfunding higher education.
"The anger has to be directed to somebody and the state of California is too far away and too undefined and I'm the guy who represents that," Arminana said. "I understand that. I don't think it's fair, I don't think it's rational."
Arminana reiterated that he has no plans to step down.
"That will not happen, categorically," he said. "The only ones who can ask that of me (are) the chancellor and the trustees."
No-confidence votes don't carry any legal standing, and officials in the CSU administrative office say that Arminana has the support of the chancellor and the trustees.
Byrne said, however, he believes that no-confidence votes are effective in getting the state's attention.
In 1982, SSU faculty members gave then-President Peter Diamandopoulos a no-confidence vote and he was forced by the state to resign amid accusations of mismanagement that prompted an investigation by the trustees.
A month ago, Sacramento State faculty members gave a no-confidence vote to their president, who has since started meeting with them to try to resolve the differences, Byrne said.
Byrne is one of those who are not demanding that Arminana leave.
"What I desire is basically the alignment of resources to the mission of education," Byrne said. "I would definitely like the president to be responsible to the requirements that are tradition in the CSU system, the consultation with faculty."