To the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois:
We wish to state for the record that we have no confidence in Michael J. Hogan as President of this University. In our view he lacks the values, commitments, management style, ethics, and even manners, needed to lead this University, and his Presidency should be ended at the earliest opportunity.
We reach this conclusion reluctantly and do not take the implications of it at all lightly. We recognize that there are real costs to ending another presidency so soon after the premature ending of that of Hogan’s predecessor. But we, as well as many others at our institution, find the situation with Hogan as President to be so intolerable that rectifying this mistake would be worth the admittedly serious costs. With the arrival of Chancellor Wise at the Urbana campus, each institution that comprises the University of Illinois is now in strong hands; thus we are confident that the University would be able to move forward and set its house in order.
Many of the reasons for our reaching this conclusion were detailed in an earlier letter that Professor Michael Moore had sent to the Board (and circulated widely). In summary, those reasons were:
• Hogan has repeatedly demonstrated an unseemly preoccupation with the material trappings of high office at the known cost of stirring up needless public controversy about the expenditures of the University for those trappings.
• Hogan has exempted himself and those who immediately serve him from the financial discipline to which the rest of this University has been subject in times of frozen salaries and tight budgets.
• Hogan has arrogated traditional Chancellor functions, such as those over athletics on this campus, into perks of his own office.
• Hogan has by-passed the chain of command by meeting with deans and the Council of Deans on matters of substance without securing the presence of either our Acting Chancellor or Acting Provost.
• Hogan engineered the supposedly “external” consultant report so as to make it conform to already pre-existing desires for a centralized, University-level enrollment, admission, and financial aid system, and then discussed what was essentially his report with the Board of Trustees without first having consulted with the faculty of this or any other campus.
• Hogan has by his own admission attempted to spy on, interfere with, and even bully the Senate Conference’s in-house deliberations about possible responses to Hogan’s enrollment proposals.
• Hogan’s acts and omissions surrounding the now famous, fraudulent e-mails bespeak a “failure of ethical leadership” (as found by a unanimous UIUC Faculty Senate), particularly since the person he most failed to supply with such leadership was his Chief of Staff, long-time friend, confidante, and one who was intimately acquainted with what Hogan wanted on this very issue and how he wanted to achieve it.
• Given the circumstantial evidence provided by Hogan’s motive, opportunity, and characteristic modes of dealing, it has yet to be shown to our satisfaction that Hogan did not have an even more active role in the composing and sending of the fraudulent e-mails sent from his personal assistant’s computer than has yet been revealed -- although that assistant has coyly promised that “in the fullness of time” the truth will come out about this.
• Hogan inappropriately directed those administering this campus that Hogan’s disgraced former Chief of Staff, Lisa Troyer, be elevated to a full-time tenured appointment in the Psychology Department of this campus – this, despite the ethical lapses of Troyer that no one (including Hogan) denies occurred, and despite the obvious conflict of interest Hogan had because of Troyer’s incentive to remain silent so long as some job security was obtained for her.
These failings of President Hogan are independent of what we also consider to be the demerits of the enrollment proposals that have been so contentious on all three campuses of the University of Illinois. We are strongly opposed to these proposals, destructive as we think they would be to a campus whose academic excellence we cherish. But President Hogan’s failings transcend this issue. Rather, the list above is of failings personal to him and to his style of “leadership.”
Added to these nine reasons given above is a tenth reason, one only revealed in documents recently produced by the central administration, under the compulsion of the Freedom of Information Act. We refer to the extraordinary bullying, arrogance, disrespect, and hubris that Hogan displayed in chastising Phyllis Wise, this campus’ new Chancellor, while she was just two months on the job. Sounding more like Louis XIV than a university president, Hogan told Wise that “my goals are your goals” (apparently necessarily so given the power structure between them as Hogan sees it). Hogan also chastised Wise for her “lack of leadership” in not following his directives to quell faculty opposition to the enrollment proposals; this chastising presupposes a meaning of “leadership” whereby a leader “leads” by doing exactly what she is told, nothing more and nothing less. Hogan also presumed to dictate detailed “talking points” to Wise that she was to use to overcome opposition from various deans and senators on this campus, talking points phrased in the first person as if they were Wise’s own thoughts when they were not. We are quite frankly appalled by this disrespectful manner of dealing with a Chancellor of this campus, particularly one new to the job.
These insulting, disrespectful, and downright bullying kinds of communications from Hogan to our Chancellor are of a piece with Hogan’s expressed petulance and anger at Professor Chambers and other senators last December when they openly opposed Hogan’s enrollment plans. Hogan has thus shown us here in Illinois what he showed those overseeing his earlier Presidency at the University of Connecticut. As Connecticut State Senator Thomas P. Gaffey (Chair of the Connecticut Legislature’s Education Committee and thus Hogan’s overseer there) put it: “He [Hogan] was uncomfortable with it to the point of frustration if you had the temerity to ask him a question. He had an imperial view of his position. It was almost like a monarchy.” (Gaffey was so quoted in the New York Times.)
We have no need of kings on this campus, or of petty tyrants with delusions of grandeur, particularly ones as preoccupied with their own power as this one. We are disturbed by President Hogan’s repeated demonstration that he is devoid of any respect for, and commitment to, the long-standing autonomy and academic excellence of the Urbana campus, characteristics that have served this campus well and propelled it to world-class stature.
We thus write to express both our lack of confidence in Michael Hogan and our hope that, as stewards of the future of this institution, you will assess our reasons dispassionately, and do the right thing for the students, staff and faculty of the University of Illinois. That would be to ask for President Hogan’s resignation.
Sincerely,
Sponsor
THIS PETITION WAS INITIALLY SIGNED BY THE FOLLOWING CHAIRS AT UIUC:
Nancy Abelmann
Associate Vice Chancellor for Research -- Humanities, Arts, and Related Fields,
Harry E. Preble Professor
Daniel P. Abrams
Donald Biggar Willett Professor in Engineering
Richard Alkire
Charles J. and Dorothy G. Prizer Chair Emeritus, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular
Engineering
Heitor Almeida
Stanley C. and Joan J. Golder Professor of Corporate Finance
Imad L. Al-Qadi
The Founder Professor of Engineering, Director, Illinois Center for Transportation
Director, Advanced Transportation Research and Engineering Lab
Kathryn Anthony
Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Distinguished Professor, Design, School of
Architecture
Robert Averback
Donald W. Hamer Professor, Materials Science and Engineering
Tamer Basar
Swanlund Chair and Center for Advanced Study Professor of Electrical and
Computer Engineering
Rashid Bashir
Abel Bliss Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering & Bioengineering
Director, Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory, Co-Director, Center for Nanoscale Science
Jay Bass
Ralph E. Grim Professor of Geology
Gordon Baym
Center for Advanced Study Professor of Physics, George and Ann Fischer Professor of
Engineering
May Berenbaum
Center for Advanced Study and Swanlund Professor and Head, Department of Entomology
Dan Bernhardt
IBE Professor of Economics and Finance
Jim Best
Threet Professor of Geology
Richard Blahut
Henry Magnuski Endowed Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Botond Bognar
Professor and Edgar A. Tafel Chair in Architecture
Paul V. Braun
Ivan Racheff Professor of Materials Science & Engineering
Andreas C. Cangellaris
M. E. Van Valkenburg Professor and Head, Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Jose Antonio Cheibub
Professor of Political Science, Boeschenstein Professor of Political Economy and Public Policy
Kent D. Choquette
Abel Bliss Professor of Engineering
James J. Coleman
Intel Alumni Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering
John Cronan
Head and Professor of Microbiology, Microbiology Alumni Professor
John P. D’Angelo
University Scholar, Kenneth D. Schmidt Professorial Scholar, Professor of Mathematics
Leon Decosta Dash
Swanlund Chair Professor of Journalism, Director of the Center for Advanced Study
Scott E. Denmark
R. C. Fuson Professor of Chemistry
Lizanne Destefano
Director, Illinois Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Initiative (I-STEM),
Fox Family Professor of Education, Professor of Educational Psychology
Dana D. Dlott
William H. and Janet G. Lycan Professor of Chemistry
Robert H. Dodds, Jr.
M. T. Geoffrey Yeh Endowed Chair of Civil Engineering
Sharon Donovan
Professor & Melissa M. Noel Endowed Chair in Diet and Health
J. Craig Dutton
Abel Bliss Professor of Engineering, Professor of Aerospace Engineering
Amr Elnashai
Bill and Elaine Hall Endowed Professor
Richard Engelbrecht-Wiggans
IBE Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Business Administration
Milton Feng
Holonyak Chair Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Placid M. Ferreira
Department Head and Grayce Wicall Gauthier Professor, Department of Mechanical Science
and Engineering
Barbara Fiese
Professor and Director, Family Resiliency Center, The Pampered Chef Endowed Chair in Family
Resiliency
Firouz Gahvari
Lieby Hall Endowed Chair and Professor of Economics
Marcelo Garcia
Chester and Helen Siess Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
John Georgiadis
R. W. Kritzer Professor, Mechanical Science & Engineering
John A. Gerlt
Gutgsell Chair, Professor of Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Biophysics
Philippe Geubelle
Bliss Professor and Interim Head, Department of Aerospace Engineering
Martha U. Gillette
Center for Advanced Study Professor, Cell & Developmental Biology Alumni Professor,
Leader of Restorative Neuroscience Initiative, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Professor and
Past Head of Cell & Developmental Biology, Professor of Molecular & Integrative Physiology,
Bioengineering Neuroscience Program
Nigel Goldenfeld
Swanlund Chair, University Scholar and Professor of Physics
Steve Granick
Founder Professor of Engineering, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
Laura Greene
Swanlund Chair and Center for Advanced Study Professor of Physics
Margaret R. Grossman
Professor and Bock Chair in Agricultural Law
Martin Gruebele
James R. Eiszner Professor of Chemistry, Physics, Biophysics, and Computational Biology
Taekjip Ha
Gutsgell Professor of Physics
Bruce Hajek
Leonard C. and Mary Lou Hoeft Endowed Chair in Engineering
Jiawei Han
Abel Bliss Professor, Department of Computer Science
Michael T. Heath
Fulton Watson Copp Chair in Computer Science
Ian Hobson
Swanlund Chair and Center for Advanced Study Professor of Music
Valerie Hotchkiss
Director of the Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Andrew S. G. Turyn Professor, Professor of
Medieval Studies, Religion, and Library Science
Frederick Hoxie
Swanlund Chair and Center for Advanced Study Professor of History, Law, and American Indian
Studies
Lawrence Hubert
Lyle H. Lanier Professor of Psychology, Professor of Statistics and Educational Psychology
Heidi Hurd
David C. Baum Memorial Professor of Law, Co-Director, Program in Law and Philosophy
Wen-mei W. Hwu
Professor and Saunders III Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., Endowed Chair, Electrical and
Computer Engineering
David A. Hyman
Richard & Marie Corman Professor of Law, and Professor of Medicine
Scott Irwin
Laurence J. Norton Chair of Agricultural Marketing, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics
Anthony M. Jacobi
Richard W. Kritzer Distinguished Professor, Mechanical Science and Engineering
Jianming Jin
Y.T. Lo Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Charles M. Kahn
Fred S. Bailey Memorial Chair of Finance
Shiv Gopal Kapoor
Grayce Wicall Gauthier Chair, Mechanical Science and Engineering, Director, the Center for
Machine Tools Systems Research
Susan Kieffer
Walgreen University Chair and Center for Advanced Study, Professor of Geology and Physics
Tschangho John Kim
Endowed Professor of Urban and Regional Systems
Roger Koenker
William B. McKinley Professor of Economics
Dave Kranz
Professor of Biochemistry, Phillip A. Sharp Professor
James H. Kuklinski
Matthew T. McClure Professor, Department of Political Science
Praveen Kumar
Lovell Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Paul Kwiat
Bardeen Professor of Physics
Fred Lamb
Professor of Physics and Professor of Astronomy, Brand and Monica Fortner Endowed Chair
of Theoretical Astrophysics, Director, Center for Theoretical Astrophysics
Jean-Pierre Leburton
Gregory Stillman Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Professor of Physics
Anthony J. Leggett
John D. and Catherine T. Macarthur Professor, Professor of Physics, Professor in the Center for
Advanced Study
Deborah Leckband
Reid T. Milner Professor, Department of Chemistry
Andrew Leipold
Edwin M. Adams Professor of Law, Director of the Program in Criminal Law and Procedure
Jennifer A. Lewis
Director, Materials Research Laboratory, Hans Thurnauer Professor of Materials Science
and Engineering
Stephen P. Long
Gutgsell University Endowed Professor
Yi Lu
Jay and Ann Schenck Professor and HHMI Professor, Departments of Chemistry, Biochemistry,
Bioengineering and Materials Science and Engineering
Vicki Mahaffey
Clayton and Thelma Kirkpatrick Professor of English and Gender and Women’s Studies
Nancy Makri
Gutgsell Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Physics
Benito Marinas
Ivan Racheff Professor of Environmental Engineering
Robert Markley
W. D. and Sara E. Trowbridge Professor of English, Writing Studies, and Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies
Moshe Matalon
College of Engineering Caterpillar Professor
Edward McAuley
Shahid and Ann Carlson Khan Professor in Applied Health Sciences
Robert McChesney
Gutgsell Professor, Professor of Communication
Jeffrey S. Moore
Murchison-Mallory Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
Michael S. Moore
Walgreen University Chair and Center for Advanced Study, Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy
Catherine J. Murphy
Peter C. and Gretchen Miller Markunas Professor of Chemistry
Ralph Nuzzo
Professor of Chemistry, G.L. Clark Professor of Chemistry
William D. O'Brien, Jr.
Donald Biggar Willett Professor of Engineering, Professor of Electrical and Computer
Engineering
Eric Oldfield
Harriet A. Harlin Professor of Chemistry
Craig A. Olson
LER Alumni Professor, School of Labor and Employment Relations & Department of
Economics
Thomas J. Overbye
Fox Family Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Jong-Shi Pang
Head and Caterpillar Professor, Department of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering
Gary Parker
Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Dept. of Geology
Robert Dale Parker
James M. Benson Professor in English
Glaucio H. Paulino
Donald B. & Elizabeth M. Willett Professor of Engineering
Andreas A. Polycarpou
W. Grafton and Lillian B. Wilkins Professor, Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering
Richard Powers
Swanlund Professor of English, Professor, Center for Advanced Study
Thomas Rauchfuss
Lycan Professor of Chemistry
Laurie Reynolds
Professor of Law, Prentice H. Marshall Professor
John Rogers
Flory-Founder Chair in Engineering
Mark J. Rood
Ivan Racheff Professor of Environmental Engineering
Robert W. Rumbelow
Brownfield Professor of Music, Director of Bands
Taher Saif
Gutsell Professor, Mechanical Science and Engineering, Research Professor, Micro and
Nanotechnology Laboratory
Peter Sauer
Grainger Chair Professor of Electrical Engineering
Kenneth Schweizer
Morris Professor of Material Science and Engineering
Mark A. Shannon
J. W. Bayne Professor, Mechanical Science and Engineering, Director, the WaterCAMPWS
Center
Marc Snir
Michael Faiman and Saburo Muroga Professor, Department of Computer Science
Theodore Sougiannis
KPMG Distinguished Professor of Accountancy
B. F. Spencer, Jr.
Nathan M. and Anne M. Endowed Chair in Civil Engineering, Director, Newmark Structural
Engineering Laboratory, Director, NEES @ Illinois, Director, Smart Structures Technology
Laboratory
R. Srikant
Fredric G. and Elizabeth H. Nearing Endowed Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer
Engineering
Donald Scott Stewart
Shao Lee Soo Professor, Mechanical Science and Engineering
Daniel Sullivan
Swanlund Chair, Professor of Theatre
Kenneth Suslick
Professor of Chemistry, Marvin T. Schmidt Professor in Chemistry
Kelly Tappenden
Kraft Foods Human Nutrition Endowed Professor, University Distinguished Teacher-Scholar,
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition
Billie Jean Theide
James Avery Endowed Chair/College of Fine and Applied Arts
Brian Thomas
C. J. Gauthier Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Deborah Thurston
Gutsgell Professor of Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering
Maria Todorova
Gutgsell Professor of History
Charles L. Tucker III
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs, College of Engineering and Alexander Rankin
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Thomas S. Ulen
Swanlund Chair Emeritus, Professor Emeritus of Law
Albert J. Valocchi
Abel Bliss Professor of Engineering
Wilfred A. van der Donk
Richard E. Heckert Professor of Chemistry, Professor, Institute for Genomic Biology
Lila O. Vodkin
Professor, Charles Adlai Ewing Chair, Department of Crop Sciences
John Weaver
Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Donald Biggar Willett Professor of Engineering
Scott R. White
Donald B. Willett Professor of Engineering, Department of Aerospace Engineering
Carl R. Woese
University Ikenberry Professor of Microbiology
Donald J. Wuebbles
Harry E. Preble Professor of Atmospheric Sciences
Huimin Zhao
Centennial Chair Professor, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Chemistry,
Biochemistry, and Bioengineering, IGB, Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology
Charles F. Zukoski
Elio Eliakim Tarika Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
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