Responsible Management or Political Machine? President Lenz’ June Encounters with Brogan, BOT Suggest the Latter
July 10, 2009
Well, not exactly Washington. Not even Tallahassee. But new University Faculty Senate President and Board of Trustees faculty member Tim Lenz has been getting an early taste of the assertive “What I say goes, see?” political style of Frank T. Brogan and the Republican-dominated FAU BOT. Indeed, we’ve not heard anything from Lenz since shortly after he led the UFS in a set of unanimous resolutions condemning both the reorganization of the College of Engineering and the terminations of five tenured faculty members. On June 10 and again on June 17 BOT Chairwoman Nancy Blosser (spouse of key Republican Party operative Jim Blosser) summarily dismissed Lenz’s convincing presentations of the body’s stance against the administration’s firing of tenured faculty.
The overall “problem” with Lenz seems to be that he isn’t afraid to honestly represent the faculty’s wishes. Worse, he even wants to engage in reasoned debate. These are, of course, no-nos at BOT meetings, where everyone laughs along with former Lieutenant Governor Brogan and appears to politely affirm what has already been decided on behind closed doors. Exaggeration, you say? One would be hard pressed to cite a time when Brogan faced a serious rebuke from the Board, much less a sincere tap on the wrist. At the same time Brogan seems to be using FAU as a springboard for his personal political aspirations. The FAU-BOT has long failed to exercise proper oversight, as Brogan’s near impunity from past blunders suggests. BOT members might want to more closely consider the faculty’s wishes and concerns. Moreover, the taxpaying parents, students, and community members of Southeast Florida should begin to remind themselves that FAU does not stand for “Frank Brogan University” or “Florida Republican University”; the school is still called Florida Atlantic U and it still belongs to the public.