Several LC profs leaving over contract dispute
Several professors and staff at Louisiana College in Pineville have either resigned recently, not signed a new contract for the upcoming academic year, or were not offered a contract.
The private, Baptist liberal arts college mailed out new contracts on May 16. The deadline for signing and returning them was May 31.
LC President Joe Aguillard said Thursday that he would not comment publicly on the personnel changes.
“Information about faculty and staff members is not public,” Aguillard said. “They are private, personnel matters. We are dealing with them appropriately and without any difficulty.”
Glenn Sumrall, vice president for academic affairs at LC, said he also would not discuss the contracts.
“Some choose to say a lot, and some choose to say very little. I need to respect that. It’s not my place to say a faculty member is leaving one place to go to another,” he said.
Both members of the public relations staff, Linda Hutson and Michele Trice, left the college on May 25.
The new contracts include provisions that prohibit drinking in public, and require that employees be Christians and adhere to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000.
Bill Simpson, a professor of history who did not sign his contract and does not have another job, said he “simply refused under the conditions.”
Simpson said he refused to sign because of “what has been going on — the way long-term staff members have been treated.”
Another who is leaving is Ted Barnes, chairman of the division of visual and performing arts and a professor of art.
Barnes is going to Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark. His agreement with OBU was reached May 31, the deadline for signing the LC contract, though Barnes said he wouldn’t have signed anyway.
“It is unfortunate,” he said. “I don’t agree with the philosophy of the administration. I wanted to stay in Central Louisiana.”
Doug Rogers, an assistant professor of communications arts, is going to the faculty at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas. Asked if he would have signed the contract, he said, “Oh God, no, not a chance.”
There are roughly 72 faculty members at the college, according to its Web site.
Five of 10 division heads are known to have left. They are Barnes; Thomas Howell, chairman of the Division of History and Political Science; Don Sprowl, chairman of the Mathematics and Computer Science Division; Bruce Cofer, interim chair of the Business Division; and Ruth Weinzettle, chairwoman of the Division of Human Behavior.
Alex Ferry, chairman of the Division of Nursing, is one who not only is staying, but said all of his department is staying.
“We’re pleased with the students and the quality of the students,” Ferry said. “I’m not a Baptist, I’m a Methodist. I’m teaching in a very good Christian program.”
Belle Wheelan, president of the Commission on Colleges for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which accredits LC, said she has received no complaints regarding personnel changes.
“We probably would not question that,” she said of the contract requirements. If contracts were changed after they were signed, that would be something different, she said.
Linda Peevy, chairwoman of the Division of Humanities and an English professor, is a former president of the faculty council, which she said has been disbanded.
“The board has completely reorganized. Faculty representation has been greatly reduced,” she said.
Of the employees who have left, she called their departure “a great loss.”
“I’ve lost four people. So far we’re looking, but nobody has been hired,” she said. “I don’t know what we will do. We’ll have to try to parcel out to our adjuncts.”
Her division had 10 faculty members.
Aguillard said the college is moving in a direction to hire the best quality people.
“We are filling our openings with highly credentialed, qualified people — people who want to teach at a Christian institution,” he said.
Originally published June 9, 2006
CenLamar 
they must be getting ready to do the lawsuit discovery and the rats are choosing to leave before they have to give depositions and answer interrogatories.
we’re glad to see bruce cofer is gone. a few years ago the school board was trying to get a sales tax passed. cofer wrote a readers write in his position as a professor about how the tax would only increase the taxes $5.00 on a $500 sale. he neglected to mention that the rest of the tax (not including the $5) was already like $40.00. plus he didnt mention that his wife was a rapides parish school board employee who would have benefited from the tax he was espousing. people around here dont seem to “get” what “conflict of interest” means. he should have been let go then or at least censured.
With so many people on the way out, at least a few of the changes will inevitably be for the good. Neither Cofer’s nor Thames’ departures will do any harm to the institution, but losing Drs. Howell and Simpson together will be a great blow to the history department. It’s a shame that the board has made it impossible for these people to be employed with any dignity.
I saw some of the departing professors at Finnegan’s Wake (sorry, Lamar, I won’t name names – I know you would prefer me to do so) a few weeks ago. I thought it was great that they were there – I find it likely that they were hoping to be seen drinking in public in light of the new restrictions.
Feanor:
I agree with your assessment. And also, I’ve seen the same crowd at Finnegan’s. Don’t worry about naming names. In this case, that’s not the point. You’re probably right, though: They definitely understood the implications of being seen drinking “in public.”
I do know that a couple of the professors who are leaving are doing so because of desirable openings in other locations, not over contractual disputes. One will be teaching near where two of his children attend college (and also closer to elderly parents) and the other will be chairing a department at his alma mater. He was very explicit that this had nothing to do with the contractual issues but rather the fulfillment of a dream.
I wouldn’t just assume if a professor is leaving it’s over the contract issue. Obviously some (perhaps many) are. To lump them together is disingenuous. Of course, if I had a horse in the race I would use any piece of information to bolster my case. That’s the nature of any political struggle.
You seem very politically astute Mr Martin. Where did you get your college degree from?
Sorry I didn’t respond sooner but I don’t read the blog every day. I graduated from King’s Way Missionary Institute in McAllen, TX after attending LC for 2 semesters. King’s Way is a missionary language school that teaches Spanish, culture and health to missionary candidates. Then I spent four years as a missionary in south Mexico (the states of Oaxaca and Veracuz) helping to start churches and train pastors. Probably more information than you wanted, right? 🙂
Is being seen drinking in public the same thing as going to the Casino in Marsville “just for the buffet.” It is far to easy to spot numerous deacons, most especially First Church of Hooterville deacons at the casino – just for the meal you know.
What happened to the part about avoid the appearance of …?
So other than 2 sememsters at LC you have no connection. You are not even Baptist , right? You are the Pastor of your Fathers church? How does that work? Is it an inhearated thing?