Whole Chattanooga State Community College faculty to vote on Catanzaro

photo Jim Catanzaro

They're not done yet.

A week after a group of Chattanooga State faculty members voiced their lack of confidence in President Jim Catanzaro's leadership, the Faculty Senate moved to let all full-time instructors have a say. After much debate Thursday, professors voted to hold a systemwide, two-day referendum that could start as early as Tuesday.

Also this week, the faculty council, comprising representatives from various departments, sent a letter to Catanzaro and officials with the Tennessee Board of Regents, calling recent presidential actions unprofessional and unethical.

The council's letter posed 21 questions regarding the hiring of Lisa Haynes, the chief innovations officer who was hired without a required college degree. Her appointment has spurred an inquiry by the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury and an audit by the Tennessee Board of Regents, which oversees community colleges.

"These actions have diminished college resources, lowered our morale and hurt our ability to provide educational and career opportunities to the citizens of Tennessee," the letter said.

Meanwhile, Catanzaro doubled down this week on his efforts to reach out to faculty. On Tuesday, he sent an email to faculty urging them to send specific questions to his office. Last week, he promised he would work through issues with faculty.

"I come to you today, not just as your president, but as a member of the Chatt State community," his email said. "As you are well aware, my staff and I have been beset by all manner of rumors, innuendo and plain untruths. I have apologized for miscommunication between myself and the faculty."

And on Thursday, he invited faculty to join committees regarding the college's "major innovations initiatives," including an entrepreneurial institute, a partnership with Yeshiva University in New York City and a partnership with the University of the West Indies in Barbados. Those initiatives, still in the works, are overseen by Haynes' office.

On Thursday, faculty senate members went round and round on an odd question: just who is considered faculty? The group's constitution says only full-time instructors may vote. Faculty senate leaders were told that excludes instructors in the Tennessee College of Applied Technology. Chattanooga State is the only campus in the state to hold both a community college and a technical school.

The Board of Regents informed senate President Kenneth Goldsmith that TCAT instructors could vote, but that those votes must be counted separately. He told the senate that TBR Vice Chancellor Warren Nichols will attend a meeting next week, though that meeting will be closed to TCAT instructors.

At one point, professors stood up yelling at each other.

"We're either part of this college or we're not," said Jimmy Jones, a master instructor of motorcycle and marine technology.

"We have to suffer the repercussions of your vote and have no say," said another instructor.

In the end, it didn't matter. TCAT instructors voted 6-7 against taking the vote to a referendum. Of the academic faculty, 59 voted to move to a systemwide vote, seven voted against and two abstained. Altogether, professors voted 65-14-2 to move toward a referendum.

First-year speech instructor Shelton Hill urged the group to wait until the TBR's audit is complete. He said there wasn't yet evidence of any wrongdoing on Catanzaro's part.

"They're out for blood," he said of other faculty members. "And they're going to get it."

Contact staff writer Kevin Hardy at khardy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.

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