Friday, June 18, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Dobler Out: Holst In
According the Sitka Daily Sentinel, June 17,2010 - Dr. Dobler is no longer SJ(C?) President, and is being replaced in the interim by John Holst, a former school superintendent and assembly member. Once I digest the article, I'll report on details.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Curiosity
Out of curiosity, how many people are still reading this blog? I’d be very curious to have people post why they still read the blog 3 years after the school closed. I’d also be curious to know how the reads was or is affiliated to SJC. If you are still reading the blog, please take a minute or two to leave a comment and let us know you are still reading, why you still read it and your affiliation to SJ. It is your option to sign the comment of leave it anonymously.
I know I still check in regularly because I cared deeply for the school, the students, the faculty, the staff, and most especially the volunteers. I also, still care deeply about what will happen with the campus.
I know I still check in regularly because I cared deeply for the school, the students, the faculty, the staff, and most especially the volunteers. I also, still care deeply about what will happen with the campus.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Dubuque bows out
In a letter not becoming of a university president, Jeffrey Bullock announces Dubuque's decision to "step away" from a potential partnership with SJ(C?) and the city of Sitka. I don't blame UD for not wanting to proceed, but was surprised by the spirit of Bullock's letter, which engages in blaming "some SJC Board members" and city officials for the partnership's failure, while holding up Dr. Dobler as an ethical visionary and someone to be admired.
Really? It leads me to conclude that President Bullock was never able to fully appreciate and understand the complexities of what transpired here.
You can read the letter in its entirety below:
June 7, 2010.
To: The University of Dubuque Community
From: Jeffrey F. Bullock, President
Re: UD/Sheldon Jackson Partnership Status
I am writing, separately from my Summer Update letter which you will receive this week, to update you regarding Sheldon Jackson College (SJC) in Sitka, Alaska. I have sincerely appreciated the conversations and trips with members of our Board, cabinet members, and DNAS faculty while exploring the opportunity to take an extensive look at the possibility of a relationship between Sheldon Jackson College and the University of Dubuque.
It is clear to me, however, that our expectations for this project differ quite significantly from the expectations of some members of the Sheldon Jackson Board and, most particularly, the leaders of the City of Sitka. In my discussions with both groups, I have tried to lay out a roadmap for a long-term, vibrant, and renewed educational operation at Sheldon Jackson College. I have tried to demonstrate that UD was committed philanthropically, through a designated donor gift, to finish the restoration of a key building - Allen Hall, to develop an academic program plan, and to work through the Sheldon Jackson College Foundation which would help structure finances and provide opportunities for traditional and non-traditional programs, particularly to serve Native Alaskans. Granted, the nature of our program proposal was to begin small, understand the market, and then to grow as the opportunities were identified, rather than to replace one former model of educational enterprise with a similar model. The program model in our proposal is one that we have tested, tried, and implemented here at UD; and a model that we believed we could have implemented in Sitka.
It is clear to me, however, that the expectations of some members of the SJC Board are not in alignment with our plan which is, of course, their prerogative. It appears that they aspire to have an entity take over the SJC campus and, in effect, run it as it was previously run. Obviously, we do not believe this is the right way to pursue education in Sitka, but it is their campus and, as trustees, that is clearly and rightly their decision to make.
It is also abundantly clear to me that the officials representing the City of Sitka have absolutely no intention of trying to 1) understand our proposal, or 2) understand the very competitive nature of Higher Education. Truthfully, this is the most discouraging aspect of my disappointment. To go from a verbal commitment of significant dollars to what in effect amounts to a “maybe in the future” type of arrangement clearly illustrates, for me anyway, that the City officials do not understand either the importance or necessity of a private/public partnership in this regard. It also gives me great pause when I consider working with the City in the future. I have learned that if there is one constant in the very competitive business of Higher Education, it is this: Independent schools cannot compete with Regent or State-supported schools without the tangible support of their local and regional civic and political leadership. Alaska is full of state-sponsored education. There is a reason, then, why private schools such as UD are not in abundance in the State of Alaska. We absolutely could not find a way to mount a successful program in Sitka without both the financial and political support of the City officials.
I am proud to say - and I know that we all share in this sentiment - that, over the last ten years, the University of Dubuque has grown from an enrollment of under 600 to nearly triple that figure. Our annual operating budget has increased several-fold. We have added significant numbers of faculty and staff at a time when most colleges and universities are experiencing reductions in force, and the financial impact we have made to our local community has grown exponentially as well. Though not on the same scale, we had hoped to make a similarly positive impact in Sitka and, by extension, throughout Alaska. Unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the conditions for programmatic growth and expansion on the SJC campus, or in the City of Sitka, do not exist in a way that would allow us to be both credible and successful.
Regretfully, we must at this time step away from the table.
Finally, I would like to also say that it has been a privilege to work on this project with SJC President David Dobler. David has comported himself in both an ethical and visionary way during a very difficult time in the history of SJC. He has endured ridicule in the community, derision in blogs posted by former disgruntled members of the faculty and staff, personal financial sacrifice and an uncertain professional future all for the purpose of trying to identify a new future for SJC. I, for one, both admire and respect him.
Know that we do wish the members of the SJC Board the very best as they chart out the best plan for Sheldon Jackson.
Really? It leads me to conclude that President Bullock was never able to fully appreciate and understand the complexities of what transpired here.
You can read the letter in its entirety below:
June 7, 2010.
To: The University of Dubuque Community
From: Jeffrey F. Bullock, President
Re: UD/Sheldon Jackson Partnership Status
I am writing, separately from my Summer Update letter which you will receive this week, to update you regarding Sheldon Jackson College (SJC) in Sitka, Alaska. I have sincerely appreciated the conversations and trips with members of our Board, cabinet members, and DNAS faculty while exploring the opportunity to take an extensive look at the possibility of a relationship between Sheldon Jackson College and the University of Dubuque.
It is clear to me, however, that our expectations for this project differ quite significantly from the expectations of some members of the Sheldon Jackson Board and, most particularly, the leaders of the City of Sitka. In my discussions with both groups, I have tried to lay out a roadmap for a long-term, vibrant, and renewed educational operation at Sheldon Jackson College. I have tried to demonstrate that UD was committed philanthropically, through a designated donor gift, to finish the restoration of a key building - Allen Hall, to develop an academic program plan, and to work through the Sheldon Jackson College Foundation which would help structure finances and provide opportunities for traditional and non-traditional programs, particularly to serve Native Alaskans. Granted, the nature of our program proposal was to begin small, understand the market, and then to grow as the opportunities were identified, rather than to replace one former model of educational enterprise with a similar model. The program model in our proposal is one that we have tested, tried, and implemented here at UD; and a model that we believed we could have implemented in Sitka.
It is clear to me, however, that the expectations of some members of the SJC Board are not in alignment with our plan which is, of course, their prerogative. It appears that they aspire to have an entity take over the SJC campus and, in effect, run it as it was previously run. Obviously, we do not believe this is the right way to pursue education in Sitka, but it is their campus and, as trustees, that is clearly and rightly their decision to make.
It is also abundantly clear to me that the officials representing the City of Sitka have absolutely no intention of trying to 1) understand our proposal, or 2) understand the very competitive nature of Higher Education. Truthfully, this is the most discouraging aspect of my disappointment. To go from a verbal commitment of significant dollars to what in effect amounts to a “maybe in the future” type of arrangement clearly illustrates, for me anyway, that the City officials do not understand either the importance or necessity of a private/public partnership in this regard. It also gives me great pause when I consider working with the City in the future. I have learned that if there is one constant in the very competitive business of Higher Education, it is this: Independent schools cannot compete with Regent or State-supported schools without the tangible support of their local and regional civic and political leadership. Alaska is full of state-sponsored education. There is a reason, then, why private schools such as UD are not in abundance in the State of Alaska. We absolutely could not find a way to mount a successful program in Sitka without both the financial and political support of the City officials.
I am proud to say - and I know that we all share in this sentiment - that, over the last ten years, the University of Dubuque has grown from an enrollment of under 600 to nearly triple that figure. Our annual operating budget has increased several-fold. We have added significant numbers of faculty and staff at a time when most colleges and universities are experiencing reductions in force, and the financial impact we have made to our local community has grown exponentially as well. Though not on the same scale, we had hoped to make a similarly positive impact in Sitka and, by extension, throughout Alaska. Unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that the conditions for programmatic growth and expansion on the SJC campus, or in the City of Sitka, do not exist in a way that would allow us to be both credible and successful.
Regretfully, we must at this time step away from the table.
Finally, I would like to also say that it has been a privilege to work on this project with SJC President David Dobler. David has comported himself in both an ethical and visionary way during a very difficult time in the history of SJC. He has endured ridicule in the community, derision in blogs posted by former disgruntled members of the faculty and staff, personal financial sacrifice and an uncertain professional future all for the purpose of trying to identify a new future for SJC. I, for one, both admire and respect him.
Know that we do wish the members of the SJC Board the very best as they chart out the best plan for Sheldon Jackson.
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