The controversy that seems to accompany New Mexico State University President Michael Martin wherever he goes appears to already be plaguing him in
While I’ve written extensively about the controversies Martin has faced at NMSU, the respected Chronicle of Higher Education published an article late last week that included surprisingly negative comments from NMSU faculty members about the tenure of a man who is still their boss.
“We have had concerns about lack of communication,” Jamie L. Bronstein, an associate professor of history, told the Chronicle. “There has been a decline in morale over the past few years. I think there is more of a feeling that faculty members feel troubled about the way things are going.”
Martin has been named sole finalist for the chancellor job at LSU’s main campus. The LSU system president is expected to decide in the coming days whether to recommend that LSU’s governing body offer Martin the job, which could happen as soon as June 5.
The Chronicle reported, on a recent visit to NMSU, finding “a culture where professors and staff members are reluctant to speak about problems they see. Some professors described Mr. Martin as having a hair-trigger temper and being unable to take criticism well.”
“People don’t feel like they can speak up without some fear of retribution,” one unnamed “longtime professor” was quoted by the Chronicle as saying. “It’s just not as comfortable as it used to be.”
Then there was this zinger from Frank Thayer, head of the journalism department.
“I have found it very difficult here with him. I don’t think that he has been very helpful to our program, and most other faculty that I talk to have not been pleased with his leadership,” said Thayer, who said he was speaking only because he believes Martin is leaving. “He has expressed his difficulties with journalism generally, and information that is critical of the university seems to make him angry.”
Past controversies
The Chronicle article also detailed past controversies Martin faced in at schools
In
“Farmers in the area complained that Mr. Martin had not negotiated the closing openly with them. They got state legislators to block the plan, and they called for Mr. Martin’s ouster,” the article states.
Current controversy at LSU
Perhaps more relevant to Martin’s current potential job shift is the controversy into which he will be stepping if he is offered and accepts the job at LSU.
An editorial from the Baton Rouge Advocate expresses concern about the newspaper editorial board’s belief that “LSU officials are establishing a regrettable tradition of take it or leave it.”
The former chancellor of the
That was followed by a “long and largely secretive search” that led to Lombardi being named the sole finalist for the LSU system presidency. Then comes the recommendation of Martin as the sole finalist for the chancellor job.
“As in the previous searches,” the editorial states, “… the public doesn’t have a clear idea of who else was considered for the job. But once again, we’re being asked to assume that one publicly named finalist is the best fit for a position of great importance not only to LSU, but the rest of the state.”
It’s all part of “a culture of insularity at LSU that, at times, seems hostile to the ideas of transparency and accountability,” the editorial states.
Sound familiar? Many, including me, have said the same things about NMSU under Martin’s leadership.
While we’re on the topic of Martin, you can find a couple more NMSU community members criticizing Martin in this article from the Advocate headlined “LSU chancellor candidate gets mixed reviews.”