March 26-27, 2015
Mar 26 01:31 Exposing Confucius Institutes Mar 26 02:12 Betty McCollum's doubletalk Mar 26 15:44 Accomplishment or setback? Mar 26 18:37 Sen. Bakk's foolish admission Mar 26 22:21 Dogra, Peterson & the Vikings Mar 27 00:48 Saudi ambassador walks tightrope Mar 27 02:27 SC Times, DFL vs. We The People Mar 27 08:15 Earl Potter, globe trotter
Prior Years: 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Exposing Confucius Institutes
What Is Lost In Hosting A Confucius Institute?
by Silence Dogood
The Globe And Mail published an article on February 7, 2013 entitled "McMaster closing Confucius Institute over hiring issues." Essentially, the university decided to simply let the contract expire when it came up for renewal. The article cites that:
"The decision to abandon the partnership comes in the midst of a human rights complaint againstA report "On Partnerships with Foreign Governments: The Case of Confucius Institutes" prepared by the Association of University Professor's (AAUP) Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure in June 2014 recommended that:
McMaster from a former teacher at the institute."
"It was sealed by concerns over hiring practices - reported last year by The Globe and Mail - that appeared to prohibit teachers Hanban hired and sent abroad to staff the schools from having certain beliefs."
"universities cease their involvement in Confucius Institutes unless the agreement between the university and Hanban is renegotiated so that (1) the university has unilateral control, consistent with principles articulated in the AAUP's Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities, over all academic matters, including recruitment of teachers, determination of curriculum, and choice of texts; (2) the university affords Confucius Institute teachers the same academic freedom rights, as defined in the 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic and Tenure, that it affords all other faculty in the university, and (3) the university-Hanban agreement is made available to all members of the university community."The University of Chicago, after receiving a petition signed by more than 100 faculty members last spring, decided to let the five-year agreement expire at the end of September, 2014. According to an article published by Inside Higher ED on September 26, 2014 quoted a statement from the University of Chicago:
"As always, the University is guided by its core values and faculty leadership in all matters of academic importance."Also reported in an October 1, 2014 article in Inside Higher Ed entitled "Another Confucius Institute to Close" reported that Pennsylvania State University would end its Confucius Institute agreement on December 31, 2014. A statement by Susan Welch, the dean of Penn State's College of Liberal Arts, is quoted:
"We worked collegially with our partners at the Dalian University of Technology. However several of our goals are not consistent with those of the Office of Chinese Languages Council International, known as the Hanban, which provides support to Confucius Institutes throughout the world."The People's Republic of China (PRC) began the Confucius Institute (CI) program in 2004 as an outreach program that has over 400 institutes worldwide (with nearly 100 in the United States). What make the CI outreach effort so unusual as compared to other similar efforts is because CIs are run directly by a foreign government and is subject to its politics.
According to an October 29, 2013 article in The Nation:
"Routinely and assiduously, Hanban wants the Confucius Institutes to hold events and offer instruction under the aegis of host universities that put the PRC in a good light - thus confirming the oft-quoted remark of Politburo member Li Changchun that Confucius Institutes are "an important part of China's overseas propaganda set-up"."With the PRC having control over curriculum, budget, and staffing of the CI on a university campus, the real question is why any university would want to participate in such a relationship? Could it be free trips to China and red carpet treatment for university administrators and cronies? If the PRC only wanted to encourage the teaching of the Chinese language, why not simply donate funds to a university for such a purpose with no strings attached? The PRC in 'donating' funds under the guise of "Confucius Institutes" is simply a way to advertise and influence the students and the curriculum of a university outside of the normal processes.
"An oppressive government is more to be feared than a tiger."It might be interesting to see if the Chinese staff of the CIs thinks the government of the PRC is oppressive. Clearly, world opinion ranks the PRC near the top of oppressive governments just behind the likes of Iran and North Korea. As a result, it is quite appropriate to ask, "What is lost in hosting a Confucius Institute?"
Confucius
Posted Thursday, March 26, 2015 1:31 AM
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Betty McCollum's doubletalk
This article is a perfect illustration of the DFL's doublespeak:
DULUTH, MN (NNCNOW.COM) --- One Minnesota Congressperson is blasting the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for its new wild rice plan. After intense criticism from Iron Range Lawmakers and Gov. Mark Dayton, the MPCA said on Tuesday that the agency is updating its standard to account for new science.
Sen. Tom Bakk and others have been pressuring the state agency to waive or eliminate the ten standard; a standard that threatens the Iron mining industry, according Sen. Bakk and Iron Range Representatives Carly Melin and Jason Metsa.
But U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum told NNC on Wednesday that the state should not be lowering water quality standards to "cater to any industry" such as the mining industry.
The Minnesota Congresswoman, who represents St. Paul and surrounding suburbs in Congress, also wrote a letter to the United States EPA Administrator, urging the EPA to oppose Minnesota's effort to lower the state's current water quality standards and to protect wild rice waters.
"Our protections for water quality should be based on sound environmental science - and nothing else. The science in the state's proposal is questionable," Rep. McCollum said in a statement. "One of the scientists whose work was used said he was 'truly shocked' by the proposal and called it 'scientifically indefensible.' "If our water quality standards are lowered and our waters are harmed - it will be impossible to ever restore them. We do not get any do-overs on environmental protection," she said.
The first thing Rep. McCollum said that's noteworthy is that Minnesota shouldn't lower its water quality standards because we shouldn't "cater to any industry". That's right, Betty. We don't want no stinking industry in Minnesota. Industries are worthless except for creating good paying jobs.
Another thing she said was that Minnesota's water quality standards "should be based on sound environmental science." Apparently, Rep. McCollum thinks that she's the expert on the subject. If she doesn't think that, she'd pay attention to the MPCA's study .
I agree that water quality standards should be determined by "sound environmental science", not by suburban politicians or environmental activists. We shouldn't trust someone who taught social science in high school , either.
The fact is that Betty McCollum has painted herself into a corner. First, she told us to base our water quality standards on verifiable scientific standards. A paragraph later, she's portraying herself as an expert on the environment even though she taught high school social science.
I'd just say that I wouldn't trust a high school social science teacher when it comes to talking about the environment.
Posted Thursday, March 26, 2015 2:12 AM
Comment 1 by J. Ewing at 26-Mar-15 09:06 AM
It would be interesting to see how well Ms. McCullom can explain the "sound science" of the Global Warming she is spending billions to prevent.
Comment 2 by Gary Gross at 26-Mar-15 10:16 AM
I suspect she'd do no better than Gina McCarthy.
Comment 3 by walter hanson at 26-Mar-15 06:41 PM
Gary:
I wonder if Betty M was told that if Iran tried to build nuclear weapons that it will cause major damage to Iran let alone the middle east if she will scream bloody murder about getting Iran not to build nuclear weapons even if it helps Israel live.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Comment 4 by Chad Q at 26-Mar-15 08:00 PM
Betty is no smarter than a bag of hammers so I would guess she would just stare at anyone who questioned her on global warming, water quality standards, al Qaeda or any subject for that matter.
No one wants to pollute the land, air, or water but what if our standards are so high that it is stifling industry and jobs? I guess in a democrats mind the cleanest water at whatever cost is better than a paying job or vibrant economy.
Accomplishment or setback?
Ed Morrissey's column has a section that should frighten thoughtful Americans of all political stripes:
Funny, but the White House took a distinctly less charitable approach to the ally that opposed Iran the previous week. Benjamin Netanyahu, in fighting for re-election in Israel, told voters there that he could no longer support a two-state solution under the current conditions of Palestinian leadership. He also warned Israelis that outside activists had attempted to boost voting of Israeli Arabs in an attempt to defeat Likud, and urged Israel's Jews to turn out more heavily for him. In the final days of the election, Netanyahu won handily.
Did the Obama administration shrug Netanyahu's words off as 'intended for a domestic political audience?'
Of course not .
Ever since, the White House has been in high dudgeon, slamming Netanyahu's campaign for both the comments about Arab turnout and the futility of negotiating with a Hamas-partnered Mahmoud Abbas. Netanyahu has tried making amends for both statements, but as late as Tuesday, State Department spokesperson Marie Harf sniffed that the US didn't find Netanyahu credible any longer. 'Given his statements prior to the election, it's going to be hard to find a path where people seriously believe, when it comes to negotiations, that those are possible.'
Let's get this straight. Benjamin Netanyahu, the elected head of government of a US ally, defies Obama on a policy that impacts Israel's security, then apologizes for it, and yet is considered someone who lacks credibility. However, when the head of state of a nation that has sponsored terrorism for decades openly says, 'Death to America,' the Obama administration shrugs off the statement as mere domestic politics and considers him a credible partner for peace.
We are truly through the looking glass with this President.
It has become abundantly clear that Obama wants a deal for the sake of claiming a foreign policy achievement, no matter what the cost, and no matter what it does to our allies, especially Israel. The situation is reminiscent of another confrontation between Western powers and an extremist dictatorship that professed its own destiny to rule the world, and where the dictator even wrote out his plans for world domination and practically begged everyone to read them.
Ed's right. President Obama wants a foreign policy achievement in the worst way. If he signs the deal with Iran, what he'll get won't be an achievement but it will be done for the worst reasons.
Simply put, this would be a foreign policy achievement in the same way that trading the Taliban Five for Bo Bergdahl was a foreign policy accomplishment. Signing a nonbinding agreement with Iran is just as foolish as trading for a soldier who was just charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy .
I could write President Obama's legacy a month after he leaves office. It won't take time to see how his policies worked out. They're already failing without much hope of turning around. If the Iranian people strip the mullahs of their power, this agreement won't be a total, longlasting disaster. Regardless of whether the Saudi attack on Yemen uproots the Houthis, it's clear that President Obama's policies failed Yemen's government.
I could write that President Obama "served with distinction and honor" only if I applied the same standards that Susan Rice applied to Bowe Bergdahl. Otherwise, I'd have to say he's been a disaster.
Posted Thursday, March 26, 2015 3:44 PM
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Sen. Bakk's foolish admission
Sen. Bakk has a reputation of being a smart political strategist. After reading this post , though, I have to consider updating my opinion on that. Here's what he said that's forced me to reconsider my opinion:
Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk offered a sharp rebuke of the House Republican budget targets unveiled this week that would offer $2 billion in unspecified tax relief and mostly hold the line on spending. "It's really not a place we're gonna start negotiating. I think they've gotta get a little more serious with the budget proposal before we're gonna actually start trading nickels back and forth," said Bakk, DFL-Cook.
Senate DFL budget targets will be released Friday at 9 a.m. Bakk reiterated that the Senate would spend more than the House GOP proposal, but less than the budget plan of Gov. Mark Dayton, while putting more money in reserve than either.
Bakk said DFL Senators have received emails from health care and education groups this week, worried the House budget targets would slow spending below inflation and require program cuts. " The governor raised a lot of expectations of the advocacy groups , so some of them are gonna be a bit disappointed, but I expect they're gonna feel better than they felt when the House targets came out," Bakk said.
A DFL politician promising the special interests the world isn't surprising. That's a DFL tradition. What's surprising is that Sen. Bakk admitted that in an on-the-record situation.
Frankly, that isn't the brightest thing to do.
Sen. Bakk thinks that handing out goodies to all of the DFL's special interest groups is good politics. To a degree, it is. To a large extent, though, it's foolish. Doing things that help families is a smart thing. Promising handouts to special interests, though, tells families that they aren't important to the DFL.
If Republicans were smart, and the jury's still out on that, they'd start asking their neighbors if they want their politicians favoring special interests with their hands out or if they'd rather support politicians who worried about their neighbors and co-workers.
The DFL is the party of the special interests. That's their identity. It's time for Republicans to force the DFL to defend their habit of supporting the special interests, especially when the DFL's special interests are hurting Minnesota's economy.
Let's ask Minnesotans if they think it's ok for a sitting congresswoman to say that it's ok to hurt an entire region's economy . Similarly, let's ask Minnesotans if they'll continue supporting a political party that's more attuned to the wants of the special interests rather than families' needs.
Posted Thursday, March 26, 2015 6:37 PM
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Dogra, Peterson & the Vikings
The most over-hyped story in the NFL offseason has been the drama whipped up by Ben Dogra, Adrian Peterson's agent. It surpasses the hyperventilation surrounding Chip Kelly trading up to the 2nd pick to draft Marcus Mariota. While it's possible that one of those trades happens, the chances that both things happen are about as likely as Kate Upton proposing to me.
I get it that Dogra is representing his client. That's his first responsibility. Rick Spielman's first responsibility is to build a championship football team in Minneapolis. The best way to do that is to give Teddy Bridgewater a bunch of weapons who can score from any place on the field. Putting Adrian behind Teddy is a major step in that direction. Putting a rejuvenated Mike Wallace on the outside is another positive step in that direction.
That isn't to say trading Adrian is foolish. It's saying that it's foolish unless Spielman gets a king's ransom for Peterson. Earlier this week, former Colts GM Bill Polian quantified what a king's ransom would be if he were the GM. When asked what it'd take, Polian abruptly said "multiple number ones", as in more than 1 first round pick. I totally agree. I don't think it's likely that there's a team out there willing to pull the trigger on that type of trade but that's the starting point for the Vikings.
If I'm Rick Spielman, I wouldn't trade the best running back in the game for a second- or third-round pick. The other GM would hear me start laughing if he offered that type of compensation. I'd point out that, despite Dogra's daily protestations, Peterson is still under contract for 3 more years.
Frankly, I'd tell Dogra that there isn't a trade market out there and that his client's only option for playing this year are with the Vikings. Honestly, I'm certain that Dogra knows this. There just aren't many teams that can fit Peterson's $15.4 million cap hit into their budget and pay the Vikings enough in talent and/or draft picks.
The Cowboys can't afford that capwise, especially after signing Greg Hardy to rush the passer. They'd have to give up their first round pick this year plus either Zack Martin or the Cowboys' 2nd round pick. There's no way the Cowboys would do that.
The Cardinals have the flexibility capwise but they'd have to give up the 24th pick in the draft plus Tyrann Mathieu and a second day pick to get Peterson.
The bottom line is simple. The Vikings hold all the cards in this. Either Adrian plays for the Vikings or he retires. Considering the fact that Adrian can make $40,000,000 over the next 3 years, I just don't see Peterson walking away from that payday.
The other factor that hasn't been talked about by the media is the fact that Adrian watched Teddy last year. He was impressed with Teddy. Why wouldn't he want to play for a team that's on the verge of becoming a legitimate contender in the NFC North? That doesn't mean I think the Vikings would win the Division this year if Adrian returns. I'll say, though, that they'd have a pretty strong shot at it their first year in the dome.
Posted Thursday, March 26, 2015 10:21 PM
Comment 1 by walter hanson at 27-Mar-15 12:18 PM
Gary:
I think the fuss with Peterson's agent is that Peterson is out of guarenteed money. Thus if he gets a career ending injury or gets resuspended the Vikings have a way not to have to pay him. I think he has been making the fuss to help get AP more guarentee money.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Response 1.1 by Gary Gross at 27-Mar-15 01:32 PM
Walter, that's entirely possible.
Comment 2 by Chad Q at 27-Mar-15 03:56 PM
Speilman and the Queens will figure out a way to screw up any trade. They hold the cards but thinking he is worth any kind of ransom is ridiculous. AP is a good back but not great and good backs don't cost that much. The Queens need a competent QB (which they may have, jury is still out) to be able to spread the defense instead of them just being able to key on one guy.
Anyway, Dogra is just stirring a pot his moron of a client got himself into and still can't figure out how he got there.
Comment 3 by Gary Gross at 27-Mar-15 05:23 PM
Chad, I'll respectfully disagree on 2 points.
First, AP isn't just a good back. He's a dominant RB. I've been watching football since 1968. AP's the best runner I've watched, with only Walter Payton & Barry Sanders coming close.
Second, Spielman is a great GM. Look at the talent he's added to this team. The biggest miss he's made in the draft was Ponder, followed by Patterson. After that, his drafts have been sterling.
Last year, he drafted Bridgewater & Barr in the first round. Later, he picked Jerrick McKinnon in the third, Antone Exum, a special teams contributor, in the sixth and Jabari Price and Shamar Stephen, good rotation players, in the 7th.
The year before that, he got Sharrif Floyd and Xavier Rhodes, 2 Pro Bowl-quality players in the first round, Gerald Hodges, a starting LB, in the fourth, and Michael Mauti, a special teams contributor, in the seventh.
The year before that, Spielman picked Matt Kalil and Harrison Smith in the first round, Jarius Wright and Rhett Ellison in the fourth round, Blair Walsh, a Pro Bowl kicker, in the sixth round and Audie Cole, a contributing LB, in the seventh.
If we keep AP, then I'll predict that the Vikings will win the NFC North in their first year in their new stadium.
Saudi ambassador walks tightrope
Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi ambassador to the US, did a good job of walking a tightrope in discussing the mess President Obama created in the Middle East:
This article shows how frayed the relationship is between the Saudis and the Obama administration:
Asked when he was told by Saudi Arabia that it would take military action in Yemen, Gen. Lloyd Austin, the head of the U.S. military's Central Command, told a Senate hearing on Thursday he spoke with Saudi Arabia's chief of defense 'right before they took action.' He added that he couldn't assess the likelihood of the campaign succeeding because he didn't know the 'specific goals and objectives.'
Translation: The Saudis told Centcom that it was taking military action against the Iran-supported Houthi rebels moments before launching airstrikes against Houthi rebels. The other noteworthy tidbit of information is that Centcom can't evaluate what the likelihood of the Saudi airstrikes is because it wasn't briefed by the Saudis.
Nations collaborating with each other might not know everything that the other nation is planning on doing but they'd have a pretty good idea what assets are being deployed and where. They'd know what their ally's goals were, too. Clearly, that isn't happening here.
During his interview with Chris Wallace, al-Jubeir emphatically stated that they're willing to deploy ground troops if they determine that's what's needed to destroy ISIS. When I heard that, I wished that our commander-in-chief had that type of spine. Unfortunately, we're stuck with President Obama. What's especially sad is that President Obama's world view is totally upside down. America's traditional allies are President Obama's enemies. Countries that've traditionally been America's enemies are this administration's friends.
The saddest part is that it'll take the Republican's next term in office just to clean up this administration's foreign policy disasters. I've said this before but I'll repeat it here. I never thought I'd see the day when another president's foreign policy 'accomplishments' paled in comparison to Jimmy Carter's lackluster list of accomplishments.
Unfortunately, I've lived to see that day. Then again, I didn't think I'd live to see the day when Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan would form a de facto alliance to counterbalance the US-Iranian alliance.
Posted Friday, March 27, 2015 12:48 AM
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SC Times, DFL vs. We The People
I wish I could say that I'm surprised that the St. Cloud Times Editorial Board is recommending Republicans cave into the DFL's transportation plan :
Finally and fortunately, Minnesotans have enough details from legislators and Gov. Mark Dayton to weigh in on what they want for transportation funding statewide in the next 10 years.
House Republicans this week put forth their proposal, which spends $7 billion through tapping the state surplus, borrowing, increased efficiencies and spending general-fund money now used in other state programs. It's unclear which programs would be cut, but it amounts to $3 billion in 10 years. The plan does not raise taxes. It also does much less for public transit than Dayton's plan.
I can't dispute the fact that the Republicans' plan doesn't do much for "public transit." I can't deny it because it's designed not to do much for "public transit." The GOP plan tells the Met Council that it's responsible for metro transit.
That's only fair because light rail isn't a big thing in outstate Minnesota. If the Twin Cities wants light rail, let the Twin Cities fund that.
Here are some suggestions to make this much-needed initiative a reality by session's end in mid-May:
New revenues (also known as taxes and user fees) are more forthright and stable than funding shifts (aka cutting other programs.) Higher taxes and fees, which admittedly nobody likes, clearly identify who will pay them. Shifting $3 billion from unidentified state programs not only creates unintended consequences for residents with no stake in transportation, but future legislators could easily trump these choices, further delaying much-needed improvements.
Contrary to Rep. Thissen's spin, there aren't any funding shifts in the Republicans' transportation plan. The Republicans' plan proposes dedicating the sales tax on auto parts, car rentals and car leases for fixing roads and bridges. Those existing taxes would be part of the Transportation Stability Fund.
In the latest KSTP-SurveyUSA poll, 75% of Minnesotans said that they didn't want a tax increase to be part of the transportation plan. Republicans shouldn't cave on this. If the DFL wants to fight an election over this, I'd just tell the DFL that we're willing to fight that fight anytime anywhere.
Compromise isn't necessarily a virtue. Doing what the vast majority of people want is a virtue.
Posted Friday, March 27, 2015 2:27 AM
Comment 1 by Chad Q at 27-Mar-15 07:03 AM
We don't need more LRT or heavy rail "transit" in the metro or in the outstate. Junk both of those systems and buy electric or natural gas run buses (those would please the environazi's) with the money saved and start moving more people a lot more efficiently.
Also, there will be unintended consequences for those of us who have no stake in dumping more money into the rat hole of public transit and it's called more money in our bank accounts.
If people want more public transit money, pay for it at the source, on the bus or train.
Earl Potter, globe trotter
Earl Potter - International Globe Trotter
by Silence Dogood
Without a doubt, SCSU's President Earl H. Potter is racking up the airline miles!
On Monday, President Potter announced to the Faculty Association President and Vice President (Roland Jarvis and Steve Hornstein, respectively) that he would be leaving on Wednesday for a three-week international junket to India, Kazakhstan and Italy. When President Potter's travel plans were announced to the Faculty Association Executive Committee on Tuesday afternoon, the following motion was passed:
Motion: 'The FA EC objects to Pres. Potter leaving campus for a 3-week trip to India, Kazakhstan, and Italy at a time of extreme financial crisis.' Passed unanimously.
Tuesday evening, FA President Jarvis informed President Potter of the EC's motion hoping that he would reconsider his decision to be out of the country at a time when the university is dealing with a major financial crisis.
President Potter responded:
"When we met last week, we did not discuss your objections to my travel. Since the vote was unanimous, I am assuming that you both voted with the motion. I am sad that this is the way things work. I am traveling at the request of faculty who requested my support for their work after years of laying groundwork. My travel is essential to maintain the momentum of these programs. As I have noted elsewhere, we cannot cut our way out of this condition. We must continue to grow. This work is essential to support this objective.
I hear the sentiment of the EC and not only have no regrets but I am firm in my conviction that it is my duty to do this work. We have established processes and responsibilities which will work well while I am traveling and result in presentations and options to review when I return. The work has been carefully sculpted; we have a good team to do what must be done. You will also note that as I travel, I communicate around the clock with my team. The idea that we need to be in the same room to function is outdated in the extreme. No international business or university works in this way anymore. However, I suspect that this is not what the vote was about anyway."
For those who live under a rock, St. Cloud State University is in trouble. A 21.8% decline in enrollment since FY10 and a poor decision to enter into a long-term lease with the Wedum Foundation for an off-campus apartment complex, which has lost the university a total of $7,700,000 in the first five years of operation, have left the university with a Composite Financial Index (CFI) for FY14 of 0.07. Given the projected $9,542,000 deficit for FY15 and the commitment of over $5,000,0000 from the reserves to offset the deficit, the CFI will likely go negative for FY15. All of this has led to a hastily conceived process to evaluate programs and make recommendations for cuts, which will include retrenchment of faculty. The timeline for this process could only be described as extremely short!
As a former Coast Guard Captain, President Potter knows this better than most: If a ship is sinking, a reasonable expectation might be that the captain would remain with the ship, if for no other reason than to reassure the passengers. In some countries, not only is the captain expected to remain with the ship, they are legally required to do so! However, President Potter has confidence in his team:
"The work has been carefully sculpted; we have a good team to do what must be done."
This apparently gives him the confidence to be absent from the country at this time. He goes further to justify his absence:
"The idea that we need to be in the same room to function is outdated in the extreme. No international business or university works in this way anymore."
Perhaps this same argument could be used to justify not going on a three-week international junket. Given the interactive video technology available, it is possible for groups from all across the globe to be 'in the same room at the same time.'
In addition to a trip to China earlier trip in the semester, President Potter will have been out of the country for at least four of the fifteen weeks of the semester (we don't know the President's travel plans during the last few weeks of the semester so it could be more than four weeks). At SCSU, international travel is not limited to President Potter. In fact, international travel by administrators at SCSU is pretty commonplace. In fact, it is hard to find a Dean or Assistant who has not travelled internationally, at university expense, within the past two years. Even 'Interim' Deans have travelled internationally. And these trips are not limited to just Deans. For example, Chief Information Officer Henry May recently travelled to South Africa.
When Wisconsin governor Scott Walker announced earlier this spring his intent to cut $300,000,000 million from the University of Wisconsin System's budget, Ray Cross, the President of the Wisconsin system, immediately announced that he was suspending ALL out-of-state travel. In fact, on Wednesday the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel further reported:
"Ray Cross pledged Wednesday to resign as president of the University of Wisconsin System if he fails to secure a substantial reduction in proposed state budget cuts and is unable to protect tenure, shared governance and academic freedom for UW campuses."
For many faculty at SCSU, given the current financial crisis, the idea that international travel would be suspended had a lot of merit. Even if it would not result in substantial savings, it would certainly send an important message. Unfortunately, no such luck!
For many on campus, there is an informal hunt for an administrator who has not travelled internationally on "university business." Apparently, this is a very exclusive club. At the same time, there is also a search for administrators who have travelled the two miles to St. Cloud Technical and Community College, which is one of the larger feeder schools for SCSU, to recruit students. Surprisingly, perhaps because it does not require a passport or involve getting onto an airplane, this appears to be an even more exclusive club.
Posted Friday, March 27, 2015 8:15 AM
Comment 1 by Jarrett at 27-Mar-15 09:28 AM
Arrogance will get you EVERYWHERE. Don't leave home without it.
Comment 2 by Mystique at 27-Mar-15 09:37 AM
The taxpayers would be well served if Potter is placed on the no fly list. Wonder who else is going on this trip and if lobster and champagne will be served in first class.
Comment 3 by walter hanson at 28-Mar-15 10:56 AM
Gary:
Did I miss something? How does travelling to India help the school? Is he trying to get students or new teachers? Raise money?
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Comment 4 by Gary Gross at 28-Mar-15 02:11 PM
Walter, You didn't miss anything. That's exactly the question that the SCSU faculty have been asking for more than a year.
The flip-side of this is that SCSU once had a great relationship with local high schools community colleges in the region. That's essentially disappeared during President Potter's administration.
That's a major factor for SCSU's enrollment decline. It isn't the only factor but it's a significant factor.
Finally, I'm told that getting foreign students through these trips isn't that profitable for universities. While President Potter gets to brag about this as an accomplishment, you won't hear him talk about this in terms of solving the huge deficits he's running.
Simply put, President Potter's plaques look nice but he's a failure in terms of running SCSU's finances into the ground.
Comment 5 by Nick at 28-Mar-15 11:14 PM
SCSU CAN CONTINUE TO DECLINE FOR ALL I CARE!!! I ain't donating untill Potter leaves!!!
Comment 6 by walter hanson at 29-Mar-15 12:15 PM
Gary:
The part that has me confused unless it Potter's BS is that he is making this trip at the request of the faculty. In that case shouldn't Potter at a minimum be able to explain what he is doing for the faculty. Oh I forgot with the exception of you there aren't real reporters in the Saint Cloud area.
Hopefully the House when Potter gets back can get him to come to the House and explain exactly what he is doing.
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
Comment 7 by Mystique at 29-Mar-15 12:24 PM
Gary brings up an interesting subject on enrollments. It is widely known that a vast majority of new students come to SCSU from Minnesota and bordering states. Trying to recruit international students if that is was Potter is doing makes as much sense as an auto dealership in St. Cloud spending most of it's marketing budget in Florida. The fact that so many SCSU administrators have traveled out of the country is troubling when they could be traveling to Minnesota, Wisconsin high schools. Just to warm up, why don't they travel across town to the tech college and beyond to Brainerd and Bemidji?
Comment 8 by Gary Gross at 30-Mar-15 12:36 AM
Walter, President Potter couldn't survive without BS. It's what gets him out of difficult situations. If I got a $100 for each time he BS'ed his way through difficult situations, I could retire comfortably.
Comment 9 by Yeager at 30-Mar-15 09:39 AM
Indeed, these stops are all at the request of faculty who have cultivated relationships with institutions - in some cases for decades.one faculty member is retiring and the university risks losing the relationship if processes aren't in place for those connections to persist.
The naive view here is held by the EC.
http://www.businesscentralmagazine.com/BizCentralSite/files/38/3883e34b-927e-471c-b92a-d73d2072a05a.pdf
That's an article that talks about the program in Italy and the kinds of activities that are touched upon.
Comment 10 by Silence Dogood at 01-Apr-15 07:49 AM
SCSU has closed its programs in Denmark, Germany, France and Japan. All of these closures resulted from the programs not being financially sustainable. Currently, the program in England is on life support. It's not naive to believe that many of these 'trips' will not result in self-sustaining programs.
The Chamber of Commerce supported the Coborn's Plaza apartments. Now, five years later after losing $7,700,000 is it naive to say that SCSU got 'taken to the cleaners.' Since SCSU has to remain in the Coborn's Plaza for another five years of its lease, it will likely lose another $6,000,000.
If the Chamber of Commerce thinks the Italy program is such a good idea, is it willing to cover the losses that may occur? When the Chamber of Commerce is willing to cover the losses in these programs, we'll really know how much they support them and then I'll have to admit to being naive.
Comment 11 by Mystique at 01-Apr-15 09:09 PM
Potter's vindictive discrimination is beyond egregious.
http://www.letfreedomringblog.com/?p=18281
Comment 12 by Yak at 08-Apr-15 12:35 PM
Ever heard of Skype? With all of the technology in the world this seem like a no brainer. I think these are all stops on someone bucket list.
