#010: The President

The Weekly

Editor's Note: Due to technical issues with WOBC's radio transmitter, the recording of this show has significantly decreased audio quality. We have done as much as possible to repair the damage, and we apologize for the issues.

On May 30, 2017, Carmen Twillie Ambar was named as the 15th President of Oberlin College by the Board of Trustees, and is the first Black woman to hold the position in the College's history. After settling into the job, she announced that under her leadership, the College would begin an Academic and Administrative Program Review (AAPR), a sweeping audit of all college offices, programs, and departments. Under AAPR, a steering committee of faculty, staff, and students will conduct research and analysis from now until next spring, subsequently making recommendations to the board.

In her previous role as President of Cedar Crest College, Ambar initiated a similar process. But is that a good thing? Many faculty members don't think so. At Cedar Crest, AAPR resulted in the proposed elimination of five majors; sustained lobbying efforts by students and faculty only saved two of them. What's more, the process was opaque, deceptive, and at times disturbing. No notes were taken of steering committee meetings, leaving no record of how and why certain decisions were made; a faculty member was fired after being told in writing that they would not, leading to a lawsuit against Cedar Crest; and Ambar's chosen consulting firm, Stevens Strategy, made fraudulent claims in a presentation to the Cedar Crest board and engaged in a practice of ranking majors by their financial value.

Should we be worried? (Daniel is very worried.) We'll ask President Ambar about that, and also find out why she thinks Oberlin is the best college in the country.

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