|
news
Chancellor Reed
means business
By Sharon Christensen
Summer Forty-Niner
With Cal State
University faculty contracts in negotiations, the man at the
center, who has been called everything from politically savvy
to a Renaissance man to a threat to California higher education,
has established a reputation as a tough, goal-oriented manager.
The often outspoken
CSU Chancellor Charles Reed, 59, has, since beginning his
career in education in 1963, alarmed some with his plain speech.
"He's very
honest and direct," said Steve Uhlfelder, who served
as chairman of the board of trustees for Florida State University
during Reed's tenure there. "There's not a dishonest
bone in his body."
Proposing a motto
for Florida after leaving as that state's university chancellor,
Reed said, "We're cheap and we're proud of it."
It was reported
in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 1996, when Reed was being
considered for a position as University of Pittsburgh chancellor,
that some on the search committee thought Reed was "perhaps
too forceful."
Receiving a football
scholarship, Reed graduated from George Washington University
with a bachelor's degree in health and physical education
in 1963. While teaching physical education and education classes
at George Washington, Reed earned his master's degree in secondary
education in 1964 and his doctorate in teacher education in
1970. Leaving the classroom behind in 1971, Reed worked for
the Florida Department of Education until 1979.
That year, Reed
started working in the executive office of Florida's then-Gov.
Bob Graham, first as an educational policy adviser and, from
1984-1985, as chief of staff.
According to a
1990 article in Florida's St. Petersburg Times, Reed's stint
in the governor's office led critics to believe he might have
lost his academic side in the swirl of Florida state politics,
especially when he was appointed chancellor of Florida State
University's 10 campuses in 1985.
During his 12 years
at that post, the former varsity quarterback caused a stir
when he fired coaches and lobbied the NCAA to cut back on
practice time for college athletes to emphasize studies.
After accepting
the job as CSU's chancellor in 1998, Reed has most notably
ruffled the feathers of the California Faculty Association,
a union representing CSU faculty, during contract negotiations
in 1999. Angering members of the faculty, Reed suggested that
the CSU campuses begin year-round operations to accommodate
skyrocketing enrollment.
"We'll never
be able to serve [students] if we work about seven or eight
months a year," he said in March 1999 as reported in
the Los Angeles Times. "You know, I guess, from about
9 to 2, Monday through Thursday. What frustrates me? What
do I have to overcome and where do I need your help is I have
to change the culture in California ? the student culture,
the faculty culture, the inertia or the fear of changing,
the political culture of figuring out how to put a reward
and accountability system out there."
Reed's comments
were taken by some faculty members to be derisive of their
work ethic.
"Reed has
argued that faculty only work a few hours per week, which
only goes to show how out of touch he is with real faculty,"
wrote Cal State Fullerton psychology professor Stanley Woll
in an article posted on the Internet in 1999. Woll said that
he still agrees that Reed is a "major threat to California
higher education."
"His repeated
insults of CSU faculty and his insistence on taking an adversarial
position toward such faculty have resulted in a major reduction
in morale," Woll said.
"It is simply
incredibly discouraging and aversive to teach in a situation
in which no value is placed on your work or your opinions,
and in which you're continually having to fight against a
chancellor who is supposed to be your advocate and spokesperson."
"Reed, in
a word, is a bully who prefers the fight to honest negotiation,"
he continued.
Uhlfelder, however,
said he sees Reed's comments as being appropriate.
"I agree with
him," said Uhlfelder, who said he considers Reed a personal
friend. "I wish more people had the courage to say that.
Charlie lives in the real world. Some people don't."
Despite clashes
with faculty unions, which Uhlfelder added Reed encountered
in Florida as well, Reed's hands-on managerial style has impressed
some.
"He is a good
listener," said CSU Police Administrator Michael Lordanich,
who as a University Police chief meets with Reed monthly to
discuss campus safety issues. "He's on top of things.
He's concerned."
Uhlfelder said
he's not surprised.
"He's very
hands on," he said. "He focuses on a lot. If there
was a hurricane warning, he'd be on that campus making sure
everyone was safe."
Numerous requests
were made to contact Reed for an interview, but none were
granted. It was reported in the Los Angeles Times in 1997
that Reed was hired as CSU chancellor with an annual salary
of $254,000, but current figures were not available.
|
