Pai has been dealing with his fair share of controversy at Meramec over the last few months.By: Collin Reischman
– Managing Editor –
Over spring break, several posters appeared on STLCC-Meramec campus, reading, “Dr. Paul Pai should be impeached and Dr. Stephen Petersen should be reinstated as President!!!!” Signed “Rebel,” the posters, which call for campus president Paul Pai, Ed. D., to be “impeached,” reflect new tensions on campus, something Pai has seen before as an administrator.
Pai has been dealing with his fair share of controversy at Meramec over the last few months.
With the economy struggling, and an expected 5.2 percent reduction in the STLCC budget, it’s time to “weather the storm,” said Pai.
“People feel concerned because of the budget cuts. We’ll need to sustain the viability of our college,” Pai said.
Pai, who was campus president at Imperial Valley College in California before working at Meramec, is more than familiar with a budget crisis. In the spring of 2006, while serving as president at IVC, poorly calculated enrollment numbers left faculty, staff and administration in a panic. The Imperial Valley Press reported that a projected budget deficit at the time for IVC would have been more than 7 million dollars.
“Those… what you’re reading, those were during the scare times. We did not lay off a single person due to that situation,” Pai said.
However, before IVC was able to solve its financial crisis, faculty and staff at IVC were demanding the removal or resignation of Pai.
One editorial, published in February 2006, was written by English professor David Zielinski of IVC, and called for Pai’s termination.
“Ask anyone who works at IVC: this fiscal nightmare was caused by the superintendent/president Paul Pai, aided by his supporters on the board of trustees. The general feeling is that Dr. Pai should resign or be fired by the board, and then compliant board members could, in turn, voluntarily resign,” wrote Zielinski in the Imperial Valley Press.
Finding Pai
More than 20 candidates submitted applications for the Meramec campus president position in 2007, according to a member of the hiring committee who did not wish to be identified.
As the search was eventually narrowed down to three possible applicants, STLCC sent representatives from Meramec to conduct background research on the final candidates.
Daniel Herbst, former interim vice president of student affairs, was sent from Meramec to Imperial Valley College to research Dr. Paul Pai’s administrative career.
Herbst, who had already been notified that his contract with STLCC was not going to be renewed, and that he’d have to reapply for the new position of vice president of student affairs, returned with a “glowing review,” according to a hiring committee member.
Herbst confirmed that he traveled to Imperial Valley College. He refused to comment further.
Faculty response at Meramec
It’s not just budget issues that are causing tensions to run high at Meramec between faculty and administration. The recent decision made by Pai to not renew the contract of former vice president of student affairs, Stephen Petersen, Ed.D., has brought even more negative attention on the president.
“I’ve been here 11 years and I’ve never seen morale this low. I’ve never seen people this upset,” said Stephen Collins, Ph.D., history professor.
At a recent board of trustees meeting, students, faculty and staff addressed the board to demand for the reinstatement of Petersen.
Regardless of future board action, members of the National Education Association (NEA) on campus conducted a faculty survey from March 11-24, asking respondents to gauge their confidence in Pai.
The responses, which were all taken anonymously, are overwhelmingly critical of Pai. Some call for a vote of “no confidence” for the president, while others call for his termination.
The responses, which range anywhere from a paragraph to more than two pages, outline multiple grievances with recent administrative decisions, including the closing of the child care center, the soundproofing of Pai’s office last October, and the fear that many faculty members have of “retribution” if they voice their concerns for the president out loud.
The soundproofing, which cost the college $7,434 according to Carla Chance, vice chancellor of business and administrative services, was out of necessity, according to Pai.
“If you stand close to the door, you can actually recite what’s going on in here. I did it after serious consideration for two years. You’ll probably notice we have spent the least on presidents’ offices. I don’t even have an easily accessible conference room. It’s an economic solution,” Pai said.
Whether it’s the budget crisis, a personnel matter, or an increasingly tense relationship with faculty, Pai may have described the Meramec environment best when he met with faculty on Wednesday, March 24.
“I can see that there is a storm coming,” said Pai.
