Thought that this was interesting and potentially helpful for our inevitable fate.
https://www.chronicle.com/article/what-i-learned-from-being-laid/243371
10 replies (most recent on top)
Full time faculty are now teaching a lot of the online classes. Most of our load has shifted from onsite courses with low enrollments to massive online sections of about 40 students each. Do the math--doubling the online class size means that you only need half of the faculty. With 4x the number of students (assuming you had 10 on the ground and 40 online), you need 1/4 of the faculty.
The National Dean of EIS was fired/laidoff almost three years ago but his stupid outlook meeting invite notifications till eternity are still in the system. That guy was such a BSer... used to rationalize bs by Burger and RP on cuts in the meetings then himself got cut.
THe laid-off faculty was categorized as "disgruntled employees" in HR lingo therefore banned from ever workingfor Devry. There were exceptions in the case of deans and associate provosts who were let go and rehired as visiting professors.
40% is about right. In 2016 the college of EIS on my campus had 7 FT faculty and lost 3. The following year we lost 2 more. In essence we have lost 30% to 50% each year for the last three or four years.
40% of faculty is what they let go in June, 2016. Before that, there was the VSP package given to those who met the age + years of service numbers, and more have been let go since. After the 2016 lay-off, campuses were scrambling to hire adjuncts.....many of us wondered why they didn't offer part-time work to already established full-time faculty to keep some of the continuity of instruction on campuses. We heard of students complaining and asking why their favorite faculty members had been let go.
And, 2rxm, you are correct about the increase of online...unsure who is assigned to teach those classes....but, bottom line is that students have been impacted deeply :-(
2qwz
40% is a low estimate. When I started in 2009 there were 900 or so full-time faculty. I believe there are fewer than 200 now. Those still employed may have more definitive numbers and sources to cite. The reason so few faculty can cover classes is attributable to low enrollments, particularly for on-site classes. I believe online courses are being taught almost exclusively by adjuncts. But again, those still with DVU may have better information.
....what happened to SO many of us in 2016 when 40% of the faculty were dismissed
That seems a bit exaggerated.....how could classes be held with such an instructor loss? Doesn't seem to add up.
Kudos to Ms. Brust for opting to take nothing so that she could SAY anything she wanted! Her narrative of losing her job mirrored what happened to SO many of us in 2016 when 40% of the faculty were dismissed.....forcing everyone to either scramble for scarce jobs available for people 60+ or early retire with much less security than working a few more years might have provided :-( SO sad that money trumps experience, dedication, and quality today no matter where jobs are concerned :-( Best wishes to all who may still be facing harsh endings they had no part in creating!
Great article! This is what everyone should do that has ever gotten and is about to get laid-off from DeVry - "One lawyer advised me to be loud and use whatever dirt I had on the university as a Plan B. Two other lawyers said I could easily negotiate for myself and file an EEOC claim" so glad I left bc trashing the organization is awesome. MOST unethical place...
That is helpful. Thanks for sharing. It helps explain why none of our other eliminated faculty fought from the age discrimination angle even in cases where it clearly applied. Last year, it didn't even take a whole month before there were job ads seeking people with the exact same qualifications as those who were just laid off, but with a lower title. It was sickening but typical of what we have come to expect from despicable DVU.