The Tower Volume 12 Issue 5 (2/16/12)

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VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 5 • FEB. 16, 2012 - FEB. 29, 2012

Board of Trustees calls emergency meeting By Daniel Reyes

Photo by: Lee Burrell

Students, faculty, staff and alumni pack into Kean Hall Conference Room for an emergency Board meeting.

The Board of Trustees of Kean University announced that a follow-up emergency meeting regarding the investigation of President Dawood Farahi will be held on Feb. 15 at 5 p.m. The Board predicts that a final decision on Farahi’s employment will be announced at the meeting. The Board held a five-hour emergency meeting on Feb. 9 in response to allegations levied at Farahi in November that he falsified credentials on past resumes. Ada Morell, the Chair of the Board, moved to adjourn the meeting late Thursday night after the board spent more than three-hours in closed, executive session. She announced that the Board would reconvene “early next week,” to continue the meeting and make a final decision. The Board met at the Kean Hall

Farahi investigation began with a question and a flier By Daniel Reyes The allegations that President Dawood Farahi misrepresented himself on resumes dating back to his 1982 application to Kean, which were levied by the Kean Federation of Teachers, began with a colored flier, distributed by Peter Pezzolo, a professor of Philosophy. “I circulated three flyers last semester about the issue of President Farahi’s scholarly publication claims,” said Pezzolo in an email. The three fliers questioned past claims that Farahi authored “over 50 technical articles in major publications” (according to a 2008 resume posted on kft2187. org/farahi). Questions were also raised about an award he received and a position he held as dean prior to his employment at Kean. Farahi is quoted in an article published in the Star-Ledger that mistakes were made on his resumes, but that it wasn’t his fault. After being alerted about the inaccuracies, James Castiglione, a Physics professor and president of the KFT, Kean’s union of faculty, professional staff and librarians, wrote a letter to Kean University’s Board of Trustees in late November alerting them to the situation.

“No one’s been able to find anything published by President Farahi,” said Castiglione in an interview. “Zero, peer-reviewed publications.” After two weeks of silence, he wrote another letter requesting an update. In return, he received a letter from Chair of the Board Ada Morrell stating that the Board has received his letter and it had been referred to the Executive Committee “ for handling.” Then, over winter break, The Wall Street Journal reported on the allegations against Farahi, soon followed by The Star-Ledger.

Photo by: Lee Burrell

President Dawood Farahi.

tion, but when a phone call was made to find out the hierarchy of power, a spokesperson for Secretary Rochelle Hendricks said that “The Trustees of the University are investigating the

“Fliers questioned claims of ‘over 50 technical articles in major publications.’” Several local news outlets, as well as national ones like the Chronicle of Higher Education, have also reported on the Farahi controversy. The decision, under the state college system, rests with Board, with no official oversight existing since the mid 1990s. Last Year Gov. Christie appointed a Secretary of Higher Educa-

allegations, and it would be inappropriate for the Secretary [of Higher Education] to comment at this time.” Still, the president of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten, as well as Castiglione, sent a letter to Gov. Christie asking for a full investigation. The KFT has been distributing

fliers to faculty and students in an effort to bring more awareness to the topic, as the University has not released a statement on the issue. The accusations about academic misconduct span from his time before Kean in the early 1980s to his 2008 resume to the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration. On his 1982 resume and job application to Kean University, Farahi lists an article titled “Patterns of Administrative Efficiency” that was accepted for publication by Administration and Society, and another article named “Budget Control and Fiscal Policy” that was submitted for publication to Administrative Science Quarterly. The KFT has received letters from both publishers which states that neither has received or published any work by President Farahi. In his 1994 and 2008 National Association of Schools of Public Affairs & Administration accreditation resumes, Farahi also said he was Acting Academic Dean at Avila University in Kansas City, MO, but the union says he was not. Farahi, in an interview on Feb. 3, would not talk in detail about the allegations saying only that the inves- continued on page 5

Conference Center to a standingroom-only crowd of students, faculty, staff and alumni. After an initial 40 minute private session, the Board opened the floor to those who wished to address the room. The seven that signed up were each allowed a maximum of three minutes to speak. Dr. James Castiglione, a Physics professor and president of the Kean Federation of Teachers outlined a KFT meeting that was held just hours earlier where the union voted unanimously to call for Farahi’s resignation. He went on to ask the Board to restore academic integrity to the university by removing Farahi from office. Jesus Diaz, a professor of General Studies, spoke on a similar note, saying that “The evidence is out in public. The evidence is undeniable.” He went on to say that in the event of Farahi staying in office, continued on page 13 a degree

KFT asks Farahi to resign over charges By Lee Burrell In a formal motion that passed without objection the Kean Federation of Teachers asked for President Dawood Farahi’s resignation. The KFT met Feb. 9, just hours before an emergency meeting of the Board of Trustees was being held. The status of Farahi’s resume and the formal investigation into the resumes’ legitimacy was the prominent issue of the meeting. KFT President James Castiglione, a physics professor, summarized the recent efforts of the KFT in regards to the current allegations facing President Farahi. The room was filled and the audience was vocal. A member of the audience who said he worked in the admissions office, but did not give his name, said that he’s seen many essays stating how comfortable students are with the president’s leadership and he seemed to doubt the KFT’s accusations. KFT member, Bert Wailoo, a professor, responded that: “Farahi does not have qualifications continued on page 15


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