Diné College answers allegations, defends VPs

Posted by Cindy Yurth | Jun 11, 2015 | News |

TSAILE, Ariz.

In an unsigned written statement given to the Navajo Times by two Diné College administrators during a meeting Monday, the college admits to allegations by faculty members unhappy with college president Maggie George’s administration, but says there are good reasons for George’s actions and they have ultimately been beneficial to the college.

While the college released two prior statements when asked to respond to a petition signed by 38 faculty and staff calling for George to be disciplined, and later accusations by the petition circulators, the statements had nothing to do with the allegations and merely touted the college’s accomplishments under George.

Vice President for Institutional Advancement Cameron Daines said the most recent statement was a collaboration of the college’s top administrators.

Regarding the fact that three of the four acting vice presidents don’t have advanced degrees, as their original job descriptions required, the statement says the college “— as standard practice in higher education — exercised its management rights to modify job descriptions to recruit capable and competent employees which made a good or best ‘match’ with the institution.”

The statement cites Section 200-01 of the Personnel, Policies and Procedures Manual as evidence that the administration is allowed to modify job descriptions in order to hire the best person for the job, but the section cited does not directly address the matter. The closest it comes is to say that the board of regents — not the president — may “take whatever actions may be necessary to carry out the functions, mission, and philosophy of the College; and maintain uninterrupted services to its students, staff, faculty in the day-to-day operations.”

“The VPs hired by the college have proven track records in a wide range of disciplines and have used their expertise to successfully improve the college over the last four years,” the statement reads.
Daines and interim Vice President for Student Success Abraham Bitok — two of the three acting vice presidents who don’t hold advanced degrees — also stressed that recruiting and retaining credentialed people at the isolated campus is a constant struggle.

This does not seem to be a problem at Navajo Technical University in almost equally isolated Crownpoint, N.M., where the provost and two of the three deans (NTU does not have vice presidents) hold doctorate degrees, two of them in education.