Saturday 30 July 2011

HCT in RAK - part two

I am so glad I left RAK in the year 1 BC (Before Claw). The more I hear, the more I shudder in my retirement slippers. Thanks to my many dear friends for their anguished updates of two RAK colleges: once beautiful, now on the brink of a mismanagement catastrophe.... waiting to be pushed over the edge by an elderly American Mussolini with memory loss, and his acolyte Associate Director, a former student in the college (of whom more anon if I can get a full factual bio from my oldest informants).

Last month HCT told ALL (including Ras Al Khaimah) faculty and support staff who were leaving that they had to leave early, and would lose several months of severance pay. Whether teacher or support, they turned up on a certain Tuesday and were told it was their last day of work. Even worse, in some cases staff were phoned late at night by a student who was sorry to learn it was their last day of work, even before the teacher had heard it!. There was no written communication. It was all botched word of mouth, hearsay, rumor: very HCT.

HO! HO! DOWNWARD STEP A. When HCT was a professional institution with ethics and credibility and a mission to recruit and retain quality staff, it would pay to the end of the contract. DOWNWARD STEP B. Then, when it became mismanaged and disreputable, it paid to the end of the last teaching day -- to hell with the details of the contract. DOWNWARD STEP C. Now it's recalculating the last working day in its own mercenary interest.

HCT in RAK apparently then realized it was in deep wobbly brown stuff as it slowly dawned upon the management that many teachers would leave without finishing their marking of exams projects or portfolios and their input of grades. The college went into panic mode. Therefore, teachers were re-invited, or commanded to extend their service to HCT rather than take the extra leave days they had rightfully accrued with immediate effect!

In the RAK Men's College, a splendid support person responsible for maintenance, room setup for exams, clean bathrooms etc was arrogantly informed he'd be gone by the end of the afternoon. He then, meekly and with his limited salary, went out and bought a revised travel ticket bearing the extra cost at his own expense. Then he was told he could stay on until Sunday because no transition had been planned. He could stay on at HCT's convenience, but would still be obligated to leave early in order to save HCT RAK some dirhams it would be proud to report to its Abu Dhabi masters.

A wonderful lady was told she also needed extra time to hand over to her successor. A third services person who had served students in the library for a decade and a half had to wait until beyond her going-home time to learn if it were to be her last day or not as her elusive supervisor (the Notorious and elusive Associate ex-student now-Director) dodged her. A short reprieve was granted to all but the library person.

However, I was shocked to be told that support staff were not granted the reprieve accorded to Faculty. Professional educators would hope that HCT might act, at least publicly, according to universal principles of human rights, rather than petty fiscal savings that violate human rights. HCT would retain Faculty while dumping long serving services people.

Faculty, by pleading work responsibilities and the threat of litigation and internet-based adverse publicity, were granted their extension to 16th June. Support service staff, on the contrary, seen as helpless people, were granted the absolute minimalist extension for purely practical reasons so that there could be a smooth transition to their successors.

ONE SUCCESSOR IS THE BROTHER IN LAW OF THE ASSOCIATE DRECTOR. They were cut for budgetary reasons. The chosen one, the brother in law, was newly hired to take over. NEPOTISM? WASTA? Go tell the accreditation board.

The point of this awful exercise in bad human resources management was that management and brown-nosing people could then report back to Abu Dhabi on how much money they had saved HCT. They would not report on how much good will and corporate reputation they had lost. They would omit that. Focus on the figures, not on the vision. Do not mention the alienation of employees from the organization. No, keep the lid on that one.

When did HCT become so shabby? When did it become a mean-minded dispiriting place to work, and not a place of vision? When did it begin to take pride in screwing, without a kiss, its loyal faculty and support staff and stop rewarding excellence? When did it compromise its vision of excellence and settle not only for second best but second last?

SHAME on you all: Provosts (what a redundancy), vice chancellors, SCINTILLating brown nosers, Rudey people in petty positions of power, silent people afraid to speak out. The arrogant minority (those with no meaningful contact with faculty, students and support staff) go to these secretive macho management meetings dreaming up these grand schemes to save dirhams and cheat the long serving loyal majority.

As a result, the loss to HCT's reputation as a place to learn, educate, work and serve is beyond all our calculations, and certainly theirs. It was good when I worked there. When did HCT start to go wrong? Was there a single defining moment?

As a policy-maker now in my post HCT life, I urge you teachers who remain at HCT to take a bold step now: make a list of all those institutions and organizations with whom HCT has signed MOUs, and established partnerships, and inform them of the Faculty and support staff view. You also need to inform all those accrediting universities and colleges and bodies of the hideous truth. Speak as faculty, presenting facts. You need to speak as a unified voice, not individuals with grievances. That should be easy, given the majority view of management, and the factual and documented evidence.

IT’S YOUR COLLEGE, SO MAKE YOUR FEELINGS AND OPINIONS KNOWN!

Thursday 7 July 2011

HCT in Ras al Khaimah (part one)

This is to wish good luck to Dr Robert Moulton (also known as Dr Bob Moulton) in Ras Al Khaimah Higher Colleges of Technology on the second anniversary of his securing his prestigious appointment of not just one but two colleges (sometimes jokingly referred to as universities).

The link below is to a discussion of Dr Robert Moulton's characteristics as a leader, as those who worked with him in New Mexico State University fondly recall his greatest achievements and share their heartbreak over his departure. The piece below speaks for itself. Nothing has changed since he came to RAK.

Here´s hoping that HCT do some basic internet checks before hiring the next generation of directors and provosts. After all, there is so much good stuff out there about the present incumbents!

http://www.topix.net/forum/world/TQ4TEDU13DCN75U32#comments

For those of you with too little time on your hands, here is a brief selection of some of the choice comments contained in the link...

Bob Moulton, who served as interim provost under outgoing Interim President Waded Cruzado, is leaving New Mexico State University, the school announced Tuesday.

No loss. Moulton was all about Moulton. VP Howard's crack university communication sent out a press release today saying Moulton was off to oversee a university in the mideast. Five minutes later, after an angry Moulton read it, Howard's comm department sent out another email explaining CORRECTION Moulton would be overseeing TWO universities in the mideast. So there!

Moulton is a poor excuse for an educator and the College of Education is much better.

The students he allegedly helped should consider themselves fortunate because he wronged so many with his inept policies. He looked down on faculty and staff and did not respect the tenets of a sound academic institution - it is about creating a learning environment and it is not about turf wars and bureaucratic "charges" that Bob was so fond of espousing. Someone earlier wrote good riddance - that was speaking the truth.

Dr. Moulton hasn't been allowed to think for himself in some time thanks to Cruzado and the rest of the so-called admins. Recently he promoted and gave tenure to a less than deserving faculty member. This faculty has received repeatedly bad evaluations from students, an extremely poor research record and is prone to bursts or anger and physical threats. Yet, since said faculty kissed the right admin. asses, they slipped his less than adequate package into the "Bob sign these papers. No. Don't read them, just sign," pile.

Good luck in the UAE!