By a vote of 14-3, the faculty senate at Mississippi Valley State University approved a vote of “no confidence” in the university’s president, Donna H. Oliver. The list of grievances cited by the faculty were:
1. Declining enrollments.
2. The faculty has not had a pay raise in five years.
3. There has been a lack of serious effort to raise outside funds.
4. Poor treatment of faculty members.
5. The university is not moving in a positive direction.
Dr. Oliver has been president of Mississippi Valley State University since January 2009. Previously, she was provost and vice president for academic affairs at Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Florida. From 1998 to 2007, she was vice president for academic affairs at Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Dr. Oliver is a graduate of Elon University. She holds a master’s degree from North Carolina A&T State University and a second master’s degree and a doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Such vague reasons given for negatively publicizing her in this manner. No word as to whether her hands have been tied by the old regime. Those of us in higher education are quite aware that one may be president, but the power can be extremely limited, by union employees who are like fixtures of furniture and unaccepting of change.