These questions were distilled from interviews with students and sent to the administration and Board for answers. Below are their responses. Please note the two statements – the first from the Board and the second from the administration – that follow these questions. 

Q: Students are worried their teachers will be limited as to what they can and cannot teach, say, and advocate for. Can you provide some insight into this concern?

A: This is not true. Tenure and academic freedom continue to be recognized and prioritized as essential. The Faculty Handbook amendments will not affect a faculty member’s academic freedom in the classroom. There are strict limits on when and how the budgetary hardship amendment could be triggered, with detailed protections that prioritize tenured faculty, as they should be, given the important role tenured faculty play in academic excellence and supporting academic freedom in research, teaching, and service.

Q: Students are also worried that their degrees will decrease in value due to these new amendments. How is the education provided by John Carroll and the degrees administered upon graduation going to be affected by these changes?

A: The value of a John Carroll University degree remains strong and will not be altered by the Faculty Handbook amendments. 

Q: Do you have concerns surrounding John Carroll’s U.S. News and World Report rankings? Some believe these rankings will decrease due to these changes in policy. 

A: It’s important to remember that every conversation, decision, and action at John Carroll University starts and ends with one shared goal: prioritizing the wellbeing and success of our students. We will continue to focus on this priority. Our award-winning faculty has always embraced this goal and we expect they will continue to do so as they teach, mentor, and influence students who develop into difference makers.

Q: Is it true that faculty and staff are underpaid compared to comparative universities? Are professors really being paid below the 50th percentile? 

A: The compensation program of the University balances the need for external competitiveness with the University’s financial resources, stewardship, fiscal responsibility and the relative value among similar positions. We strive to position compensation as competitively with the comparable market as possible.

Q: Does the University deem the faculty as “easily replaceable employees,” as Professor Brent Brossman told The Carroll News?

A: Absolutely not. The University recognizes the important role tenured faculty play in academic excellence and supporting academic freedom in research, teaching, and service. The budgetary hardship amendment continues to recognize and prioritize tenure and academic freedom as essential. It is the responsibility of every John Carroll employee to help manage campus-wide spending and help grow enrollment, thus reducing the chance of ever reaching a budgetary hardship condition. With the faculty’s cooperation, we can manage costs without the drastic cuts seen at other universities in Ohio and across the country.

Q: Students fear some or all of their best professors will leave and go to other institutions. What would you like to say to students in regard to this matter?

A: Each year, we see some attrition and turnover amongst our faculty for a variety of reasons. We do not believe the Faculty Handbook amendments should affect the attractiveness of JCU as a place to teach and work, and should enhance this overall. One of the most effective ways to preserve tenure and academic freedom and to continue attracting outstanding faculty is to continuously strengthen the University’s academic offerings and overall student experience. This requires the ability to effectively steward the University’s resources for the long term. These amendments, along with many other activities underway, will help accomplish that objective.

Q: Were the faculty’s alternative Handbook amendment proposals considered or disregarded? 

A: The faculty’s amendments were considered at three meetings of the Board, including February 10, March 1, and March 10. The amendments were fully discussed at the March 1 meeting when the Board adopted the Board-initiated amendments and again when voted on during the March 10 meeting.

Update from the John Carroll University Board of Directors 

The John Carroll University Board considered two faculty proposed amendments to the Faculty Handbook in a meeting on Wednesday, March 10. Following all Handbook processes and protocols, the Board did not adopt the amendments after concluding that the proposals were not in the University’s best interests, failed to streamline processes, and fell short of meeting its long-term financial goals as effectively as the previously adopted Board amendments. The Board had full understanding of the faculty’s counter-proposals when considering and adopting the separate Board-initiated amendments on March 1.

Statement from John Carroll University

“Every conversation, decision and action at John Carroll University starts and ends with one shared goal: prioritizing the wellbeing and success of our students. Our award-winning faculty has always embraced this goal and we expect they will continue to do so as they teach, mentor, and influence students who develop into difference makers. Across the last year, the Board and Administration have taken steps to ensure that our students have an environment where they can learn and thrive for decades to come.

On March 1, the Board took actions that reaffirm the commitment to tenure, reinforce academic freedom, and better position the University for the economic realities facing many private institutions. While three Faculty Handbook Amendments were adopted by the Board, the budgetary hardship amendment has drawn the most attention.

Faculty claim the budgetary hardship amendment eliminates tenure. This is not true. The budgetary hardship amendment continues to recognize and prioritize tenure and academic freedom as essential while also acknowledging current and future economic realities that impact everyone. There are strict limits on when and how the budgetary hardship amendment could be triggered, with detailed protections that prioritize tenured faculty, as they should be, given the important role tenured faculty play in academic excellence and supporting academic freedom in research, teaching, and service.

Every employee of John Carroll University must work together to make prudent use of University resources for the benefit of students. It is everyone’s responsibility to manage campus-wide spending and help grow enrollment, thus reducing the chance of ever reaching a budgetary hardship condition. Faculty and staff must promote the value of a John Carroll University degree in our classrooms, on our campus, and in the community. With the faculty’s cooperation, we can manage costs without the drastic cuts seen at other universities in Ohio and across the country.”