Current issues @SHU
Shared Governance
Right now, at Seton Hall, most decisions are made by just a few people.
The University is increasingly run like a business and often without regard to our Catholic mission to educate the whole person and value each community member. Faculty Senate and College motions are routinely ignored by upper administrators. This way of operating has become typical, as the APSA process and reorganization process have demonstrated. We believe in a shared governance system that gives faculty meaningful decision-making power.
Compensation
According to most recent IRS filings, President Nyre made over $900,000 in total compensation and lives in a $2.9 million mansion, bought with a loan from Seton Hall. The basketball coach made over $2 million. Meanwhile, contract faculty received 1-year (instead of 3-year) contracts in fall 2020 and did not learn if they still had a job until mid-June. The University has raised our parking fees by $10/year and the health insurance by 8%. Faculty are paid, on average, 87% of “peer” institutions. Many faculty make closer to 81%, while living in one of the most expensive regions in the country. As tenured faculty retire, they are replaced with adjuncts and term hires with heavy teaching loads, low pay, and no job security. According to a 2019 FacultySenate survey, upper administrators at Seton Hall are paid 121% of peer institutions.
Health and Safety
As we navigate teaching during a pandemic, faculty should be central to the planning. The decision to reopen in 2020 was made by a secretive committee whose members signed Non-Disclosure Agreements. President Nyre testified before the NJ State Senate in favor of liability waivers for universities and faculty had no choice about whether to teach hybrid classes. Questions about mask-wearing, distancing, and how to achieve accountability in vaccination requirements should also include broad faculty input.