© 2024 New England Public Media

FCC public inspection files:
WGBYWFCRWNNZWNNUWNNZ-FMWNNI

For assistance accessing our public files, please contact hello@nepm.org or call 413-781-2801.
PBS, NPR and local perspective for western Mass.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Westfield State University Faculty Leaders Want Their President To Step Down

Westfield State University has gone through a fair amount of leadership drama in recent years.

In 2013, the university's president, Evan Dobelle, left amid scandal after being accused of lavish spending on the university’s account.

The next president, Ramon Torrecilha, faced a no-confidence vote last spring after about two years on the job.

Faculty now say they’re waiting for — but skeptical about — an official evaluation of his leadership. 

On a recent fall day, several tours were winding through the Westfield State campus, grounds crew were blowing leaves, and some instructors held classes outside. 

But the peaceful atmosphere belied a tension that has been brewing for a few years.

Psychology professor Claudio Ciano-Boyce, general secretary of the Faculty Union, said many professors were hopeful when Torrecilha arrived in 2016. His personal story as a Brazilian immigrant and first-generation college student was inspiring, and they appreciated his focus on diversity. 

"We thought that that would be wonderful for a lot of students," she said.

But Ciano-Boyce said his management style soon became problematic. She described Torrecilha's administration as disrespectful, non-transparent and unwilling to listen to faculty input.

As an example, she said Torrecilha proposed a reorganization of academic departments and asked faculty to work on it.

"This would impact where people were located, who they were going to be responding to as a dean, how they would interact with each other as a college," Ciano-Boyce said. "And the president basically did not do any of what we asked for."

Torrecilha described his relationship with faculty as "a work in progress."

He said he's been focusing mostly on rebuilding relationships with alumni, the legislature, and the city — and with raising millions of dollars. He also had to contend with a rash of racist messages in the dorms, which sparked campus protests.  

But Torrecilha said he does listen to faculty concerns.

"In every major decision that I've taken, there has been consultation," he said. "Change is difficult. You don't always implement suggestions made by other people."

The main entrance at Westfield State University.
Credit Jill Kaufman / NEPR
/
NEPR
The main entrance at Westfield State University.

Ciano-Boyce said that especially after the Dobelle scandal, the union is frustrated that Torrecilha is not more open about financial decisions. 

"When we've asked questions about finance, we are given a stack of papers and basically asked to figure it out ourselves," she said.

But Torrecilha said his budget process is transparent.

"Keep in mind that we are trying to be affordable and accessible to our students," he said.

Another point of contention is Torrecilha's decision to give bonuses to his senior team at a time when the union was negotiating its last contract and faculty positions went unfilled.

It was those sorts of actions that caused faculty to take a no-confidence vote – with a tally of 211 to 8.

Torrecilha said he took the vote to heart.

"At the same time," he said, "I had to say to myself, OK, listen to what they are saying, but make sure that the institution continues to move forward and focus on students."

Ciano-Boyce said that's not good enough. The unions want Torrecilha fired, but they don’t feel they have support from the board of trustees. 

Board Chair Kevin Queenin declined an interview, but sent a statement saying the board has confidence in Torrecilha's leadership, and that an independent evaluation of the president is underway. 

Several students on campus said they are only vaguely aware of the tension between faculty and administration.

Psychology major Ebony Donawa said some of her teachers did talk about their concerns in class.  

"I didn't really follow it too much," she said. "It's been kind of busy with class and stuff like that."

Union leaders said they’re skeptical the current evaluation is being done fairly or effectively, but they’re waiting for the results before considering future actions. That could include another no-confidence vote.

Of course, such votes are not binding. In 2017, faculty and staff at Springfield Technical Community College voted against their president, John Cook. But he's still there.

Karen Brown is a radio and print journalist who focuses on health care, mental health, children’s issues, and other topics about the human condition. She has been a full-time radio reporter for NEPM since 1998.
Related Content