Greetings Montgomery College Faculty,
The purpose of this email is to update you on key personnel changes within the college and to welcome Dr. Sanjay Rai in his new role as Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs.
As most of you know by now, Dr. Donald Pearl, the Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and leader of the academic reorganization, has resigned from his position to pursue other opportunities closer to his family. This extremely sudden departure certainly calls into question the validity of the product of the academic reorganization (something we have questioned throughout the process) and the tentative outcomes of the working subgroups. Nonetheless, the senior administration has made clear that the reorganization will proceed as planned.
On a positive note, we can find comfort in our newly appointed Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs: Dr. Sanjay Rai. In his roles as a Rockville dean and the Vice President Provost of Germantown, Dr. Rai has proven that he has a strong commitment to students, to academics, and to the success and development of Montgomery College all while maintaining a great respect for the faculty. Dr. Rai has served on the negotiating team for management and appears to understand the role of the AAUP-MC Chapter as being a body that represents faculty beyond just contractual issues.
As we have relayed in past AAUP update emails, the college has not included AAUP on many of the important decisions surrounding the academic reorganization. However, we believe that if the administrative chair transition is going to be a successful one, the AAUP and the college must work together. Thus, we are pleased to report that on his second day as interim vice president, Dr. Rai has already made contact with the AAUP executive committee to begin scheduling meetings that will start this week. We are hopeful that the coming months will prove an opportunity to establish a mutually respectful relationship between AAUP and the Administration.
On behalf of the AAUP Executive Committee,
Dan
Dan Wilson, Associate Professor
President – AAUP
Chair – Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice
Suite 224 (Room 234) Humanities Building
Montgomery College – Rockville, MD
240-567-7486 (Office)
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