Whispers In The King's Ear
A friend asked me yesterday "why do conservative Catholics beat each other up so much?". Good question. One reason that I have observed is their parochialism, in the generic sense, that is. They recognize only the validity of their familiar, local form of belief, worship, and spirituality. They need to keep in mind that the Church has a legitimate diversity, as illustrated by the lives of the saints themselves. Fr. Fessio may be one of those saints, for all we know. Monaghan or Healy another.
Is Hudson suggesting that belief-based parochialism on the part of the aforementioned saints in potentia is the basis for Fessio's firing? This seems unlikely given the co-existence of both 'traditional' and more 'charismatic' conservative elements on the Michigan Ave Maria campuses (AMSL, AMC, and St. Mary's). One should also consider the opportunism of these administrators, including the chance to "use" each other to enhance their own personal and collective influence over orthodoxy's rule-or-ruin. Finally, this observer finds no evidence in any available Ave Maria documents to corroborate belief-based tension on any scale, much less that of a magnitude to trigger implosion.
To understand the parochialism that does appear to be at work, one must go beyond spiritual narrowness and consider managerial and cultural narrowness. Unfettered access to extreme wealth creates a dulling insulation that constricts the ability to recognize other valid assessments of situations. When reading Nick Healy's explanations to Tom Monaghan on the basis for strife at Ave Maria, this becomes apparent. Healy's speculative focus on "what is motivating" critics belies his own parochialism - and it is anything but saintly. There may be no better example of this than Healy's analysis of "Thoughts on AMC", a document by former AMC faculty member Janet Smith.
Professor Janet E. Smith is one of the most popular and prolific writers and speakers within America's orthodox Catholic community. In May 2003, she wrote "Thoughts on AMC" (PDF) - a reaffirmation of Tom Monaghan's original vision for a Catholic university, and an analysis of existing problems and solutions to attaining that vision.
After reading the full-text of Smith's "Thoughts" and Nick Healy's "A Reponse to Thoughts on AMC" (sent to Tom Monaghan, May 6, 2003), it is difficult to believe that Healy read the same document.
Block quote = excerpt from Healy
Since much of the above memo is criticism aimed at me I thought I should respond.You might wonder what is motivating Janet. My conviction is that Janet has become personal friends with some of the original AMC faculty, and is both reflecting their distress and, by her volunteering to be their somewhat public champion, is encouraging them (perhaps inadvertently) to hang on to their disappointments.
That was Healy's opening remark. First, there is no evidence to suggest that Smith was "volunteering" to be a group spokesperson. Further, Smith's "Thoughts" is hardly "aimed at" Healy or anyone else. Smith does state "Indeed the failure of AMU Florida to attract a high profile academic as a president not just to shape the college in its early years but to lead the University has been noticed by the academic community." This conclusion, however, is factually based, consistent with the reports submitted by hired educational consultant Dr. James Burtchaell (2000) and by AMC Board member Ralph Martin (2003) [1] - "We recommend that we immediately launch a search for a President or Provost of AMU who has significant academic leadership experience." With Father Fessio out as Provost, AMU is now lead by a lawyer-President without academic credentials (Healy) and a Chancellor with a high school diploma (Monaghan).
Healy's lack of academic experience appears to be a sensitive spot for him. In 2003-2004, Andrew Mesaros, a former AMC professor, engaged in a series of exchanges with Healy and then-Provost Fessio in New Oxford Review. Unprovoked by any mention of the President's credentials, Healy lashed out: "What plainly galls Messaros is that non-academics are in charge of academic institutions. The myth that only professors are qualified to head up colleges or universities dies hard. The reality of universities today is such that their academic dimension, while central to their identity and mission, is only one of an array of responsibilities that fall to the administrators. Hence it may be that entrepreneurial skills and administrative experience are more essential in a university’s leadership than formal academic training."
According to the testimony of the former top financial officer of AMU, Healy's sensitivity to being a lawyer may have deprived the Board from full access to a consultant's report: "The [Burchaell] report was very blunt and very direct regarding the improper influence that the Foundation had on the governance of the College. It was also very blunt in suggesting that Nick Healy was good as an interim choice, but we needed to get a seasoned academic to replace him and that Nick Healy was also treating, because he was a lawyer by training, was treating Tom Monaghan as his client and was basically working at his beck and call… The report was very blunt as it was my understanding that Nick Healy decided never to deliver this report to the Foundation because he thought it was too blunt and inflammatory, so we never – he buried it, to my understanding. We never heard anything more about it, but that was verbal, so I don’t know what he actually did."
On this topic of Healy's background, Healy said of Smith's "Thoughts":
There is a certain naivete in the idea that the reported problem of AMC Michigan could be "briskly eliminated" by the hiring of a first rate "academic president" for AMU. Given the scope of what the authors of "Thoughts" believe are systematic problems... it is hard to see how a change in one office could solve the problems. Indeed, what is clearly implied (though carefully not said directly) is that it is your [Monaghan's] leadership that is flawed. In part the difficulty is the unusual integration of a business model of governance with an academic mode. Many academics simply cannot abide that, and chafe at the leadership exercised by you.
Sowing the seeds of discord with the boss by putting words into Smith's mouth? In fact, Smith praises Monaghan multiple times in "Thoughts". Notice too that Healy now refers to "the authors" (plural), reinforcing the unfounded idea that Smith is not the sole author. He also attempts to have Monaghan outright dismiss Smith's analysis:
Neither Janet nor her faculty friends have any experience in the administration of enterprises, academic or otherwise. It is rather presumptuous to be proposing solutions...
So, only administrators can engage in "proposing solutions"? Healy goes even further in attempting to discredit the faculty by undermining, of all things, the dedication and sacrifices of employees:
A second underlying issue concerns the many references in the memo to "great sacrifices" made by faculty and staff "to help Tom Monaghan achieve his vision," which sacrifices implicitly have gone unrecognized. With all respect, the faculty and staff are well paid, some very well paid. I am not aware of a single one that took a pay cut to move to Ave Maria. I can think of several who would be lucky to find a position elsewhere. .. I do not think that there was anything special or unique about the sacrifices required to move to Ypsilanti.
Salaries are not gifts; they are earned. It is a violation of human dignity to believe that giving Ave Maria employees their earned salary absolves an Ave administrator - a steward - from recognizing the deep sacrifices of time, energy, career, earning potential, and family-life that have been poured-out as an offering by Ave Maria's founding faculty. But, are these employees even "well paid"? In March 2006, AMU Florida advertised for a senior level faculty position (Associate Professor) with a PhD in Biochemistry for a salary of $37,000 / year. How much house can a single-earner Catholic-sized family get in Ave Maria Town on $37,000? With regard to sacrifice, Andrew Mesaros wrote:
"My wife teared up when I told her, only days after unpacking our moving van to start work in Michigan, that I was asked rather unapologetically by AMC's administration to leave for Florida within the year. Just eight weeks earlier, before signing my contract, I was told repeatedly by the administration and my department chairman that I'd be in Michigan for three years - "on the last train to Naples, Flordia."
"Susan and I had already given up so much in a short time to get to AMC Michigan. I abandoned my grant-writing and publication progress in a tenure-stream faculty position at a large medical school, leaving a group of colleagues whom I treasured, and an $80,000 research laboratory under my direction. I accepted a $16,000 pay cut along with a large reduction in benefits. We sold our house and four beautiful acres, had our first child, bought and repaired a small house before the move, moved to another state, all in the seven weeks between when my AMC contract was offered and our moving date. During that time, our son had a string of health problems and I had emergency abdominal surgery."
Healy may not be incorrect in saying "I can think of several who would be lucky to find a position elsewhere". Maybe he is thinking of the professor who teaches anatomy and physiology on his Florida campus. She was released by neighboring Edison College for not having "enough appropriate credit hours of instruction in the courses" being taught (Naples News, Oct. 2005, full text). This professor teaches at AMU the same areas taught at Edison, which raises the question of whether AMU's Chaplain Fr. Robert Garrity is correct in saying "Ave Maria Univeristy is not an ordinary university. We have lofty goals and high standards" (Naples News, March 2007). The motivation behind Edison College's decision was to come into compliance with SACS accreditation standards that mandate professors have at least "18 graduate semester hours in their teaching" area. AMU had one SACS application returned, and currently has no application in.
Healy also appears to shrug-off the origin of complaints from students:
But if morale is impaired, I suggest it is precisely because of the chronic complaints and the exaggerated criticism that Janet and a few dissatisfied faculty continue to make.
In The Two Towers, Eomer returns from the battlefield to tell King Theoden that his son was mortally wounded by Orcs who are freely roaming the kingdom and "killing at will". Eomer implores the King to defend the country. In response, the King's adviser, Grima Wormtongue, says "Why do you lay these troubles on an already troubled mind? Can you not see? Your uncle [the King] is wearied by your malcontent, your war-mongering." How much easier it is to stand before the king and label the messenger of difficult news a rebellious malcontent.