Wilberforce Faculty Needs to Be Heard

Of the two historically black universities near Dayton, Central State University has been most often in the news. It has gone through major and painful changes, and has done so publicly, because it is a public institution. How much money it has depends a lot upon politicians.

By contrast, most people might see the school across the road — Wilberforce University — as an oasis of calm and stability.

In truth, though, modern times are tough for Wilberforce, as for most historically black colleges. Schools that were founded when black students couldn’t get into mainstream universities have had to confront a revolution in mission.

A few years ago, Wilberforce was in deep financial trouble. Then a new president was brought in. Floyd Flake was a former congressman who was also pastor of the largest African Methodist Episcopal church, Wilberforce’s denomination. He was a high-powered figure in New York City, and a Wilberforce grad.

His supporters said he could help with the college’s financial problems, given his prominence and connections. It was understood that he would be a part-time president, that he would continue to live and also work in New York.

Not many complaints were heard then about his part-time status. If he could save the school, who cared?

Now he is, in fact, widely credited with pulling the school out of that emergency. He did that by instituting better financial controls and by making cuts. An accrediting committee was impressed with the path he put the school on.

He does, however, have critics. The faculty association has voted no confidence in him and, more important, lodged specific complaints.

One is that President Flake has saved money largely by reducing the full-time teaching staff (mainly through attrition), while adding part-time teachers. Full-time staff positions are down from about 45 to about 30 since 2004, the faculty association says.

This is a trend at other colleges, too. Still, the Wilberforce faculty makes the good point that one of the great advantages of going to a small school is supposed to be the individual attention students get. The faculty association says adjunct professors aren’t around to offer that.

Another hot issue is enrollment. The faculty complains that the number of traditional, full-time students dropped for three consecutive years under President Flake. He counters that enrollment was inflated when he arrived by the presence of students who shouldn’t have been admitted. He also says that enrollment is a top priority and that, for the current school year, enrollment is up by 42 percent over last year. He insists that the quality of students is high, resulting from a 48 percent increase in applications. He says rejections of students more than doubled. At least some faculty members claim not to see a change in the quality of students. The faculty association also says it doesn’t believe the university’s revenues have increased significantly, despite President Flake’s claims to have had major success in getting federal money. And they point out that there was an operating deficit in fiscal year 2006.

Complaints or no complaints, the Flake era appears to be coming to a natural end. He says he always saw the presidency as a short- term appointment, as an effort to get the university on sound footing, then move on. He says, however, that a top goal has been getting the university’s endowment up to $30 million, and it isn’t there yet.

Whatever the merits of hiring President Flake were at the time, Wilberforce ultimately needs a fulltime president. His status rubs a lot of people the wrong way, especially given that he’s lately been paid a couple hundred thousand dollars a year, if one counts his housing allowance. His absence from campus becomes a divisive issue almost no matter what else happens. It feeds into every other controversy.

Wilberforce is the oldest private black university in the country, predating the Civil War. It is an asset to this community and to the nation as, among other things, a repository of history that must not be forgotten.

Sometimes the inner workings of private schools that face major challenges are too secret until it’s too late. Antioch University’s experience is testimony to that.

The faculty association is providing an independent source of information. That information is as much open to challenge as what the administration says. Trustees have to pay attention to the give- and-take, as should students, parents, benefactors, neighbors and all who wish Wilberforce well.

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