| Cartwright helped 'bring back the glory' to BGSU |
| Written by Editor, David C. Miller/Sentinel-Tribune | ||
| Wednesday, 22 June 2011 09:48 | ||
From the start, she was visible and accessible on campus and in the community - two leadership trademarks that had been sorely missing in recent BGSU presidents. Cartwright graciously opened the University House to the community, hosting numerous fund-raising events to benefit community organizations. She would quietly show up at many community activities. Her husband, Dr. Phillip Cartwright, also became a familiar sight while playing his banjo at University House and community events, including perform- ing with the community band. Cartwright quickly proved she wasn't afraid to make the tough calls - decisions that had to be made in a budget climate born out of a recession. Pressure to hold tuition and fee increases to the minimum only compounded the budget-cutting dilemma. Her one big disappointment came when the faculty voted in favor of unionizing, but the fate of that vote had been determined long before she ever stepped foot on campus in 2008. Saving the Falcon hockey program was one of her most popular decisions with students as well as alumni. She once faced off with many of the stars of the Falcon hockey glory years who were not happy about the rumored demise of their program. She listened to their concerns, and she challenged them to be part of the fund-raising solution. It was a pivotal meeting in helping her decide to keep the program alive. Later, when the "Bring Back the Glory" fund-raising campaign was just beginning, the university quickly invested in rehabilitating the aging ice arena - one of countless campus buildings that had been suffering from years of neglect before her arrival. As Cartwright leaves the university, many of its buildings are either being repaired or scheduled for repair as part of an impressive new master plan. Within a couple months of when she departs two new residence halls will open, along with the Stroh Center and the Wolfe Center for the Arts. After years of standing stagnant in terms of new construction, the campus has come alive during the most aggressive building campaign in the university's history. And while she might not have initiated either the Stroh or Wolfe facilities, she actively led the campaign to convince students to vote for spending their fees on the Stroh Center, allowing construction to begin. Students eagerly signed up for premium-priced rooms in the yet-to-be-completed residence halls - facilities that finally make BGSU student housing competitive with other universities. Cartwright had the distinction of serving as president during BGSU's centennial celebration last year. Her brief tenure here positioned the university well for the start of its second hundred years. |
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| Last Updated on Wednesday, 22 June 2011 10:01 |
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Comments
She was a terrible president and certainly did not represent the student body OR the faculty. She was just another administrator with more concern for the University as a "business" than a place of education.
She is also on the board of First Energy, lest we not forget. She is complicit in maintaining Davis-Besse which may be the most dangerous threat to this area for generations to come.
This woman is a poor excuse for a leader of any sort.
Another big loss was the whole Stroh Center debacle and failing to inform the students of how they will be responsible to foot 66% of the center's estimated $34 million cost. It was only after a referendum occurred after a great showing of student activism occurred where the administration began their educational campaign --> a reactive measure to the pressures brought upon by students.
Andy, I agree with you. I am an employee at the university and I too only ever seen her twice, and that was at a graduation ceremony.
Other clean energy options also exist, but only nuclear power can create power on such a large scale.
By the way, the union was voted down twice before she came along. I don't think it was the done deal that the writer declares it to have been. Cartwright's administration was cold and uncaring, and the faculty responded to that climate as much as anything else.
Here's hoping that President Mazey won't be such an emormous disappointment.
Transformed the University into a place that few recognize, and not in a good way.
It's long past time for her to leave!
1. The only way that Dr. Cartwright could be called visible on our campus was if you counted the many pictures of her on fliers, pictures, and BGNews pages.
2. The faculty's unionization vote wasn't even remotely decided before Cartwright's move to BGSU. Sure, actions of the Ribeau admin helped build the foundation of faculty discontent, but it was Cartwright's admin that drove faculty to unionize. The institution of the faculty pay and hiring freeze, along with her administration's deaf ear to faculty welfare concerns, forced professors' hands.
3. The Stroh Center vote was completely online & non-transparent. Many thought it rigged.
She brought in a hatchetwoman who cut and eliminated nationally-known and nationally-recognized programs to the point academics are now short shrift to the athletics. Once her job was done, the cutter slunk silently away under cover of the night.
The university is still way too top-heavy with administrations , and why weren't *they* required to lose pay and benefits? Cartwright was overpaid and underworked.
Goodbye to bad rubbish and it will be *years* before the stench of her reign dissipates from campus.
I only want to clarify that the 'hatchetwoman' was hired under Ribeau, and Cartwright saw to it that she was fired. I believe "Ms. Hatchet" was the primary reason that caused faculty to organize for the union vote, though Cartwright's handling of the campaign did them any favors. Their arguments were shallow.
Contrast her three years with with the years Dr. Ribeau served. The day of Dr. Ribeau's inauguration, he turned the entire responsibility of running the campus over to the Provost. He retired from BGSU on that day and remained retired until he left for greener pastures. The financial hole he left found Dr. Caurtwright inheriting a literal mess. Check it out. Thank you David Miller writing in her behalf.
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