Chancellor Keon and his administrative hanger on, and many professional tenure professors, are consciously planning the end of Purdue Northwest (PNW). The plan is to get rid of NWI students to the point they will not be a factor anymore. It is succeeding beyond their wildest dreams -- especially with the new Chinese virus on the loose.
Remember that before the Chinese virus hit, PNW's enrollment for both campuses was down more, by far more, than the national average. PNW went down about one third or more; the national average was about 2 to 3 percent every year for at most the past five years, that is a total of fifteen or so percent. It is not going down, rather up, for Hispanics and other minorities. Look at the national figures for enrollment and high school graduation rates. You will quickly get to see that all of Keon's people and arguments are a total fraud. (Could be Mitch Daniels, President of Purdue University as a whole, as well.) Remember, in addition, over ten percent of PNW's students are from China and India, i.e. foreign students. They have pushed out NWI students. The plan is to get all of NWI students out of Calumet and North Central.
Over three years ago they had planned to get rid completely of Purdue North Central. But they found out that there were too many people at North Central that could present a problem to the closing of North Central. So what did they do? They, Chancellor Keon etc., shifted all the significant North Central people to Calumet slowly over the past three years. Like Swartz who is academically incompetent by is now Vice Chancellor of the Honors Program. Go figure. A complete know nothing is in charge of the Honors Program at Purdue Calumet. But he is not at North Central anymore. North Central never has contributed anything to Calumet. But supposedly the two were put together. Makes no sense unless you want to get rid of Purdue North Central.
There is not a student in their right mind who chooses PNW as their first school. You may choose it for a number of secondary reasons; but not for academic reasons, with the possible exception of nursing. PNW is planning to close -- when is anyone guess. I suspect it is while this Chancellor is chancellor. Maybe not. But PNW will close soon. DO NOT VOLUNTARILY COME HERE EVER!!! Remember the region has Indiana University Northwest (IUN) which more than fills the bill for you. It is not threatening closure that PNW is. Academically, PNW is generally a used to be academic institution. It is no more. It is totally a fraud. The value that you got from PNW is that you could lie and say that the really was a Purdue, West Lafayette, degree. No more can you lie. You received your so called degree from PNW not Purdue, West Lafayette. It is useless in most areas. Almost all areas. That is why most students in the know, advanced students or foreign students, transfer to West Lafayette on their second or third year.
When PNW closes there will only be IUN and Purdue Calumet. Mitch Daniels has already said, many times, he does not want anything to do with PNW. It will become part of IU. Purdue Global will take over Purdue North Central -- lock, stock, and barrel. There is no question about it. Only a question of time for the administrators to get enough of their money out of PNW. Remember the Chancellor of PNW makes over $450,000 per year. For what? No one knows.
Chancellor Keon and his hand selected team, of know nothings and make a lot of money, type of people, are going to see the end of Purdue Northwest in total. They already know it is true, which is why they are behaving the way they are. What is that behavior? They are all maximizing their pay, their power, their glory, while the school is vanishing as a school, i.e. so called university. How do I know this? The enrollment of both campuses, Calumet and North Central, is less than what it was when I started teaching there. This was after Combs and during Yackel. The real growth came under Combs when all the students came to PNW. That was only, and I mean only, because Combs cared about PNW. Keon and Mitch Daniels never have and never will. As my students have told me over and over again, Keon lives in Chicago and all he cares about is how many women he has had on PNW. That is what they tell me he has bragged about when they ride the train with him from Chicago on most mornings.
He wants its demise. He makes a lot of money for doing nothing and never has done anything for PNW. He names really useless people like Richard Rupp and Jonathan Swartz to "university" positions, when they do not even qualify to clean my academic office. Never mind the deans who are all left wing lunatics. He cannot even keep a Senior Vice Chancellor. None of they can stand any kind of competition. Regrettably, that includes the current chancellor. He is bad all around. I repeat no one has done anything for Purdue Calumet or Purdue North Central.
They have all come up with a "plan" of a two year old to cut the budget to save them money to pay themselves. Also a few people who favor them and support them. That is all. The plan they have is that if they are short so many dollars as a percent they will reduce everyone equally
To: Faculty and Staff
From: Thomas L. Keon
Chancellor
Date: February 25, 2019
RE: PNW Budget Impact for remainder of FY 19
For the second consecutive year, Purdue Northwest began the 2018-19 academic year with improved retention rates and full-time student populations. However, fall 2018 enrollment was 6.1 percent lower than budgeted. Furthermore, enrollment has declined an additional 1.1 percent, compared with the projections on which our general fund budget was based, from fall 2018 to spring 2019.
The general fund budget is projected to fall short $1.4 million over the course of the current fiscal year as a result of the fall enrollment decline. Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration Steve Turner and his staff have been able to find the initial $1.4 million in savings through such measures as pulling back the tuition contingency fund, reducing bank fees, reducing contract service repairs, and reducing property insurance and utility costs.
Budget impact on faculty, staff, and students
Steps are underway to adjust to the additional shortfall of $1 million now impacting the spring semester. Each of the division units are being asked to reduce their recurring costs proportional to their reliance on the general fund. These changes are expected to be implemented in spring semester 2019.
Divisional Unit |
Recurring Funding Base |
Percent of Funding Base |
Revenue Shortfall |
Chancellor |
$3,072,071 |
2.93% |
$29,304 |
Institutional Advancement |
$2,700,828 |
2.58% |
$25,763 |
Enrollment Management and |
$9,991,992 |
9.53% |
$95,313 |
Finance and Administration |
$17,492,104 |
16.69% |
$166,857 |
Information Services |
$8,959,441 |
8.55% |
$85,464 |
Academic Affairs |
$59,838,304 |
57.08% |
$570,797 |
Athletics |
$2,778,179 |
2.65% |
$26,501 |
Total General Fund Base |
$104,832,919 |
100.00% |
$1,000,000 |
The leadership of each division will determine how to best approach these reductions. Measures may include:
In addition, we are seeking approval from the Treasurer of Purdue University to offer a targeted Early Retirement Incentive Program (ERIP) for faculty in some academic units.
Purdue Northwest is taking measures to ensure that we continue to stay fiscally solvent. These steps are evidence of our continued focus to make adjustments that are responsible.
That is not a plan. That is a game you develop while you are drinking.
The big debate, or joke, now on going is about how the Purdue Board of Trustees has finally made its point by Purdue Northwest no longer being allowed to give out Purdue University Diplomas. It was a promise made over the past fifty years to incoming students. But hey the major student/faculty complaint is only that they did not "ask" for student/faculty input when they made their decision. What is so funny is that the students and faculty still think their input matters in any way. As though it will somehow be input into the decision -- for real. I really cannot stop laughing at this belief.
It is not because Purdue is money hungry, although it is, it is because the students' and faculty's views do not matter any more. Chancellor Keon, himself, is the biggest make believe in this area. He was kept on as Chancellor of Northwest because he can speak to students and faculy as though he cares when actually he never has. It was never to make Northwest Great Again. He never ever tried to do that or achieve that goal. Only make money for Hammond's mayor. Chancellor Keon as far as students and faculty are concerned has always been a fraud. Not just to his wives -- although that is a different story.
Remember he was found by a jury of his peers guilty of harassment of an individual on the basis of that person's national origin when he was dean at Southern Illinois University. He does not care in any shape or form except about himself. If you doubt what I say, then look at his hires and what he has not accomplished at Northwest. Keon has only done what Mitch Daniels asks and Hammond's Mayor wants. Since the merger Northwest has lost over 5,000 students. Northwest officially, according to its own news release, has 10,750 students on the two campuses during the fall 2018. Northwest in Hammond, by itself, had that many students in its days before Keon. But he will tell the students and faculty, and anyone else who would listen, that he cares only about the Purdue Northwest students and faculty. He never has and never will.
Rather than blogging about him, let us try blogging about the new none Purdue diploma. What Keon and Purdue West Lafayette is telling Northwest is that you are not as good as we are. It is also telling that to Purdue Fort Wayne. From now on their diplomas will say it is from Purdue Fort Wayne; not Purdue University. It is a fact that finally after all these years they actually get to say. If you are attending a small mirror of the main campus then you are not attending nor are you getting the education deserving of a Purdue University diploma.
That is the most important thing one must understand. They do not think that the education at Purdue Northwest is up to the quality of the one you would get at Purdue University in West Lafayette. In fact you do not. Having been at both, I know that it is not true that PNW is the same as Purdue University West Lafayette. Never has been. Therefore they are finally fixing the misconception. You are just not getting the same education (whatever Keon says this week.)
It does make a difference, i.e. not just the school you go to but the diploma itself. You are not longer graduating from Purdue. You are graduating from the second rate school. As all of the faculty and administrators know. By the way to get students, i.e. numbers, was accomplished by lying to students and telling them it is really the same degree because your diploma will say Purdue University. The joke is on the students and faculty. The administrators got their wish -- early Christmas.
Contrary to the view of the snowflakes and their allies in academia (almost everyone in the professorial and administrative ranks), in point of fact the Indiana Appeals Courts never ever found that anyone at Purdue University and the University itself ever did not do the things that I have accused them all of doing. By all, I mean, the President, the Board of Trustees, Purdue Northwest Chancellor Thomas Keon, and many faculty members. My basic accusation is that they interfered and colluded to undue my G-d given rights in the American Constitution's First Amendment and in the Indiana Constitution's First Article.
The only thing the courts found is that they were not liable for bad and unconstitutional decisions they may have made. In other words, were I had thought and the rest of the American Judiciary thought that they had limited immunity from prosecution what the appeals court ruled is that they all had absolute immunity. Just like judges do. Only in Indiana is this held true for University administrators and all State employees. It even makes them immune from challenges to their decisions that breach the Federal Constitution.
This freedom from responsability of academics has led to their going after those who filed a court document(s) against them. This has been done specifically by Dean Elaine Carey of CHESS (College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences), now college is a above school or organization. There are no students; but it is an impressive title: "I am dean of a college."
No one really believes this. It was all done by people who did not want Purdue's President Mitch Daniels to be shown for what he is. A social values coward in all of his behavior. This was shown way back in the Howard Zinn affair and his attempt to hold the raises of administration down. All failed because he, as always, is a coward when it comes to public criticism. As I have said before, it does not seem he has any backbone for any principles. He is like his mentors George Bush and Luger.
Here is the statement from FIRE, the Foundation of Individual Rights In Education,:
Indiana court invokes absolute immunity in denying professor's Free Speech Claims
I challenge everyone to read this analysis of the decision. This is the organization that the President of Purdue University Mitch Daniels said was the most accurate of in their evaluation and Purdue would follow their lead. As usual he lied. Not only about Purdue University but also his own view of free speech, its chilling, and his support of it. None of it came for no backbone Mitch.
Evil in Indiana higher education begins (but is not limited to) with the President of Purdue University Mitch Daniels (this by the way includes people working under him and the Purdue University Board of Trustees who does his bidding.) The second evil man is PNW (Purdue Northwest) Chancellor Thomas Keon. He is truly evil. There is none like him. The second evil person is College (now there is a joke) of Humanities, Social Science and Education (CHESS) Dean Elaine Carey, and finally the truly evil person, because he carries out what he is told, is former acting Department Head Jonathan Swartz. As a payoff for doing what the administration wants, i.e. Mitch Daniels, Thomas Keon, Elaine Carey, he has been rewarded, do I understand, (G-d knows he has no qualifications), with an assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Mueller. This I believe is completely true since it came after he forced me, in collusion with the Dean, to retire.
The details of why all these people are evil to students and the citizens of Indiana is forthcoming in daily posts to this blog. We will start with Mitch Daniels. In many ways the worst of the lot.
Last year, I wrote a blog piece about a University colleague criticizing that colleague's actions and ideas (here). I am not generally known for subltely; I call it like I see it. This colleague - Professor Yahya Kamalipour - promotes himself in the public domain, speaks and writes prolifically for public consumption. In response to my criticism, Professor Kamalipour, along with Professor Fewer, have decided that my speech is "hate" speech and that I am a "bully". (See here).
That is, in response to my perfectly legal and American use of my freedom of speech, two of my colleagues - Professors Fewer and Kamalipour - have decided to wage an all-out campaign to not just counter my speech with their own speech (perfectly legitimate) - but to try to drive me from my employment, and if that does not work to at least marginalize my involvement on campus, to get students to stop taking my courses, and otherwise make it difficult for me to function in my position. In short, they want me fired for exercising my freedom of speech but have no problem with their exercise of speech. Gee, I'm shocked. But I digress.
My point here is, Kamalipour and Fewer, on numerous occasions have used Purdue's electronic email system, and in particular the "Open Forum" distribution list at Purdue University Calumet, to promote their general dislike and disgust of me. See here and here for but two examples. You will clearly see that both Fewer and Kamalipour link to personal non-University blogs.
Now, I would respond on the "Open Forum" of Purdue - I might even point individuals within my campus community to my personal blog. But, alas, Purdue University has decided that if I tell the campus community about my blog, or practice freedom of speech using the University email system, I am in violation of Purdue's policy. But, Kamalipour and Fewer have no such restrictions. Despite FIRE's letter to PUC detailing to Purdue the serious breech of law that their action represents, Purdue has issued no response to FIRE (despite Purdue's chief legal counsel, Steve Schultz, telling FIRE he would do just that over and over).
Freedom of speech is not just for the speech you or me or anyone else agrees with; it is meant to protect exactly that speech that you, me or anyone else dislikes. Purdue's selective determination of who can use the University email system to promote their speech and personal blogs and who cannot, is illegal and unconstitutional. This, in part, is why I must continue to pursue legal action against Purdue University so that the unconstitutional prohibition that has been placed on me, while my detractors have no such prohibitions against them, is ended.
Professor Yahya Kamalipour is apoplectic. He has been busy, along with Professor Colin Fewer, getting the Faculty Senate at Purdue University Calumet, as well as the Purdue Calumet Student Senate to issue resolutions against me.
Never mind that Kamalipour and Fewer (at separate times) filed unsuccessful official harassment complaints against me, a fellow faculty member, with the University. Never mind that Kamalipour via Fewer tried, illegally, to get the Purdue University Calumet AAUP Chapter to officially censure me. Never mind that Kamalipour and Fewer have both posted numerous times on the University's open forum email system detailing what a shmuck they think I am. They then link to Kamalipour's personal blog that is aimed solely at maligning me. All the while, per Chancellor Thomas Keon, I am not allowed to link to my personal blog or I violate University policy. Never mind that in the latest rounds of University emails sent out by Prof. Colin Fewer, he decided to "cc" my immediate supervisor (my department chair, Prof. Paul McGrath). Never mind all of this. I, of course, am the one "bullying" them.
So, just for fun, let's look at a couple of things -- just a couple -- that Kamalipour says about me in his blog. Kamalipour claims that I and my "mysterious network and silent supporters have been successful in suffocating the campus climite (sic), intimidating faculty and students, poisoning relationships, and trampling on Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom" (https://yrkamal.wordpress.com/). Mind you, there is absolutely no evidence for any of this; quite the contrary, Kamalipour and Fewer (and the student senate) can say, and have said, whatever they want about me. No one is "suffocating" them from doing so.
Kamalipour claims that I create a "hostile work environment" (https://yrkamal.wordpress.com/fact-fiction/). Again, factually not true, there is no evidence for this, but hey never mind. Kamalipour apparently believes that if he says I create a hostile work environment, then it must be true.
Kamalipour claims: "Apparently, you (speaking of me) are the one who is being supported by a mysterious network; hence can afford to retain a legal firm and continue to file lawsuits against the University and your colleagues" (https://yrkamal.wordpress.com/fact-fiction/). Thus, my use of the judicial system to pursue my legal claims against Purdue and some of its faculty members (including Fewer) is only possible because there is some "mysterious" network that supports me.
And, Kamalipour also presents that: "(b)ased on my findings, chances are good that Eisenstein is paying a company to keep the link to his original (June 2013) hate speech, and later postings–including the ones replicated by his friends–on the top of the first page of Google search, under my name!" (https://yrkamal.wordpress.com/google-danger-2/). Again, not true; in fact, spectacularly not true.
These last two examples smacks of that age old Antisemitism where, you know, Jews have control over everything, the banks, the money, the media, and now the internet. How else would I be able to avail myself of legal recourse or manipulate Google? Am I the only one who has heard of "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" (currently a best-seller in Muslim countries)? But, hey, never mind ...... anti-Semitism, "just talk to the hand", minor issue. (NOTE: I am still waiting for Prof. Fewer to publicly denounce the Antisemitism represented by Mr. Mark Bruzonsky - someone brought in and supported by Prof. Kamalipour. Funny, no lengthy diatribes about tolerance and civility circulated on the University email system about that topic.)
Basically, Kamalipour and Fewer do not like me. They do not like, they certainly do not agree with, my views on politics and religion. They do not like what I say. They, however, feel morally justified in saying whatever they want about me. Thus, being "responsible" is reduced to saying and believing what Kamalipour and Fewer happen to agree with; that is a pretty low standard for freedom of speech, expression, association, and academic freedom.
Can you say ........ pot calling the kettle black?
This is the act of bullying by the leftist faculty and students at Rutgers: http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/377165/exclusive-rice-withdraws-rutgers-commencement-nro-staff
I am in good company when I am bullyied by Purdue's faculty and its faculty senate.
In this blog, I have posted public criticism of a public scholar, Dr. Kamalipour. This is well known, at least within the Purdue University Calumet community. Of course, anything I say or do is immediately attacked by other members of the University community. Thus, did the University community swing into action to protect the emminent scholar, Dr. Kamalipour.
Fast forward: The Faculty Senate at PUC passed a resolution supporting Dr. Kamalipour by a vote of 21 for, 7 against, and 2 abstained. Here is the resolution; SD-14-02-Resolution-in-Support-of-Yahya-Kamalipour. (The vote at the bottom of this resolution is the committee vote; the full Senate vote occurred the following month.) First, it is not any surprise to me that this resolution passed. Second, it should be realized that 30% of the faculty representatives did not support it -- for various reasons.
The resolution stated that there was a personal attack against Dr. Kamalipour by a fellow faculty member. Although that person was not identified -- it was me according to what members of the Senate said and what Dr. Kamalipour said. It specifically said that Dr. Kamalipour was "subject to personal attacks in the form of public comments." The comments were public; but, in what way were they personal, or are any critiques a personal attack? It then states that "(t)he attack is baseless and may damage the reputation of Professor Kamalipour." There is no evidence that either case is accurate. The critique is not baseless and the "may" cannot be discussed. What "may" not happen?
Finally, the resolution states: "Professor Kamalipour is an eminent scholar and educator of impeccable international reputation, and an esteemed colleague and member of the Purdue Calumet community." If one wants to view him as an "eminent scholar" so be it. That issue was never raised. Now, that he has an "impeccable international reputation" is open for question and criticism and is NOT a personal attack in any way, except as interpreted by Prof. Kamalipour. To him, maybe any criticism is personal.
What is really amazing is that Dr. Kamalipour apparently believes that his work is somehow beyond criticism. I have criticized him one time. He is a public figure, has multiple web sites, multiple blogs, and comments regularly in various public venues -- all by his own identification. My one criticism resulted in an attempt by him to silence me by filing a formal complaint with the University. When the university would not proceed; he went on a public attack of me personally -- all of his attacks against me are personal. I have not attacked him personally only what he publicly presents as policy. He has now proceeded to move to try to characterize me as a "bully." Apparently, it is not bullying to file work-related complaints against me, to ask your fellow colleagues to try to censure me in other work related venues (Dr. Colin Fewer tried to get the AAUP to censure me on behalf of Dr. Kamalipour), to post multiple emails about me on the University email system and now to create an entire website dedicated solely to me sending the link to that website out to the entire University community. In contrast Chancellor Keon has prohibited me from linking to my personal blog, FIRE to PUC re Eisenstein email blog link.
The imbalance between Dr. Kamalipour and myself is significant. He is in Wikapedia; I am not. He was a Department Head for many years; I have not been. He is a full professor; I am an Associate Professor. He writes on public policy consistently; I have criticized his "international" actions once. He is a leftist with full support of the like thinking faculty; I am a conservative with limited if any support in the faculty. And yet, I am the one who causes Prof. Kamalipour to go all out to try and shut me up by misapplying the First Amendment -- freedom of speech and academic freedom.
This is not bullying, this is not an attack, this is public discourse. The marketplace of ideas is not solely for Dr. Kamalipour to promote his love of humanity. It is also available for me and others to question and critique the views and statements put into the public domain by Dr. Kamalipour and anyone else who deigns to enter public discourse.
And, really, how can I possibly damage anyone's reputation? My University colleagues work overtime to try to paint me as a "disgrace". I cannot be both a "disgrace" and also so "esteemed" as to impact a fellow professors reputation. My detractors cannot have it both ways.
"Where is this man from – an ‘eisenstein’ cant(sic) be an American by birth, must be an imported one – polluting the nation"
This is a comment in support of Dr. Kamalipour explaining how to understand me and any Jew named Eisenstein. Regrettably, I was not aware, until Dr. Kamalipour's friend's clarification, that me and my ilk are "polluting the nation."
comment (4th one) made by
Buroshiva Dasgupta (supporter of Dr. Kamalipour)
Professor/Director NSHM Institute of Media & Design