At last year’s State of the College Address to faculty and staff in March, President Warrick L. Carter boldly admitted that perhaps the college was “asleep at the switch” in regards to retention and enrollment. As this academic year’s anemic figures come out, the significant enrollment slump is yet more proof of how much damage being “asleep at the switch” has done.The college’s enrollment numbers have been de...

Columbia’s part-time faculty union, P-Fac, is threatening to file an unfair labor practices complaint with the National Labor Relations Board on grounds that the college has refused to provide bargaining dates to resume negotiations for a labor contract with the administration.The administration offered an extended contract proposal Dec. 19, 2011. P-Fac has not formally responded to the proposal but has been highly critical of ...

Mark Kelly, vice president of Student Affairs, is everywhere. If you’ve ever been to a Columbia event, you’ve more than likely seen him talking to students and patrons. Yes, it is part of his job description. But except for the occasional Town Hall meetings at the Conaway Center, 1104 S. Wabash Ave., other administrators have little face-to-face contact with students. During the ongoing prioritization process, these admi...

Columbia’s part-time faculty union, P-Fac, and representatives of the administration have been negotiating a new contract since March 2010 and are streamlining their teams so that only two members are representing each side to simplify the decision-making process.“Progress is being made in the negotiations,” said Louise Love, interim provost and vice president of academic affairs, who became part of the college’s large...