The Voice is joining the chorus of cries calling for Commonwealth University President Dr. Bashar Hanna to step down. Over the past year, The Voice has documented what can best be described as the crumbling what was once three universities. The chief executive, paid $439,630 to oversee the merger, has promised much, but failed to deliver. Instead of being able to write stories about the progress that has been made and the positive outlook people have on the state of the university, The Voice has covered countless stories of the exact opposite; decline in student and faculty morale post-integration, a distinct disconnect between campuses and the administrators who are supposed to so valiantly lead them, a staggering deficit that lacked transparency and finally the reveal of the $4M wrongful termination verdict where Hanna was one of four defendants. This verdict brought with it a harsh reminder of the dark past of Bloomsburg University. A past directly linked with Hanna himself where the current CU president was accused of sexual harassment. While an investigation cleared him of harassment, the memory of those allegations lingers. A dark stain on the Bloomsburg name, painted on by the very leader we are supposed to trust. In conversations with faculty across the three campuses, The Voice has found a common theme among those willing to speak- a lack of trust in Hanna.
Hanna has failed to connect Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield beyond sharing a name no one wanted and some new signage across campuses. CU cannot thrive on a fractured foundation. That’s exactly what we are- three schools trying to make impossible conditions work while competing to hold onto the memory of our individual identities. CU needs a leader who can fairly relate to all campuses, and not leave two left out because of his former position as president of BU. We need a fresh perspective. We need new solutions, not just bandages plastered on longtime, festering wounds. We need a leader who can unite three campuses, three brands and three identities into an institution that students are proud to call their alma mater. Hanna has had three years to make progress on this. We understand that a successful merger doesn’t happen overnight or even within the first few years. Unfortunately, the past few semesters has lead many to believe we are moving in the wrong direction. Instead, we are divided, confused and conflicted. Not promising forms of measurement. That’s why The Voice is joining with our faculty, staff, union and students in calling for a new change in leadership.
As a newsroom, we write this with heavy hearts, but also a sense of duty to our community. As student reporters, it is our job to observe and report on the happenings around us. Very rarely do we insert ourselves into the stories we tell. But there are moments in time when the need is so great and the solution so clear, that we must join in. We are committed to holding our university and administrators accountable for their actions.
The Voice can no longer stand by and watch this community fall victim to mismanagement and broken promises. Hanna, for the good of CU and its students, faculty and staff, we ask you to resign. It’s time for change. It’s time for a new leader.
Sincerely,
The Voice Editors
Your campus. Your news. Your Voice.
Wendy Lynne Lee, PhD • Dec 6, 2024 at 5:56 PM
Once upon a time Bloomsburg University was a thriving state university committed to fundamental academic values–freedom of exploration, scientific discovery, artistic expression, and scholarly endeavor. Having arrived in 1992 as a freshly minted Philosophy PhD, I was proud to be a part of an institution that lived up to its claim to be a university for the middle and working class students of the Commonwealth and beyond. I was part of an excellent department whose members cared deeply about the educations of our students and the contributions we could make to our respective fields. I believed that BU administration shared these values–and for a bit, I think they did.
Then enrollment began to decline roughly after about 2010. Turns out, when people have fewer babies, fewer kids grow up to go to college. Who knew? But, tipping its hand as to the university’s real commitments, BU administration went with “if you build it, they will come,” a myth that is far more about diplomas and retention than it is about education. But BU stuck with the pretense, hiring more administrators who did less and less, shifting more recruitment work onto the shoulders of faculty, building more buildings. It was gradually becoming clear that something cancerous had begun to infect the university and that its academic values were being eroded, exchanged for the capacity to compete with nefarious and despicable online shams such as Phoenix. For PASSHE it clearly became more about acceding to a corporatized model of “education” where faculty “facilitate” “job readiness” and students are customers whose diplomas entitle them to join a workforce of complacent cogs. It is truly absurd that we decry the anti-democratic forces eroding American institutions, yet we do not see the complicity of the university in this encroaching fascism. We insist that what’s on the horizon for the country cannot be fascism, yet unless you’re lucky enough to be born to wealthy parents who can afford private education, you’re unlikely to be encouraged to develop the critical thinking skills to tell. Democracy demands citizens who can think for themselves–who have the courage to think for themselves. But this is no longer CU’s mission. I wonder if it was ever PASSHE’s mission.
The pandemic offered the opportunity of a lifetime for the PASSHE Chancellor and his willing minions, like Bashar Hanna, to enact a version of disaster capitalism. Tailored for a system the Commonwealth had already starved of resources for well over a decade at every level, the integration (forced merger) plan was hatched, and with it the full-on gutting of the humanities and liberal arts in exchange for the PASSHE dream of making worker bees and future donors. Gone are the days of trust invested in faculty to determine what is in the best interest of our students. We’re now bound by shallow and vacuous “rubrics” and “outcome assessments” that we all know are merely theatrical displays meant to justify administrative jobs. Gone are the days where genuine scholarship, art, music, and cultural critique are at the heart of higher education at BU/CU. And long gone are the days where we paid more than passing lip service to educational integrity for students. At the last graduation I attended I had the pleasure of watching a student who’d failed for cheating. I reported him up the chain of command, provided clear evidence. Precisely no one cared, and he was allowed to graduate. Why? Because integrity, truth, creativity, and civic responsibility have been swapped out for a business that sells diplomas, a public relations widget for corporations.
Like so many departments and programs, mine–philosophy–was unceremoniously dumped right along with its major. There was no discussion of what value my department held for our students, no esteem for my scholarship or that of my colleagues, no recognition of what our decades of commitment and work had brought to the university. Philosophy simply no longer fit CU’s business plan. To be clear, this is not to say that there are not excellent faculty, committed staff, and fine students at CU. It is, however, to say that every one of the university’s constituents deserves far better than the “leaders” it got stuck with. Indeed, the oppressive and demoralizing atmosphere on campus might be even worse were Hanna good at his job. The issues here are, however, bigger than one self-preserving mercenary administrator. Hanna and the rubber-stamping COT are really just symptoms of an American higher education that has given up on what no democracy can survive without: the liberal arts and the humanities. These are the disciplines that inspire new ideas, works of beauty, civic engagement, the critique of capital and culture. Any real devotion to diversity and equity would insure that the children of the working and middle classes would have access to philosophy. But CU has effectively consigned these students to become the employees of their more fortunate counterparts. Bloomsburg University was once a hedge against encroaching authoritarianism. CU has become a lingering shadow of itself, a specter that is now complicit in the deterioration of an American dream that, once upon a time, was about more than money.
Wendy Lynne Lee, PhD
Professor, Emeritus
Philosophy
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
David Decoteau • Dec 5, 2024 at 10:43 AM
I graduated in 1986. First generation college student in my family. I loved and value my Bloomsburg State College (then Bloomsburg University) education. So much so, that I sent my daughter…who also received a great education from the Chemistry Dept. at Bloomsburg University (then Commonwealth University).
This is why it’s so heartbreaking to watch what is happening.
I have stayed very involved with the school since graduation. I have seen so many people come and go (Students, Boards, faculty, etc). The past 10+ years have been particularly bad as academia seems to have been taken over by a fantasy agenda in regard to what a college education is and is not. In a phrase; it feels like academia, (and Commonwealth as a subset) has lost its way.
When he first arrived, I fell under Dr. Hanna’s spell. He is a likable guy, who did a lot of “straight talking” when we first were acquainted. But over time, I found that his words did not match his actions, and like many others…I became disenfranchised.
I stayed involved with Bloomsburg because of the Greeks. I felt like they were/are worthwhile organizations…but could use a little help from some alumni who were a bit more mature and could offer advice and maybe assistance where appropriate. Bashar seemed to share my enthusiasm for the Greek system…and that was a first. I was very happy and excited to have a University President, who was also excited to realize the full potential of the Greek community.
After lots of meetings, and talk, and planning and frankly wasting a lot of people’s time: All Greeks were disaffiliated. Perhaps a cautionary tale?
But there is a happy ending to this story: Greeks went on without university oversight. Unencumbered, they are doing more community service and philanthropy than ever. They created their own scholarships outside of the University. They have had a better safely record since disaffiliation, and their membership is up at Bloomsburg, while overall attendance is dropping. So, maybe this too is foreshadowing?
I can only hope the future of “Commonwealth” follows the trajectory of the disaffiliated Greeks. As Elon Musk is so fond of saying, “sometimes the best part; is no part at all.” Time will tell.
Wishing Bloomsburg/Commonwealth all the best, regardless of what happens with Dr. Hanna.
T • Dec 4, 2024 at 12:56 PM
In my time at the university, from 2018 to a few months ago, I had never once heard any student, faculty member, or staff say anything positive about Bashar. Even asking other friends who went, they can’t recall anything good either. 6+ years to establish any goodwill amongst his base of students and employees, and most still dislike him. He’s far overstayed his welcome.
Nobody likes the guy, nobody had the opportunity to vote for their ‘president’, his weak leadership has absolutely destroyed morale/organization across the three locations. What right does this man have to rule, aside from the decree of the council of trustees? I would also ask what right a barely-visible, exclusively chosen council has to appoint a lord over students that shell out thousands, or tens of thousands, to the institution. If schools want to continue wringing out 18 year olds for all their worth, then I feel it’s only right for those students to have some say in whose pockets they’re forced to line.
People across the world want change right now, reactionary or progressive. Glad to see the people here in our small slice uniting to demand what I see as a positive change.
Patrick Henderson • Dec 5, 2024 at 2:07 PM
If the Council is barely visible, it is because you have failed to open your eyes. The Council meets publicly – always has – and there are plenty of opportunities to understand what its role is and is not.
The Council is comprised mostly of alums that volunteer their time to aid schools and communities which they care deeply about. They do so with a perspective that, judging by the tone-deafness of the Voice Editorial, is sorely lacking among many.
While I support Dr. Hanna and his efforts to unite three distinct campuses – a task not of his choosing – it is worthwhile to also understand the process. The Council does not hire and select the university presidents in PASSHE – the Chancellor and state Board of Governors do. It is important to understand facts before opining about them.
Patrick Henderson
Trustee
Bloomsburg Class of 1996
Eric Hawrelak • Dec 6, 2024 at 4:04 PM
Let me start off by saying Bravo Bloomsburg University Voice Editors. While this entire editorial clearly lays out the struggles of the Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania students, faculty, and staff, the reality of the situation is best summed up at the beginning of the second paragraph. “Hanna has failed to connect Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield beyond sharing a name no one wanted and some new signage across campuses. CU cannot thrive on a fractured foundation.”
In response to Mr. Henderson’s comment, “If the Council is barely visible, it is because you have failed to open your eyes. The Council meets publicly – always has – and there are plenty of opportunities to understand what its role is and is not.”
According to the COT’s website under the meeting minute archives, the COT has met a total of 10 times since 2022 (I am including the 12/6/24 meeting). Being that Commonwealth University consists of three distinct and geographically separated campuses, the COT members have visited each unique campus approximately 3 times since 2022.
Please recognize that a COT meeting consists of a private executive session in the morning, typically starting at 10 am, and a public meeting starting at 3 pm and typically running 2 hours. During the public meeting there is time for public comments, but each speaker is limited to 3 minutes and the council will simply response with a “thank you for your comments” and never engages in any conversation. I have never heard of or seen any COT members venturing out onto the campuses to meet with any students, staff, or faculty.
Mr. Henderson also goes on to say, “The Council is comprised mostly of alums that volunteer their time to aid schools and communities which they care deeply about. They do so with a perspective that, judging by the tone-deafness of the Voice Editorial, is sorely lacking among many.”
I have to disagree. The student editors of the Bloomsburg Voice spend a total of 30 weeks during both the fall spring semesters on the Bloomsburg Campus interacting with their fellow students, staff member, and faulty in and out of their respective classroom. They have a much better understanding of the climate on their campus compared to a COT member who has sat in a board room for approximately 7 hours and only talked with other COT members and top administrators at Commonwealth University on average three days per campus over a three year period. I’m sure Mr. Henderson would tell us that it is about quality and not quantity.
I do have to give Mr. Henderson and a few other COT members some credit for meeting with APSCUF leadership during the fall 2024 semester (outside of their regularly scheduled meeting) over Zoom, for 1 hour, after we sent a three page letter expressing our concerns about the leadership of President Hanna and the direction of Commonwealth University. In my opinion it was not a very productive meeting, but I did learn directly from Mr. Henderson and a second COT member Steven Crawford the that COT members care more about the students of Commonwealth University than the faculty because the COT members volunteer their time and the faculty get paid for their time.
Again, I have to disagree. Those most recent ten days in a board room over two years across three campus for a total of approximately 70 hours of unpaid time does not prove that they care more than myself and my fellow faculty. It is what you do with and for the students. The fact that I get paid should not diminish that I spend an average of 60 hours a week teaching students in either a classroom or lab, helping students during consultation hours and during individual appointments when consultation hours don’t fit in student schedules, preparing learning materials for students, grading student assignments, and serving on committees in an attempt to better the University and the students learning conditions.
Yes, I do get paid for my work and I want to provide some information so you, the reader can form your own opinion. I have a bachelors in Chemistry from Hamilton College, a Masters of Science in Chemistry from the University of Kentucky, a PhD in Chemistry from Virginia Tech, and 16 months of post-doctoral experience from Cornell University. I started at Bloomsburg University in the fall of 2004 making just over $48,500. I have been teaching for just over 20 years, being promoted twice from assistant to associate and then to full professor and I am currently making $127,903. I do thank my union, APSCUF for providing me with salary increases including significant pay increases with each promotion. At this time I am one step away from the top of our pay scale and many faculty make less than me because they have not been working as long as I have been.
So now I ask, who do you think cares more for the students of Commonwealth University? The members of the COT and their average of 3 days over 3 years on three campuses or a faculty member getting paid for working on average 60 hours a week with direct interaction with the students.
Eric J. Hawrelak, PhD
APSCUF/Bloomsburg President
Professor of Chemistry