Members of the Union of Tertiary Educators of the Bahamas last week agreed that a strike vote should be taken and it’s a decision that the union is prepared to follow through with, said UTEB President Jennifer Isaacs-Dotson.
“We are waiting to see what possible recommendations come from the Minister of Education and from the Cabinet because we feel that the minister has to answer to the public and the stakeholders at the College of The Bahamas,” Mrs. Isaacs-Dotson said.
UTEB is protesting the way Canadian academic Janyne Hodder was selected by the council as a presidential candidate.
The council has since recommended to the Cabinet that Ms. Hodder be appointed to the top post and has strongly denied claims that it breached protocol during its recruitment of Ms. Hodder.
Ms. Hodder is the former president of Bishop’s University in Canada and currently serves as a Vice-Principal at Canada’s prestigious McGill University; however, it was still unclear whether she was interested in the position after reports that she had pulled her name from the candidacy.
Also vying for the top post are current acting president Dr. Rhonda Chipman-Johnson and Dr. Pandora Johnson, both of whom have been employed at the college for a number of years.
Mrs. Isaacs-Dotson emphasised that the union is on “one accord” when it comes to ensuring that the right person is selected to lead COB to university status.
She said the union is unable to unequivocally state that Ms. Hodder is suitable to hold the position as president, claiming that its members were denied the opportunity to interview Ms. Hodder and had to obtain her credentials from the Internet
During a press conference to “set the record straight” yesterday, Mrs. Isaacs-Dotson told reporters that the union’s agenda had not shifted.
It is understood that UTEB is the only stakeholder opposing Ms. Hodder’s appointment.
“In light of certain articles appearing in the local media concerning the offer and or appointment of Ms. Janyne Hodder to the presidency of COB, UTEB and the staff of the College of The Bahamas, as stakeholders of this institution, find the need to clarify the single issue which arises from the state of affairs,” she said.
“It is our contention that the single issue coming out of the recent appointment debacle relates to the protection of the process that underpins the approval that can be granted by the minister. If such protection is not assured, then the collaborative effort of all stakeholders in rallying around that chosen person to serve as president would be compromised.”
Mrs. Isaacs-Dotson also reiterated her call for the college council to allow the union to interview Ms. Hodder, given that it was allowed to interview the other presidential candidates.
She said it was the only way the union would be able to determine a candidate’s weaknesses and strengths, and whether they were suitable to lead the tertiary institution.
“The council agreed and established a procedure to be followed for assessing those who have been invited by the council to apply for the post of president,” Mrs. Isaacs-Dotson said.
“When a candidate’s academic qualifications [and] experience meet the stated criteria in the advertisement, a specially appointed presidential selection committee of the council invites the candidate to a round of interviews by council members and stakeholders to assess the candidate’s strength and aptitude to be able to achieve the short and long term objectives of COB.”
Mrs. Isaacs-Dotson has accused the council of not following this process, describing it as a direct insult to the union.
“Regrettably, at the moment, trust has been broken. Certain elements within the council have not allowed the process to be followed,” she said. “Information continues to be withheld from the stakeholders of COB who, by virtue of the agreed process, are intricately interconnected with the decision of who should be appointed as president.”
By: Bianca Symonette, The Bahama Journal
