The first part of President John B. Simpson's UB2020 plan includes creating a template for the future. Simpson has hired AVCOR, a consulting firm with which he has close ties. There may not be anything wrong with this scenario, but Simpson is leaving almost everything to the imagination by being secretive about the deal. He should disclose basic facts about AVCOR as soon as possible.
How much is AVCOR costing the university? What they are doing, and how will their work be used? Simpson and AVCOR officials have not been forthcoming with the faculty. This secretive approach is unreasonable. He outlined AVCOR's responsibilities to The Spectrum, when asked, but not to the faculty.
AVCOR could easily be playing a benign or even advantageous role at UB, but the bottom line is that nobody knows. As a president of a major public university and the steward of its community, Simpson should be more open regarding AVCOR. He could easily clear the air about AVCOR, if he chooses to reveal basic facts.
AVCOR helped the University of California-Santa Cruz, where Simpson was provost, in "trimming the fat" through consolidation and streamlining. The Santa Cruz job was AVCOR's first university consultation, and the firm says its cuts saved Santa Cruz $3 million. At UB, AVCOR's role is not as clear. Simpson and AVCOR officials said the consulting firm is not here to make any decisions regarding the future of UB, instead creating a framework for discussion and future decision. Perhaps, but this should have been clearly communicated to the faculty.
AVCOR president Scott Nostaja recently told The Spectrum, "Does every person on the campus need to know (what AVCOR is doing)? Probably not. Is anybody keeping it a secret? No."
This statement is entirely the wrong mindset for a public university. Simpson and AVCOR are keeping important aspects of their relationship under wraps, and their unwillingness to share this information only raises suspicions. Simpson's office said it would not reveal how much the AVCOR contract is worth because they are being paid by private UB Foundation money, but there is no reason to withhold the contract value in a public university community unless it is an unreasonably large amount. Holding back that information only makes it look like Simpson is hiding behind the UB Foundation.
Simpson should be aware of the stigma that follows most corporate consulting firms, especially ones with a history of making cuts at universities - their recommendations resulted in laying off 77 of 177 staff jobs in one department at UCSC, according to the AVCOR website.
The fog surrounding AVCOR becomes more divisive for faculty because it is perceived by many to be a step backward for the transparency of Simpson's work at UB. Many were put off by the secrecy of the presidential search that delivered Simpson to the UB presidency; few knew the cost of the search or even who the finalists were. But then, most people in the campus community were pleased by the openness of Simpson's provost search, with every step open for scrutiny and input.
This is why the current tack Simpson has taken regarding AVCOR has raised concerns. Simpson is still early on in his tenure and should be above board with decisions that impact the larger UB community, especially when they play such a large role in his UB2020 plan. AVCOR may be good, and it may be bad. But Simpson should clear the air immediately and be transparent about a key part of UB's planning process.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
