Taylor Loses Mind, Attacks Faculty

Dr. Charles A. Taylor, president of Thomas Nelson Community College, apparently lost his mind recently and attacked the faculty.

Flagstiffed has learned from various sources on campus and from an article in the March 28, 2008 Daily Press, that Taylor had attempted to pick a fight with faculty on the one thing that faculty most cherish: Their authority and responsibility for curriculum.

[You can read the Daily Press article entitled “TNCC votes to keep entry level class Board shoots down a proposal” by Cathy Grimes at http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/hampton/dp-local_tncc_0328mar28,0,5306394.story ]

On Tuesday March 11 faculty leaders learned that Taylor had sent his surrogates to the Biology faculty with a proposal to virtually eliminate an important course prerequisite.

Using surrogates instead of being man enough to bring the business himself is reported (by TNCC and CCS faculty) to be a classic Taylor tactic. As one faculty member told Flagstiffed, “He keeps his fingerprints off controversial issues but his nasty DNA is all over the place.” The Biology faculty voted unanimously against Taylor’s proposal.

That should have ended the discussion but Taylor had instructed his surrogates to bring the proposal to the College Curriculum Committee on Monday March 17.

In the meantime the faculty senate convened an extraordinary session of all fulltime faculty called the “Faculty Forum” for Tuesday March 18.

When Taylor’s surrogates presented his proposal to the College Curriclum Committee on March 17, it was unanimously voted down.

That should have ended the discussion but Taylor had instructed his surrogates to bring the proposal to the College Board on March 26.

In the meantime the faculty forum met with Taylor explaining his proposal. One faculty member present described Taylor as “Bojangles on a unicycle, the only man who can tap dance while he backpedals”. His presentation was reported to be full of evasions and misrepresentations not to mention the fact that it had no credible evidence to support it.

“Bojangles” Taylor then had his surrogates present a new proposal to the Biology faculty on Monday March 24. This also was rejected unanimously.

And that should have been the end of it. But the determined Taylor had his surrogates present it to the College Board; first to the Board’s Curriculum Committee (which voted unanimously against it) and then to the Board itself (which voted unanimously against it).

What turned the tide with the Board it appears is that faculty showed up at the Board’s Curriculum Committee meeting and at the Board meeting to speak in support of the faculty position. They presented reasoned arguments based on evidence. Bojangles Taylor had neither evidence or reason. At the Board meeting faculty and students spoke in favor of the current course prerequisite.

It was apparent that faculty felt that they spoke against the presidents’ proposal at great risk and peril. It has been reported to Flagstiffed that one faculty member said as much but was reprimanded by the Board’s chair who said that neither the Board or Bojangles would tolerate retaliation. (The Board needs to examine Flagstiffed’s reports of Bojangles Taylor’s previous record and his more recent record of driving out or firing good people.)

Faculty report that Taylor was agitated and visibly angry that he had been so publically embarrassed. It has been reported that he even tried to bring the matter up again later in the meeting.

Faculty also report being completely puzzled by Taylor’s behavior. The Biology faculty had created the course prerequisite in response to accreditation concerns based on statistical data. Taylor claimed that school superintendants were opposed to the prerequisite (though he would provide any names) and claimed that many businesses would not work with the college because of the prerequisite (but he wouldn't name the businesses). Making bogus claims is also another classic Bojangles tactic: The Taylor Sideshuffle.

One speculation is that Riverside Medical, where Taylor’s wife used to work before they made her job disappear so that she would too and where Taylor’s frat bro and former College Board chair Mckinley Price is said to be on the Riverside Medial Board, had some problems with the prerequisite. But Biology faculty are reported to have proposed an innovative solution to Riverside’s complaints.

In Bojangles Taylor’s world data and facts don’t mean much; everything’s a faith based initiative and apparently God told Taylor to get rid of the prerequisite. He was just doing the Lord’s work.

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