2008 Woodie Awards
Petition calls for reevaluation
Josh Martin
Issue date: 6/9/08 Section: News
In response to what some faculty, students, alumni and Toledo community members see as a campaign against the liberal arts at UT, an online petition calling on the state leadership of Ohio to review UT President Lloyd Jacobs' plan for the university has been gaining support in the last month and a half.
The petition has garnered 879 signatures of UT faculty members, students, Toledo community members and others since April 25.
It claims supporters from 31 states, the nation's capital and eight countries, including Spain, Australia, South Korea, France, Canada and the United States. Most of the supporters, though, are from Northwest Ohio.
The petition is hosted on Gopetition.com, a "leading international petition hosting portal," according to the Web site.
The author of the petition, known only by his or her Gopetition username, "furzepig," faults Jacobs for misinterpreting the message of the 10 Year Strategic Plan for Ohio, written by Ohio's Chancellor of Education Eric Fingerhut.
"Furzepig" specifically accuses Jacobs of engaging in a destructive and inappropriate form of the "differentiation" requested by Fingerhut. He uses this term to describe how academic institutions ought to determine which academic areas on which to focus.
The author elaborates by saying Jacobs is focusing on "areas of excellence" while letting more "traditional areas of scholarly endeavor," the humanities and liberal arts, to weaken.
Supporters of the petition assert that "UT's undergraduates are entitled to a full, broad, and high-quality education comparable to institutions across the country."
Fingerhut's 10 Year Strategic Plan for Ohio, released on March 31, calls for the establishment of the University System of Ohio, a proposed collaboration designed to foster cooperation among Ohio's public and private universities and colleges.
Fingerhut hopes the plan will drive down tuition costs by stopping damaging competition among universities and colleges, making higher education more accessible to Ohioans of all ages and walks of life.
The petition has garnered 879 signatures of UT faculty members, students, Toledo community members and others since April 25.
It claims supporters from 31 states, the nation's capital and eight countries, including Spain, Australia, South Korea, France, Canada and the United States. Most of the supporters, though, are from Northwest Ohio.
The petition is hosted on Gopetition.com, a "leading international petition hosting portal," according to the Web site.
The author of the petition, known only by his or her Gopetition username, "furzepig," faults Jacobs for misinterpreting the message of the 10 Year Strategic Plan for Ohio, written by Ohio's Chancellor of Education Eric Fingerhut.
"Furzepig" specifically accuses Jacobs of engaging in a destructive and inappropriate form of the "differentiation" requested by Fingerhut. He uses this term to describe how academic institutions ought to determine which academic areas on which to focus.
The author elaborates by saying Jacobs is focusing on "areas of excellence" while letting more "traditional areas of scholarly endeavor," the humanities and liberal arts, to weaken.
Supporters of the petition assert that "UT's undergraduates are entitled to a full, broad, and high-quality education comparable to institutions across the country."
Fingerhut's 10 Year Strategic Plan for Ohio, released on March 31, calls for the establishment of the University System of Ohio, a proposed collaboration designed to foster cooperation among Ohio's public and private universities and colleges.
Fingerhut hopes the plan will drive down tuition costs by stopping damaging competition among universities and colleges, making higher education more accessible to Ohioans of all ages and walks of life.
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