Posts Tagged ‘Doug Nord’

The Bruce Files: Golden parachute reference was to Morse, Nord, an ex-provost and an ex-vice president

Wednesday, February 16th, 2011

Caleb Hutton // THE WESTERN FRONT

Monday’s entry to this series gets a clarification today, thanks to fellow reporter Brianna Gibbs. She talked with Susan Banton yesterday while working on another story.

Banton, an employee who e-mailed President Bruce Shepard on behalf of Western’s classified staff in September, confirmed that her reference to “golden parachutes” was about ex-president Karen Morse, ex-provost Dennis Murphy, ex-vice president for Business and Financial Affairs George Pierce and tenured professor Doug Nord.

The anonymous suggestion — to reconsider whether these employees should remain on payroll — was made by classified staff. Banton then relayed the suggestion to Shepard.

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The Bruce Files: ‘There are no golden parachutes anywhere in this university!’

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

Caleb Hutton // THE WESTERN FRONT

This is another e-mail from September. It appears that Susan Banton, whose work is mostly about making sure Western is stocked with classroom and office materials (chairs, etc.), decided to offer some advice to President Bruce Shepard about how to make the most of the school’s money.

It’s unclear whose idea it was — Shepard’s, classified staff’s or Banton’s alone. But Banton seems to have offered a wide spectrum of thoughts on where the school could cut costs.

The way the president clears up a couple of what he calls misunderstandings is noteworthy: “There are no golden parachutes anywhere in this university!” he says. “The mere suggestion appeals to the prejudices of those who don’t know the facts.”

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Cascadia Weekly story pushes Nord controversy deeper into Whatcom County

Wednesday, November 17th, 2010

Benjamin Woodard // THE WESTERN FRONT

A Cascadia Weekly story on Nord, published Wednesday, comprehensively explains the years-long drama that has unfolded on Western’s campus.

Read the front stories at the links below:

State your opinion — or question — in the comments below.

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Outside evaluator sees committed faculty carrying out grant

Wednesday, October 20th, 2010

Benjamin Woodard // THE WESTERN FRONT

In light of the State Auditor’s Office raising concerns about discrepancies in a grant application authored by a university employee, the designated outside evaluator says the application was “a well-thought out proposal.”

Diddy Hitchens, professor Emeritus of the International Relations program at the University of Alaska-Anchorage, said that Western faculty and staff have carried out “to the best of their professional abilities,” and that her two visits to Western proved a “faithful commitment to the grant.”

“It is quite normal with this type of grants for some elements to take place a little after they may have been scheduled in the grant proposal as it takes time to get faculty “on board,” she said.

Read about the grant application in question here. And look for part two of this investigation in this Friday’s issue of the Front.

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