A confidential survey conducted by the Faculty Senate Office
indicates tensions between the College of Engineering faculty and
their dean, Stephen Director, who has held his post since 1996. The
survey's results were originally released only to the engineering
faculty, provost and the dean.

The release of this document comes at an inopportune time for
Director, as he implements new initiatives to improve the school's
academic environment and as the college celebrates its 150-year
anniversary. Also this year, the undergraduate engineering program
has fallen one more spot on the U.S. News and World Report
rankings.

The survey of 125 faculty members indicates that Director's
relationship with the faculty is strained. The survey was obtained
by the Daily on Monday.

"There have been some contentious issues in the college, but, in
fact, I think he has taken information from senior faculty members
and made decisions from knowledge he obtained. He's made some
decisions that I would have made differently, and I could
understand why some individuals are very upset," said a biomedical
engineering professor who wished to remain anonymous.

Director said he was concerned by the unsolicited release of the
survey.

"This is a confidential survey, and it is voluntary. It's a
mechanism that people use to express their views. I think people
participated in it under the assumption that it was confidential.
If they knew the results were to go public, I don't think they
would have responded similarly," Director said. "It's input that I
will take into consideration, including the input that I received
from a very comprehensive strategic planning activity that included
input from a large number of participants, both students and
staff."

Members of the faculty referred to a specific electrical
engineering professor who has allegedly been vocal in his dislike
for Director. Several professors in the electrical engineering
department - also Director's department - refused to comment.

According to the report, 59 percent of the faculty either
disagree or strongly disagree that the dean "appropriately weighs
the opinions of all segments of the faculty." Sixty-four percent
either disagree or strongly disagree that Director "considers
faculty views contrary to his own."

Director scored lowest in the area of communication, where most
faculty responses averaged toward the negative. Sixty-six percent
of the faculty, with 49 percent strongly disagreeing, believe
Director's communication style "does not promote open communication
with the faculty."

In its 2002 rankings, U.S. News ranked the University's
undergraduate engineering program fourth in the nation. In 2003,
the program fell to sixth. In the 2004 issue, it is ranked seventh.
"The rankings do not accurately portray everything that's going on
in the college," Director said during Tuesday's birthday
celebration. "We need to create an environment that is supportive
of an outstanding, diverse faculty."

The dean's highest marks highlight his efforts to "raise the
visibility and reputation of the school" and "his emphasis on
research."

"He's to the point. He has tried to increase the stature of the
faculty. When I hear criticisms of him, I know it's because he
wants some things to happen and some faculty members don't agree,"
said an anonymous mechanical engineering professor.

"What you really need to look at is what has been accomplished,
such as the increase in female faculty and the institution of
department chairs."

But in a survey where faculty members evaluated each question
from one to five, where one represents "strongly disagree" and five
represents "strongly agree," Director received no score above a
3.94. Most scores straddled the middle, averaging between two and
2.9 in some key areas, notably in communication.

"The dean's evaluation is meant for a frank discussion among the
college faculty, their dean, and the Provost. The AAAC (Academic
Affairs Advisory Committee) is disappointed since this public
disclosure does not help this or future communications," said Bill
Schultz, chair of the AAAC, a division of the Senate Assembly that
commissions the evaluations.

The administration has commissioned similar surveys in the past.
In the mid-90s the Senate Assembly commissioned the Faculty Senate
Office to conduct a similar survey to evaluate the deans of several
University colleges.

At the time, then-Engineering Dean Peter Banks opposed the
initiative, believing that the survey ought to be conducted within
each college. The Senate Assembly saw the need for an evaluation of
the faculty's unaffected opinion through a third party survey
conducted outside of each dean's jurisdiction.