President Cheryl Schrader & Members of the Board of Trustees Wright State University
3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy. 260 University Hall
Dayton, OH 45435
September 7, 2018
President Schrader and Members of the Board of Trustees:
I’m writing to express my extreme concern about the state of affairs at Wright State, especially the looming faculty strike. Wright State is critical to the economic health of the Dayton region and beyond, making the continued negative press about the institution alarming to those of us invested in its success.
I strongly encourage you to reconsider your hard line with the faculty, whose stellar work in teaching, mentoring, and research has built the university’s reputation and made it a top choice for area students. The students, faculty, and staff deserve leadership that values them and provides the support needed for their-and Wright State’s- success.
From all accounts, it seems that the administration’s demands on the faculty are unfair and demoralizing; quite simply, the administration’s actions are undermining the academic mission of the university. I’m sure you’re as concerned about the declining enrollments as those of us who depend on Wright State graduates for our businesses.
Hence I urge you to end the current impasse and begin good-faith negotiations with the faculty union to prevent a faculty strike which would adversely impact students and the economy of the region.
Diane S. Walsh, Executive Director
Thomas Ritchie, Sr., President
Marcia Knox, Recording Secretary
American Association of University Professors 