Editor's note: This story is the second in a five-part series about the provost's annual evaluations of deans on Ohio University's Athens campus.
Despite a less than 50 percent faculty support rating, the dean of Ohio University’s Patton College of Education and Human Services has been appointed to serve in her position for five more years.
When asked to evaluate the overall performance and leadership of Renée Middleton, dean of the Patton College, 48 percent of the Patton College faculty surveyed and 60 percent of staff gave her a positive rating.
In written evaluation comments, several faculty members said they wanted Middleton, who earned $176,851 this year, to leave OU.
“We are hopeful she will move on to some other college and position so that someone else can help her learn to do this job as we have tried with little success to help her become a good Dean that is transparent in her work and honest with faculty,” one comment states.
Despite dissenting faculty and staff views on whether Middleton should stay, Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit appointed Middleton to another five-year term as dean of the Patton College, stating in her report that Middleton has exhibited improvement in several areas.
“There is an ongoing need for improving relationships with some of the faculty and staff in the College and for enhancing partnerships with units beyond the College,” Benoit wrote in her review. “I am confident that you can make progress in these areas.”
In her report to the provost, Middleton listed enhancing research, increasing contracts and grant development and recruiting and retaining diverse faculty and students as goals for the upcoming years.
“I’m here at Ohio University because I want to be here,” Middleton said. “I enjoy working with our faculty, staff, students and administrators. I’m looking forward to challenge of five more years.”
‘SHE IS AN EXCELLENT ADVOCATE’
One untenured Patton faculty member, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of retribution, said faculty input regarding Middleton’s performance was ignored.
“As a faculty, we have voiced our position and our displeasure many times, only to have it fall on deaf ears,” the faculty member said. “If you look at the track record of our so-called dean evaluations, (Middleton) has very low ratings and unsatisfactory approval ratings from the majority of the faculty. However, nothing has been done.”
Middleton garnered a 36 percent, a 25 percent and a 50 percent approval rating in 2008, 2009 and 2010, respectively. During those years, the faculty response rate ranged from 50 to 69 percent.
This year, 25 of 51 faculty members — or 49 percent — returned evaluations for Middleton, as compared to a 63 percent response rate last year.
Middleton said this difference could be attributed to the fact that a comprehensive review was conducted of her last year, which might have attracted more evaluations.
The dean’s received her highest faculty rating — 87 percent — for external relations, saying she represents the college well with external constituents.
“Dean Middleton is highly respected and admired by external constituents,” one comment states. “No dean, during the last two decades, appears to have been so effective with the establishment of rapport with the constituents.”
Several faculty members said they agreed with this assessment.
“She is an excellent advocate for the college, and we’re desperately in need for a good advocate for the college,” said Tracy Leinbaugh, an associate professor and chair of the department of Counseling and Higher Education. “I think the college’s reputation on campus has improved a lot.”
The lowest faculty support response came in the area of leadership; only 40 percent of faculty surveyed said they believe Middleton leads the college in an effective and transparent manner.
Comments addressing concerns that Middleton is not transparent enough regarding her handling of the college’s budget.
Middleton said she was not sure why faculty and staff thought she was not transparent, adding that during the recent reduction targets and budget scenarios, she presented faculty and staff with the college’s entire budget and requested their opinions on areas to cut.
Several faculty members also said in their evaluations that they believe Middleton has hurt the morale of the faculty and staff in the college.
“She does more to hurt the morale of people in the college than any other single thing including the budget,” wrote one commenter.
The faculty member who wished to remain anonymous added that on days when Middleton’s dean evaluations run in local news media, the dean arranges for the papers to be removed from McCracken Hall, the building that houses the Patton College.
He reacted with shock to the news that Middleton had been reappointed.
“How many years does this woman have to have unfavorable yearly evaluations from her faculty that clearly enumerate problems that the faculty have with her?” he said. “It just seems nothing is being done to be responsive to the needs of the faculty.”
Nine of the faculty members reached declined to comment.
‘SHE RULES WITH AN IRON FIST’
Of the 33 Patton College staff members asked to review Middleton, 21 of them — or 64 percent — returned their evaluations.
Several staff members said they were glad to hear Benoit appointed Middleton to five more years at dean.
“(Middleton) has been good about letting us know our jobs aren’t in jeopardy, protecting us and giving us as much information as she can,” said Janet Merwin, an administrative associate in the Patton College. “I hold her in high regard.”
Merwin added that Middleton indicates in many ways that she is concerned for the staff members in the college.
“She saw me upset in the hallway one day and asked what was wrong; two weeks later, she remembered it and asked me how I was doing,” Merwin said. “She’s got a heart of gold. I hope she always stays.”
Middleton said she has worked to reach out to classified staff.
“There’s no question that we can’t do what we do every day without classified staff,” Middleton said. “In terms of their professional development, I think I have a responsibility to do that, and I do it with a great deal of pride and appreciation.”
Another classified staff member said she was not surprised that a greater percentage of staff responded than faculty.
“It’s a more complex issue with faculty to evaluate deans than staff,” said Ramona Mott, records management associate in the Patton College. “(Staff are) black and white, and (faculty are) more complex as far as their positions go.”
Five of the staff members reached declined to comment.
Affirmative action is the area in which Middleton does best, according to the staff members who were surveyed; 95 percent said they believe Middleton demonstrates a commitment to women and minorities within the college.
The staff surveyed indicated that Middleton most needed to work on interpersonal relationships, giving her a rating of 47 percent.
“Everyone does what she says because she rules with an iron fist, and everyone is afraid of the consequences of dealing with her,” one evaluator wrote. “She creates an atmosphere of fear, not encouragement.”
Middleton said she did not believe this evaluation represented the majority of faculty and staff opinions in the Patton College.
“I can assure you I do not have a rubber-stamp faculty; they speak their minds, and they let me know what they think,” she said. “The last time I looked at my fist, it wasn’t iron.”
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