Case Study Unit 3

Case Study: It’s Over!

Faculty and staff had been buzzing about the possibilities of the school closing. Hardly any students were coming to class.  The students who were coming to class started asking teachers if the school was closing because they had noticed how empty the classes were. Often times there were only one or two students in a class. Even the Dean of General Studies, who was the only one who really had any communication with the faculty, was not holding her regular weekly meetings. Everyone knew something was going on…just not exactly what was going on.

About three weeks before December of 2012, faculty noticed the Director of Compliance was at work really early one morning, which is highly unusual.  Faculty and staff started talking and knew something bad was going to happen that day. Any time the Director of Compliance was at school early, there was always a problem.  While no formal announcement was made by the President or Dean of Education about layoffs, as quietly as possible, ten faculty and staff were let go throughout parts of the day. Some employees were also demoted from their positions. As rumors started flying, this created a lot of tension and anxiety among the remaining faculty and staff.  About three days later, the Dean of General Studies called a meeting with the General Education Faculty to inform them of the layoffs, as well as to ease anxiety. While the faculty found this to be somewhat comforting because the information was not coming directly from the President or the Dean of Education, there still left some skepticism that the layoffs were over.

While morale and motivation were already low, the news of the layoffs and the lack of communication put many of the faculty, staff, and students on edge. Faculty and even students felt like they were walking on egg shells waiting for the next wave of bad news to come.

December 5, 2012 will forever be considered doomsday for most of the faculty and staff who worked at this organization. This was the day faculty and staff learned the school would be closing. The President of the College tried to calm everyone’s nerves, but you could see the fear and panic that overcame most of the employees. The room was quiet. Effective that day the teach-out was going to be put into place. The school was no longer going to be accepting new students. Only students who were currently enrolled in the college would be able to complete their education. Once all students had completed their classes, the school would close. The projected closing date that was given was December, 2014. The whole admissions department was let go right before faculty and staff were given this information.

The President of the College informed the faculty and staff that it was their duty to continue serving the students and to act like the teach-out was not happening. He expected the faculty to continue to engage and inspire students all the way through until the last student graduated. The President told the faculty “not to worry” because everything would work out.

Before the President ended the meeting he informed the faculty and staff not to say anything to the students yet. They would be informed through writing about the teach-out. Faculty and staff were also informed that they would be finding out in the next two weeks, what their projected last day of work would be.

Most faculty and staff were stunned by the news. Hardly anyone made a noise for a while. Faculty and staff had to go on with their day like nothing had happened; that was really hard for most people. Some employees walked out that day and did not return.

Later in the day the students were sent a message on their student portal about the school closing. However, since the school does not offer online classes, many students did not know about the school closing until days or weeks later. The President of the College did not hold a meeting to inform students about the school. Rather, he went on his business as if nothing were happening. Students, as they got word of the school closing, were very upset. They were even more upset that they were not told directly and that their questions would not be easily answered. That day many students withdrew from the college and went elsewhere.

Days and weeks after the faculty, staff and students were informed of the school closing, the situation has only gotten worse. There is no communication at all. The President of the College as well as the Dean of Education refuse to answer questions related to the school closing.  About six months after being initially told, faculty and staff have not been given their projected last day of employment. The President and Dean of Education simply say that everything going on with the college is a secret and cannot be discussed. “You will be informed…” seems to be the words that are often uttered but no information comes.

This creates more anxiety and uncertainty when there is no communication. Faculty feel invisible because they are not informed as to what is going on. This lowers their effectiveness in the classroom. Class sizes which are already really small (one or two students) have one to no students in them.  Most faculty are sitting in empty classrooms because students no longer are coming to class. If they do come to class they come in two to three hours late and not much of the lesson can be given. Students do not want to do the classwork or homework and they expect to pass just because the school is closing. Morale overall is so low hardly anybody speaks to each other anymore. Faculty, staff and students come in and do their job and quickly leave. There is no sense of community.

Not long ago the Career Service Department tried to have a “Career Service” week in order to boost morale and motivation within the college. However, that did not go too well. Even though they had planned games and guest speakers, hardly any faculty or staff participated. It was very embarrassing. Unfortunately, the attempt at raising morale was too late. Most faculty, staff, and students have checked out and are just waiting for the end. The lack of drive and purpose among the faculty, staff and students is evident.

Despite the news the school was closing, how could have upper management handled the situation better in order to raise morale and motivation?