Bardo: Provost takes paid leave to ‘focus on his professional goals’; Muma moves into position
Provost and Senior Vice President Tony Vizzini discusses his past in his office for a profile in October 2017. Vizzini has taken “authorized leave” for the spring semester as he seeks a new job.
Provost and Senior Vice President Tony Vizzini will take “authorized leave during spring semester to focus on his professional goals,” according to a statement released Friday by Wichita State President John Bardo.
Vizzini was hired as vice president of academic affairs at Wichita State in 2013. In 2014, he was promoted to provost and senior vice president. Last year he served briefly as acting vice president for student affairs. His paid leave will begin Monday.
Bardo said the fifth year of a chief academic officer, the position Vizzini holds, “is a normal career point to consider new positions.”
In November, The Sunflower reported Vizzini had been selected as a finalist for the chancellor search at Washington State University Tri-Cities. He did not get that job, which was the second chancellor position for which he had been named a finalist. In late October, according to South Dakota School of Mines and Research, Vizzini made the list of finalists in that school’s chancellor search. Vizzini did not get the job at SD Mines, which he would have started Jan. 1.
Vizzini did not respond to The Sunflower’s questions about how his job search would affect his duties at WSU in November or to questions early Friday.
“As many of you know first-hand,” Bardo said, “Tony (Vizzini) is a wonderful colleague. I have treasured his leadership, critical thinking, enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit. He can take a great deal of pride in the people and programs he has brought to WSU and how he has helped WSU to reach new levels of excellence since his arrival in 2013.”
Rick Muma, senior associate vice president for academic affairs and strategic enrollment management, will step into Vizzini’s position this spring as the interim-vice president for academic affairs starting Monday, Jan. 8.
“In his 22 years as a faculty member, department chair and most recently as senior associate vice president for academic affairs, Rick has proven himself a highly capable leader in major matters including HLC reaccreditation, WATC affiliation and strategic enrollment management. I’ve asked him to sustain the strong momentum in Academic Affairs during his time in this interim role,” Bardo said.
It is not clear if Vizzini will be involved in the search for a new liberal arts and sciences dean to replace Ron Matson following his retirement, but Bardo said Vizzini “will be available to wrap up some matters and advise us, but he will not be involved in daily operations.”
“Over the next several weeks I plan to consult with deans, constituent group heads and other appropriate individuals on a national search process for a new chief academic officer,” Bardo said.
Chance Swaim was the Editor in Chief of The Sunflower from fall 2017 to spring 2018.
Swaim was a graduate student in the English Department working...
Real Shocker • Jan 10, 2018 at 8:00 am
Looks like some new “Free Retirement Center” courses in Newton if Tony takes the advice of NoShockValue. Free on scholarship if signed up by February 15th to get then in the census count just like last Fall. Tapped out the retirement center market in Wichita so it looks like Newton is next. Explosive enrollment growth coming again. How many retirement centers are there in Kansas? Here is the media announcement for Newton and the full lineup for Spring 2018:
****************************
Wichita State is expanding its popular Lifelong Learning Program for senior
citizens to Newton this spring. In addition to the four classes held in Wichita,
WSU will partner with Asbury Park Retirement Community in Newton to offer its
Music in Film class to a new population of adult learners.
This
initiative is part of WSU’s continuing effort to make college classes accessible
to seniors throughout the community. Lifelong Learning classes differ from other
classes in that they are held at retirement communities and senior centers
around the area. Residents and members of the community at or above 60 years old
can audit these classes without paying tuition. Scholarships are available to
cover workshop fees for students enrolling prior to Feb. 15, 2018. Some workshop
fees may apply after that date. Anyone less than 60 years old can enroll in the
classes if they pay regular tuition and fees. For more information, go to http://www.wichita.edu/thisis/wsunews/cnews/?cnid=30225
****************************
WSU announces Lifelong Learning classes for spring
2018
January 3, 2018 2:25 PM
Wichita State is expanding its popular Lifelong
Learning Program for senior citizens to Newton this spring. In addition to the
four classes held in Wichita, WSU will partner with Asbury Park Retirement
Community in Newton to offer its Music in Film class to a new population of
adult learners.
This initiative is part of WSU’s continuing effort to
make college classes accessible to seniors throughout the community. Lifelong
Learning classes differ from other classes in that they are held at retirement
communities and senior centers around the area. Residents and members of the
community at or above 60 years old can audit these classes without paying
tuition. Scholarships are available to cover workshop fees for students
enrolling prior to Feb. 15, 2018. Some workshop fees may apply after that date.
Anyone less than 60 years old can enroll in the classes if they pay regular
tuition and fees.
“More than 500 senior citizens participated in one or
more of the nine courses offered in 2017,” said Kimberly Moore, director of
WSU’s Office for Workforce, Professional and Community Education. “Due to the
success of the program and the overwhelming number of interest in these classes,
we are excited to be expanding the program to Newton. We value our seniors and
are excited to continue to provide them with high quality, engaging and
meaningful educational opportunities.”
Classes for spring 2018
include:
Asbury Park Retirement Community
Music in Film
Dates:
March 7, 14, 21 and 28
Kansas Masonic Home, Wichita
The Literature of
Kansas
Dates: Feb. 9, 16, 23 and March 2
Lead Type, Bullets and Brazen
Nerve, Part II
Dates: March 9, 16, 23 and 30
Larksfield Place,
Wichita
Wichita Neighborhoods
Dates: Feb. 8, 15, 22 and March
1
Oxford Grand Assisted Living, Wichita
Introduction to Geology:
Understanding Earth
Dates: March 5, 12, 19 and 26
Visit http://www.wichita.edu/lifelonglearning
to register and get complete details on each class. Contact the WSU WPCE office
at 316-978-3731 or [email protected]
for more information. You can also pick up an application from one of the
locations above.
Per the Kansas Board of Regents’ Policy, students 60
years of age or older can enroll as auditors in academic credit courses when
space is available without paying tuition. The only cost to these students are
any applicable workshop fees and lab/special course fees. In addition, senior
citizens who have not previously been enrolled at WSU must pay a one-time
application fee of $40.00. Students who are younger than 60 years of age can
enroll in the course but will pay regular tuition and fees (see
http://www.wichita.edu/lifelonglearning for details). Senior citizens must present a
Medicare card or valid driver’s license to validate age.
NoShockValue • Jan 9, 2018 at 9:57 pm
Just my opinion,
Congrats to Rick, the Sean Spicer of WSU. A more deserving head nodder does not exist. Let’s hope you can remain the flavor-of-the-month for more than a month. You might be well advised to read the article above and substitute Muma for Vizzini.
Tony deserves every bit of misery he currently is stewing in. What goes around comes around. One should be careful about one’s bedfellows. As Little John’s health and mental capabilities began to decline, Schlapp and Tomblin filled the void. Credit to them, when the cats away……
Tony was a puppet of Schlapp and Tomblin and is now paying the price. Enjoy your misery Tony, you invited this abuse. If there is any justice in the world, Bardo, Schlapp, Heldman, Tomblin, Moses, and Vizzini should forever be linked together and should be employable only as a group. They should not be permitted to distance themselves from one another. They are individually and collectively toxic.
The prudent employee (attention T. Hall) is updating their resume. Who is next?
To the Alumni: Fear not, all this Innovation Campus nonsense will pass. WSU will return to serving the needs of our great community. Demonstrate your disdain by withholding contributions for the time being. When reason and thoughtful leadership returns so can your support.
To Current Students: Sadly, you are toast. Not much you can do other than vote with your feet and that isn’t always possible. You are currently footing the bill for a new YMCA you will never use. It never feels good to be duped.
To Prospective Students and their Parents: Proceed cautiously. Believe what you see on campus and not what the Administration is telling you. How vital is the learning environment on campus? How involved and enthusiastic are students? WSU has become a collection of buildings rather than a community of learners.
To the Regents: Rub the sleep from your eyes and either do your job or get out! The single exception to this is Murfin, to you, keep your hands out of my wallet/purse.
To the Sunflower: Great job. Keep digging deeper. And of course, watch your back. You are being targeted. Discussions are taking place to defund the newspaper. Fascism can only prosper in the dark.
I’m here to help. Truly.
One last thought Tony regarding your new found free-time, perhaps consider exploring one of the many “Badge” courses. Can’t hurt could it?
Real Shocker • Jan 9, 2018 at 7:33 pm
Since Rick Muma is now the Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs he will have an opportunity make important changes now that he outranks Andy Schlapp. In 2011 a great scholarship program called the Equality Scholarship was started by some really caring people. I know because I was at a meeting where the donors shared the details of the scholarship with members of the LGBT student group at WSU. I remember the students were ecstatic about this scholarship. It was a proud moment.
The Background Statement on the scholarship states,
“This fund was originally established in 2011 because the donors felt that
lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning students are often
overlooked and want to show that group of students that someone notices and
cares about them. They want to encourage those students not to hide.”
In Fall 2014 a great group of staff from many offices on campus turned a small custodial space in the Heskett Center into a fantastic space for transgender students so they could have a safe and private space to use the recreation and wellness facilities. It was a Gender Neutral Shower and Bathroom and a banner hung over the space when it was completed in January 2015.
This banner hung over the space until early 2016, if I remember correctly, until Andy Schlapp saw it and directed Eric Maki and his staff to take the banner down.
Rick, there is no need for transgender students to feel the need to hide in the Heskett Center. You are now in a position to make a positive change for a small number of people who really need the support of university administrators. I would hope that you in your new role, and Teri Hall as the Vice President for Student Affairs who oversees the Campus Recreation operation, would take a stand and put the banner back up. You both have the positions to do this.
The question is do you have the will and conviction to make this happen.
Real Shocker • Jan 6, 2018 at 5:28 pm
The word is they are packing up Tony’s stuff this weekend and moving it out. I think he is a tenured faculty in Engineering so I wonder if he will teach there if he can’t get another job. That would be interesting since Tomblin is over there and it was Tomblin and Schlapp that got Vizzini dumped.
My guess is that one of them wants Vizzini’s office since it is so nice.
Real Shocker • Jan 5, 2018 at 12:07 pm
Still find it interesting that WSU spends $33,000 dollars on an outside attorney to investigate alleged bullying by former Student Body President Joseph Shepard and spent what I estimate to be at least $40,000 by representatives from an outside firm called ATIXA to investigate a staff grievance against President Bardo.
However, when allegations of sexual misconduct/harassment against the Athletic Director Darron Boatright were brought to the attention of the WSU administration on January 22, 2017 and February 21, 2017, an investigation was supposedly done by a staff member in the WSU Human Resources department.
David Moses from WSU said they used an outside attorney on Shepard to avoid and conflict of interest. If that was the same for paying a bunch of money to ATIXA, why would there not be potential pressure or a potential conflict of interest on a staff member in Human Resources investigating a serious allegation against a high ranking WSU administrator in a high profile Athletic Department position?
Real Shocker • Jan 5, 2018 at 10:11 am
So he is being paid to job search? What a great gig. in Bardo’s note to campus he said five years is the time for people to move on. Well, time for Bardo, Schlapp, and Tomblin to take leave and focus on professional goals as well.
Welcome to the club, Tony. You and Eric Sexton thought you were with the “in” crowd with Schlapp, Heldman, and Tomblin. You never were and just didn’t realize until you were both moved out.
While several of us were were “fired” or “retired”, you can call your departure “treasured”. Your leadership was “treasured” all the way to being removed. Everyone in the job search world knows what it means to be “treasured” on the way out! It isn’t any fun.
Tony is also a tenured faculty and can stay forever. How much is he paid to be faculty?