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John Summa
Member since Mar 11, 2015
Recent Comments
Re: “Labor Relations Board Dismisses Former UVM Prof John Summa's Grievance”
Thomas, let's not get too exuberant about this just yet. The best part is still to come. 16 hours of videotape with two HD and 4K cameras don't lie. showing a Chair lying under oath, a Chair who made proven false claims about my teaching (claims used to vote me out), a hostile work environment (bullied for what I taught), proven fake claims of using text-heavy slides, and other nit-picky nonsense, a whistleblower from UVM Faculty Standards Committee (which voted me reappointed unanimously but dismissed by the Dean) who stated that the entire committee believed the Chair "was out to get" me, and proven attempts by the Chair to remove a support letter written by a highly respected Associate Dean of UVM's College of Arts & Sciences, Patty Corcoran, stating unequivocally that I was a "huge asset to UVM" and an "exceptional" lecturer, Good news for UVM? That they managed to bury the truth, absolutely good news for them. More at http://www.deadendeconomics.com ~ John Summa
Posted by
John Summa
on 05/05/2018 at 8:06 AM
Re: “Hard Lesson: A UVM Econ Prof Fights to Keep His Job”
While I appreciate your opinion, the facts speak for themselves. More than 2500 student evaluations demonstrate that I match or exceed the standards set by Solnick, which contributed to the Faculty Standards Committee unanimous 5.-0 vote to reappoint me. So I am more than a "good man". While you have the right to your opinion, it is just that -- your single, subjective opinion, not hard data (student evaluations) and objective, informed assessment (Faculty Standards Committee). The fact is there are many tenured and thus protected Economics Dept senior members (names withheld here to avoid a lawsuit) that are so bad at teaching they flunk every year the student evaluations by a huge margin. My statistics class you mention, meanwhile, is highly rated by students, and has been taught for 14 consecutive semesters. I can produce the evidence to challenge your sneaky/sly attempt to undermine me.
Posted by
John Summa
on 03/15/2017 at 4:31 PM
Re: “VTIFF Turns 30 [SIV418]”
Hi Eva,
Thanks. I kinda figured that it was a final cut. I can make a shorter clip from your clip and include a title card with the award and then the announcement. I will credit the footage to Stuck in Vermont. Is that okay? John Summa
Posted by
John Summa
on 10/29/2015 at 12:42 AM
Re: “VTIFF Turns 30 [SIV418]”
Thanks for the overview. It would have been nice to identify the award and pronounce the film title correctly for The Resurrection of Victor Jara (Ben and Jerry Award for using the lens to shine a light on an important social issue with verve and ingenuity). That ended up on the Stuck in Vermont cutting room floor. By the way, it is Victor Jara (HAra) not JAra. Can you please edit the award title back in? Or do I have to do that? John Summa, Writer and Producer of ROVJ
Posted by
John Summa
on 10/28/2015 at 4:54 PM
Re: “Hard Lesson: A UVM Econ Prof Fights to Keep His Job”
Molly Walsh's otherwise good reporting here failed to quote the findings of the UVM's Faculty Standards Committee (FSC), which reviewed the evidence and the behavior of the Chair of the Department of Economics following the vote against my reappointment. Ms. Walsh had the following information yet only mentioned the committee's unanimous vote in my favor. The FSC wrote the following and sent it to the Dean:
Dr. Summa "has met the standard for reappointment based on his record of teaching a wide range of courses, including developing curricula for the Honors College, and from the satisfactory student evaluations scores he has received."
Other favorable comments were included in their evaluation yet Ms. Walsh did not include them and instead quoted negative comments made by the Dean and Chair.
Furthermore, later one of the members of the FSC, made up of distinguished, veteran professors who review many Chairs and their conduct, came forward to say "the entire committee believes the Chair was out to get" me. This whistleblower confirmed what many already believed. This fact was entered into evidence at the Labor Board, which chose to ignore it.
Finally, a former UVM official wrote to me and told me after reviewing the facts of my case that I had "clearly" been given a "prejudicial" review by the Chair and Dean and that I had been "targeted" for removal by the Department of Economics and that the Dean "took the side" of the Chair.
Unfortunately, SevenDays has yet to investigate any of these facts despite repeated requests. Ms. Walsh thus gets a C+ for her overall reporting. Hopefully she will do better in the future.