College of Liberal Arts faculty members have submitted a petition to keep CLA Dean Gerry Riposa from stepping down after the announcement that he will resign in June 2012.
The petition was sent to Cal State Long Beach Provost Donald Para and contained more than 100 signatures, 75 percent of which were from CLA department chairs, according to an email to CLA faculty from Alexandra Jaffe, a linguistics professor.
CLA faculty began the petition after concerns and unanswered questions arose from Para’s announcement of Riposa’s resignation during a CLA on-campus retreat in mid-April.
“The petition shows a heartening show of support for Dean Riposa and a genuine concern for an uncertain future with our budget,” Para said.
The petition acknowledges Riposa for “his strong leadership, exceptional skills in the areas of budget, enrollment management and fundraising, and the fairness and vision that he has demonstrated,” Jaffe said.
Riposa responded via email, thanking the faculty for the support.
“However, the decision that I step down as Dean of CLA at the end of the next academic year is firm and final,” he wrote.
Riposa stressed there was ample time to plan the transition.
“Now is the time for all of us to work together to build for the future,” Riposa wrote. “To enable us to begin to do that, I ask you to respect the decision.”
Riposa declined an interview with the Daily 49er.
Students from multiple organizations in CLA, such as the College of Liberal Arts Student Council, also expressed concerns.
In a letter to CSULB President F. King Alexander, CLA student organizations stated they were concerned about the university’s lack of transparency and lack of discussion with students about the decision.
“Students must be factored into and participate in every step of this decision-making process, from conception to completion,” the CLA student organization letter stated. “It is our hope that we can create a more transparent and student involved selection through this collaborative effort.”
Academic affairs is prepared to search for a new dean in fall 2012, Para said.
“The appropriate step is for me to meet with the department chairs and council before making a decision,” Para said. “Conversations will have to take place before deciding what we will do.”
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