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Door could be closing on Treviño

BY CALEB HALE AND SCOTT FITZGERALD

Tuesday, March 18, 2008 10:42 AM CDT

CARBONDALE - Southern Illinois University President Glenn Poshard is expected to decide before the end of the month whether he will fire Chancellor Fernando Treviño, who was placed on administrative leave last week.

The president announced Monday that Treviño had been put on administrative leave with pay because a list of serious concerns had been brought to Poshard's attention by campus and community officials relating to the performance of Treviño's assigned duties.

Poshard said a deep sense of obligation to the students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of Southern Illinois University prompted him to take action concerning the chancellor's position.

Carbondale lawyer Shari Rhode confirmed Monday she has been retained by Treviño as his legal counsel regarding the labor matter.

The list of concerns that Poshard spoke about will be presented to her and her client. They will review each item and submit a response, Rhode said. Rhode spent about 20 years as chief trial attorney for SIU before retiring and opening a private practice specializing in employment law and litigation.

Treviño did not a return a phone message from The Southern Illinoisan on Monday.

A former professor and dean of the School of Public Health at University of North Texas Health Science Center before being hired as SIUC's chancellor eight months ago, Trevino was technically put on leave a week ago, but Poshard didn't confirm the move until releasing his statement Monday morning.

The statement also said Don Rice, interim provost and vice chancellor, would handle the day-to-day duties of the chancellor's office until further notice.

Rice wouldn't comment directly to the media but issued a statement that revealed Trevino's leave could last for several weeks.

"In the chancellor's absence, and at the president's directive, the Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor and the Office of the Chancellor will work together to ensure that the business of the university continues uninterrupted and the obligations of the Chancellor's Office are met," Rice's statement said.

Business should continue as usual, Carbondale campus spokesman Rod Sievers said, adding Rice is capable of covering both chancellor and provost roles while Trevino is under review.

"We don't know how this process is going to end. Dr. Trevino may well be chancellor in the end; he may not," Sievers said. "Life goes on, and we have to take it one day at a time."

Poshard spoke with the campus constituency heads and vice chancellors Monday, giving them as much information as possible, SIU spokesman David Gross said. Since Trevino's performance review is a personnel matter, officials haven't discussed details out of respect for his privacy, he added.

Campus leaders that spoke with The Southern Monday knew more than they could say because of this reason.

"I can't say I saw it coming; I didn't see it coming, but as far as doing the job and how (Trevino) did, I can't comment," said SIUC Undergraduate Student Government President Demetrous White.

A single person won't make or break the university's progress, White said, but added it is unfortunate something like this would happen so soon after Trevino was hired.

Peggy Stockdale, who sat on the search committee that helped select Trevino and currently serves as president of the SIUC Faculty Senate, said the chancellor's showing during interviews was strong, but there have been concerns about the way he has addressed some of his duties in recent months.

"I think there was a sense there were concerns, but it's never been specifically talked about in any deliberate way," Stockdale said.

The Faculty Senate is scheduled to meet today, and Stockdale expects members will have a number of questions about the future of the campus' leadership.

caleb.hale@thesouthern.com  

351-5090

scott.fitzgerald@thesouthern.com  

351-5076