Starting with Lou Anna K. Simon, there is a lack of commitment to ethics and moral behavior. I am in what is considered to be "upper administration" at MSU, therefore I have seen the underbelly of the policies and practices that come from the Admin Building.
As said by a colleague, "Lou Anna doesn't just want to control the key pieces of power. She wants to control ALL the pieces." Well spoken. Having risen up through the layers of administration of MSU for her entire career, she now sets a tone of conformity to her wishes. She is known, and feared, for her vindictiveness and inability to tolerate those who have different opinions, let alone anyone who opposes her.
This tone of conformity ripples down from the central administration, permeates much of the administrative structure of MSU, and has resulted in a banality of evil. That is, so many of MSU's administration is staffed by mediocre talents intent upon pleasing central administration as opposed to performing their jobs in an ethical fashion.
The poor treatment of an exiting Provost and some Deans is an example of how the upper administration treats people who are honest and capable yet disagree with President Simon.
By their willingness to conform and carry out the policies of central administration, the mid-range administrators perpetual a culture of intolerance towards difference and healthy disagreement. They rely more upon personal advantage than ethics to guide their decisions.
The result? A banality of evil. Those staffing the everyday positions and mid-range positions are not "evil", but by serving their self-interest they allow a larger malignant and paranoid central administrative structure to create a culture of intimidation.
This is most certainly not what a university should be about. MSU should be fair better than what it is now.
