Cleveland hunkers down to virtual civil war

We’ve received the following extraordinary letter from the board chair of Cleveland Institute of Music, accusing members of the college’s senate of fomenting the recent unrest that led the the suspension of the head of conducting.

The letter, in both tone and content, bears no relation to the actual events that have rocked CIM.

Here goes:

Dear Cleveland Institute of Music Community,

It is a time of great achievement for CIM. With your help, our leadership has been busy carrying out its shared commitment to an initiative we have dubbed the moonshot vision, one that combines the best of CIM with industry best practices to ensure our school continues to prosper for many years to come. This vision is not simply a moral imperative, but also a pragmatic one that removes financial barriers for students and enables them to thrive.

The board of trustees tasked CIM President Paul Hogle and Provost Scott Harrison with the moonshot transformation of the institution. Both have continued to demonstrate their commitment to exceptional educational opportunities for our students and are making the changes necessary to best prepare them for future success. The board remains united in its enthusiastic support for President Hogle and Provost Harrison and is also thankful to the vast majority of our faculty and staff who have exhibited incredible dedication in helping us achieve this critical new milestone.

Recently, you may have heard about or read media reports about CIM that paint a very different picture. When false and misleading information occurs once, we take notice. When a pattern emerges, a response becomes necessary.

A public campaign designed to damage CIM is being waged by a small group of people who oppose the evolution of the institute. Reasons for this vary, but center on a desire to impose their agenda, one that serves their personal goals, onto the organization. We are disappointed in the actions of the few faculty senate members who comprise this small group.

The CIM Faculty Senate is an advisory body to the president. At its best it serves as a vital connection between leadership and the faculty; over the years, many faculty senate recommendations have been implemented, and have strengthened CIM. Today, a vocal handful of faculty have chosen the past over progress, and a personal desire for power over their students, no matter the cost to CIM’s reputation and community. Slander and defamation will find no home at CIM.

CIM students are sensational: dedicated, disciplined and a joy to work with. That the actions of a few have negatively impacted their CIM experience is unacceptable. We are currently pursuing multiple avenues of resolving this situation, including this call for those engaged in destructive behavior to stop immediately.

The CIM Board of Trustees, as well as President Hogle and Provost Harrison, remain fully committed to engaging in constructive discussion with our faculty leaders for the continued advancement of the institute; there is always room for improvement in our efforts to provide for students.

We hope that the individuals who have been ardently trying to undermine CIM’s mission will cease their disinformation campaign and refocus their efforts on working collaboratively with CIM’s Board of Trustees and administrative leaders to advance this renowned organization.

More information may be found here.

The future is bright at the Cleveland Institute of Music; we are thankful you are a part of it.

Sincerely,

Susan A. Rothmann, PhD

Chair, Board of Trustees