As members of the Temple University faculty, we read with consternation the President’s letter to the Temple community announcing his decision to remove Provost Dai. 

We are deeply concerned for several reasons: first, the President offers no reason why the Provost has been “relieved of his administrative responsibilities, effective immediately.”  (The financial aid budget shortfall, as reported in The Inquirer of June 29 is being easily handled.)  Actions of this magnitude must be explained and cannot seem to be made arbitrarily.  Second, the sudden nature of the decision raises serious questions about the President’s judgment, given that removal from office—“effective immediately”—usually is a response to serious allegations of malfeasance, which are not at all mentioned in this case.  And third, the President does not acknowledge the achievements the Provost has made during his tenure in office, which include moving Temple University to Carnegie I status and increasing the numbers and quality of our incoming students.  Many of the points the President celebrates in his recent letter to the Temple community are in fact the result of the Provost’s actions.  (Please see the message from President Theobald, in which the Provost office achievements are highlighted in blue and the President’s office in red.  http://pdfsr.com/pdf/tu-president-june-letter-.pdf  

As faculty devoting our professional lives to the success of Temple University, we are greatly concerned at the President’s action, and we respectfully ask the Board of Trustees, as the body charged with oversight of the University, to scrutinize with the utmost care the present and future leadership of Temple University.