Chancellor Lee Lambert‘s leadership of Pima Community College has come under fire from employees lately, but his bosses have given him a renewed vote of confidence.
In his second year as CEO, Lambert “exceeded expectations” for overall performance in running the school, a summary of his latest job evaluation says.
Lambert received high marks for his efforts to help the college fix problems identified by its accreditor and earned the highest possible rating, five out of five, for maintaining “a high standard for ethics, honesty and integrity in all matters.”
The summary was approved by PCC’s Governing Board on Wednesday and released in written form Thursday.
Lambert’s positive job evaluation was followed within minutes at the meeting by a lengthy speech from a faculty leader who told the board morale is so low some faculty “are saying we are going to leave.”
People are also reading…
Biology instructor Mays Imad, a faculty advisor to the board, said Lambert’s administration is not following through on promises to include faculty in academic decision-making.
For example, faculty input wasn’t sought when management hired a consultant to create an educational master plan, an oversight Imad called “a slap in the face.”
The complaints from faculty follow a recent public clash between PCC administration and staff over a proposal to require bachelor’s degrees for staff members who work as student advisors. That concept now is on hold while the college studies alternatives.
In both cases, employees cited poor internal communication as a factor in their conflicts with management.
In response to Imad’s critique, Lambert told her he expects better from his management team.
“I don’t always know what’s going on day to day. I trust my team to execute but it sounds like that’s not what’s happening,” he said, pledging to follow up and make fixes.
Governing Board members decided in August to add a year to Lambert’s contract, extending it until 2018. He also received five extra vacation days for a total of 37 — roughly equal to seven weeks of paid time off.
His annual base pay of $298,700 will remain the same. Lambert also receives an $850 a month vehicle allowance, another $1,150 a month for business expenses and a $30,000 a year tax-sheltered annuity allowance.
Lee Lambert
