Blog topples college president!

From today's Chronicle of Higher Education:

HOW A BLOG HELPED SINK A COLLEGE PRESIDENCY
An anonymous professor at the State University of New York College of Technology at Alfred, also known as Alfred State College, used a blog to sling criticisms at the institution's then-president, Uma G. Gupta. She left the job after statewide officials investigated the tensions between the administration and faculty members there, and many professors say the blog helped speed Ms. Gupta's departure.
Among the comments posted to the blog:
"She has little understanding of what is happening at ASC."
"Gupta's favorites are rewarded and perceived enemies punished."
"Gupta's efforts... would be laughable if they weren't so sad."
"In recent months, Gupta has become increasingly insulated from the world around her."
"The woman is suffering from borderline personality disorder."
"The college will in essence be punished for Gupta's bizarre behavior."
"She has systematically destroyed the people and the institution through her incompetence, her unwillingness to compromise, and her inability to see any view but her own."
"Gupta's leadership of Alfred State has been poisonous."

In defense of Ms. Gupta, if criticisms 1-4 were a disqualification for office, there would be a vacancy at the top at every college in America. 5-8 seem a bit harsh.

The Chronicle reports Ms. Gupta's perspective on the role of faculty blogs:

"In the hands of those who put their personal interests before the welfare of the institution," Ms. Gupta says of the blog medium, "at its best it is a bullying tool, and at its worst it is electronic terrorism."...

"Virulent blogs aren't just one person's problem; they're a problem for the whole institution," she says. "Key stakeholders — whether it's the board of trustees, the president and cabinet, or the senior leadership team — must find a way to address disenfranchised members who are ready and willing to damage the institutions."

This response echoes that of the print media, who resent the ability of blogs to circumvent their monopoly on the transmission of information. Now the blogs at Gettysburg College are pretty tame and for the most part focus on topics external to the college. But in general, seems to me bloggers and administrators should adhere to two simple groundrules:

- Administrators should welcome the presence of blogs, even ones that are critical of those at the top. Presidents should be accountable to faculty and staff at the administrations they head.

- Bloggers should be fair, not engage in libel, and not be afraid to attach their real names to anything they post (all the bloggers here use nom de blogs, but at the same time everyone knows who we are).

What I'd really like to see is bloggers unleashed on corporate America. Scott Adams got most of his ideas for Dilbert from confidential emails from disgruntled employees at myriad corporations. Imagine if every corporation had bloggers monitoring the behavior of executives and middle managers!