Susan Fuhrman

Susan Fuhrman is the tenth president of Teachers College, Columbia University.^[1] Fuhrman earned her doctorate in political economy from Teachers College. She became very engaged in issues of educational equity, and became an authority on school reform. Fuhrman served as the Dean of the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education for over ten years,^[2] where she is widely credited with elevating Penn GSE to enhanced national stature by "focusing on themes of urban and international education and broadening involvement with schools in underserved communities..."^[3] Prior to her service as dean at Pennsylvania, Fuhrman taught at Rutgers University, where she was the director of the Center for Policy Research in Education.^[4]

In 2007 Fuhrman was named one of New York's 100 most influential women by Crain's New York Business.^[5] In 2009, she also became president of the National Academy of Education.^[6]

The "Plagiarism" Controversy at Teachers College

At the start of Fuhrman's tenure as Teachers College President in August, 2006, she faced a contentious set of issues involving Professor Madonna Constantine, who had been Chair of the Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology. When Constantine went on sabbatical in January 2006, faculty had elected Suniya S. Luthar to replace her. Luthar was told of several instances of plagiarism by Constantine, and had conveyed these to the Dean at the time, Darlyne Bailey. As Bailey left Teachers College for the University of Minnesota and Fuhrman took over as President, Fuhrman hired an external team of lawyers to investigate charges against Constantine.^[7][8] Reportedly, the investigation was handled by a law firm rather than a faculty committee because the administration feared that any missteps could open the College to litigation.^[9]

After months of investigation, the law firm spoke to Constantine in August 2007 to get her version of the story. A few months later as the College was close to releasing results of the investigation,^[10] a noose appeared on Constantine's office door. Someone blamed Luthar to the police and media.^[11][12][13] Fuhrman told the New York Times that she had "heard nothing but accolades" about Professor Constantine from her students.^[14] Regarding Luthar, Fuhrman told the New York Post that "the dispute between the two women...started more than a year ago. I’m not going to speculate on this investigation and its connection to this [incident]. I’d be outraged and horrified if it was connected.” ^[15] Several days later, Fuhrman expressed regret, in her State of the College address, that "...in an effort to protect (Professor Luthar's) privacy, and under legal advice not to comment about her in response to any questions about the incident, even when asked specifically about her -- we didn't offer her the public support she deserves".^[16][17]

In February 2008, conclusions from an 18-month investigation by the law firm were that that Madonna Constantine had in fact plagiarized the work of others.^[18] Reprimanded for multiple instances of plagiarism,^[19] Constantine was to face unspecified sanctions at the College.^[20]

In a formal grievance to the Teachers College Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC) dated March 11. 2008, Constantine indicated that she was exercising her right to appeal both the law firm's findings and the College's sanctions, and she alleged unequal treatment by President Fuhrman. The FAC conducted their own investigatory process between March and May 2008, and in a written document dated June 4, 2008, indicated that Constantine's appeal was not "substantiated." ^[21] In a letter dated June 12, 2008, Constantine’s appointment at Teachers College was officially terminated.^[22][23]

Constantine filed a lawsuit against Teachers College in October 2008, alleging that her termination was "arbitrary, irrational, and unauthorized,"^[24] but the suit was "disposed". She then filed a defamation lawsuit against Teachers College in April 2009.^[25] In March 2010, she lost one of three lawsuits against the College.^[26] In March, 2012 — six years after concerns about plagiarism were first raised at Teachers College—the New York State Supreme Court affirmed the dismissal of Madonna Constantine's defamation lawsuits against Teachers College and others.^[27]

The Budget, Bonuses, and Pearson Controversies

At a faculty meeting In May 2013, the Teachers College faculty almost unanimously voted to reject the College's proposed 2013-2014 budget. ^[28] This vote arose from the discovery, by TC's Faculty Executive Committee, that senior administrators had given themselves bonuses from the college's 2011-12 budget surplus, with a total amount of $315,000 distributed. Of this amount, Fuhrman reportedly received the largest bonus of $90,000, and Vice President for Finance and Administration Harvey Spector received the second largest amount of $50,000. Faculty and students alike were deeply troubled by this discovery, especially in light of the administration's proposal to include a tuition increase of 4.5% in the budget for the 2013-14 fiscal year ^[29]

Soon after the May 2013 faculty meeting, a group of students wrote a letter ^[30] strongly criticizing President Fuhrman for her association with the for-profit company Pearson Education, and for her decision to bestow a 2013 Medal for Distinguished Services to NYS Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch who is well known known to promote standardized testing. Fuhrman serves on Pearson's board, and reportedly owned $272,088 in Pearson stock in May 2013.^[31] Her association with Pearson was troubling also in light of New York State's recent decision to adopt Pearson’s Teacher Performance Assessment in order to be considered for certification, with each teacher's assessment entailing a fee of $300 to Pearson.^[32] When Merryl Tisch spoke at the 2013 graduation ceremonies, some students staged a quiet protest, holding up signs that said, “NOT A TEST SCORE.” ^[33]

Fuhrman's responses to these various concerns were delineated in an letter sent to the Teachers College community.^[34] She noted that performance-based bonuses are common at colleges across the country and at TC, bonuses are calculated and awarded "solely by the Board of Trustees and not by the administrators"; at the same time, she indicated that during "this times of financial uncertainty", she would ask the Trustees to forgo giving bonuses to her and other senior staff. Regarding her service on the Pearson board, Fuhrman indicated that the TC Board of Trustees has reviewed this service (which had commenced before her tenure as TC president), and believed that it is beneficial for educators' perspectives to be represented in private sector entities involved in education. Regarding the medal for Tisch, she said, "Whether one agrees with specific aspects of the chancellor’s policies, her positive impact on the lives of New Yorkers is evident in her many accomplishments in public education over the years as well as her enormous contributions in health, human services, and the arts." ^[35]

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