(Fwd) [NHCOLL-L:367] RE: Response to e-mail re: Fred Utech and

[Michael Vincent]

Dear All:

This response to the Crisis at CM message came across NHCOLL.
M.A.Vincent

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1999 21:29:10 -0800 (PST)
From: Karl Hutterer <hutterer at U.WASHINGTON.EDU>
To: nhcoll-l at lists.yale.edu
Subject: [NHCOLL-L:367] RE: Response to e-mail re: Fred Utech
and Sue
Thompson

Colleagues,

this is a response to the e-mail sent to the nhcoll list by Allison
Cusick
about recent personnel actions taken at the Carnegie Museum of
Natural
History in Pittsburgh.

I was a member of an external review committee that visited the
CMNH last
year, although I was not part of a specific review of the herbarium
there.
Because of my earlier involvement, I was disturbed by the tenor of
the
e-mail, since it did not conform with what I had learned about
strategic
directions as well as personnel policies that I had observed there. I
communicated with some members of the leadership at the CMNH
to learn more
about what has happened. I am satisfied about three things: (a)
that the
e-mail by Cusick contains serious misinformation and distortions,
and (b)
that the personnel actions taken at the CMNH were proceeded by
due
process, and (c) that the leadership of the CMNH fully intends not
only to
safeguard the herbarium and botanical research at their institutions
but
also to improve it.

Ellsworth Brown, President of the Carnegie Museums and Library,
has given
me permission to forward to you the e-mail below. You will find it
below
my signature line.

Let me close by saying that the wide circulation of inaccurate
information
in this matter does not serve well either the CMNH and its efforts to
foster strong research programs nor the two individuals who were
dismissed.

Sincerely,

Karl Hutterer

**************************************************************************
* Karl L. Hutterer, Director Burke Museum of Natural History and
Culture
University of Washington, Box 353010 Seattle, WA 98195-3010
(206) 543-2784
phone (206) 616-7583 fax
**************************************************************************


On Thu, 2 Dec 1999, Brown, Ellsworth wrote:

> Your announcement of personnel actions at Carnegie Museum of Natural
History
> is inaccurate in several respects, and I thought that you would
> appreciate knowing that you have encouraged responses to it by using
> mistaken assumptions.
>
> First, we do not comment on personnel actions as a matter of policy.  I
> am sure that you would want this policy to pertain for you and your
colleagues.
> This means that your only source of information about the action is from
> employees who were involved.  Thus, while no specific reasons are
> provided to others, they were provided to the employees.  We did not use
> "secret inquisitors," but we do seek respected outside advice-we have,
> in fact, a new tradition of creating visiting committees including one
> for our Nature Reserve that convened about a month ago.
>
> Loans acquisitions are corporate matters that are not dependent upon
> individuals, and acquisitions and loans are therefore not in limbo.
>
> As for the remainder of you e-mail memorandum, as you say, you do
speculate,
> but inaccurately and inappropriately.  Your speculation is uninformed
> and quite inaccurate, and I would suggest that speculation is an
> inappropriate reason for anyone-especially a scientist whose standards
> should be
higher-to
> salt the kind of innuendo you have written.
>
> The Museum's mission is being rewritten by a group of trustees, CMNH
staff,
> and me; the second meeting occurred this week, in fact, and the current
> mission is not now functionally applicable.
>
> As to the suggestion that the dismissals were "arbitrary," let me say
> that my role as President of Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh and Carnegie
Library
> of Pittsburgh is to protect these corporations, not to advance or permit
> individual agendas with the human resources arena.  The corporations are
> protected if our employees are treated fairly and if our employees treat
the
> organizations fairly.  Therefore our staff does not have leave to take
> unilateral, unchecked personnel actions.  I assure you that neither
hirings
> nor dismissals here are arbitrary, or anything but thoughtful and fair.
>
> You may certainly encourage protest.  We respect your right to do so.
> But we hope that you will right the incorrect information you have
> distributed and express instead your personal support of the individuals
> and, at the same time, your concern for our institution and the fine
> collection it
holds
> in trust.  We share this concern.  To encourage protest on inaccurate
> grounds will have the effect, especially among our lay leadership, of
> diminishing respect for the professionals in the field, while responses
> framed within accurate information will be respected.
>
> Finally, the business and the address for Frank Brooks Robinson are in
> error.
>