UTA president Karbhari faced investigation over online education before stepping down
UT Arlington president Vistasp Karbhari, who stepped down Wednesday, had faced a complaint filed to the state auditor regarding the university’s online education recruiting and enrollment practices.
The investigation, conducted by a third party firm, began in March 2019, and a final report was provided in October to the University of Texas System. At the end of the year, Karbhari informed UT Chancellor James Milliken that he intended to step down and pursue other opportunities, according to a spokeswoman with the UT System.
The Star-Telegram filed an open records request for the complaint earlier this week but has not received it. The UT System did not respond to an immediate request to share the report and did not share conclusions from the report. Karbhari has not responded to interview requests.
In a January letter to Karbhari, Milliken formalized the president’s plan to step down. Milliken wrote, “it is important to the momentum of UTA that we can provide for a smooth transition to a new president.” Karbhari’s resignation as president is effective August 31, 2020.
The news of the investigation caps a turbulent week at UT Arlington, where rumors had swirled about Karbhari’s handling of UT Arlington’s online education and his leadership style. Earlier today, the Faculty Senate shared with the entire faculty a letter it sent to the UT System outlining concerns about Karbhari regarding diversity and inclusion and budgeting that had developed the last several years.
“The Faculty Senate at the University of Texas at Arlington has long-standing concerns regarding the central administration of the university (the President, Vice Presidents, the Provost, and their offices specifically) that have not been adequately addressed despite years of discussion in the President’s Advisory Committee (PAC), Senate, and open forums,” the letter read.
The letter pointed to problems with budgeting and with leadership not filling vacated dean and vice president positions. It brought up a damning 2016 study about the campus climate for women that was not released until this month, despite multiple requests from faculty.
“This not only demonstrates a seeming lack of commitment to campus inclusion and diversity,” the letter read, “but displays a disregard for the faculty/staff time and effort of the Task Force, comprised completely (save one) of women. The findings of the report point to serious on-going issues for women on campus that need to be addressed.”
The Faculty Senate emphasized the letter had not come in response to recent events but had been planned and discussed since last fall.
Karbhari also faces a gender discrimination lawsuit from a former administrator. In the lawsuit, filed last month, Deborah Robinson alleged that he engaged in bullying and retaliatory behavior against her and other women employees.
Karbhari, who is one of three finalists for president of the University of Central Florida, brought up the lawsuit unprompted during a job interview at the Central Florida campus Thursday. “Universities get sued by a variety of factors, people who leave who are upset they are being asked to leave. And the president has to make the right decision for the university and the leadership team,” he said. “Sometimes those decisions are extremely difficult but they have to be made for the benefit of the entire university. Most times what happens is that the press talks about it...What you don’t hear about later is when most of these lawsuits are dismissed because they have no basis. I can absolutely unequivocally tell you this one has no basis.”
Since 2013, when Karbhari took over as president, UT Arlington’s full-time enrollment has swelled from 33,000 to nearly 50,000 students, according to Department of Education statistics. Its online offerings have grown at an even greater rate. As of fall 2017, according to System records, UT Arlington offered 625 online courses, up from 232 in 2013, and it had nearly 20,000 students enrolled in online courses, up from 10,000 in 2013. Some 50% of students took at least one online course.
The resignation agreement between Karbhari and Milliken included details about Karbhari holding tenure as a faculty member in the aerospace, civil and mechanical engineering departments. It indicated his salary would be set at the average of the three highest salaries in the aerospace and mechanical departments.
Milliken commended Karbhari’s work with the university’s expansion of degree programs and increasing numbers of students of color.
“You have much to be proud of,” he wrote, “and UTA is in a strong position today.”
This story was originally published March 6, 2020 at 5:46 PM.