Today’s Detroit Free Press reports that ousted, discredited former EMU president John A. Fallon III is writing a book about his tenure at EMU. The newspaper reports that EMU lawyers have requested copies of his “book outline,” which may mean a book proposal, in court papers. Somebody will no doubt post a link the the article soon. But I have two questions about this: Who among the people who know John A. Fallon III would believe that he is capable on his own of writing a paragraph, let alone a book? And who would believe a book by him on EMU would be at all reliable? This is the former chief executive who has virtually no accomplishments as EMU president to brag about. That Fallon is apparently seriously engaged in preparing a book, or thinks the threat of doing so will help his struggle to get cash from EMU, demonstrates how badly the Board of Regents handled this president from start to finish. At no well run large organization would it have taken 5 months for the governing board to dismiss a chief executive officer who had either failed to ensure that the truth was told about a murder of a community member, or had participated in the cover up of the facts of that murder. Fallon’s sole defense for lies told to Laura Dickinson’s parents and the public about her death was that he too had not been told the truth — a defense that is premised on the president not doing his job. Letting psychopathic subordinates mislead you is not a demonstration of presidential leadership. Yet our Board of Regents – which, admittedly, was going thru a lot of confusion at the time — let Dr. Fallon stay on for months and months after the utter failure of his presidency was made plain as day.
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Huh.
I guess I think Fallon is capable of actually writing a book (heck, what else has he got going on right now?), but I have to wonder what ever happened to his wrongful dismissal lawsuit? And who would possibly publish this book, anyway? I just cannot imagine any press would be interested, and I just don’t see who the audience for this thing would be.
And I guess my advice (not that Fallon would ask for it, but…) is don’t write angry– or rather, go ahead and write a blog post or an email or a note or something else short angry, but a whole book? I mean, that’s the kind of document you have to live with for years. The idea that he’s writing a book where he is obviously going to be defensive and bitter and angry, well, it seems to me that’s pretty masochistic to keep inflicting all that on yourself.
Weird. I’m looking forward to seeing a link here.
Short article. Here it is:
Fallon had a book in mind
EMU attorneys sought outline in court
BY ROBIN ERB • FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER • FEBRUARY 28, 2008
John Fallon, ousted as Eastern Michigan University’s president last year after the administration failed to warn students and the public about a student’s slaying, has apparently toyed with the idea of writing a book about his time as president.
In court documents, attorneys for EMU recently asked for copies of a “book outline” from Fallon.
Fallon was fired in July after university officials repeatedly said they suspected no foul play in the December 2006 death of Laura Dickinson, 22.
In fact, investigators believed she’d been raped and killed.
Fallon later sued on grounds he was fired because he was going to expose EMU’s regents for conducting business in secret.
EMU attorneys asked about the book proposal in connection with Fallon’s civil accusations against the regents, Jerome Watson, an attorney representing EMU, said Wednesday. But the proposal, which a judge ordered to be sealed, offered only a “bare bones” outline of a book, Watson said. Marian Faupel, Fallon’s attorney, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Orange Taylor, 21, the former EMU student who is accused of killing Dickinson, is expected to be retried March 31. His first murder trial ended in a hung jury.
Here’s the DFP article, tho there isn’t much to it. Fallon is so full of self-pity that I imagine that he could easily write tomes and tomes of his so sad woes in no time–all with the narrow foucs on his sorry self rather than on the terrible pain that he has caused the Dickinsons and the EMU community.
In my post, I let my anger over the cruel incompetence of Dr. Fallon vent, with the caustic suggestion that he could not write a paragraph, let alone a book. No doubt he can write. I regret venting in such a personally focused way. But I admit that it is hard to ‘get over’ the harm that Dr. Fallon has done to my University, a community I’ve devoted my career to, as have hundreds of others.
I bet Laura Dickinson’s parents could write a more compelling book. I kind of hope they do now that I think of it.
I think Fallon could have a winner if he wrote about all the mistakes he made at EMU. Almost from day one, with his rear view mirror comment to the end, his tenure was filled with foolish, unnecessary errors. His hires were questionable, his firings mishandled, his appointments unconfirmed, and his total ignorance of how to function cooperatively were factors, I think, that eventually did him in. A book about “all the mistakes I made” would go a long way in giving him some credibility.
Potential Title for JF3′s new book:
I didn’t shirk my responsibilities at EMU, but if I did here’s how it happened.
Let’s be honest folks, Eastern Michigan University was a bad gig. Time will prove that your next President will inevitably face a corrupt presidency that she will soon realize just how stupid she was to accept such a micromanaged assignment. Fallon would of been better off staying in NY, rather than trusting his home roots of Michigan. I will definitely buy the book because I know it will open up many dirty secrets that are still going on behind closed doors at EMU.
Actually, the comment raises a couple of points for me:
First, in the grand scheme of things in terms of university jobs, I actually think EMU is a pretty decent gig for faculty-types, administrator-types, or even president-types. We have/had had a few things that are little more unusual around here– contentious faculty strikes and murder cover-ups to name two– but by and large, the problems we have at EMU in terms of dwindling funding, enrollment issues, the economy, etc., etc. are pretty common across the spectrum of higher education right now. What EMU has going for it is a good location geographically, great and dedicated people here (a few problematic folks of course, but on the whole, I mean), and a lot of potential. Someone who was thoughtful and careful and with a vision could do good things at EMU, I think.
BTW, the last two presidents lacked these qualities in some regard. Arguably the last three presidents, actually.
Second, what is up with Fallon’s book? Or the various lawsuits about him being fired unfairly and stuff like that?