UVM says Obeng hire followed protocol

The University of Vermont neither posted the vacancy for which Yaw Obeng was hired for nor considered any other candidates, but the school says protocol was followed when making the appointment.

“The position was for a part-time adjunct faculty where, in almost all cases we look to the community for candidates without doing a national search,” said Cindy Gerstyl-Pepin, interim dean of the College of Education and Social Work. “In this case, the short timeline made the local strategy even more imperative.”

Records show the Burlington School Board this summer asked the university for help employing Obeng, a Canadian citizen the board hired as superintendent.

As a foreign national, Obeng needed a visa to work in the United States. But after spending four months and more than $20,000 applying for two different visa applications, school commissioners failed to convince federal immigration officials Obeng was a worthy candidate.

Short on options, the school board in July appealed to UVM. Federal immigration policy treats university professors more preferably than secondary school administrators. As an applicant through the school district, Obeng was subject to a visa lottery. Through the university, he was not, according to School Board Chair Mark Porter.

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In August, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service officials granted Obeng a one-year H1-B visa to teach at UVM. Based on that visa, the federal government permitted Obeng to also work for Burlington schools.

The vacancy for which Obeng was hired was created when Prof. Youngok Jung submitted her resignation July 9, said Gerstyl-Pepin. Her last day was July 31. As a tenure-track assistant professor, records show Jung earned $67,732 in the 2014-15 academic year.

Gerstyl-Pepin said she became aware of Obeng’s interest in the vacancy July 14.

According to emails between the school board at UVM officials, Obeng on July 15 met with Jane Okech, associate dean of the College of Education and Stephanie Seguino, an economics professor and vice chair of the Burlington School Board.

The interim dean said the College of Education and Social Services determined Obeng was a qualified candidate. Obeng has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s degree in education, according to his curriculum vitae.

“It was clear he would be an ideal fit from the specific English Language Larning course we needed covered that was offered twice a year,” Gerstyl-Pepin said.

UVM hired Obeng in July after securing an H1-B visa. Obeng will teach one course in the fall and spring semester, called “Language Policy Issues, Race & Schooling.” He will be paid about $4,500 per semester.

Gerstyl-Pepin said the university did not advertise the vacancy and Obeng was the only candidate considered. She described the hiring process for Obeng as standard, given the university became aware of a vacancy less than one month before the start of the fall semester.

“UVM generally uses adjunct facility to respond to short-term, short-notice needs that arise,” Gerstyl-Pepin said. “It isn’t always possible to do a national search.”

Adjunct vacancies often never appear in public listings, Gerstyl-Pepin said, and the university relies on a network of academic professionals in a given field to find qualified candidates.

At a news conference announcing Obeng’s hire Aug. 26, Gerstl-Pepin said secondary school administrators often serve as adjunct faculty at nearby universities. She said UVM would have hired Obeng regardless of his visa troubles with the city school district.

Obeng will move with his family from Ontario to Vermont in coming weeks. He said he looks forward to starting work.

“I feel excited as a 1st grader on the first day of school,” Obeng said. “The anticipation of a great event and the realization of its arrival is fantastic.”

Contact Zach Despart at 651-4826 or zdespart@burlingtonfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ZachDespart.