YSU Faculty committee criticizes timing and rush in hiring

YSU officials involved in a controversial hiring made several errors, it's claimed.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A Youngstown State University faculty committee is criticizing the process used in hiring a forensics professor whose professional work in Cleveland is being questioned.
The executive committee of the YSU Academic Senate presented a memo to university President Dr. David Sweet earlier this week that raises several concerns about the Aug. 9 hiring of Joseph Serowik to a $48,000-a-year job as an instructor.
Serowik was hired even though some YSU officials knew his performance at his previous post as an examiner in the Cleveland Police Department crime lab is being audited by Cleveland.
The audit was sparked by allegations that his work in the Cleveland job was flawed and that his trial testimony about evidence contributed to having an innocent man sent to prison for 13 years for rape.
Sweet asked the academic senate's executive committee to study Serowik's hiring. The committee's input is part of an overall review Sweet is conducting regarding the matter. The review is expected to be finished in about two weeks.
The academic senate committee, chaired by Dr. Thomas Shipka, a YSU professor, raised several concerns.
Criticism
The search committee -- made up of departmental faculty and administrators -- that recommended Serowik for the job "seems not to have grasped the gravity of the allegations" lodged against Serowik in Cleveland, the academic senate group maintained.
The panel also was critical regarding the timing of the search to fill the instructor's post, noting that it occurred this summer.
They argued in the memo that the summer time frame made it difficult to convene search committee members and to carefully screen candidates because some faculty and administrators were on vacation.
The academic senate committee said that the best approach in hiring would be to "generate a strong pool of applicants and allow careful evaluation of the applicants' credentials, experience, references, etc."
Also faulted was the length of time taken to select someone from among the 16 people who applied for the job.
Other concerns
The process took about three weeks, the academic senate committee concluded. "This is insufficient time to conduct a thorough and careful search," the group's memo stated.
It also said that the search committee, the department dean and the provost were unaware Serowik had been fired from his Cleveland job because Serowik "withheld this critical information."
Once it was discovered, Serowik's hiring should have been canceled, even if Serowik sued, the academic senate committee said.
Serowik has previously told The Vindicator that he objects to the contentions made regarding his Cleveland work. He also has said he believes his performance there eventually will be validated.
YSU Provost Tony Atwater, who offered Serowik the job, declined to comment Thursday on the academic senate committee report.
Atwater has said that when he agreed to hire Serowik, he had not been informed of the questions raised about his work in Cleveland.
leigh@vindy.com