by
Nannan YING

 
An Analysis of the Closure
of
The Center for the Advanced Study of American Institutions and Social Movements CEIMSA
at
The University of Grenoble 3
in
June 2004

The Report of an Internship between June 15 & August 15, 2009

 

Executive Summary

I was authorized by Professor Francis FEELEY, the former Grenoble director* at the Center for the Advanced Study of American Institutions and Social Movements –(a.k.a. CEIMSA), to do a research on the closure case of this research center at Stendhal University. This is an interesting and complicated case, related to managerial behavior and organizational structure of a French academic organization directed by an American scholar living and working in France. As a third-country cross-bencher, I can see through culture differences between the two countries and find out whether the research center has positive or negative influence on the university and the students, the objective of the sudden, uninformed action taken by the university administrators. Through this research I learned a lot about  practical managerial skills and about the importance of social acculturation, and what's more important, about  courage in the quest for truth.

By means of seeking historical data, interviewing the main players, and referring to the knowledge that I learned from classes at Pierre Mendes France University, in the International Management Program, I found that it was not only the progressive scholars who lost out from the closure of this research center, but also students, colleagues, the university in general, because this center had something important to contribute to  ongoing discussions and the academic search for truth. Serious scholars and university administrators of all political persuasions should understand and respect this intellectual activity, and, if they truly believe in the sanctity of academic freedom, they do what they can to permit this exchange between progressive scholars and the rest of the academy to take place. I have concluded from this study of the history of CEIMSA at Grenoble that Stendhal University is a place where such a commitment existed. In fact, Stendhal University may have been in the forefront in the entire western academy in promoting top quality exchanges between progressive scholars and other members of the community in the field of American Studies. But the sudden closing of this research center made Stendhal University and Grenoble students the great losers in the end.

After a deep research of the case I would like to recommend that there should be no room for any form of censorship in a modern university, and I would request that the Tribunal Administratif investigate the irregular and unprofessional procedures by which these administrative decisions were implemented at Stendhal University. Furthermore, I would propose that CEIMSA be awarded the necessary financial support to continue its activities, its growth, and its important pedagogical and scientific functions at Stendhal University.

PART 1
 
Introduction

I happened to meet Professor Francis FEELEY in Spring 2008, when he mentioned  to me the turbulent history of the research center he had created and developed at Stendhal University in 2000. As a student of management, this attracted my interest because it is a very unique case involving the closing of an American-managed joint venture that was formally created by the public service sector of  l'enseignement supérieur français par les instances compétentes at Stendhal University in Grenoble, France, this event necessarily relates to culture differences, organizational behavior, negotiation techniques, and administrative management. For these reasons, I wanted to make it the topic of my internship for the International Management Program at Pierre Mendes France University where I am enrolled as a graduate student.
The research center known as CEIMSA lasted at Stendhal University from September 2000 to July 2004. Since September 2004, its web site has continued to operate at The University of California. I have found the articles posted on the CEIMSA website to supply students from both France and aboard with analytical and helpful information guiding their studies in several disciplines associated with American Studies, such as sociology, history, anthropology, social psychology, etc...  In addition, I found that many professors were impressed with the scope of material and the long list of world renowned intellectual leaders including Edward Herman (U. of Pennsylvania), Howard Zinn (Boston University), Bertell Ollman (NYU), Susan George (Paris), Douglas Dowd (Johns Hopkins University), Noam Chomsky (MIT) and many others. . . .
In June 2004, the managerial administrators at Stendhal University suddenly decided to terminate Professor FEELEY’s research center without any public democratic discussion prior to this act; nor were there any reasonable explanations forthcoming to justify the decision being taken in this abrupt manner. The effect this closure had on the research of students and on all others who were using the facilities of the centre, especially its Internet website, was drastic. The professor and his students had to stop their research activities and some had to reregister at other French universities in order to continue their research in American civilization.
During the next part I will explain the detailed process of the whole case and explore the story behind the action as well as the real reason why the university made such a rush decision. Then I will give my own recommendation on this special case.

Continued