May 29, 2005

William M. Plater

Executive Vice Chancellor

IUPUI

Administration Building 108

355 North Lansing Street

Indianapolis, IN 46202-2896

Dear Dr. Plater:

The recent decision to curtail the Division of Labor Studies at Indiana University, and especially to terminate the employment of full-time faculty members, is very disturbing to me, as a professor at a public university with a similar mission to provide relevant and geographically accessible programs to the public. I am also deeply concerned by the apparent failure to consider alternative budgetary proposals, and by the way in which the decision-making process bypassed seniority and faculty governance.

I urge you to reconsider this decision, and to find ways to reverse the dismissal of professors Mishler, Mulder and Sovereign. The field of labor studies, and especially its provision at regional centers where non-traditional potential students can benefit from it, would seem to be a central element in the mission of your university, as of mine. I hope that a solution to this problem can be found quickly.

Sincerely,

Dr. David Laibman

Professor, Economics