Tenured DePaul professor slams firings, claims enrollment gains paved way for Stone’s removal

A strong motivation for the abrupt firing in March of two enormously popular DePaul Digital Cinema teachers was offered by a tenured DePaul University professor, who also criticized the school’s Digital Cinema (DC) program.

Professor Stephen Leucking claimed that Digital Cinema teachers David Stone and Lou Kleinman were dismissed due to their criticisms of the program’s quality.

“It is a regular practice at CTI (DePaul’s School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Informational Systems) to let faculty go if they have spoken up against poor educational practices or violation of professional standards,” Leucking said.

Oscar-winning sound editor David Stone and two-time Emmy-winning sound and dialog editor Lou Kleinman had been recruited from Hollywood to give legitimacy to the fledgling program. Their achievements were regularly touted in the school’s promotional materials.

Luecking suggested that the duo were let go after their reputations had helped sufficiently raised the school’s admission numbers.

“I don’t think David Stone would have been fired if enrollment hadn’t gone up enough,” said Leucking. “Digital Cinema was set up primarily to get enrollment.”

CDM Dean David Miller recently published statistics showing a 15.6% increase in student deposits for next year’s enrollment. He stated, “The only [DePaul] colleges/schools showing an increase in deposits at this time are Communication and CDM. Nice.”

The DC program has 350-plus students

Luecking is a professor of Computer Graphics and Animation with more than 30 years of service at DePaul and an acclaimed art practice. His comments indicate deep rifts within the faculty of CTI, which houses the cinema program, as it transitions into the College of Computing and Digital Media (CDM).

Calling Digital Cinema (DC) a “hyped-up video program,” Luecking also criticized “regular” violations of the faculty handbook, unqualified teachers, and a situation where enrollment numbers were more important than quality across CTI.

Leucking stated that, as a tenured professor, it would be “unethical” for him to remain silent. “If you’re a full professor with tenure, that’s the very reason to speak out on matters of quality,” he added.

DePaul remains silent on the reasons behind the decision not to renew the contracts of the two most professionally qualified teachers in its Digital Cinema program.

The school gave Stone and Kleinman official written notice March 20 of their immediate termination. The school closed for spring break the following day.