Minutes - October 30
10/30/07
Present: Bulen, Jones, Neitzke, Pauls, Pultz, Hayes, Johnson
Absent: Miner
Minutes from the last meeting were approved. Bylaws from UGC were distributed. The group already has constitution and bylaws from Faculty Senate. Graduate Council bylaws will be distributed in the future.
Librarians have been helpful in making a thorough search of the ERIC database regarding faculty governance. Most of the material found was older, with a burst of interest evidenced in 1997-98. Our research will take a multi-pronged approach, including looking at faculty handbooks from 17 peer institutions (as defined by administration), AAUP documents, etc. Dr. Blum at UM-Rolla, who has been active in a similar change there, will also be contacted.
The group discussed how to best invite faculty input in this process. It was agreed that UGC, Grad Council, and Faculty Senate input was important, and that an effort should be made to invite ideas and concerns from the faculty at large. Any recommendations we make will eventually require support from two-thirds of the Senate and a majority of the faculty, so it is essential to invite input now. We decided to establish a public website. The website will host a discussion forum, post minutes from meetings, include resource documents (such as links to current bylaws), charge and membership of the committee, etc. In addition, faculty will be encouraged to contact committee members individually if they are not comfortable with posting comments on a public website. The group felt that transparency is critical.
The group discussed initial views concerning several broad issues raised in restructuring including:
(1) the size of the governing group
(2) how accountability can be assured
(3) the presence and participation of administration
(4) the eligibility of “partial administrators” (e.g., chairs of departments)
(5) proportionality in representation, including size of units represented and the complications posed by dual appointments
(6) the impact of curriculum review on the possible restructuring of units
The group feels that size is an issue in order to assure that the governing group can conduct business efficiently. Administrative representation is key because the unique perspective that administrators hold on broad issues and financial matters. Because full-time administrators tend to serve at the pleasure of the president, the number of administrators with voting power should be limited. In addition, mid-level administrators often bring unique perspectives to the table rooted in day-to-day implementation of broader plans. The group also feels a need to look at a table of organization that shows FTE’s in various departments and administration in order to have a better feel for the groupings.