To: Governance Committee

 

From: Carl Caldwell, Caroline Quenemoen

 

Re: Ideas about Faculty Senate

 

Date: Feb. 25, 2004

 

 

Here, in outline, are the ideas that we talked about on Monday.

 

                 I.     Representation: The Faculty Senate would consist of faculty representing all 31 departments in 4 schools with departments as well as the three schools without departments (Music, Business, Architecture). Representatives would be elected from individual units, which could be broken up in a variety of ways.

a.     Example #1: Each school receives a certain number of representatives according to the number of tenure-track professors, which are divided up among the departments. E.g. in Humanities most departments would elect one representative, but a couple of smaller departments (e.g. German, Classics) might have to team up for a representative. Schools without departments, e.g. Jones School, might receive several representatives, either elected at large within Jones or according to subgroups. Total # around 30-35.

b.     Example #2: Each department, regardless of size, elects a representative, with similar representation among schools without depts. as above. Total # around 30-35.

c.     Example #3: Combination of Example #1 and at large positions representing specific populations: e.g. additional positions reserved for asst. professors, additional at-large positions, and so on. Total #: 40-45.

                   II.     Authority of the Faculty Senate: Senate would take over most of the tasks of the existing Faculty in our existing system of governance. They would

a.     vote on important matters, whether once or twice, such as curriculum, calendar, policy, and so on, at regular meetings (perhaps 1/month);

b.     elect a Deputy Speaker;

c.     elect an executive body (Steering Committee) as well as an administrative body (Committee on Committees) from their ranks to assist the Speaker in setting agenda;

d.     receive reports from standing committees that currently report to University Council;

e.     provide a pool to staff a number of other committees, including ad hoc committees.

                     III.     Authority and Composition of the Steering Committee: Steering Committee consists of [5+x] tenured members elected from each of  the schools (Jones, Architecture, and Shepherd would constitute one school) by the Faculty Senate as well as Speaker and Speaker Elect of the Faculty. Steering Committee would have the power to set the agenda for the meetings and be empowered to engage in day-to-day business of the Senate.

                     IV.     Speaker of the Faculty: The Speaker would be elected directly by the faculty at the beginning of each year or at the end of each year for a three year term as Speaker Elect; Speaker; and Former Speaker. Speaker Elect and Speaker would serve on the Steering Committee, and Former Speaker would serve on the Committee on Committees. Speaker would have basically the same authority as the current Speaker, but the three-year term would provide for more continuity.

                   V.     Arguments for this form of representation:

a.     Ensures connection at the most local level to faculty governance.

b.     Involves a larger number of faculty in governance, but without entailing (necessarily) the same level of commitment.

c.     Ensures continuity on the level of executive (three-year term as Speaker).

d.     Eliminates the dysfunctional role of the Faculty as a whole in the existing system.

                     VI.     Issues that still need to be addressed:

a.     Would the Steering Committee also serve as the basis for Promotion and Tenure (with the addition of presidential appointees and Provost)? That would make sense‹and indeed, that's what FC currently does.

b.     Would the Committee on Committees serve as the basis for Appeals and Grievances, which could draw from the members of the Senate for any given case?

c.     Could the Speaker be given some kind of compensation, e.g. one course off a year, to compensate for the major commitment?

d.     What would the composition of the Committee on Committees look like?  It would probably include both tenured and non-tenured faculty.  It's not clear whether school representation is as important as for this committee as for the Steering Committee.