In case you're considering coming to the BOR meeting on Wednesday, 30 September, be aware that the meeting starts at 8:00 a.m. and that the Board plans to go into executive session immediately after the roll call to discuss the Presidential Evaluation being conducted this week. I think Dr. Moore, the consultant from Penson and Associates, is planning on this part of the meeting lasting around an hour and a half. Thus, the public part of the meeting will begin somewhere around 9:30.
The agenda has not been posted online yet, but I have seen a draft version. While the agenda will be fairly light, but there are a few important items, including the approval of personnel actions that resulted from the reorganizations. Also the Regents will receive a preliminary report on enrollment.
Ron
Monday, September 28, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
More on Tenure--at KCTCS and MSU
The Herald-Leader reports that Attorney General Jack Conway issued an opinion that KCTCS does not have the legal authority to eliminate tenure for newly hired faculty. We should all keep a close watch on this issue. Here is a link to the story: http://www.kentucky.com/latest_news/story/947848.html
For me (and remember that I come from a department that is made up of about half non-tenure-eligible positions), the most distressing part of the article is the last sentence: "KCTCS employs 5,000 faculty members, of which 890 are tenured and 168 more are on track for tenure." Surely the numbers weren't that different last fall before the issue arose. That means that, even with a tenure system in place, only about 21% of faculty were tenured or on track to receive tenure at KCTCS.
What are the numbers at MSU? I am trying to find out as part of my work on the SACS review. But, from the national numbers I've seen, tenure is already being eroded in significant ways with the employment of large numbers of adjunct and non-tenure-eligible faculty.
On a positive note, at the last BOR workshop, Dr. Andrews made a brief statement in support of tenure at MSU. I was encouraged.
Ron
For me (and remember that I come from a department that is made up of about half non-tenure-eligible positions), the most distressing part of the article is the last sentence: "KCTCS employs 5,000 faculty members, of which 890 are tenured and 168 more are on track for tenure." Surely the numbers weren't that different last fall before the issue arose. That means that, even with a tenure system in place, only about 21% of faculty were tenured or on track to receive tenure at KCTCS.
What are the numbers at MSU? I am trying to find out as part of my work on the SACS review. But, from the national numbers I've seen, tenure is already being eroded in significant ways with the employment of large numbers of adjunct and non-tenure-eligible faculty.
On a positive note, at the last BOR workshop, Dr. Andrews made a brief statement in support of tenure at MSU. I was encouraged.
Ron
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Please Participate in the Presidential Review
If you have not received information about the upcoming review of President Andrews on 30 September through 2 October, you may want to look at the official announcement here: http://www.moreheadstate.edu/news/release.aspx?id=49672
If you are not among those faculty invited to meet in person with Dr. John Moore, you can still participate in the process by sending a signed letter with your comments (see the announcement for Dr. Moore's address).
If you are not among those faculty invited to meet in person with Dr. John Moore, you can still participate in the process by sending a signed letter with your comments (see the announcement for Dr. Moore's address).
The whole point of this evaluation is to provide Dr. Andrews with the information he needs to improve in his role as our president. You can help him and the institution as a whole by offering your perspectives.
Ron
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Some Links
First, the original link to the WKU data on evaluation of administrators is not working. Let me give you a new version that should work: http://www.wku.edu/senate/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/2009FacWellSurveySummary.html
(Thanks to Robert Royar in my department for sorting this out.)
Second, I attended the Governor's Conference on Postsecondary Education Trusteeship last week. At the conference, Kati Haycock, who works for the Education Trust, gave a talk full of eye-opening statistics about higher education in the U.S. and in Kentucky. Her presentation can be found here: http://www.cpe.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/667E5311-F5B2-4203-B003-4FE9FF298516/0/Haycockpresentation.pdf
Basically, we have made some important strides in access to higher education, but our graduation rates for lower-income students and for minority students is rather poor. There is a ton of information here that might be useful.
Ron
(Thanks to Robert Royar in my department for sorting this out.)
Second, I attended the Governor's Conference on Postsecondary Education Trusteeship last week. At the conference, Kati Haycock, who works for the Education Trust, gave a talk full of eye-opening statistics about higher education in the U.S. and in Kentucky. Her presentation can be found here: http://www.cpe.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/667E5311-F5B2-4203-B003-4FE9FF298516/0/Haycockpresentation.pdf
Basically, we have made some important strides in access to higher education, but our graduation rates for lower-income students and for minority students is rather poor. There is a ton of information here that might be useful.
Ron
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Some Comments on Convocation
If you missed Convocation, you missed a good gathering. We honored our award-winning faculty and staff. (Congrats to all of them.) We heard an informative update from President Andrews on a variety of matters, including the budget, SACS, and the academic review, among other subjects. And President Andrews and Provost Hughes took questions from faculty and staff (mainly faculty).
My first comment is that I am very proud of the questions that MSU faculty members asked. From those questions, there could be little doubt in the minds of observers from outside academia that we remain deeply committed to our teaching, professional achievement, and service work. And I am encouraged that President Andrews and Provost Hughes have consistently been willing to engage with faculty in this manner. I think this is a good sign, and Dr. Andrews told me the same thing in an e-mail the next day.
Imagine my dismay later when I heard, in a public setting no less, an Academic Affairs administrator complain about some of the questions at Convocation. Unfortunately, such actions undermine the spirit of open and honest communication absolutely crucial to shared governance. I blame neither the President nor the Provost for these remarks, but I hope they will use their influence to encourage rather than discourage faculty from voicing questions and concerns.
On a second matter, I would like to respond to a comment that Dr. Andrews made regarding the “corporate” nature of our Board of Regents. Basically, he said that the Faculty, Staff, and Student Regents do not represent constituency groups. Dr. Andrews and I have talked about this issue several times in the past, and he knows that, for the most part, I do not agree with this position.
I say “for the most part” because I do agree with some elements of the position. New Regents swear an oath to uphold the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and I am very much aware that I must represent the taxpayers of Kentucky. Moreover, I realize that I need to consider the priorities of students and their parents (whether they are Kentucky residents or not), and—somewhat more abstractly—I must serve the priorities of the ideal “University.”
But—and this I believe with all my heart—faculty are the heart and soul of the University. Without faculty, there is no University. Thus, in my role as Faculty Regent, serving faculty and representing their interests is the surest way to serve the Commonwealth, students, parents, and staff at the University.
So, yes, feel free to tell me—in person, by e-mail, through this blog, or through any other means you can imagine—what is on your mind. And tell me some positive things as well as negative. I need to be able to tell the other Regents where the faculty stands on a huge array of issues. While at the end of the day I have to cast a vote for or against some action, I promise to articulate your opinions and vote in your best interests. If I don’t, you have every right to elect another faculty member who will.
The President’s comment about the “corporate” nature of the Board also suggests the principle frequently expressed in literature from the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) that Board members will speak with “one voice.”
As you might expect I cannot entirely subscribe to this principle, and indeed other Faculty Regents across the state do not consistently follow the principle when they believe Boards are making bad policies or decisions. (One recent example would be the abolishing of tenure in the Community and Technical College system in Kentucky, and indeed the Faculty Regents condemned the action.)
While most faculty believe that the “one voice” principle is not compatible with academic freedom and the spirit of shared governance, it is also, in my opinion, an ethically untenable position for members of public boards. In recent weeks and months, you have read the allegations involving several boards of public agencies and institutions in Kentucky. It is unfortunate that some individual board members did not step up and break the “one voice” principle and perhaps spare these boards an avalanche of negative publicity.
Luckily, we work at a University that values diversity, which I think means, among other things, a diversity of opinion. I honestly believe that all of us—faculty, administrators, Board members—want MSU to develop into the best institution it can possibly be. We should value dissent and disagreement because ultimately they will make our institution stronger.
Have a great semester. Stay in touch, and stay strong.
Ron
My first comment is that I am very proud of the questions that MSU faculty members asked. From those questions, there could be little doubt in the minds of observers from outside academia that we remain deeply committed to our teaching, professional achievement, and service work. And I am encouraged that President Andrews and Provost Hughes have consistently been willing to engage with faculty in this manner. I think this is a good sign, and Dr. Andrews told me the same thing in an e-mail the next day.
Imagine my dismay later when I heard, in a public setting no less, an Academic Affairs administrator complain about some of the questions at Convocation. Unfortunately, such actions undermine the spirit of open and honest communication absolutely crucial to shared governance. I blame neither the President nor the Provost for these remarks, but I hope they will use their influence to encourage rather than discourage faculty from voicing questions and concerns.
On a second matter, I would like to respond to a comment that Dr. Andrews made regarding the “corporate” nature of our Board of Regents. Basically, he said that the Faculty, Staff, and Student Regents do not represent constituency groups. Dr. Andrews and I have talked about this issue several times in the past, and he knows that, for the most part, I do not agree with this position.
I say “for the most part” because I do agree with some elements of the position. New Regents swear an oath to uphold the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and I am very much aware that I must represent the taxpayers of Kentucky. Moreover, I realize that I need to consider the priorities of students and their parents (whether they are Kentucky residents or not), and—somewhat more abstractly—I must serve the priorities of the ideal “University.”
But—and this I believe with all my heart—faculty are the heart and soul of the University. Without faculty, there is no University. Thus, in my role as Faculty Regent, serving faculty and representing their interests is the surest way to serve the Commonwealth, students, parents, and staff at the University.
So, yes, feel free to tell me—in person, by e-mail, through this blog, or through any other means you can imagine—what is on your mind. And tell me some positive things as well as negative. I need to be able to tell the other Regents where the faculty stands on a huge array of issues. While at the end of the day I have to cast a vote for or against some action, I promise to articulate your opinions and vote in your best interests. If I don’t, you have every right to elect another faculty member who will.
The President’s comment about the “corporate” nature of the Board also suggests the principle frequently expressed in literature from the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) that Board members will speak with “one voice.”
As you might expect I cannot entirely subscribe to this principle, and indeed other Faculty Regents across the state do not consistently follow the principle when they believe Boards are making bad policies or decisions. (One recent example would be the abolishing of tenure in the Community and Technical College system in Kentucky, and indeed the Faculty Regents condemned the action.)
While most faculty believe that the “one voice” principle is not compatible with academic freedom and the spirit of shared governance, it is also, in my opinion, an ethically untenable position for members of public boards. In recent weeks and months, you have read the allegations involving several boards of public agencies and institutions in Kentucky. It is unfortunate that some individual board members did not step up and break the “one voice” principle and perhaps spare these boards an avalanche of negative publicity.
Luckily, we work at a University that values diversity, which I think means, among other things, a diversity of opinion. I honestly believe that all of us—faculty, administrators, Board members—want MSU to develop into the best institution it can possibly be. We should value dissent and disagreement because ultimately they will make our institution stronger.
Have a great semester. Stay in touch, and stay strong.
Ron
Monday, August 10, 2009
WKU Faculty Survey
I recently learned that WKU's Faculty Senate has a committee called The Faculty Welfare and Professional Responsibilities Committee. This past weekend, this committee released the results of their WKU Faculty Welfare Survey. According to a story in the Bowling Green Daily News, faculty were asked to evaluate benefits, working conditions, support services, job satisfaction, and the performance of the WKU President and Provost.
To read the story from the Bowling Green Daily News, click here: http://www.bgdailynews.com/articles/2009/08/09/news/news8.txt
To read the actual survey results, click here:
http://www.wku.edu/Dept/Org/FS/documents.htm
Would MSU benefit from conducting a similar survey? Tell your department senators if you would like to see the Faculty Senate conduct such a survey.
Ron
To read the story from the Bowling Green Daily News, click here: http://www.bgdailynews.com/articles/2009/08/09/news/news8.txt
To read the actual survey results, click here:
http://www.wku.edu/Dept/Org/FS/documents.htm
Would MSU benefit from conducting a similar survey? Tell your department senators if you would like to see the Faculty Senate conduct such a survey.
Ron
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Updates from the Provost
This summer, many faculty across campus have asked me in one form or another if any updates were available on the status of the re-organization of Academic Affairs. The Provost reports in an e-mail that she is finishing up an organizational chart for the BOR meeting on 11 August. She reports that she will consult with the President about the best method for delivering this material to faculty and staff at about the same time.
On another matter, a regular reader of this blog has asked about the report that the personnel roster approved last June (and put together several weeks before that time) contains 51 fewer faculty and staff positions from the previous year. I had promised to find out how many faculty positions are included in that number and if there are any updates on those numbers. (There are often some resignations over the summer, and SOAR numbers may influence some hirings). The Provost reports that she is working on these final numbers and will have an answer shortly.
For the context of this last question, please see the posting and comments from 27 July entitled A Reader's Comment on Faculty and Staff Positions. Both the reader and I are concerned how programs might be enhanced during a time of fiscal challenge (to put it mildly) and, it appears, a shrinking faculty. But let's get the data first.
Ron
On another matter, a regular reader of this blog has asked about the report that the personnel roster approved last June (and put together several weeks before that time) contains 51 fewer faculty and staff positions from the previous year. I had promised to find out how many faculty positions are included in that number and if there are any updates on those numbers. (There are often some resignations over the summer, and SOAR numbers may influence some hirings). The Provost reports that she is working on these final numbers and will have an answer shortly.
For the context of this last question, please see the posting and comments from 27 July entitled A Reader's Comment on Faculty and Staff Positions. Both the reader and I are concerned how programs might be enhanced during a time of fiscal challenge (to put it mildly) and, it appears, a shrinking faculty. But let's get the data first.
Ron
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