Following my last post, I received a frustrated response from an anonymous reader. I invite you to scroll down and read the comment on my last post below, but the gist of the reader's comments are captured in this opening statement:
"As faculty regent, what have you heard or know about any transition plan for MSU's future? Are we going to hear anything official before the end of the semester? You are our representative on the board but we haven't heard much from you lately about what is going on either. "
Let me say from the outset that I share the reader's frustration. My own department is being split up, and I will be part of the new "Department of Literature, Linguistics, and Writing" (I didn't choose the title). Our Dean met with us just last week, and, although the faculty posed many good questions, we received nearly no answers. Basically we were told that the new department would exist as of 1 July 2009, but we have no idea who our chair will be. We will have to construct new department committees, write a new FEP, figure out where we are positioned in the new General Education, and so on. We expressed our dismay and frustration to the Dean, but we really received no answers to the questions that most concern us.
In the Faculty Senate, I have seen the same situation play out. Senators from those departments most affected by the restructuring and members of the Governance Committee (who will face the enormous responsibility of recrafting the Senate Constitution and committee descriptions and probably some PAcs as well) can get few specific answers from the Provost.
While I realize that restructuring is a complicated business and that one decision often affects a dozen more, most faculty--and indeed most chairs and deans--do not have a clear idea of how the audit recommendations (including restructuring) will be implemented. It is now late April, and we need some clear and direct answers from the Provost's Office before the end of the term.
(On the issue of having so many interim administrators, I am also deeply concerned. Let me comment on that issue in a separate post later.)
As I have reported in previous posts, I have discussed these matters with the President on several occasions, and I have communicated these concerns to the BOR. I will continue to voice your concerns, complaints, and suggestions to the President and the administration, and in fact I am scheduling a meeting with the President very shortly to discuss this matter.
I wish that I had more answers.
Yes, stay strong. Stay strong in your enthusiasm to teach your classes and pursue your research and creative projects. Stay strong in your desire to make this institution better. Stay strong in your resolve to ask difficult questions and voice minority positions. Stay strong in your defense of academic freedom and shared governance. Yes, it's kind of a goofy saying, but I still hope that MSU faculty, in the face of enormous challenges, will indeed
Stay Strong,
Ron
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3 comments:
I must agree with Comrade Morrison.
We must remain strong and work harder. We must work harder.
Starting this week I will get up an hour earlier and work harder to accomplish more. If we all just work harder things will get better.
Boxer
There are many unresolved issues, open positions, and unanswered questions that remain at this time. Since we have not heard anything more about these and we are at the end of our semester, it looks like it will all happen during the summer when faculty are gone. It would seem that our faculty-driven process and full transparency isn’t much of a priority at this point if it existed at all.
Will the Faculty Senate meet over the summer or the Board of Regents meet during the summer? Will you be around to check on these issues over the summer?
Love the anonymous posts. I think I'll be as mysterious.
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