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

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

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

Changes in Upcoming BOR Meetings (Updated)

First, let me post a revised meeting schedule for the MSU BOR and then offer some explanations:

Tuesday, 11 August Special Meeting

Thursday, 17 September Work Session

Wednesday, 30 September Special Meeting

The main reason for the Special Meeting in August is to swear in our new Regents and have an orientation session. (You may remember that Lexington lawyer Julie Butcher was appointed this summer by the Governor. Also, earlier in the spring Terry White was elected by the staff to serve as Staff Regent, and Kyle Yarawsky was elected SGA President and Student Regent.) If there are substantive issues on the agenda (which I have not yet seen), I will be sure to post them here. After lunch, the Regents will participate in the groundbreaking of the Student Recreation Center.

I may receive more information concerning the Work Session in September, but I would assume that meeting will be used to provide an update on the academic re-organization and other topics. Again, I'll let you know what I find out.

The September 30 meeting was originally scheduled for the BOR to meet briefly with Dr. John Moore, who is conducting the comprehensive Presidential Review for Penson Associates. (Expect more information on that review process later. But please mark 30 September and the first couple of days of October on your calendar, since Dr. Moore will be meeting with many faculty in groups or individually over several days.) But the "Special Meeting" status allows us to conduct business, so I would also expect to handle some routine matters, such as a quarterly financial report and personnel actions. Again, as the agenda shapes up, I will report back to you.

All of these meetings and work sessions are public, and you are welcome to attend if you would like. If you are available, you might also like to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Student Recreation Center on 11 August.

P.S. I'm still waiting for some information on faculty hiring and an organizational chart for Academic Affairs. Getting information over the summer is often slow. (See the previous post and comments for a context.)

Update: I have now seen an agenda for the 11 August meeting. The only item besides the swearing in of new regents and an orientation session is the election of a Vice Chair.

Ron