Shared Governance

Crisis In Public Higher Education

Public education in many states is facing a crisis, with sharp budget cuts, unprecedented attacks on faculty status and rights, and swelling enrollments.

Idaho State University Suspension Of Faculty Senate Unjustified

In February, the Idaho State Board of Education (which governs public higher education in the state) voted unanimously to suspend the faculty senate at Idaho State University, on the recommendation of ISU president Arthur C. Vailas, and directed the president to “implement an interim faculty advisory structure.” In justifying its decision, the board referred to an “impasse” between the administration and the senate following several years of conflict over issues of academic governance that culminated in a faculty vote of no confidence in Vailas one week before the board meeting.

Governance Conference

The AAUP’s annual governance conference was held November 11–13, 2011, in Washington, DC. The conference included training workshops for faculty leaders from around the country as well as presentations of papers and research. Workshops focused on ways to make faculty senates effective, the relationship between collective bargaining units and faculty governance bodies, the impact of the US Supreme Court’s Garcetti decision on governance, and how faculty governance bodies can analyze institutional budgets.

AAUP Investigating Governance Issues at UVA

On June 8, the University of Virginia Board of Visitors asked for and obtained the resignation of Teresa Sullivan from the presidency of the university without explanation to her, the other chief administrative officers, or the university’s faculty and student body of the specific grounds for its displeasure with her performance.

AAUP Releases Statement on Confidentiality in Academic Governance

A draft statement released in November by the AAUP argues that requiring faculty members to sign confidentiality agreements as a condition of serving on university committees is in most cases inconsistent with widely accepted standards of shared governance and with the concept of serving as a faculty representative. This argument does not apply to those serving on promotion and tenure committees and similar bodies, where faculty members do not serve as representatives but instead are elected to exercise their own professional judgment in interpreting and applying relevant criteria.

AAUP Hosts Governance Conference

The AAUP held its annual governance conference October 26–28, 2012, in Washington, DC. The event featured workshops, panels, a reception, and plenary addresses discussing the role of the faculty in university governance. Presenters included Rudy Fichtenbaum, president of the AAUP; Larry Gerber, chair of the AAUP’s Committee on College and University Governance; B.

Power and Competence

Last October, Matthew Goldstein, chancellor of the City University of New York, wrote a letter to CUNY faculty in which he claimed: “The authority for the governance of the University on all matters rests with the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees has delegated a significant role to the faculty on academic matters, and the faculty have the right to exercise their professional judgment in fulfilling that role.

The Removal and Reinstatement of UVA’s President

The AAUP has published the report of its investigation into the University of Virginia governing board’s attempt last June to remove Teresa Sullivan from the university presidency. The report documents a major breakdown in governance at UVA, focusing on the role of the board of visitors and its rector, Helen Dragas, who initiated the effort to force the president’s resignation.

Faculty Communication with Governing Boards

College and university governance works best when every constituency within the institution has a clear understanding of its role with respect to the other constituencies. It works best when communication among the governing board, the administration, and the faculty (not to mention the staff and students) is regular, open, and honest. Too often the president serves as the sole conduit for the governing board and the faculty to communicate with each other. While this practice may be efficient, it rarely enhances understanding between governing boards and faculties.

Faculty Members on Boards of Trustees

During the 2011–12 academic year, a group of faculty and student researchers at the Cornell Higher Education Research Institute (CHERI) gathered information on which public and private institutions had faculty members on boards of trustees and obtained the names of the faculty members serving in these roles.1 In April and May 2012, we conducted a web-based survey of those faculty trustees to learn about their experiences as board members.

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