Subject: Faculty Governance update
Of its recent activities, many of which are described below, SACUA particularly is appreciative of the annual opportunity in November for the SACUA chair to present a report on faculty governance to the Board of Regents. SACUA also finds the corresponding annual lunch with the regents a very useful opportunity for communication with the regents. Similarly, the private meetings SACUA has held with many of the regents have been very gratifying. It is hoped that, by the end of the academic year, SACUA will have met individually with every regent.
Another annual event for SACUA is the fall Committee on Institutional Cooperation conference for faculty governance leaders. This year’s topics and issues discussed were faculty relationships with regents, research compliance requirements, the need for younger faculty in faculty governance, open access and copyright, the mission of research universities, higher education public relations, the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics and guest Big Ten Associate Commissioner Carol Iwaoka.
Guests attending Senate Assembly meetings so far this academic year have been President Mary Sue Coleman and Provost Teresa Sullivan. Coleman spoke about the university’s budget as well as undergraduate admissions, the North Campus Research Complex, energy conservation, the regional campuses, the health care system, tuition costs, diversity and retention of graduates within the State of Michigan. Sullivan concentrated her remarks on the university’s budget. Vice President for Research Stephen Forrest was the invited speaker for Senate Assembly’s December meeting.
In October and November, in addition to meetings with Coleman and Sullivan, guests to SACUA meetings have included Vice President for Communication David Lampe, Vice President for Development Jerry May, Vice Provost Philip Hanlon, Forrest and Space Utilization Initiative Project Manager Frances Mueller. Also, Vice President and General Counsel Suellyn Scarnecchia, Vice President for Student Affairs E. Royster Harper, Associate Vice President for Finance Rowan Miranda, and Associate Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Laurita Thomas all were scheduled to meet with SACUA in December.
In addition to these invited guests, SACUA continues to work (many times through subcommittees and task forces) on the issues of the university’s budget, benefit changes, grievance process revision, open access and copyright, travel expense reimbursement and the creation of a statement on academic freedom.
(Submitted December 2009)
