Report to Strategic Planning
Chair: Rotating – Chairs of the CAS FOC & CGPS FOWC
2007-2008 – Dawn Bowen & Kim Kinsley
2008-2009 – Jane Huffman & George Meadows
Charge to your group:
To develop a proposal for a new university-wide system of faculty governance, one that will represent all the faculty of the University. The primary responsibilities of this governing body will be to speak for the full faculty on matters affecting the University, to make recommendations and proposals on the university-wide academic policies and practices, and to provide advice and recommendations to the Provost, the President, and the Board of Visitors on matters affecting the University (November 23, 2007).
Provide a brief rationale as to the importance and value of your area in helping define and advance UMW over the next five to eight years:
As the University evolves a faculty governance system that allows the faculty of the various colleges to speak with one voice is critical to the effective operation of the institution. Currently, no single mechanism exists.
List a set of broad-based goals in your area that support the larger vision/goals of the strategic plan [See attached or go to the planning website
http://strategicplanning.umwblogs.org/st...].
Suggest a set of specific objectives for meeting those goals with recommended benchmarks, timetables, or measures and identify the office(s) and/ or position(s), and/or constituents responsible for meeting those objectives:
GOAL 1 – Design a university-wide faculty governance system that organizes the diverse faculty in a way that they can consider matters relevant to the faculty in all colleges, and make recommendations to the Provost, President and the Board of Visitors.
Objective 1 Conduct research into various faculty governance systems currently in use at other institutions (Completed).
Objective 2 Organize and conduct a conference on faculty governance, encouraging scholars in the field to discuss issues that might usefully inform our deliberations and colleagues from our campus and other schools to present their experiences with governance (Completed).
Objective 3 Design a university-wide model for faculty governance for submission to the existing governance structure through the CAS FOC and the CGPS FOWC (Completed).
GOAL 2 – Design a university-wide faculty governance system that coordinates common concerns, sets common quality controls, and enhances the quest for excellence throughout the University.
Objective 1 Create a joint FOC/FOWC with responsibility of moving the governance model from design to implementation (2009-2010). Representatives from the evolving College of Education and the College of Business should be included.
Objective 2 Present the new model to the President and the Board of Visitors (2010-2011).
Objective 3 Write a university faculty handbook (2010-2011)
GOAL 3 – Design a university-wide faculty governance system that maintains appropriate and adequate autonomy for each College to operate a faculty governance system appropriate for its mission.
Objective 1 As part of the planning process for the College of Business, College of Education, and the College of Arts and Sciences conduct workshops for faculty in each college to facilitate the design or re-design of individual college level governance systems (2010-2011)
Objective 2 Implement the new systems (2011-2012)
Offer a very brief summary of where UMW is vis-a-vis your area and/or a summary of the major issues/challenges/opportunities associated with your area:
The design has been completed and presented to the CAS FOC and the CGPS FOWC.
The CAS FOC has presented the design to the CAS Faculty Senate for discussion. Follow-up is currently planned for the fall semester 2009.
The CGPS FOWC will present the design to the CGPS Academic Council for discussion on April 15, 2009.
Current challenges include:
* Design assumes the formation of a College of Education and a College of Business. Implementation before those colleges exist may meet with strong resistance.
* Some CAS Faculty Senators have raised concerns about the equity provided by the model, given that the two new colleges would have significantly smaller faculty.
