Spectrum - Volume 18 Issue 25 March 28, 1996 - Faculty Senate supports PTR policy

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Faculty Senate supports PTR policy

By John Ashby

Spectrum Volume 18 Issue 25 - March 28, 1996

The Faculty Senate, despite strong reservations voiced by at least one senator, voted to support the post-tenure-review policy now before the University Council. There were no "no" votes recorded.

Kamal Rojiani described the document as "very punitive and negative." Rojiani said the policy should have served as "an opportunity to help people in the course of their careers." He proposed a resolution which would require three years of unsatisfactory reviews to trigger the post-tenure-review process. The resolution to change the policy was not supported by the senate.

Paul Metz provided a timeline to senators which tracked the process under which the policy had been deliberated in the university community, and through the governance structure. The discussion began in September 1995 in the Faculty Senate. Drafts of the proposed policy have been published in Spectrum on November 9, January 18, and February 29.

Metz's timeline indicates that the policy is up for second reading in the University Council meeting scheduled for April 1. The vote to support the proposed policy at the March senate meeting means that only minor editorial changes will be made in the document which was submitted to the council for first reading on March 18.

The senate discussed efforts now under way to draft a proposal which would replace the university's governance structure with a body tentatively called the University Assembly. Charles Goodsell, representing the writing group which presented a white paper for discussion by senators and the university community, said members of the writing group are meeting with small groups of staff and faculty members to gauge their reaction to the proposal. Goodsell said he was "extremely encouraged by the reaction" to the proposal." It was also clear, Goodsell said, that "we will want to reconsider a great many of the aspects of the white paper" in view of reactions to it. Goodsell said he hopes to have the Faculty Senate vote on the concept at the April 23 meeting. If the senate supports the concept, work on details of the proposal will continue over the summer.