Update #22

New Laws Strengthen Shared Governance

Barbara Altmann, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Professor of French
July 23, 2013

Governor John Kitzhaber will soon sign Senate Bill 270 into law, creating an institutional Board of Trustees at the University of Oregon. This new Board of Trustees is good for the UO on many fronts, including the long-standing tradition of shared governance.

Under the law, the board will include a faculty member, which means the faculty will have a guaranteed seat at the table. Legislators left it to the governor to decide whether the faculty member will be a voting or non-voting member. Either way, faculty members are assured a voice in key decisions affecting the UO.

In addition, a separate measure passed by the 2013 Legislature directs Oregon’s universities to enter into achievement compacts with the Oregon Education Investment Board for each fiscal year. To accomplish this, UO will be required to form an “achievement compact advisory committee” that must also include faculty members. This committee will have a strong influence on UO’s academic goals.

There has been much debate in Salem and in Eugene about shared governance within the state’s higher education system. The University’s latest counterproposal not only reflects these recent legislative changes but also reaffirms the long-established practice of a collegial system of shared governance at UO.

The counterproposal specifically states that faculty members have “primary authority over choice of method of instruction; subject matter to be taught; academic standards for admitting students and standards for student competence in a discipline.”

The faculty, subject to the oversight of the Board and Legislature, may also determine the course of study to be pursued at the UO as well as the teaching materials to be used.

The counterproposal speaks to the University President’s dual role as the president of the faculty and his authority to “direct the affairs of the university.” It acknowledges that any final decisions concerning the UO legally belong to the Board of Trustees.

At the same time, the message is clear that the board should only contradict faculty decisions in “rare instances” and for “compelling reasons.”

This contract language, coupled with the new laws, underscore the vital role of shared governance between the University’s governing board, president, and faculty and will guarantee continued academic excellence.

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