Board of Trustees Remarks
Mark Taggart, Chair of the
Faculty
February 22, 2008
Thank
you, Chair Greczyn. Good morning!
First
of all, I would like to thank Chair Bob Greczyn for meeting with me earlier
this month on February 5 in his office.
It was a very productive discussion, which ranged on many topics, and I
learned many things. Bob told me that he
was always going to tell me the truth and that he loves ECU as much as I
do. So, based on that information, I can
state with confidence that nobody loves ECU more than Bob Greczyn.
I
would also like to thank Bob for sharing with me information on the “corporate
diversity initiatives” that he is practicing as President and CEO of BlueCross
BlueShield of North Carolina. He
describes a business model that has “created high-profile leadership
opportunities for many top-performing individuals, recognizing key talent and
shifting the diversity of our leadership profile.” It sounds like Bob may have found a way to
increase diversity by promoting from within his company. Perhaps some of the
diversity we seek in our leadership positions may already be here. It may require some cultivation, but I think
it might be worth the effort. I am aware
that much work is needed in order for us to obtain the diversity that is needed
for our students and our region. I know that our region, indeed, the whole
state is watching us in this effort. We
must succeed. We will be much stronger
as a university if we can reflect the diversity of our students and our
region. Nevertheless, I believe that, by
emphasizing the importance of actively recruiting a diverse pool of candidates
for faculty and leadership positions, we, too, will be able to shift the
diversity of our leadership profile.
As
many of you know, on Monday, February 18th, the Faculty Officers,
Chair of the Faculty Governance Committee, the Chancellor and the Academic
Council met for a mini-retreat that was facilitated by Dr. Judith Wegner,
former Dean of the UNC Law School from 1989-1999, and former Chair of the
Faculty at UNC from 2003-06 and current secretary of the UNC Faculty Assembly.
It was a very constructive discussion.
Many topics were approached, including:
faculty input on administrative searches, the current Board of Trustee’s
Policy on “Appointment and Review of Administrative Officers’ at ECU,” and the
implementation of that policy, the ECU Code, diversity in administrative
searches, the proposed “University Policies and Procedures” Manual, as well as
general discussions related to policy development and shared governance. A “Joint Statement” by Chancellor Ballard and
myself is one result of our mini-retreat. This statement outlines the procedures that
we will follow in order to insure faculty input in searches for senior academic
officers. Please note that, after
reviewing the information derived from the compiled “candidate ballot form,”
the appointing officer will meet with the assembled faculty of the relevant
unit in order to have a candid exchange of views regarding the finalists of the
administrative positions. Further, in
regards to the evaluation of senior academic officers, the work that the
“Leadership Development Task Force” began will be conducted by the Faculty
Governance Committee, which will bring that work to a closure before the
beginning of the 2008-09 academic year. Also, the faculty leaders, the Faculty
Governance Committee, and top administrators will work together in order to
develop a “University Policies and Procedures” manual that will provide clear
guidance on areas in which policies are needed to ensure that ECU operates effectively
and transparently.
Please
allow me to offer my sincere appreciation to Dr. Judith Wegner, who facilitated
our discussions, the mini-retreat participants: Professors Deedee
Glascoff, Marianna Walker, Dale Knickerbocker and Puri Martinez, Chancellor
Ballard, Interim Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences Phyllis Horns, Vice
Chancellor for Research and Graduate Studies, Deirdre Mageean, Interim Provost
Marilyn Sheerer, and our special guests, Bob Greczyn, Chair of the Board of
Trustees, and Bob Lucas, member of the BOT and former SGA president. I believe that we had a very constructive
dialogue and am committed to continuing that dialogue.
Thank
you.