Faculty Convocation
Rick Niswander, Chair of the Faculty
August 2003
I have three inter-related messages
for you today. First, to talk about Faculty
The words “Faculty
Governance” and “shared Faculty Governance” are used often on our campus (and I
will use them often today). Particularly
for faculty new to academia (and to some who have been here for a while), the
meaning of those words may be unclear.
Very broadly, Faculty Governance is the process by which we establish,
maintain, and enforce the rules and procedures that pertain to the academic
mission of the University and to the role of the faculty therein.
The next question that tends
to pop up is: why does the process of Faculty
Governance matter to me? Why should I
have an interest in Faculty Governance?
Here’s why.
If you want something to say
about the books, periodicals, and electronic databases in the library – you
have an interest in faculty governance.
If you want input on when
the semester starts and ends – you have an interest in faculty governance.
If you have opinions as to
the curriculum or the appropriate course of study for students in your discipline
– you have an interest in faculty governance.
If you want your voice to be
heard as to resource allocations – you have an interest in faculty governance.
If you want a fair and
balanced appellate process – you have an interest in faculty governance.
If you have an opinion about
the academic standards of students and the enforcement of those standards – you
have an interest in faculty governance.
And if you want to have a
say in how faculty should be evaluated for purposes of promotion and tenure and
appointment and reappointment – you have an interest in faculty governance.
In short, Faculty Governance
affects the lives of faculty, students, and administration now and in the
future. It pertains to the operation and
continued well being of
And now for message 2 – an
important task strongly connected to the process of Faculty Governance.
ECU’s Faculty Senate has a
set of 19 standing committees, one of which is the Faculty
One of the duties of the
Faculty
These policies are embodied
in Appendices C and D of the Faculty Manual.
These sections cover University policies and procedures related to: appointment of new faculty, annual faculty
evaluation, personnel files, types and characteristics of faculty appointments
(tenure track, fixed term, etc.), appointments, reappointments,
non-reappointments, promotions, conferral or non-conferral of permanent tenure,
termination of faculty, and due process policies pertaining to many of the
above issues. It is obvious that these
appendices are two of the most far-reaching sections in the Faculty Manual.
The Faculty
It is also important, in my
view, that we be proactive in our stewardship of the content of the Faculty
Thus, the following plan of
action will be initiated
1-- The
University community will be invited to provide input pertaining to suggested
changes to the faculty manual. The
invitation will specifically target Appendices C and D, but will clearly
indicate that input on any other section is appropriate and welcome. The call will insist that input contain the
what, the why and the how – what should be changed, why it should be changed,
and how the change should be made.
2--The
invitation will be made through various means including, but not limited to, this
convocation, an email to the University community using various existing
distribution lists, and announcements at meetings of the Faculty Senate, Deans
and Directors, new faculty orientation, unit faculty meetings, and other
appropriate gatherings.
3-- Input
will be provided via emails to a centralized email account and/or a web
interface. The upcoming email call will
give particulars as to email and web addresses.
4-- Output
from ongoing initiatives, such as the Commission on Scholarship, will be
incorporated into the mix.
5--
Suggestions will be categorized and compiled and a work plan will be devised. Appropriate committees will be tasked with the
components of that work plan. Potential
changes will be discussed, debated, and resolved through our established
democratic framework.
Let me be clear that this
effort is not a minor undertaking. The Faculty
Manual in general, and Appendices C and D in particular, directly affect the
personal and professional lives of 1,400 faculty members of this University – ranging
from those who are here for the first time today to those who have dedicated their
professional careers to East Carolina University.
Let me also be clear that
the undertaking will not be easy or painless.
The task is fraught with potential pitfalls, sometimes-contentious
issues, oft-strongly held beliefs, and a lot of work. ECU is composed of many constituencies with
different points of view. As in any
complex organization, sometimes those points of view cannot be fully
reconciled. Our deliberations and solutions
must be reasoned and balanced. In our process,
if we believe a change is appropriate, we need to make the change. If we believe a change is not warranted, we
need to be firm in our convictions and we need to clearly state why. The phrase “because I said so” only works for
your mother.
So, for message number
three, let me put the first two messages together. Message one was what Faculty Governance is
and why it is important, message two pertains to a major initiative we are
starting. Message three is that your
help is needed.
As a faculty, we have many
opportunities and challenges facing us this year: the aforementioned Faculty
The process of Faculty
Whether you are an old hand
or have never participated before, it is, in my view, in your best interests to
help now.
Why?
If we do not responsibly
govern ourselves, we will be governed.
If we don’t care enough
about our collective and individual academic futures, why should someone else?
More fundamentally, if we
don’t do it, who will?
So, when we get to the end
of my comments, my message today is very simple – get involved. Call the Faculty Senate office, send an email
to any of the faculty officers or senators or to Lori. Tell us you want to help. I fully expect I will need to appoint a
number of subcommittees to help with our work.
We need your ideas, your insights, and your help. You obviously need to balance your service to
Faculty Governance with your teaching and research duties, but don’t let those
duties be your excuse to not be involved.
As engaged faculty, we can
shape our future.
It is important we be
engaged because we, the faculty of ECU have a responsibility to ourselves, to
each other, and to those who follow.
I urge each and every one of
you to personally assume a small piece of that responsibility by becoming
involved in the process of Faculty Governance at
With your help, I look
forward to an exciting, challenging, and rewarding academic year. Thank you for your time, your attention, and
most importantly, your engagement.