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Review
It is time to review the present organizational
structure and definition of responsibilities by position.
Hopefully, there can be some enlightened modifications to
the present system that will better balance operational and
educational matters, and establish a more favorable situation
for faculty. Reform can only benefit the educational environment
for faculty, students, and in the end, the university itself.
It appears that the departmental system is being eliminated
for reasons based on financial considerations and establishing
greater administrative control. It
is more reasonable to make decisions that favor the institutional
mission of education. There can be no question but what each
program should have appointed or elected leadership, some
degree of financial autonomy and some restricted studio space.
The conditions are essential and most conducive to the best
interests of faculty and students. It can be presumed that
what is beneficial for faculty and students should result
in a more productive faculty and effective educational experience
for students.
Notes
For the sake of brevity and in order to better
communicate the larger picture, I have only touched on many
aspects of the situation described. I have not provided a
detailed outline of events and conditions leading to, or resulting
from, changes nor a complete description of the impact on
education, students and faculty. These matters have been dealt
with more thoroughly in other papers.
If
faced with the situation of no program leadership or spokesperson,
my strategy today would be to borrow from history the Revolutionary
adage, United We Stand, Divided We Fall. The first
step would be to bring the faculty together to ask if they
are willing to unite. If so, the next action would be for
faculty members to elect a spokesperson and next a secretary.
Using Roberts Rules of Order as a guide for conducting meetings,
the faculty would meet on a regular basis to discuss all matters
pertinent to the best interests of the educational program.
It is important that the Director does not attend. All issues
would be voted upon, and minutes recorded for each meeting.
The minutes become a very important paper trail in dealing
with administration if any future difficulties occur.
The
faculty would request a meeting with the Director where the
faculty action would be communicated, and the Director would
be informed as to whom was the spokesperson for the program
and faculty. A copy of minutes from every meeting would be
sent to the Director. It is of utmost importance that the
Director be forced into dealing with the faculty as a whole
as it pertains to program matters. This protects any individual
faculty member who might be more outspoken or critical than
others. It is extremely important that the Director not be
able to manipulate or divide faculty members.
Regarding
important issues, the entire faculty should request a meeting
with the Director so that it is totally clear that the Director
must deal with the entire faculty and not just the spokesperson.
Whenever the Director becomes intransigent on an important
issue, I do not think it to be out of line to ask the Director
to set up a meeting with the Dean, Director and faculty members.
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