Over a tenth of Miami continuing faculty have signed on to a Faculty Assembly resolution demanding genuine shared governance and budget transparency at Miami. That number triggers the calling of a special Faculty Assembly to discuss the resolution.
This is the first time in Miami history faculty have used our right of initiative — our right to act directly to influence Miami decisions through Faculty Assembly. We have a historic opportunity to turn the tide and enable meaningful faculty participation in shared governance at Miami.
At least 250 faculty are needed in order to make FA quorum. Be there, and urgently encourage your colleagues to turn out. The special meeting where we will vote on the resolution will happen remotely on Thursday, November 5, at 4:15pm (Zoom link and passcode: https://miamioh.zoom.us/j/82218727691?pwd=dkwrbEZYVHh2WW4xRlRRS2k2QzI3UT09; passcode: 918213; Miami login required).
There is good reason so many faculty signed on to the resolution. Faculty’s role in shared governance at Miami has been deteriorating for some years. And although crises such as the one we’re in now demand more shared governance, not less, in 2020 multiple decisions that significantly affected the academic mission were made without Senate review or input — including changes to teaching assignments for fall that resulted in job losses for over 200 faculty and increased workloads for remaining faculty. Faculty requests to participate in decision-making and find creative solutions were ignored. Repeated requests for budget projections that might justify the decisions being made were also ignored.
The situation became even more troubling at the end of September, when Senate’s advice to limit the revision of the furlough policy to one year was dismissed without discussion at the Board of Trustees’ Finance & Audit Committee meeting. Despite Senate’s careful input, unlimited furloughs will now be Miami’s permanent policy.
Faculty have not only the right, but the duty, to participate in decisions affecting the academic mission. We also have the right and duty to review budget data relevant to those decisions. It’s time for change.
Resolved:
Faculty Assembly demands that shared governance at Miami adhere to the Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities endorsed by the Association of Governing Boards, the American Council on Education, and the AAUP. Specifically, the administration must meaningfully include faculty in all decisions affecting the academic mission, and must transparently share budgetary information relevant to those decisions.
Resolved:
Faculty Assembly urges the Board of Trustees to add two faculty members elected from and by Faculty Assembly to non-voting positions on the board.
Please see full version of resolution.
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