Senate Response to the Erickson Report on the Review Of Academic Governance
Dear Colleagues,
On behalf of the Senate, I am sending you the packet (links below) containing the Senate's response, unanimously adopted, to the review and report on academic governance by John Erickson and commissioned and overseen by Dr. Schutte.
The memo addresses the recommendation in the Report to “define the scope of the Academic Senate in a manner consistent with its Bylaws.” As we show in the narrative, an examination of the Bylaws, literally and in the context of their formation, demonstrates that the Senate was formed to implement meaningful faculty governance, particularly in the areas of academic policies, including course approval. Some portions of the Report, however, suggest changes inconsistent with the language of the Bylaws and the purposes guiding the formation of the Senate.
To the extent that the Report may be construed as a call for amendment of, or some de facto departure from, the Bylaws, we believe that the Board, which approved and adopted the Bylaws, should be included in the process of governance review. Note that distribution to the board is deferred, pending clarification by Dr. Schutte as to which select, trustee members may receive this packet.
Please feel free to contact your Senators with questions:
http://www.prattsenate.org/hello
Sincerely,
Jenny Lee, Professor of Fine Arts
President, Academic Senate
http://www.prattsenate.org
Cc: Board of Trustees (deferred)
Senate Constituents
Pratt Community
-----
CONTENT OF PACKET
RESPONSE TO THE ERICKSON REPORT
Memorandum, May 5, 2009
http://www.prattsenate.org/2009-05-05-response-memo.pdf
Comments on Findings and Recommendations
http://www.prattsenate.org/2009-05-05-response-find-rec.pdf
(Please note that comments on the Findings and Recommendations are not contained in the memo and are attached, as they do not directly relate to governance matters, which are central to the Senate.
Many of the Recommendations do not appear to issue from or be informed by the Findings, which seem to point to matters of management, personal interactions and behavior.)
Exhibits of Support Documentation
http://www.prattsenate.org/2009-05-05-exhibits-all.pdf
RELATED RESOLUTIONS
Additionally, the Senate resolved, unanimously, as follows:
+ That the Senate direct President Lee to follow up with the President's office to distribute the packet to each board member;
+ That the Senate invite Mike Pratt, Chairman of the Board, to a Senate meeting in September 2009, to discuss the matter of governance at the institute; and
+ That the Senate direct Faculty Trustees, Professor Sameetah Agha and Professor Douglas Wirls, to distribute hard copies of the packet and request recognition at the May 7th Board of Trustees meeting for the purpose of briefly presenting to the full board, issues related to academic governance review at the institute.*
* (subject to clarification of trustee-faculty protocols, notwithstanding the trustee status of Agha and Wirls)
On behalf of the Senate, I am sending you the packet (links below) containing the Senate's response, unanimously adopted, to the review and report on academic governance by John Erickson and commissioned and overseen by Dr. Schutte.
The memo addresses the recommendation in the Report to “define the scope of the Academic Senate in a manner consistent with its Bylaws.” As we show in the narrative, an examination of the Bylaws, literally and in the context of their formation, demonstrates that the Senate was formed to implement meaningful faculty governance, particularly in the areas of academic policies, including course approval. Some portions of the Report, however, suggest changes inconsistent with the language of the Bylaws and the purposes guiding the formation of the Senate.
To the extent that the Report may be construed as a call for amendment of, or some de facto departure from, the Bylaws, we believe that the Board, which approved and adopted the Bylaws, should be included in the process of governance review. Note that distribution to the board is deferred, pending clarification by Dr. Schutte as to which select, trustee members may receive this packet.
Please feel free to contact your Senators with questions:
http://www.prattsenate.org/hello
Sincerely,
Jenny Lee, Professor of Fine Arts
President, Academic Senate
http://www.prattsenate.org
Cc: Board of Trustees (deferred)
Senate Constituents
Pratt Community
-----
CONTENT OF PACKET
RESPONSE TO THE ERICKSON REPORT
Memorandum, May 5, 2009
http://www.prattsenate.org/2009-05-05-response-memo.pdf
Comments on Findings and Recommendations
http://www.prattsenate.org/2009-05-05-response-find-rec.pdf
(Please note that comments on the Findings and Recommendations are not contained in the memo and are attached, as they do not directly relate to governance matters, which are central to the Senate.
Many of the Recommendations do not appear to issue from or be informed by the Findings, which seem to point to matters of management, personal interactions and behavior.)
Exhibits of Support Documentation
http://www.prattsenate.org/2009-05-05-exhibits-all.pdf
RELATED RESOLUTIONS
Additionally, the Senate resolved, unanimously, as follows:
+ That the Senate direct President Lee to follow up with the President's office to distribute the packet to each board member;
+ That the Senate invite Mike Pratt, Chairman of the Board, to a Senate meeting in September 2009, to discuss the matter of governance at the institute; and
+ That the Senate direct Faculty Trustees, Professor Sameetah Agha and Professor Douglas Wirls, to distribute hard copies of the packet and request recognition at the May 7th Board of Trustees meeting for the purpose of briefly presenting to the full board, issues related to academic governance review at the institute.*
* (subject to clarification of trustee-faculty protocols, notwithstanding the trustee status of Agha and Wirls)
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