University Governance

The membership of the O&A Committee for FY09 was Quinton Cheney, Tom Cox, James Daugherty, Diana Koslowky, Jana Krentz, Steve Mazza, Holly Mercer, Kathy Pribbenow, Alex Rock, Margaret Severson, Kellie Thomas, and Chris Crandall, Chair.

The O & A Committee had one standing charge, and three specific charges for 2008-2009.

 

STANDING CHARGE

1.   Consider any proposals forwarded to the Committee from SenEx for codification into the Senate Code or the Rules and Regulations of the University and Faculty Senate and make recommendations for Senate action.

Actions:

SenEx did not send any proposals to O&A for review this year. O&A is ready for deliberation as issues arise.

 

SPECIFIC CHARGES

1. Consider the interaction among the constituent senates under the recent reorganization of the structure of governance and assess whether steps should be taken to improve the ability of governance to address issues of concern to multiple constituencies, including the division, combination, restructuring or elimination of University Senate Committees.

Actions:

O&A discussed this issue in a face-to-face meeting. Individual members of faculty discussed the issue, and this discussion was generally positive, although not highly specific. The general feeling among faculty was that the new arrangement was successful, for faculty.

We were not able to convince any members of the other constituent senates to come to the O&A meeting where we discussed this issue. Efforts were made to contact members of the Student, Unclassified, and University Support Staff Senates O&A Committee to gather information and discuss the issue. We were not able to get the O&A Members from these Senates to attend or even respond to emails. The Chair admits to not turning the screws too hard on these members.

 

2. Coordinate with the new Faculty Senate Task Force on Revision of the Faculty Handbook to clarify the need for any new codification as a result of the revision.

Actions:

O&A discussed this issue briefly. The Chair was in contact with several of the members of the group actually doing the revision of the Faculty Handbook, including Prof. Rick Levy. We were advised that consultation at this point was premature, and that discussion of revisions should await a further draft from its authors.

 

3. Review Initiative 2015 and monitor the consequent implementation of its objectives, to identify the impact on University organization and administration. For example, Working for Kansas Task Force Recommendation #2: Identify and support an outreach and partnership with an individual or organizational entity that will eventually coordinate and facilitate KU’s outreach activities.

Actions:

The O&A Committee discussed this issue briefly. The PDF of Initiative 2015 was made available to the members of the O&A Committee, and its vagueness was noted. We were advised by Deb Teeter, Director, and John Schott, Assistant Director, Institutional Research and Planning and University Management Information, and Initiative 2015 staff, that discussion of the document was premature, because it was still in pre-draft form. It was published on April 8, 2009, and amended to its most recent form on May 8, 2009.

Both Teeter and Schott recommended contacting another SenEx Committee—Planning and Resources—as they would be hearing a report from Vice Provost for Research & Graduate Studies Steve Warren and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Danny Anderson. This meeting took place on April 10, and the O&A Committee was invited to attend, which the Chair did. The presentation of plans and ideas was sketchy but remarkable. Now that the Initiative 2015 document is now available, (http://www.chancellor.ku.edu/2015/docs/full_report.pdf), it is recommended that O&A receive this same charge again, where they may discuss and report on the basis of a concrete document.