Resolution on the Role of Shared Governance in the Establishment of an Academic Calendar

WHEREAS the American Association of University Professors, in Section V of its Statement on Governance includes “those aspects of student life which relate to the educational process” as one of the areas in which “the faculty has primary responsibility;” and

WHEREAS it has been the practice over many years to have an academic calendar committee comprised of members of the Provost’s Office, representatives from relevant committees of the University Senate, and a representative of the Interfaith Center; and

WHEREAS these academic calendars were based upon a set of principles that took account of the needs of administration, faculty and students; and

WHEREAS during the fall 2011 semester the administration, unilaterally and without consultation with any of the existing governance organizations, established an academic calendar committee consisting solely of administrators; and

WHEREAS this administrative committee then promulgated a new academic calendar to take effect for the 2012-2013 academic year that, consequently, superseded the previously adopted academic calendar; and

WHEREAS the University Senate’s concern about this clear violation of the principle of shared governance, especially in an area that the AAUP deems a primary responsibility of the faculty, is independent of any agreement on the acceptability of the newly proposed academic calendar:

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the University Senate urges the administration to establish a shared governance committee, similar to those used in the past, to consider the issues raised in this resolution, to review the proposed academic calendar in light of the set of principles used in establishing the previous academic calendar, and if necessary to recommend a more appropriate multi-year academic calendar for the University community.

Resolution passed without dissent at the University Senate meeting on February 6th, 2012.