[Vision2020] SBOE Suspends ISU's Faculty Senate

[nickgier at roadrunner.com]

Happy President Day Visionarires!

The Idaho State Journal had a dynamite editorial on Sunday with good research on what the honorable thing to do when your faculty votes against you.

The faculty union's response has been checked by ISU faculty senate officer and I will post it in a few minutes.

SBOE action hands Vailas false victory 

Idaho State Journal, Feb. 21, 2011

Idaho State University faculty should be seen, but not heard. That seems to be the message the Idaho State Board of Education delivered when it voted Thursday to suspend the ISU Faculty Senate, a move requested by embattled ISU President Arthur Vailas. 

The state board’s action comes one week after 72.5 percent of ISU’s faculty voted no confidence in Vailas’ leadership. Voter turnout was 76 percent. Of those, nearly 9 percent abstained from voting yes or no, and only 18.5 percent gave Vailas a thumbs up.
 
The SBOE’s decision to dissolve the Faculty Senate, an unprecedented move in the annals of higher ed, will not resolve these faculty complaints any better than Vailas’ refusal to honestly address them. All ISU faculty had the opportunity to vote for or against Vailas on Feb. 10, not just the 30 members of the Faculty Senate.   

Problems at other universities have been handled differently. Faced with an 84 percent no-confidence vote from faculty who criticized his “imperialistic” leadership style at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in December of 2009, President Tony Atwater said the experience gave him insight into the need to improve communication about decisions and the decision-making process. He resigned last June. 

The president and provost at Bowie State University in Maryland received overwhelming no-confidence votes in October of last year. They were accused of initiating programs and making appointments and demotions without faculty input. The provost resigned in November and President Micky Burnim remains with a renewed commitment to rely more on a special Communications Task Force to improve communication with faculty and staff. 

At Columbus State University in Georgia last spring, President Tim Mescon and Provost Inessa Levi received definitive no-confidence votes. Reorganization of academic colleges and departments without faculty input was the main complaint. Levi resigned in September. The president pledged he and the new provost would work closely with faculty with an “unwavering focus on quality, collaboration and faculty engagement.” 

In contrast is the response by Vailas and the State Board to dissolve the ISU Faculty Senate, which is the   equivalent of President Obama abolishing Congress. 

The adverse national publicity has already started with articles posted from the esteemed university trade magazine, the Chronicle of Higher Education, to the Associated Press. The American Association of University Professors has also weighed in by calling the suspension of the ISU Faculty Senate unprecedented. 

What this means, of course, is that recruitment and retention of top-notch faculty is going to be very difficult for ISU. Why would anyone with merit want to apply or stay at an institution which dohttp://webmail.nyc.rr.com/do/mail/message/reply?msgId=INBOXDELIM63622&replyAll=off&referrer=msg&l=en-US&v=standard#esn’t listen to or value them? And without the best faculty, which is the heart and soul of a university, why would students want to enroll? 

The SBOE’s action has added fuel to the flames when it should have insisted that both parties meet and resolve their grievances, no matter if it took placing them all in the Faculty Senate meeting room and locking the door from the outside. 

We naively expected more of Vailas and the SBOE and can only ask, “This is the best you can do?” 
President Vailas, we ask that you take positive action to become a consensus builder, help heal wounds and get this university back on track. Based on your actions this past year, that may be asking too much. 

The community and its university can only hope you’ll prove us wrong.

---- Sue Hovey <suehovey at moscow.com> wrote: 
> Nick will have a better idea about what is going on than I.  It was my 
> understanding, though, the new body appointed by the president will do 
> nothing more than advise him.  I don't think they have the authority to do 
> anything else.  You are right, of course, who in her/his right mind would 
> volunteer.  Perhaps the Pres has some mechanism to force it, but I don't 
> know.
> 
> Sue
> -----Original Message----- 
> From: Wayne Price
> Sent: Sunday, February 20, 2011 1:19 PM
> To: Sue Hovey
> Cc: nickgier at roadrunner.com> <nickgier at roadrunner.com
> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] SBOE Suspends ISU's Faculty Senate
> 
> Sue,
> 
> And can you imagine the popularity of the first poor sod of a faculty
> member that steps up and says, "Hey, I'd like to be on the Presidents
> new governing body"?
> 
> And clearly, the first item on the agenda, once what ever passes for
> normality returns, will be to draft a constitution.
> 
> Any idea IF there are classes taking place?  Sounds to me like a true
> academic flu just might brake out.
> 
> Wayne
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Feb 20, 2011, at 3:07 PM, Sue Hovey wrote:
> 
> > Well good luck.  I guess this isn't covered by the higher ed academic
> > freedom blanket, but it seems to me there could be a legal response  of 
> > some
> > sort. And is there now no legally constituted body which could draft a
> > constitution?  I would imagine the advisory panel the president is  using 
> > to
> > replace the senate has no power other than to advise the president.
> >
> > Sue H
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: nickgier at roadrunner.com
> > Sent: Friday, February 18, 2011 3:31 PM
> > To: vision2020 at moscow.com ; Saundra Lund ; Sue Hovey
> > Subject: Re: [Vision2020] SBOE Suspends ISU's Faculty Senate
> >
> > Hi Sue & Saundra,
> >
> > If the ISU faculty had a constitution as the UI and BSU faculty do,  then 
> > the
> > SBOE probably could not do it.
> >
> > I'm still getting feed back from my IFT Ex. Council about how to  proceed,
> > but the ISU faculty should at least boycott the meeting that Pres.  Valais
> > has scheduled for Feb. 22.  Furthermore, all Idaho campus senates  should
> > pass a resolution strongly condemning this action and asking the  SBOE to
> > rescind it.
> >
> > Another national black eye for Idaho!
> >
> > Nick
> >
> > ---- Sue Hovey <suehovey at moscow.com> wrote:
> >> If the SBOE has the legal authority to do that, there is something
> >> terribly
> >> wrong with Idaho statutes and Ed Regs.
> >>
> >> Sue H.
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Saundra Lund
> >> Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2011 6:37 PM
> >> To: 'Moscow Vision 2020'
> >> Subject: [Vision2020] SBOE Suspends ISU's Faculty Senate
> >>
> >> This is absolutely chilling . . . what on earth is wrong with the 
> >> SBOE?!?!
> >>
> >> http://www.idahostatesman.com/2011/02/17/1532073/isu-faculty-senate-looking-
> >> at.html
> >>
> >>
> >> BOISE, Idaho - Idaho State University President Arthur Vailas, facing
> >> mounting criticism and pressure from faculty to step down, offered  his 
> >> own
> >> solution Thursday for dealing with turmoil on campus: Dissolve the 
> >> Faculty
> >> Senate.
> >>
> >> The Idaho State Board of Education complied, voting unanimously to 
> >> suspend
> >> the senate and reconfigure its bylaws.
> >>
> >> The decision deals a blow to faculty leaders who have been feuding  with
> >> Vailas for two years. Among other complaints, professors say Vailas  has
> >> shown an inability to effectively lead the school.
> >>
> >> Last week, 76 percent of senate members supported a no-confidence  vote 
> >> and
> >> called on Vailas to step down from a job he's held since 2006.
> >>
> >> <snip>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> =======================================================
> >> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> >> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> >>               http://www.fsr.net
> >>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> >> =======================================================
> >>
> >> =======================================================
> >> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> >> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> >>               http://www.fsr.net
> >>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> >> =======================================================
> >
> > =======================================================
> > List services made available by First Step Internet,
> > serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
> >               http://www.fsr.net
> >          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> > ======================================================= 
>