The University of Idaho Faculty Senate revisited the discussion it tabled last week about administrative review and came to a decision at its meeting Tuesday afternoon.
After some discussion, new information and perspectives were voiced. The Senate voted to reverse the amendments made last week and accepted the provision as it was written by the Faculty Affairs Committee with no changes from the Faculty Senate.
Marty Ytreberg, a member of the Faculty Affairs Committee, said the provision provides a process that faculty members could use to call for the review of an administrator they are unsatisfied with. The provision proposes that a review of an administrator could be triggered by 50 percent of the faculty in the department or college of an administrator signing off on a petition.
The changes must be approved at the University Faculty Meeting and by president Chuck Staben to go into effect.
Last week, Sen. Charles Tibbals made a motion to allow staff members, instead of only faculty members, to trigger one of these reviews. The motion passed, however, several other senators raised concerns that the addition might make it more difficult to trigger an administrator review so discussion on this policy was postponed.
This week, Faculty Senate Secretary Elizabeth Brandt said she believes the review being proposed in the policy should only involve faculty. She said there are already disciplinary procedures in place for administrators that are failing in their duties or not following university policies and those procedures do include staff members as well as faculty. She believes the purpose of this policy is different.
“I think the subject of this review was intended to be a peer review by fellow faculty of an administrator,” Brandt said. “I saw it — and I believe (the Faculty Affairs Committee) saw it — as a way to raise issues regarding a department chair or dean that isn’t really acting in regard with the academic mission of our institution and I believe that is a faculty matter.”
The the original policy was passed by vote as it was proposed by FAC without inclusion of staff in the process.
Gavin Green can be reached at [email protected]