Proposal to revise Policy 6.10, newly titled Academic Freedom, Shared Governance and Academic Responsibility

Calendar Item: 
1312
Docket Number: 
1213
First Name: 
Scott
Last Name: 
Peters
Facts: 

Per the Senate's referral, the Educational Policies Commission has conferred with the Provost's Office and with Anita Gordon, director of the Center for Academic Ethics, and recommends that the Senate approve the attached changes to Policy 6.10, newly titled Academic Freedom, Shared Governance, and Academic Responsibility. The proposal leaves in place current language detailing faculty members' academic responsibilities, subject to a review next academic year. The proposed policy would strengthen University policy protecting faculty members' academic freedom, protect faculty members as they participate in shared governance, and adopt a general definition of "academic responsibility" that is consistent with AAUP language. 

Action: 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate accept the attached recommendations to revise Policy 6.10, newly titled Academic Freedom, Shared Governance and Academic Responsibility. Respectfully submitted by former Faculty Chair Peters, on behalf ad hoc Committee on Faculty Voting Rights (Francis Degnin, David Grant, Thomas Hesse, Chris Martin, Scott Peters), which convened during 2015-2016 school year.

Upload Action to be Taken: 
6.10 revision redline version

Original facts from November 28, 2016 Senate meeting - referred to the EPCWHEREAS, the Faculty Constitution defines voting faculty as all those at the rank of instructor or above who are appointed to probationary or tenured positions; and WHEREAS, term and adjunct faculty who wish to participate fully as faculty members in the life of the university cannot do so without voting rights; and WHEREAS, there has been considerable uncertainty in departments and colleges over the years about voting rights for term and adjunct faculty members, such that today the College of Humanities, Arts and Sciences (CHAS) faculty by-laws provide voting rights to term faculty members; and WHEREAS, in 2013 the American Association of University Professors recommended that all term and adjunct faculty be full voting members of the faculty; and WHEREAS, a committee convened by the Chair of the Faculty in 2015 endorsed that AAUP recommendation, provided that UNI policy would protect the academic freedom of those term and adjunct faculty participating in shared governance; and WHEREAS, existing university policy does not contain adequate protections to ensure the ability of term and adjunct faculty to participate meaningfully in the shared governance of the university.

Original petition attachments attached below under "Supporting Information"

Meeting Date: 
Mar 27, 2017
Other Status: 
Approved by Senate to enter into the university policy process