Shared Governance at Work - USM Forum -- Message Board

Date: Jul 8, 2005

Shared Governance at Work

Date: Jul 8, 2005

Yes, this is the way shared governance can work...amazing, isn't it?

Truth

Date: Jul 8, 2005

Reporter wrote:

...Hardy Hall construction stopped. It stays a Hall. (Grimes and Thames opposed to the conversion so it was stopped)Jim(See http://www.usm.edu/fsenate/resolutions/hardyhall06_05.htm for the Senate resolution in Hardy Hall. BP)

Notice that the construction was stopped on Hardy Hall instead of not started. For those who do not know, I heard that the committee who recommended this construction had no faculty representation but did have the construction company represented. Work was started and faculty got word to Faculty Senate. The Senate's resolution went to Grimes who supported it and now SFT agrees.

Is this the way to run things--Full speed ahead on projects until faculty find out and make suggestions?

Date: Jul 8, 2005

LeftASAP wrote:
Notice that the construction was stopped on Hardy Hall instead of not started. For those who do not know, I heard that the committee who recommended this construction had no faculty representation but did have the construction company represented. Work was started and faculty got word to Faculty Senate. The Senate's resolution went to Grimes who supported it and now SFT agrees.
Is this the way to run things--Full speed ahead on projects until faculty find out and make suggestions?

Left ASAP ole buddy, while I agree in spirit with your critique of our usually ungovernable administration, your facts were a little off because you weren't at the meeting this afternoon. I was, and Jay Grimes' explanation for the phantom sawing and hammering noises in the Hardy Hall Ballroom was plausible. They had nothing to with any new construction at all; rather there was termite damage being repaired under the hardwood plank floors.

Further, I've been monitoring the Ballroom ever since a colleague informed us that it looked like there was construction going on there, but there was never any new construction I could see.

It's funny though, as soon as there actually WAS faculty representation on that insidious "Master Planning Group" or MPG--to which Left ASAP referred and on which I am faculty representative--it SEEMS to have become pretty amenable to faculty input BEFORE the fact, as part of the planning process. I can't really say, however, how far advanced the plan was to move the bookstore into the Hardy Hall Ballroom. It might have just been in the talking stage when I started to attend the MPG meetings. There might have actually been a moving date set. Whenever I quizzed folks in the bookstore about any such move, however, they were uncertain that there was even going to be a move.

All this aside, though, I CAN say, with a high degree of certainty, that "construction" was not "stopped". It was, in fact, never started.

The Library conversion, though, now that's another story. Word in the MPG is that if Fall enrollments reach a certain level the conversion will start immediately in order to get new classrooms on line for Spring 2006. I squawked and argued against the Library conversion for over an hour in the MPG last month without, I'm afraid, making much headway against the plan. The Faculty Senate resolution will help, but it's difficult to say, now, how much this will help. Certainly, however, one of the suggestions made by the FS resolution on the Gulf Park Library was that the administration needed a Coast-dedicated academic officer who could determine if, in fact, there actually WAS a classroom shortage that would supposedly "necessitate" converting the Library.

Now, only a month after the FS proposed a Coast Provost as part of its solution to the problem of the Library conversion, what happens? The administration announces it's appointing a Coast Provost. Cause and effect?

There might be more to celebrate here than we suspected.

Stay vigilant.

Date: Jul 8, 2005

Will Watson wrote:

LeftASAP wrote: Notice that the construction was stopped on Hardy Hall instead of not started. For those who do not know, I heard that the committee who recommended this construction had no faculty representation but did have the construction company represented. Work was started and faculty got word to Faculty Senate. The Senate's resolution went to Grimes who supported it and now SFT agrees. Is this the way to run things--Full speed ahead on projects until faculty find out and make suggestions? Left ASAP ole buddy, while I agree in spirit with your critique of our usually ungovernable administration, your facts were a little off because you weren't at the meeting this afternoon. I was, and Jay Grimes' explanation for the phantom sawing and hammering noises in the Hardy Hall Ballroom was plausible. They had nothing to with any new construction at all; rather there was termite damage being repaired under the hardwood plank floors. Further, I've been monitoring the Ballroom ever since a colleague informed us that it looked like there was construction going on there, but there was never any new construction I could see. It's funny though, as soon as there actually WAS faculty representation on that insidious "Master Planning Group" or MPG--to which Left ASAP referred and on which I am faculty representative--it SEEMS to have become pretty amenable to faculty input BEFORE the fact, as part of the planning process. I can't really say, however, how far advanced the plan was to move the bookstore into the Hardy Hall Ballroom. It might have just been in the talking stage when I started to attend the MPG meetings. There might have actually been a moving date set. Whenever I quizzed folks in the bookstore about any such move, however, they were uncertain that there was even going to be a move. All this aside, though, I CAN say, with a high degree of certainty, that "construction" was not "stopped". It was, in fact, never started. The Library conversion, though, now that's another story. Word in the MPG is that if Fall enrollments reach a certain level the conversion will start immediately in order to get new classrooms on line for Spring 2006. I squawked and argued against the Library conversion for over an hour in the MPG last month without, I'm afraid, making much headway against the plan. The Faculty Senate resolution will help, but it's difficult to say, now, how much this will help. Certainly, however, one of the suggestions made by the FS resolution on the Gulf Park Library was that the administration needed a Coast-dedicated academic officer who could determine if, in fact, there actually WAS a classroom shortage that would supposedly "necessitate" converting the Library. Now, only a month after the FS proposed a Coast Provost as part of its solution to the problem of the Library conversion, what happens? The administration announces it's appointing a Coast Provost. Cause and effect? There might be more to celebrate here than we suspected. Stay vigilant.

Thanks, Will, for an excellent post. And thanks for the corrections. I'm sorry to hear that the library is just in jeopardy, but it's good to see some form of shared governance being used.

I was unaware of faculty on the planning committee. Can you give us a breakdown of that committee?

Date: Jul 9, 2005

Let's have a faculty committee make all decisions and we will have consensus by 2015.

Date: Jul 9, 2005

JoJo wrote:

Let's have a faculty committee make all decisions and we will have consensus by 2015.

JoJo--

Do you think "shared governance" means that consensus is required on all decisions? Is a quick decision better than the correct decision?

Date: Jul 9, 2005

JoJo wrote:

Let's have a faculty committee make all decisions and we will have consensus by 2015.

JoJo,

Normally I ignore you, but in this case I'll simply point out that shared governance works fine at nearly every other college and university in the U.S. Decisions get made in (and on) time, and everyone feels as if he has at least had an opportunity to have some input. Once again, you don't seem to understand that it is Shelby who is out of step with the way the rest of the world works. Look how much time (and money) has been wasted at USM thanks to Shelby's bone-headed unilateralism!

Date: Jul 9, 2005

What is worse:

#1 A decision that involves all parties with an interest in the outcome. Might take a little longer, but all issues have been thought out and discussed and more people buy-in to the decision.

OR #2 Quick unilateral action that has to be reversed because the consequences of the action haven't been thoroughly considered.

We've seen an awful lot of #2 lately.

Date: Jul 9, 2005

Magnolia wrote:

What is worse: #1 A decision that involves all parties with an interest in the outcome. Might take a little longer, but all issues have been thought out and discussed and more people buy-in to the decision. OR #2 Quick unilateral action that has to be reversed because the consequences of the action haven't been thoroughly considered. We've seen an awful lot of #2 lately.

If you're JoJo (rhymes with Tojo), the answer is obvious: the emperor is always right.

Date: Jul 9, 2005

JoJo wrote:

Let's have a faculty committee make all decisions and we will have consensus by 2015.

JoJo,

Get yourself in shape. Read carefully. Shared Governance means providing input. Shared Governance is not making decisions. The Faculty Senate provided the provost and president with information and their professional opinions. SFT and Grimes considered this and made the decision.

I think your problem is you are not use to working in a system where the boss doesn't have all the expertise that the workers, as a group, possess. You must have stayed on the plantation too long.

Date: Jul 10, 2005

The idea to convert Hardy Hall to Barnes and Noble was that of Malone. When it came to the attention of Grimes, Exline, and Thames, any such plans were stopped. The termite damage had to be replaced no matter what.

he Interim Associate Provost will be encouraged to communicate more with Grimes so such plans don't "develop" in the future without careful consideration.

There has been interest in having an Assoc Provost on the Coast for some time. Plans to pull Malone were out there. But concerns about the budget and who could be interim while a search was done put any action on hold. There now is a good candidate for interim so the wheels are now in motion. Faculty will be very involved in the search for permanent Assoc Provost.

Date: Jul 11, 2005

Associate Provost Truth wrote:

The idea to convert Hardy Hall to Barnes and Noble was that of Malone. When it came to the attention of Grimes, Exline, and Thames, any such plans were stopped.

Only because Malone had become such a huge liability to them. Churn 'em and burn 'em is the Thames way. OMG, I ALMOST feel sorry for the Kenbot! Naaaa - made his own bed. Nonetheless, the blatant sucking up to the coast faculty is so transparent. Divide and conquer is another tried and true method.

Date: Jul 11, 2005

So what is really going on with the henchbunch? Is Exline getting rid of the competition?

Date: Jul 11, 2005

Third Witch wrote:

So what is really going on with the henchbunch? Is Exline getting rid of the competition?

First Witch and Second Witch have formed an alliance.

Date: Jul 14, 2005

Will Watson wrote:

Stay vigilant.

Trying to.