The-Ave.US

Duane Storti on the AAUP blog has raised an important point.  Unlike some other universities, the UW uses neither individual contracts not a union contract to hire faculty.  Instead, we are very lucky to have a Faculty Code, written by our own Faculty Senate and endorsed by the President and Regents.  Now the Governor of Wisconsin wants to suspend the Facuoty Code there, suposedly as a way of cutting the Wisconsin budget and the regents at RPI have overturned that univeristy’s code not over slary, but over the Senate’s desire to extend democracy to faculty not under the tenure system.

Professor Storti asks where does Michael Young, a candidate for UW President, stand on the Faculty Code?

Duane Storti:

Here is one data point to offer regarding President Michael Young of the University of Utah.
He comes from an institution where the second paragraph of the Faculty Handbook (http://www.admin.utah.edu/fhb/) is comprised of the following disclaimer (with my added emphasis):

“Disclaimer: This Faculty Handbook provides basic information for faculty but should not be viewed as a complete guide to academics, research, or other components of the faculty experience nor as any kind of a contract or legally binding document. The University of Utah expressly reserves the right to amend its policies and procedures from time to time.”

Does anyone know if the search committee has inquired specifically about his views of shared governance, maintaining contractual obligations to the faculty, and processes that should be followed to amend policies and procedures?

Ed: Readers interested WHY this is important should read these posts.

As well as this post about a recent finding by the WA Supreme Court that the Faculty Code IS state law