Members of the Faculty Consultative Committee announced that they did not support a new proposal from the Board of Regents on tenure for the University Law School at a press conference Thursday.
But, the members did say they saw the proposal as “progress” from the original proposal released in September. “We welcome the willingness of the regents to reconsider the proposals they made in Morris,” said Virginia Gray, the faculty committee chairwoman.
The regents are expected to discuss the new proposal at today’s meeting. Some of the controversial language that was included in the original proposal has been deleted from the new proposal.
Gone are requirements for “proper attitude” and authority for administrative layoff of tenured faculty in case of department restructuring. The new proposal still allows for layoffs in case of departmental discontinuation, however.
But committee members said these changes aren’t enough. University Faculty Senate Delegate Ed Fogelman said the ideal situation would be if the regents would adopt the Faculty Senate’s proposal for the Law School.
“Adopting the faculty proposal would be a signal of hope,” he said. “This would demonstrate that the regents are trustworthy.”
Gray also said the committee was unsure what the regents wanted them to do with the new proposals. She said they cannot discuss the proposal with the Faculty Senate unless the regents ask them to. Gray said she plans to ask the regents what action they should take with the proposal.
Representatives of the Law School were not at the meeting, but plan to meet to discuss the issue in the near future.
— Jim Martyka