When Ohio University's Board of Trustees arrived in Athens for its two days of meetings last week, it was presented with requests for a new process for evaluating the president.
At the board's full meeting last Friday, Chairman Daniel DeLawder said he was forming an ad hoc committee to discuss the recommendations from Graduate Student and Student senates.
(The committee) will study the process far more intensely
DeLawder said, adding that the committee would be charged with making suggestions to the board at its January meeting. As a group we are not in the position of announcing any change (now).
Last month, the senates passed resolutions calling for an independent third party to conduct an evaluation by surveying the constituency groups at OU.
In the current 360-degree evaluation, the board meets with the executive committees of OU's five senates at the end of each school year and receives verbal feedback on the president's performance. The board does not accept written documentation at these meetings.
The Graduate Student Senate resolution stated that the board is incapable of conducting an objective evaluation because it hires the president. GSS also threatened to boycott the 360-degree evaluation if the format is not changed.Student Senate simply asked the board to maintain shared governance principles.
In order to assure the accountability and effectiveness of the process it is imperative that the entire process be transparent
the resolution stated, calling for all constituent groups to work with the board on changing the procedure. Senate didn't specify how the process could be changed.
Academic Affairs Commissioner Chris Diehl, one of the resolution's primary sponsors, said the resolution passed unanimously, but an earlier version that more closely mirrored the GSS document got mixed responses.
We did float that version
he said. A lot of people expressed a lot of concern with that. (They questioned) would we be working in the best interests of our constituents.
Student Senate is not planning to boycott the process, Diehl said.
(The resolution's authors) felt emancipating themselves from the process would totally be counterproductive
said Tim Vonville, Student Senate president.
Dominic Barbato, president of GSS, said he was a little disappointed with the resolution Student Senate passed.
They're always open to their own prerogative
he said. I disagree with the notion that a flawed process is better than no process at all.
Both senators, however, said they were pleased that the board acted quickly and is looking into their suggestions. They also expressed the hope that the new committee would consult constituent groups during its discussion.
We should be part of the process as much as possible
Vonville said. I think the ad hoc committee is a step in the right direction. However
I don't want it to seem like a Band Aid for the situation.
Barbato said that he is less concerned about objectivity in the ad hoc committee than during the evaluations.
I think it's a really good development
he said. I feel like we're going to come to the table with a solution that we think would work G? so I don't think it's as much of a problem
he said.
Faculty Senate is expected to address a similar resolution at its Oct. 15 meeting. Faculty Senate Chairman Sergio L+
