Three days after Ohio University announced the make-up of the search committee for Executive Vice President and Provost Kathy Krendl's replacement, Faculty Senate passed a resolution expressing no confidence in the committee's structure and asking selected faculty not to serve.
The 23-member committee includes six faculty members, a number which, according to the resolution, violates search committee guidelines set forth in the faculty handbook.
Senate suspended the rule requiring two readings before a proposal can be voted on in order to pass the resolution, which was not on the meeting agenda.
According to the handbook, search committees for academic appointments must comprise six to 14 members, the majority of members must be faculty and the committee chair must be a faculty member.
We need to go on record and say that this process has no legitimacy
said Joe McLaughlin, chairman of senate's Finance and Facilities Committee.
McLaughlin, who argued that President Roderick McDavis was attempting to marginalize the faculty voice, said that asking faculty to not participate was necessary.
This is really about asking the President to follow the handbook and to do what every other university does McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin noted that the search committee includes three trustees, but in the 12 searches cited by McDavis as models, no school included more than one trustee on the committee.
It's not a role that the trustees play elsewhere McLaughlin said. It has left us perplexed.
McDavis said that because the provost's position is defined by Human Resources as an executive administrative position it is exempt from the handbook guidelines.
This is an executive vice president and provost position
primarily an administrative appointment
McDavis said. We want the entire university to be represented in the search committee.
McDavis went on to explain that, while the provost is the university's chief academic officer
his or her primary function is at the administrative level.
In addition to the faculty members, the committee comprises of deans, members of the executive staff, members of the classified and administrative senates, members of the Board of Trustees, a distinguished professor and students.
There is no group on campus that has more representation than faculty
McDavis said. In no way is the faculty voice being diminished.
The resolution, which passed unanimously, asked the board to acknowledge their discontent in its upcoming meeting Jan 23.
Faculty Senate Chairman Sergio López-Permouth, along with multiple senators said they see this as an opportunity for McDavis to prove to faculty that he is listening to their concerns.
This is our problem
with our president
and I'm just hoping that he'll hear the voice of the senate
López said.
