Editor's note: The following is an open letter from Ohio University's Board of Trustees Chairman R. Gregory Browning written on May 12 in response to OU Faculty Senate's vote on a resolution that would seek to give faculty the opportunity to evaluate the president and provost each year.
Dr. Phyllis Bernt, Chairwoman
Ohio University
Faculty Senate
Lindley Hall 296
Athens, OH 45701
Dear Phyllis,
This is an important time in the life of Ohio University. As we prepare to graduate yet another class of outstanding young people, we also continue to work toward refining our internal processes and improving our institution. We appreciate the faculty's important role in these developments.
With the vote this week on a resolution calling for faculty involvement in the annual evaluation of the president and the provost, we clearly understand and agree with the need for faculty input in these matters. While we agree with the principle of faculty involvement, this resolution will not be formally approved as new policy. Our plans include respectfully reaching out to members of OU's faculty and other key constituencies to receive their input.
The Board of Trustees is implementing a 360 degree process for evaluating the president with input from all sectors of the university. As this letter is being sent, today members of the Executive Committee of the Board are meeting with the leaders of all campus constituent groups to gather their input. Likewise, the president has established a process for evaluating the provost that includes seeking input from Faculty Senate, the faculty at large and members of all campus constituent groups.
With this input, we will continue to follow the evaluation procedures dictated by our University Policies and Procedures and by the evaluation process outlined in the Faculty Handbook. The official evaluation of the president must come from the Board of Trustees, and that of the provost must come from the president. As you know, this procedure follows the tradition embedded in evaluation processes at universities throughout the nation.
We welcome, encourage and have formally requested faculty input this year and will continue to do so into the future. In our judgment, this enhanced process meets the spirit put forth in the faculty resolution. Due to the significance of this process, the Board of Trustees will formally adopt the new evaluation process ' highlighting and institutionalizing input from the University constituent groups ' at its June meeting.
As always, we look forward to continuing to work with you to maintain and enhance the quality educational experience available to our students and the quality professional experience available to our faculty and staff. Sincerely,R. Gregory Browning
Chairman, Board of Trustees
17 Archives
Letter to the Editor
