[WADNet Post] May 22, 2006: Gallaudet University News
- From: WADNet Post Editor <wadneteditor@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: wadnetpost@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 23:30:45 -0500
Gallaudet University News
-- Memo from the Board of Trustees
==================================================
Memo from the Board of Trustees
May 19, 2006
MEMORANDUM
TO: Gallaudet Community
FR: Brenda Brueggemann, Acting Chair, Board of Trustees
RE: Beginning to Address the Concerns We Heard
As we move forward from the events of these past weeks and continue to
focus on the future, we wanted to bring you up to date on several
important steps the Board, the president and the president select are
taking. We appreciated the time you gave to meet with us last week as
well as the honest feedback and insights you shared with us. We heard
many important things that will be addressed immediately and in the
future and we want you to know we take very seriously the issues you
brought to us. We have heard your concerns and we are already acting on
them. This Board of Trustees, like most college Boards, primarily plays
an oversight and policy-making role for the campus. In this role we do
not want to interfere, but rather empower, the president, the
president-select and the campus community itself to take primary actions
on its own expressed concerns and issues.
First, the Board is making plans to hold a one-day retreat devoted to
follow-up on these dialogues that would take place either this summer
(preferable) or in conjunction with our October regular Board of
Trustees meeting. Here is a summary of our discussions and actions so far:
* No reprisals:
Neither the Board nor the president nor the president-select will
tolerate any reprisals for anyone who has voiced their opinions in
protest or support, on campus or in the community, in writing
(electronic or paper) or through direct conversations during the
presidential search process and the weeks between the announcement of
Dr. Fernandes’ appointment and Commencement.
* Diversity:
President-select Jane Fernandes will head up a blue ribbon committee to
find strategies to address the diversity issues facing our campus; the
committee will be comprised of Board members, faculty, staff, and
students. The Diversity Action Plan, which was tabled by the Board of
Trustees at the May 2006 meeting, will be discussed first and amended,
with an expected approval date of next October at the Board meeting. An
outside facilitator and/or experts who work on diversity and
organizational change will be used for continuing this important work.
Dr. Fernandes will report more on this soon.
* Climate and Communication:
Issues about the flow of, and access to, information across groups and
from top down and bottom up were raised. The need for more substantive
dialogue, more trust and inclusiveness, and less fear and intimidation
was discussed. Finally, transparency and clarity in process, procedures,
and criteria were called for. We have begun a discussion about these
issues and recognize that the Board needs to interact more directly with
campus constituents and will set up less filtered, more informal times
for interaction when the Board meets on campus. The Board also decided
that it is important to leave the Board Room and participate in an event
on campus at least once during each of its official meetings on campus.
These activities would be a start toward more direct communication
between the campus community and the Board.
* Accountability and Governance:
In our meetings with constituents, we recognized that there is a desire
for more shared power and responsibility in the overall campus
governance; more meaningful partnerships between the groups that
comprise the campus community (administration, staff, students,
faculty); and better accountability mechanisms so that there are actions
and outcomes that follow ideas and promises.
The Board has begun a discussion about some possible ways to address
these concerns, First, we are asking Dr. Fernandes to lead the search
for a new Provost with full faculty involvement. Second, we are ensuring
that the process to select an interim provost includes faculty, staff,
and students. Currently, Dr. Jordan is working with the Chair of the
Faculty, Chair of the Staff Advisory Committee, the SBG president, and
the GSA president to identify individuals to serve on a committee to
help select an interim provost. Third, we are researching models of
trusteeship used at other universities for the purpose of identifying
ways to directly involve campus constituencies in Board business.
* Leadership
Our shared conversations expressed the need for continued leadership
that would support our strategic goals and plans to: strive for academic
excellence; enhance education for future leaders in industry, education,
and politics; serve as a viable role model for the deaf community
nationally and globally; embrace change; and establish and invigorate a
positive climate of trust, inclusiveness, respect and partnerships on
campus.
We think that the ideas and actions above address leadership. We also
believe that the issue of leadership is one that all constituents on
campus must take up together, and that this Board, like most other
university Boards, must principally play an oversight and policy-making
role.
We want to emphasize that these are first steps toward addressing the
concerns we heard when we were on campus last week. The Board, the
president and the president-select will continue to discuss and plan
actions that respond to what you told us. We all care deeply about
Gallaudet and we will move forward together, as a community, because we
can do great things when we work together.
(Contributed by: Gary Fitts, WADNet Reader)
==================================================
Leslie Riggs
WADNet Post Editor & Listserv Administrator
Wisconsin Association of the Deaf
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