Faculty Senate Resolves to Send Message

By Melissa Traynor

The faculty senate resolved Monday to make their opinions known to the Connecticut State University Board of Trustees that they don’t agree with centralization of power around the CSU system office, citing a policy enabling a Chancellor to easily remove a university president.

Just in time for the BOT meeting Wednesday at 10 a.m. on CCSU’s campus, President Candace Barrington prepared a statement to voice the views of the Senate. The statement endorsed by the senate Monday states that the senate urges “the BOT [to] reverse its October 2009 policy so that the full Board shall initiate and be fully involved in decisions of non-continuation of university Presidents [and that] the BOT ensure the independence of the four universities by resisting further efforts to centralize decision making in the System Office.”

While there was debate as to the wording of the statement, it was passed mostly in its original form, as posted on the faculty senate’s Web site.

Monday’s vote to endorse the statement by the senate would have been unanimous, except for two abstentions from faculty who wished for more time to review the statement on behalf of their departments or to consult with the other CSU universities. Barrington said that CCSU would be the second CSU faculty senate to endorse such a statement.

“I think hesitation sends the message that we’re kind of feeble,” said Paul Karpuk of the English department.

With the exception of the two abstentions, the faculty senate seemed to be in agreement that the letter’s impact would not survive two weeks until the next scheduled senate meeting.

“The purpose is too important to delay,” said Serafin Mendez-Mendez, chair of the communication department.

The statement by the faculty stems from the October policy revision by the BOT that allows the CSU Chancellor, currently David Carter, to non-continue a university president “without cause or explanation.”

The language of the revision to the Human Resources Policies for Chancellor and University Presidents stipulates that the Chancellor may seek approval of his decision from the chairman of the BOT and notify the university president in question.

Approved by the executive committee of the BOT, the Oct. 1 revision also maintains that a president hired before Dec. 8, 2006 can be discontinued with one-year written notice, and presidents hired on or after Dec. 8, 2006 can be discontinued with a three-month written notice. At the next meeting of the Board, it has the power to vote and overturn the Chancellor’s decision, but if no action is taken, the non-continuance remains.

“All CSU employees should be disturbed by this power shift,” Barrington wrote in a letter to the faculty.

“It lets Chancellor Carter be the de facto, if not de jure, president at each of the four CSU universities by making it easier for him to dismiss a president who in any way resists or even questions the Chancellor’s wishes or vision. I presume that the Chancellor can then name the interim president, probably someone much more likely to carry out the Chancellor’s will.”

Barrington closed M0nday’s meeting by encouraging faculty to attend the Wednesday BOT meeting: “Our numbers are important – at least symbolic.”