As part of the process to review and recommend possible changes to shared governance systems at the George Washington University, all full-time faculty have been asked to participate in an electronic survey to share ideas and opinions. Board of Trustees Chair Nelson Carbonell, B.S. ’85, sent an open letter to faculty Monday, asking for feedback before the board begins to formulate recommendations on shared governance. The survey will be available in the coming days.
The Board of Trustees began reviewing the university’s governing documents to ensure alignment with the Vision 2021 strategic plan, which was adopted in May 2013. The board passed amendments to the university bylaws and a resolution to review the Faculty Code, the governing document among the board, faculty and the administration.
Mr. Carbonell formed the Faculty Governance Task Force in December and launched a comprehensive, three-phase process to gather opinions from as many members of the faculty as possible. The first phase included holding discussions with faculty members in each of GW’s 10 schools to better understand governance from a variety of perspectives at the university. During this first step, the task force spoke with more than 600 faculty members in two dozen meetings.
“These meeting have provided valuable input that has shaped and changed our thinking on both the substance of and the process for making changes to the governance system,” Mr. Carbonell wrote in his letter.
After the first phase, the task force analyzed the issues that emerged from conversations with faculty and drafted a list of five principles that will shape future governance at GW. The principles include promoting academic freedom; establishing consistent and transparent processes for tenure appointment and promotion; defining roles for the faculty and administration in the selection, performance appraisal and retention of deans and other senior academic administrators; and creating a framework of faculty titles, policies and procedures across the university that also addresses the unique needs of each school, department, center and institute.
Mr. Carbonell presented the principles to the Faculty Senate earlier this month. As part of the second phase of the process, the task force held meetings with the Faculty Senate and the Faculty Senate’s Professional Ethics and Academic Freedom Committee and Executive Committees, and six town halls on the Foggy Bottom, Mount Vernon and Virginia campuses. The task force received supportive feedback from these meetings—as well as input from the Council of Deans, President Steven Knapp and Provost Steven Lerman—to explore the five principles. The electronic survey will gather additional thoughts and ideas from the broader faculty community as the task force begins the final stage of drafting recommendations.
“From my initial meeting with the Faculty Senate in the fall to meeting with hundreds of faculty this winter, I have been encouraged by the passionate dialogue and heartened by the degree of care that GW faculty of all types express for the university,” Mr. Carbonell wrote.