Dear Colleagues,
I’m writing with a summary of our most recent Faculty Senate meeting, and some general updates including upcoming panels and webinars.
The fifth full meeting of this year’s Faculty Senate was on 3/7/2024. Full text of remarks and reports can be found on the agenda. In particular, the reports from our Planning and Budgeting Chair, and our Legislative Representative, both contain information of broad interest to faculty: future alignment of the timing of unit adjustment and annual merit review processes; and state-level enrollment and budget issues, including athletics.
New business and discussion:
Senate Chair’s and UW President’s Remarks: Chair Dougherty and President Cauce both expressed gratitude for our faculty’s hard work and resilience during a difficult quarter. Chair Dougherty announced two upcoming discussion panels, detailed below. She also requested that senators be ready to discuss the faculty code section 25-71, “Standards of Conduct,” since the dispute resolution working group may be proposing legislative changes, with a view to providing alternatives to this process.
Vice Chair Candidate Presentations: Senators heard presentations from three inspiring colleagues running for election to serve as next year’s Vice Chair. Their letters of interest are in the agenda. We thank these colleagues for leaning into the challenges of governance in difficult times. I know how hard it is to put yourself out there, and it will be a privilege to serve with whomever is elected. Senators, please look for a separate e-mail with a reminder to vote by March 15.
UW Financial Transformation (FT) Update: the Faculty Council for Research (FCR) presented results from the council’s survey of FT’s impacts on faculty research. The slides in the agenda show the level of responsiveness of the Office of Research to faculty concerns expressed in the survey. Thank you to our colleagues in the Office of Research and in FCR for exemplifying how shared governance can work at its best to confront difficult issues.
Webinar, “Conceptual Foundations of Free Speech and Academic Freedom”. As part of Chair Dougherty’s focus on negotiating difference, and with Provost Serio’s support, Professor Lara Schwartz, J.D., from Pen America presented a workshop on the legal framework of the First Amendment, principles of free speech and academic freedom, and unprotected speech such as harassment or threats, including articulations with equity concerns. The recording can be viewed here (UW ID required), and some background on the invitation is here. Resources, including the Campus Guide to Free Speech, are here. There will be another webinar in the spring related to classroom conflict; details to follow.
Other updates:
Upcoming panels: please consider attending these panel discussions hosted by our hard-working colleagues in faculty councils:
- Mentoring, hosted by Faculty Council on Research: March 27th, 12-1 pm. HUB 214 and online via Zoom (link forthcoming). Multiple panelists will speak on “Holistic Mentorship and Creating a Positive Research Climate”.
- A critical view on DEI statements, hosted by Faculty Council on Race, Equity, and Justice: April 5th, 11-12:20 via Zoom only. Register here, and post questions here. Dr. Randall Kennedy (Harvard Law School) will provide a different viewpoint on DEI statements from that supported in last year’s webinar with Dr. Brian Soucek.
Recruitment: Applications for the Secretary of the Faculty, Faculty Legislative Representative, and Deputy Legislative Representative are now closed. Excellent candidates were nominated for all three positions. The Senate Executive Committee will update on next steps after the March 25th meeting. On an ongoing basis, we always welcome hearing from colleagues interested in serving on our councils, which are the engine rooms of shared governance and a chance to help change policies. Diverse backgrounds, disciplines, and views are welcome and necessary. Please contact Joey Burgess if you are interested.
Parental Leave for Non-Birth Parents: in February, Provost Serio announced a significant policy development : faculty may now use sick leave to care for a birth parent, and more changes to parental leave policy are being developed. This was based on input from faculty, including the Faculty Council on Gender, Equity, and Justice. Thank you to everyone who advocated, and to Provost Serio for acting on feedback. This is great news, and an example of how participation in governance can change policy.
The next full Faculty Senate meeting is April 4, 2024. Please do engage your Senator and our Councils on issues that matter to you; they can’t represent you without hearing from you. In the spirit of increasing access to governance, I have been holding Office Hours this year. In the meantime, I hope you can find a few days, despite the pace of the quarter system, to step back from work during spring break.
Sincerely,
Louisa Mackenzie, Vice Chair, Faculty Senate