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From time to time, I will want to use this venue
to speak to the Salisbury University community about my observations,
concerns, and vision for the future. I am now in my fifth month as campus
president, and I have been working hard to get to know as many of you as I
can and to gain a deeper understanding of this exceptional university family.
There is so much here to be proud of the energy and creativity of our
students; the dedication of our faculty and staff; and the incredible beauty
of our campus home. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for
making the beginning of my tenure here so enjoyable and stimulating.
What I want to talk with you today about is
shared governance at SU. I want to be absolutely clear that I am committed
to the idea of an open campus where all community members feel that they are
heard. Supervisors at all levels need to seek input and welcome opinions
regularly from those with whom they work. They are obliged to take these
suggestions and ideas into serious account when they make their decisions. Then,
the rest of us are expected to support these decisions, knowing that a fair
process has taken place.
I have been hearing from too many quarters
of the University that people are feeling disenfranchised, that confidence
and trust are lacking. I have been told that some on our campus fear
retaliation should they express their unhappiness to their supervisor or take
their complaints to Human Resources or others in the administration. This is
not acceptable in a modern and enlightened workplace; it is not acceptable at
Salisbury University.
It may be that a tradition of open
expression and solicitation of broad input has not been fostered at SU.
There is no more appropriate place for freedom of expression to be encouraged
that at a university campus. So how does a "discussion-challenged"
campus develop the ethos and structure for openness? I know that I play a
role in demonstrating my whole-hearted support for shared governance. I
pledge that I will solicit your input on the important decisions that will
guide this University over the next decade and beyond. But I need your help
if the idea of shared governance is going to be worth more than the paper
used to describe it.
As we look ahead towards how we can make
SU a better place, I believe the University Forum has an important role to
play. We need to recognize that there are certain times and issues where we
need to come together to share concerns. I am troubled by the sunset clause
in the bylaws of the Forum that threatens the Forum just as it is beginning
to establish itself. How can we begin to talk about issues that are important
to this campus with a sword of Damocles swaying over our heads? How can we
get shared governance to work if there isn't a university body created to
bring the community together for purposeful discussions? Critical Forum
committees are just beginning to find out who they are and how they can best
function. We don't have our act together yet, but we are moving in the right
direction.
As the person charged with leading our campus
community, I'd like to offer some suggestions related to the committee
structure. For a start, the long-range planning and fiscal advisory
committees should be combined; the two are related and can't operate
logically without one another. We also need to examine the membership of all
Forum committees to be sure that the people with pertinent information are
included in the debate. I have asked the Space Utilization Committee, for
example, to add as permanent invited guests a number of administrators who
can bring broader perspective and important information to the table.
I see two important characteristics that
Forum committees must strive to develop. First, it will be crucial that
committee members represent the entire community and not permit themselves to
be bound by history or personal power bases. Recommendations that benefit the
entire University must be uppermost in their deliberations. Second, there
needs to be an effort and commitment to communicate with each other so that
the work of Forum and Senate committees gets conveyed beyond their respective
members. Mike Burton, Forum President, has already set up a Forum website
where information on the by-laws, committee structure and membership, and
minutes can be seen. Communication is important if we truly mean to be
inclusive.
At times this fall semester I feel that I
am back in Civics 101 in a heated discussion on the merits versus drawbacks
of democratic structures. Decisions will necessarily be slowed while we seek
input from faculty, staff, and students. I can't even tell you that
decision-making will be improved or that decisions arrived at in our past
weren't right on the mark. But I can tell you that Salisbury University has hired
a president who believes in the intrinsic value of shared governance. I ask
that all of you be as committed as I am to inclusiveness on this campus. Help
me build trust and confidence in a shared governance that genuinely works to
enhance the community and future of Salisbury University.
JDE
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