The Daily Iowan, IA
10-04-06
Faculty concerned about planning
Matt Nelson - The Daily Iowan
UI faculty members expressed concern on Tuesday about the university's longterm planning process, leading to a closed-doors Faculty Council session to
discuss the issue.
In the meeting, Steve Collins, a UI computer-engineering professor and faculty
senator, presented a draft of a council resolution that would ask the state Board
of Regents President Michael Gartner, Regent Teresa Wahlert, the head of the
UI presidential-search panel, and the current presidents of the three state
universities to suspend planning meetings. The resolution says the gatherings
are used in planning a substantial, long-term, strategic blueprint for the UI, Iowa
State University, and the University of Northern Iowa.
In the document, Collins cited past articles published in local newspapers
indicating that meetings are taking place and that UI interim President Gary
Fethke was involved.
Also in the resolution was an April transcript of a search-committee meeting in
which Wahlert discussed an assessment of the UI's plans for the future and an
announcement regarding the plan to be developed alongside the university's
search for a president.
The resolution called for a suspension of the meetings until the UI has selected a
permanent president who can contribute to the process.
Soon after the resolution was presented, the Faculty Council instituted executiveboard privileges and closed its doors to the public for more than 15 minutes while
members discussed the issue.
Upon reopening to the public, Faculty Council members expressed interest in
having Fethke speak with them, regarding the supposed process.
Following this, Richard Hurtig, a UI professor of speech pathology and audiology,
talked about the possibility of having the Faculty Council join a liberal-arts faculty
meeting yet to be scheduled with Fethke. That meeting will be open to the
general public.
UI law professor and Faculty Senate President Sheldon Kurtz said that in
contrast to what the resolution said, the council had been told there is no such
committee working on any process, but the Faculty Council will still seek more
information. In the executive session, the draft resolution was never formally
passed and didn't see debate, Kurtz said, leaving the issue in limbo.
"We're concerned that [changes are] going forward without our knowledge," he
said. "We're just looking for more information."
E-mail DI reporter Matt Nelson at:
matthew-s-nelson@uiowa.edu