UK President makes commitment to shared governance while faculty want concrete action
Concerns over how much input faculty have over governance of the University of Kentucky reached the university’s Board of Trustees on Tuesday, continuing an ongoing push by faculty against decision-making processes they say leave out their perspective.
UK President Eli Capilouto kicked off the full board meeting Tuesday — which was livestreamed and largely virtual — by reaffirming his and his administration’s commitment to shared governance of the university. Capilouto publicly made a similar commitment before the university’s faculty senate on Monday and in an email he sent to the entire campus.
Elected faculty representatives praised Capilouto’s willingness to commit himself to shared governance, but said that they want to see that commitment backed up by action. Faculty on the board and those watching the meeting also felt that the board was not given time to discuss faculty grievances, as Capilouto and the board’s chair quickly brought out members of the national championship winning volleyball and rifle teams at the conclusion of a faculty presentation.
“What we want is concrete evidence of implementation,” said Hollie Swanson, a UK faculty member elected to serve on the Board of Trustees. “This is how it plays out, right? It’s fine to say words, but then we want to see it play out.”
Capilouto’s commitment to shared governance
Last week, a petition — signed by more than 500 of the university’s over 2,500 faculty members — that called for greater shared governance at the university was sent to the Board of Trustees and in an emergency meeting the university’s faculty senate passed five resolutions which included suggested policy decisions that many faculty said would help maintain shared governance of the university.
“We don’t always agree on every step,” Capilouto wrote in his email to campus. “But a commitment to shared governance is how we find ways, relying on each other, to move forward. As part of my commitment to shared governance and shared progress, I plan this coming year to significantly increase my engagement with faculty leaders at both the Senate Council and University Senate as well as with staff and student leaders in the Staff Senate and Student Government Association.”
In committing himself and members of his administration to shared governance, Capilouto satisfied one of a handful of faculty advisements that were included in the faculty resolutions. The resolutions include updating university regulations to bring in more faculty voices on hiring processes for high-level positions and following a set of best practices on search committees until those regulations can be updated.
Additionally, the resolutions also call for a restart of the search for a new dean for the College of Arts and Sciences and a hold on the hiring process for the dean of the graduate school, until more finalists can be brought forward for the position. The full resolutions can be found on the University Senate’s website.
“President Capilouto communicated with both the University Senate and the Board regarding his strong belief in the foundational value of shared governance and he reaffirmed his support for that principle – a principle he has sought to honor consistently during more than 40 years of work in higher education. President Capilouto also indicated that he would continue to support his direct reports, such as the Provost, in making hiring decisions regarding officials who report directly to that office.”
Faculty trustees present concerns before the board
Swanson and Lee Blonder, another faculty-elected member of the Board of Trustees gave a full presentation of the events that have led to many faculty publicly voicing their concerns about shared governance.
Last fall, the long-serving dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, the university’s largest college was suddenly forced out and was replaced by an interim dean — done without faculty consultation, Blonder told the board.
The dean search to fill that position was started and then paused to understand fiscal challenges experienced by the college, UK spokesperson Blanton said last week. One of the faculty senate’s resolutions is to restart the stalled search this fall.
In late April, faculty representatives also took issue with the hiring process for the dean of the graduate college. After seven semi-finalists were interviewed by a search committee, only one finalist was presented publicly to the campus by Provost David Blackwell for faculty and employees to give feedback on.
In an email to the president and provost in late April, the university’s Senate Council stated that only providing one candidate went against previous norms and rendered faculty feedback on the finalist moot. The faculty senate has also advised Blackwell and Capilouto to refrain from making a final decision until more finalists can be provided.
“Of the most concern to Senate Council members is the appearance of a general pattern in administrative decision-making that faculty members are to be consulted only because of a regulatory requirement,” the the April email stated. “The embodiment of shared governance is valuing the input and participation of diverse populations because they offer a valuable and different perspective on shared priorities.”
Blackwell has defended the decision-making process and said that the decision to only bring forward one finalist was in line with the hiring of other deans during his tenure as provost. Additionally, he has stated that the search committee was diverse and included several voices from across campus.
Blackwell said Tuesday morning that he would be meeting with the sole finalist for the graduate dean position later this week to discuss feedback received from open forums and interviews that many across campus have had with the finalist.
“The President hires a Provost. The Provost hires Deans. Deans hire associate deans and Chairs and Deans hire faculty,” Blanton said in his statement. “Throughout those processes, faculty leaders should be, and are, consulted with as part of ensuring collaboration and in alignment with the principles of shared governance. Finally, as (Capilouto) communicated with the University Senate, he believes there are places to increase efforts, particularly in more engagement and communication with faculty, staff and student leaders. He committed to that and he also committed members of his team to step up those efforts as well.”
‘Unbelievable’ lack of discussion of grievances
At the conclusion of Swanson and Blonder’s presentation to the board, the board’s chair announced that Capilouto had special guests to present. Capilouto then introduced Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart who then presented members of the national championship winning UK volleyball and rifle teams.
After the meeting, Swanson and Blonder said they were hoping for a constructive discussion with the board following their presentation, but the quick switch to Barnhart negated any chance for that discussion to take place. Blonder said they weren’t aware Capilouto was planning on bringing out the student athletes.
“That was unfortunate,” Blonder said. “That was not a demonstration of shared governance, in my opinion.”
“It didn’t seem like anybody else had an opportunity to say anything,” Swanson said. “I would have liked to have known what my fellow trustees thought.”
Karen Petrone, a professor in the university’s history department who organized the petition signed by over 500 faculty, called the lack of discussion “unbelievable.”
“As one of the faculty leaders who wrote the letter of support, I’m very disappointed that the Board of Trustees did not engage in any discussion of our concerns, despite the fact that at least 20 percent of the faculty had signed the petition.”
In a statement Tuesday, United Campus Workers of Kentucky, a union for college employees across the state, also decried the lack of discussion before the board.
“Commitments require action, and President Capilouto’s statements alone do not sufficiently address the specific ways top-level administrators have violated the spirit of university governing regulations by side-stepping faculty, staff, and student involvement in decision-making,” the union said.