Faculty governance, he said, was born in 1956 with a statement on the subject by then President Henry Schmitz, but had recently died. Times have changed and the institution needs to be more nimble and responsive. The faculty may be smart, but the administration knows best. Storti, however, was being facetious. The faculty do care about governance.
Faculty are experts at changing and adapting.
Faculty Senate Chair Gerry Philipsen cited many successes of shared governance over the last two years, most prominently revisions to the Faculty Code involving faculty salaries and the promotional process. Philipsen also noted that under the present system, there are serious limitations to shared governance. It can be difficult, he said, to get the faculty to serve when the rewards for doing so are informal. The Faculty Senate is underfunded and the administration controls its budget. The administration also has control of data and makes overall budgetary decisions.