Faculty members were buoyed when we were promised that the concept of streamlining would lead to the elimination of unnecessary layers of administration and unnecessary university offices. We want to continue to be buoyed and hope that President Gilley, with input from this faculty, will make the right decisions when it comes to organizational placement of any additional online courses and degrees that are created. This is the main campus of a land grant university that is charged with serving the entire state. We have been serving the state by offering online courses and degrees that have emanated from academic departments and colleges. We want to continue to do so.
Faculty members view online instruction as just one more means to deliver quality content.
The resolution you are voting on today is being brought forward from the report that the Ad Hoc Committee on Technologically-Enhanced Instruction presented at the April meeting of the Senate. That report was prepared prior to any member of the Committee or any of your Faculty Senate leaders being apprised that there was a plan to establish a separate entity to deliver online instruction. All that we knew until last Friday is what we read in the newspapers and viewed on the television screens. When and if we consider those questions, the appropriate faculty will be heavily involved. We applaud this statement and stand ready to work with him.