From bluestein@sog.unc.edu Wed Apr 12 10:06:58 2006 Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2006 09:58:35 -0400 From: "Bluestein, Frayda S" To: andrew_perrin@unc.edu Subject: FW: Request for Information from Candidates for Faculty Office See below. Frayda S. Bluestein Professor of Public Law and Government Institute of Government University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill CB# 3330 Knapp Building Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3330 phone: 919-966-4203 fax: 919-962-2706 email: bluestein@sog.unc.edu 1.) To what extent to you believe faculty interests differ from those of administrators? Faculty and administration share common broad goals: to maintain and improve the quality of educational and other resources at Carolina; to promote and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the areas in which we work, study, and teach; and to contribute as much as possible to the people of the state whose tax dollars support us. Faculty have narrower interests as well, individual, departmental, school level interests and it's the administration's role to consider these interests collectively with an eye toward what is in the best interest of the Institution as a whole. Accommodations to the greater good don't always meet the interests of individual faculty members or groups of faculty members. I believe that an administration that has good two-way, reliable, and trustworthy communication with faculty can maintain faculty support even if decisions sometimes appear to go against faculty interests. I don't think their interests necessary differ - I think their priorities are different and that it takes good communication to understand the issues (which includes understanding what the issues are or should be) as well as the reasoning behind decisions that are made to resolve the issues. 2.) How should we maintain academic integrity in the face of increasing financial pressures? This is an ongoing issue, a bit too broadly stated for a useful or specific response. We must support faculty, students, and staff, lobby for resources and maximize the value of what we have. This always will involve and always has involved competing priorities which must be considered with good information and participation by all affected. I also believe we must maintain a culture of excellence and respect as we move in the future, fostered by mentoring and nurturing of faculty and staff. I believe people stay with and contribute to an organization based on a sense of loyalty and belief in its mission and its people. I believe we have that at Carolina and must work to preserve it. We can maintain integrity by modeling and practicing it in the way we deal with the pressures we face. 3.) What are your views on increasing inequalities within the faculty based on, for example, tenure-track vs. fixed term appointments and differing salary levels? My sense is that while this is a broad and important issue, there are subtleties about it that are specific to the individual school or department. For some schools fixed-term appointments meet a need for both the faculty member and the school. If done appropriately and equitably it can be successful. Faculty and administration must be open about the advantages and disadvantages and can learn from other units about steps that may be taken to make it work well. 4.) How would you respond on behalf of the faculty if you found out that administrators had circumvented serious faculty consultation to pursue major outside funding for a controversial new curriculum? I served on the task force to address donations that affect curriculum and found it to be a useful and enlightening experience. The task force created a policy that may help address this issue in the future. That policy focuses on the need for consultation with affected faculty and affected units but also recognizes that in the vast majority of cases, donations are welcome and not controversial. 5.) Would you prefer to see a faculty governance system that is focused on prominent University issues (e.g., academic freedom and educational policy) or one that is more focused on faculty's specific needs (e.g., benefits and salary)? Or, alternatively, how would you seek to balance the two? As a practical matter, my sense is that it is easier and perhaps by human nature, more likely, for faculty to focus on issues that are immediate and have direct individual impact. Attempts to involve faculty in discussions and activities around broader issues don't seem to garner significant attention in the absence of a controversy. Folks work hard to get their work done and balance family life, so getting involved in broad ranging issues without immediate impact is hard to justify, especially for junior faculty. On the other hand, I believe that getting faculty involved in faculty governance helps them step outside the day-to-day issues and consider broader, campus-wide issues. Faculty members who participate in faculty governance have an opportunity to meet and interact with campus leaders who promote and speak eloquently about important issues. It's hard to address big issues in a big community, but I think the structure of faculty governance is flexible and has potential to engage folks who are willing to participate. Once again, thank you for your time. Very best wishes, Andrew Perrin ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Andrew J Perrin - andrew_perrin@unc.edu - http://perrin.socsci.unc.edu Assistant Professor of Sociology; Book Review Editor, _Social Forces_ University of North Carolina - CB#3210, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3210 USA New Book: http://www.press.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/hfs.cgi/00/178592.ctl