We discussed the upcoming Faculty Senate meeting, and various resolutions that are currently in play. We noted that there will be three Regents at the meeting: Pruitt, Vasquez and Farrow. Chancellor Mone, Vice Chancellor Luljack, and Provost Britz arrived and we discussed our communications strategy. They have been meeting with legislators, who according to the Chancellor, recognize how massive the cuts are. How do we continue to advocate for our position? Luljack discussed the role of the newly formulated Communications Task Force and our need to reach out beyond our own immediate community. The legislators have said “We need to know how you make a difference” which is the fundamental role of the new “e-newsletter.” We responded with some cynicism about this “tell your story” request, though agreed that we need to get our supporters to advocate for us.

We then discussed how the focus on massive cuts is occluding the issues of public authority and potential changes in shared governance. We are pursuing information, along with Dean Swain, about the ways that other universities’ public authorities are structured, and whether regents are appointed or elected. We further discussed various aspects of control regarding the system.

We reviewed Mark Schwartz’s report for the upcoming Senate, which includes a strong statement about the practice of faculty governance.