Happy Solstice! There’s finally a glimmer of brighter days ahead — not least because the Resolution on Shared Governance and Budget Transparency has overwhelmingly passed.
More than half of you took time to vote during the very busiest part of the semester. 95% of you supported the resolution. This is your victory. Thanks to all who voted, all who encouraged colleagues to vote, all who believe that by standing together we can create a better, brighter Miami for ourselves and our students.
There were 520 votes from the 949 members of Faculty Assembly, of which
475 were “yes” votes (95%)—
more than twice the total needed to win.
This is an important win, but it is only the beginning. Faculty will need to be vigilant and active together to follow through and ensure that this victory bears fruit.
What winning means
Faculty overwhelmingly supported two initiatives that, if approved, will significantly strengthen shared governance at Miami:
- That Miami abide by guidelines outlined in the Statement on Governance of Colleges and Universities (co-developed by the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities, the American Council on Education, and the AAUP)
- That two non-voting faculty members be added to the Board of Trustees
What’s next
The Board of Trustees must approve. If that happens —
- Ohio Code must be revised to add faculty to the Board. (Revisions are by no means unprecedented — the statute on Miami’s board has been revised five times, most recently in 2015.)
- Faculty will work closely with Senate to improve our shared governance structures.
How you can help
The Board must hear that faculty are paying close attention and are strongly and visibly in support of the board’s approving the resolution. So:
- Mark your calendar for the Board’s public meeting Friday, February 19, at 9 AM.*
- Help with outreach to the Board through social media and other means (we’ll launch the campaign in January).
- Faculty may speak at the start of the meeting—sign up to speak!
We’ll be in touch soon with more information on how you can be part of following through to make the promise of genuine shared governance at Miami a reality.
Meanwhile, if you haven’t already, join the largest AAUP Advocacy Chapter in Ohio at aaup.org/join, and enjoy the holiday!
UPDATE: The Board has made its decisions about both parts of the resolution. For the decision about faculty on the board of trustees, read this. For the decision about aligning Miami’s shared governance practices with the Statement on Government, read this.
*Corrected from 8am in original version of post
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