MEMORANDUM

DATE: October 27, 2000

TO: Steering Committee

FROM: A. Joseph Layon, MD Chairman, UF Faculty Senate

RE: Educational Governance Reorganization

Colleagues, on October 25, 2000 I had a lunch meeting with Mr. CB Daniel, a member of the Board of Regents, Mr. George Kramer, Student Body President, and Chancellor Emeritus ET York. We discussed several issues that I would like to bring to your attention.

First and most importantly, Chancellor York reviewed data regarding his meetings with members of the Governor's Educational Reorganization Task Force over the past weeks. He pointed out that it was his strongest impression after these meetings and a series of exchanges with Governor Bush, that the decision as to the structure of the reorganized governance system for the SUS is still undecided. He further notes that the Governor would support a reasonable plan that includes an overall coordinating body that would be interposed between the universities and the Board of Education.

At our next Steering Committee meeting I will bring for your review a series of documents that support the above-noted impression of Chancellor York. I want to obtain your input and that of our administrative colleagues from the President and Provost's offices on this issue. Please come to the Steering Committee meeting prepared to discuss the general issue of university governance and, specifically, local board's of control, an overall coordinating body for the SUS, and the roll of the State Board of Education in the governance of the University. I will bring documents we can share at the time of the meeting.

We will be best served if we create a group of Senates [i.e., the ACFS] with a unified/uniform presentation on the issue of university governance to deliver at the next Transition Task Force meeting on November 13th and 14th in Orlando. Without an overall coordinating body, the University of Florida and the SUS will be reduced to a state of chaos. I believe fighting for a rational governance system is worth the effort.

Thank you.

Xc: David Colburn CB Daniel George Kramer ET York CE Young

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