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December, 2000 The
Honorable Jeb Bush Dear
Governor Bush, At
the request of the Faculty Senate of the University of Florida, I write
you to detail our grave concerns with the ongoing process of
reorganization of the educational system in Florida, and to offer you
suggestions for the elimination of these concerns.
I first present a summary of our position, followed by details
supporting this position. SUMMARY
1.
The Educational Reorganization Transition Task Force must allow sufficient
time for serious input by Florida’s citizens and educational experts. 2.
An Expert Advisory Council should be created and attached to the
Educational Reorganization Transition Task Force, with members chosen from
nationally and internationally recognized experts residing both within
Florida and other states. 3.
The Educational Reorganization Transition Task Force should more closely
consult with educators and administrators from the SUS and AAU
universities. 4.
A separate intermediary governing body should be established with specific
governance authority over all the SUS institutions. Supporting
Information
Our
disquiet, detailed below, is related to the following: 1.
Inadequate serious consultation by the Transition Task Force with
SUS Faculty as well as state and national educational experts in the
development of this system; 2.
With the Transition Task Force proposed governance system, there is
potential for political manipulation of new program and facility
development throughout the SUS; 3.
With the Transition Task Force proposed governance system, there is
potential
for political manipulation of students, faculty and staff throughout the
SUS; 4.
With the Transition Task Force proposed governance system, there is
potential for — especially given the differential legislative delegation
strengths in the north versus south of our state — political
manipulation of funding to each campus in the SUS; 5.
Each of these issues may result in the waste of significant human
and monetary resources, in addition to degrading the quality of higher
education in the state. As
you will understand, we have expectantly followed the meetings of the
Educational Reorganization Transition Task Force, and have been involved
in discussions reviewing the work of the Task Force and considering the
impact of this reorganization on the universities within our State
University System. These
discussions have resulted in the presentation of letters to yourself, the
legislature, and the head of the Transition Task Force, under signature of
the Advisory Council of Faculty Senates (ACFS), representing the faculty
senates within the State University System.
These missives have detailed our hopes and fears related to the
proposed K through 20 educational governance system.
Based upon our continued consideration of these issues, and the
appearance that our previous concerns have not received appropriate
attention, we wish to again bring to your attention the background
information that underlies the above-cited concerns.
Please understand that these issues are of concern to the entire
faculty of the University of Florida. Background
Information: 1.
All successful state university systems have differences that distinguish
them from, and demand a different governance structure from, the K through
12 and community college systems. These
unique aspects of universities deserve special consideration in the
current restructuring process in order to preserve educational quality at
the highest levels.
b.
While in the K through 12 system students are required to attend school, in the higher education system, students choose
to attend and must compete to
meet the admissions requirements. c.
Education in the K through 12 system is designed to disseminate currently
understood knowledge. While
universities also have this duty, they are also specifically and uniquely
charged with discovering new
knowledge through research. All
faculty members at the University of Florida are expected to pursue
cutting-edge research and to publish, perform, or otherwise express their
findings nationally and internationally according to the standards of
their professions. Hence, the
University of Florida and our sister universities within the SUS serve and
enhance the other educational systems. d.
The K through 12 system often supports community activities through the
after-school use of their facilities.
The Faculty of the University of Florida contribute directly to the
Attempting to create a “seamless” and uniform system of governance from K through 20, while novel, does not take into consideration the above-noted, as well as other, differences in mission and need. 2.
With all respect, we remind you that the best known national and
international academic programs are developed and maintained only when the
University is able to attract and keep the best and the brightest faculty.
Such faculty are, as you well know, nationally and internationally
mobile and will, we fear, not stay at an institution in which the climate
for teaching, research, and service is not supported and fostered.
While we do not believe that anyone involved in this reorganization
effort would intentionally degrade the SUS, our fear is that an unintended
consequence of the Transition Task Force’s ill-considered changes could
be to precipitate this very outcome. 3.
Values of importance to all faculty include academic freedom, which
ensures that research and education may be performed free of the
constraints of political pressure; the tenure process, which exists to
protect academic freedom; a stable fiscal and organizational support
system that provides for and values teaching, research and service; and an
academically experienced leadership and administration, which protects all
of the above. 4.
Finally, as we are certain you know and appreciate, faculty and graduate
students from throughout the world come to work and study at our
University of Florida. They
come to this institution because it is world-class.
All of us — you, the legislators, the administration, the alumni,
and the faculty— keep this institution world class only by ensuring that
the above-noted requirements for serious academic activity are fulfilled. Recommendations to Address the Issues of Concern: Because
of our respect and concern for the SUS generally, and our University of
Florida specifically, we view with trepidation the intent of the
Transition Task Force to implement a novel and untested system of
educational governance which ignores the above-cited points, despite our
multiple attempts to communicate their importance. We
are gravely worried about the implementation of a new, untried, and novel
system that omits any formal coordinating organization for the SUS as a whole, distinct from the K through 12 and community college
systems. This may result in
educational chaos and mediocrity in our state higher education system. We
are profoundly concerned that the wisdom of the legislators who oversaw
the creation of the current governance system is being cast aside.
Please remember that this system of governance came into existence
after significant and serious political interference with and manipulation
of the SUS and its faculty and students.
It is our concern that the dismantling of this “firewall” by
the Transition Task Force has the potential to seriously dampen academic
freedom. After
review of the options that appear to be under consideration, and the
functions which have been performed by the present governance system, we
urge you to immediately give your most serious consideration to the
following: 1.
We ask that you direct your appointees to the Educational Reorganization
Transition Task Force to decrease the rapidity with which they are moving
to implement this change in governance.
We are fully aware of the difficulties that “throttling back”
might entail. However, we feel it would be of utmost importance for the
Task Force, and perhaps the Governor, to convene town meetings and
workshops to allow for serious input into this process by Florida’s
citizens and educational experts, in order to achieve the best result
possible. 2.
We suggest that an Expert Advisory Council be created and attached to the
Educational Reorganization Transition Task Force.
The members of this council will be chosen from nationally and
internationally recognized experts, both from within Florida and from
other states. 3.
We suggest that the Educational Reorganization Transition Task Force allow
for closer consultation with educators and administrators from the SUS and
AAU universities. Consultation
with these experts and follow-through with their suggestions is critical
to the design of a workable governance structure, the implementation of
which can continue to provide guidance for higher quality higher
education. 4.
A separate intermediary governing body should be established with specific
governance authority over all the SUS institutions, in recognition of the
scope of the responsibility entailed in running a successful statewide
university system and the unique and specialized aspects of universities
compared to K through 12 education. Finally, Governor Bush, we emphatically request that the issues we mention in the opening paragraph of this letter be given careful consideration. These are not merely theoretical or “paranoid” concerns. The history of our state and SUS makes it clear that multiple forms of political manipulation have occurred; we must never allow them to recur. Thus, we ask that you direct the Transition Task Force to seriously discuss the establishment of a non-political, non-partisan intermediary regulatory coordinating body between the State Board of Education and the local Boards of Control presently being considered. Without such an intermediary system-wide coordinating body, we fear the potential for political manipulation of students, faculty and staff, academic program development, and funding to each campus in the SUS. My
colleagues and I would be pleased to further discuss our concerns with you
or the Task Force, or to discuss any questions you might present.
However, we understand that key decisions are to be made very soon,
and we therefore respectfully request your reply as rapidly as possible. Sincerely, A.
Joseph Layon, MD, FACP Approved
by the Senate Steering Committee and the full Faculty Senate 1 December, 2000 Error processing SSI file |