Faculty examines decision-making process in PSU

The faculty senate established a new task force earlier this month examining faculty morale and participation at Portland State in order to gauge faculty opinion over decision-making power between faculty and administrators.

The ad-hoc committee will focus on how satisfied faculty and staff feel about shared governance, which is the balance of decision-making power between administrators and faculty concerning university policies and actions such as setting class curricula.

The committee plans to conduct a survey, research shared governance at other universities and have discussions with university administrators, faculty and staff, according to the motion to form the committee.

The motion, which was passed at the Feb. 4 faculty senate meeting, states that the survey will measure both staff and administrative satisfaction with PSU’s current shared governance model, attempt to find any obstacles to faculty involvement in governance and analyze new ideas for increased participation. Sociology faculty member Bob Liebman and English faculty member Maude Hines introduced the motion.

Sarah Andrews-Collier, chair of the theater department and ex-officio member of the senate steering committee, said committee supporters thought the system of governance might not be working properly anymore, because of PSU’s increased growth in recent years.

The senate steering committee oversees all motions introduced in the faculty senate.

“One thing that stuck in my mind is that the issue that we’re so much larger, that maybe some issues are breaking down,” Andrews-Collier said.

Neither Liebman nor Hines would comment on any details regarding the committee.

“Shared governance is, as far as I interpret it, administrators and faculty governing together,” said Gary Brodowicz, chair of the PSU chapter of American Association of University Professors (AAUP). AAUP is the university’s faculty union and deals with shared governance.

“I think it’s going to be pretty much an exploratory task force,” Brodowicz said.

Members of the committee have not been chosen, but the group will likely be formed by next Wednesday, Andrews-Collier said. After the committee is formed, members will have until May 12 to prepare a report to submit to the senate steering committee, she said.

The committee will present its findings at the faculty senate meeting in June, Andrews-Collier said. A final report will be the basis for a campus-wide discussion next year.