UM professors OK communication measure

BANGOR – Professors at the Orono campus on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a number of measures designed to give faculty a stronger voice and promote open communication with the University of Maine System.

The University of Maine Faculty Senate decided at its monthly meeting that professors should be able to regularly evaluate the president and be kept apprised of the reorganization efforts that are part of the UMS strategic plan.

Also, according to the faculty representatives, whoever is named head of the flagship campus shouldn’t function without a contract and should have a scholarly background to be able to understand the “unique structure and needs” of a higher education institution.

The impetus for the faculty senate’s actions, “meant to be positive and constructive,” came last fall after a professor asked the group to take a vote of no confidence in UMS Chancellor Joseph Westphal and to ask the Legislature and the UMS board of trustees to terminate his contract.

Professor Dean Astumian claimed in a letter that Westphal forced the resignation of former UM President Peter Hoff last summer because Hoff voiced faculty concerns about the controversial UMS strategic plan. Westphal made the decision to force Hoff to resign without consulting UM faculty, Astumian said.

Both Westphal and Hoff have denied any link between the former president’s position on the strategic plan and his resignation. Hoff, who said he was prompted to resign by “a desire to take on new challenges,” accepted a nontenured professorship at 85 percent of his current salary.

The faculty senate voted last fall to have some of the issues raised by Astumian examined by a panel of 15 professors.

Headed by faculty senate member Kathleen March, the group, which included Astumian, came up with the recommendations that ultimately were approved Wednesday.

“We don’t think we need a no confidence vote,” said March. “We passed what we feel are constructive and positive and collaborative alternatives.”

The new measures hopefully will help avert the type of situation that occurred when Hoff was asked to step down, she said, noting that professors were “surprised and concerned that the system office made the decision. It wasn’t clear to us what the reasons were.”

Her committee, which consisted of professors from across the campus, tried to “make sense out of [what happened during the summer] and [decide] how we could avoid in the future any misunderstandings, tension and conflict,” she said.

“We wanted a voice. These four motions will help ensure we have a voice.”

Faculty Senate President Howard Patterson said Thursday that the measures are “an attempt to make sure we establish some ground rules that we all agree to and that there really is open communication between the chancellor and the board of trustees and the faculty.”

He added, “This shouldn’t be regarded as a negative move, but as a positive move on the part of this campus to improve the university.”

UM Interim President Robert Kennedy on Thursday called the motions “very understandable and reasonable,” and said he would forward them to Chancellor Westphal.

March said the idea was to ensure that the people serving on the committees related to the UMS strategic planning efforts “are reporting regularly and openly to the faculty senate.”

Faculty had been concerned about comments heard both on and off campus that the next UM president should have fund-raising and business skills, according to March.

“We’re not against those,” she said, “but we feel that a president should be able to understand academics and the workings of an institution of higher education.”

Recalling that former President Hoff didn’t have a contract, March said a chief executive officer without such a document is put “in an uncertain position. You wouldn’t be able to work from a position of strength.”

She said professors currently have the authority to evaluate all administrators except the president. If they had been able to review Hoff’s performance, “we could have offered that information to the chancellor,” she said.