Subject: Emeritus Faculty and UO governance
To: Peter Gilkey
From: Franklin Stahl Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:17:32

Peter,

In response to your request for clean copy concerning my views on Emeriti and Faculty Governance, I ask that you post this message:

In various UO documents we read "Emeritus/emerita status confers with it the right to participate in faculty governance" without defining "participate." What, we may ask is the appropriate role for Emeritus Faculty in University Governance?

Emeriti have no vital stake in the future of the University, and voting rights in the major governmental bodies are better reserved to those who do. However, Emeriti have wisdom, based on experience, that can contribute much to faculty governance. Explicit granting of the right to initiate motions and to participate in discussion in those bodies will encourage them to contribute that wisdom.

Note that Emeriti were excluded from membership in both the Senate and the Assembly by a Senate Charter that was approved in 1995 by the University President and the Assembly. Thus, my suggestion (above) regarding Emeriti establishes rights in the Faculty Assembly that have not been available for the past 15 years. A few years ago, the Senate granted floor rights to Emeriti, identical to those granted by the 1995 Senate Charter to all OAs, all OIs and many students.

Franklin W. Stahl
Molecular Biology
1229 Univ. of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1229
TEL: 541-346-6096
FAX: 541-346-5891
PLEASE REPLY TO fstahl@uoregon.edu