Ex Com E-Vote_Support Letter for PSU Member on Search Committee_8_1_19

FSU EX COM E-VOTE 8/1/19

Ex Com was asked by email on 7/29/19 to vote on the following. The FSU Executive Committee voted to approve the motion. The motion passed 10 votes in favor, 0 opposed.

“If passed by a 3/4 majority of the FSU Executive Committee, the following statement will be sent (within one business day of the majority being achieved) to Robert Manning, Chair of the Board of Trustees with Martin Meehan, President of the university system, cc’ed on it.  Copies of the letter will also be sent to the presidents of the two staff unions at UMB.



Dear Robert Manning,



The Executive Committee of the Faculty-Staff Union at University of Massachusetts Boston recently sent you a copy of our motion in support of the rigorous work our Faculty Council did to vet and nominate an appropriate set of colleagues for the Chancellor Search Committee.   Our endorsement of that process grows from our understanding of a set of best practices established by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP); these best practices include trying to make sure that all major constituencies on campus are represented on such search committees, and that this representation is the product of valid internal processes, as opposed to external impositions.  Further, we were heartened to read in your June 28th email to members of the community that you will “recommend to the Board of Trustees that we represent all of the appropriate campus constituencies” and that you want “our committee to be broadly constituted and reflect UMass Boston writ large.”



Mindful of this commitment on your part, we write at this point to endorse the campus staff unions’ request to you that you appoint one of their members to the search committee. We feel confident that you will agree with the premise that UMB’s staff is one of the “appropriate campus constituencies” that should be represented on this search committee.



Sincerely,



Jeff Melnick, Communications Director



on behalf of the Faculty Staff Union”