UW Tacoma Faculty Assembly

December 18, 2024

Autumn 2024: Whew!

This has been a tumultuous autumn term for many in faculty governance across the UW (and indeed across the US!) – and the key message of this post is one of gratitude. UW Tacoma faculty colleagues, staff, and students have shown up for our campus, our programs, and our urban-serving mission – and it shows!

As Chancellor Sheila Lange has shared in recent weeks, UWT enrollments are up. Campus is busy and students are active. Faculty have submitted grades, holiday gatherings are underway, and 2024 is a year for the record books.

Faculty Assembly and your Executive Council have also had a very successful autumn, after an unusual start with the unexpected vacancy of the Vice Chair role, and the government jury service of the Chair during the first few weeks of September.

Over the last ten weeks, we have:

  • Filled the Vice Chair role, in a special election compliant with UW Faculty Code and UWT Bylaws (welcome and thank you, Dr Andrea Hill!);
  • Gathered substantive feedback from faculty at our Fall Retreat, to constructively amplify UWT faculty voice in the UW Presidential Search process, and orient shared Faculty Assembly goals for the 2024-2025 academic year;
  • Charged and empowered our Standing Committees with work consistent with their definition in our bylaws, responsive to faculty feedback at the Fall Retreat, and focused on improving performance and trust in UWT faculty governance;
  • Participated in hosting the November meeting of the UW Regents at UWT, including EC attendance at the Regents reception in Seattle, the Regents luncheon in Tacoma, and portions of the day-long meeting here on campus;
  • Consulted on the proposed model for unit-level faculty salary adjustment, due to the UW Provost on December 16, and collaborating on a principled approach to equitable distribution of limited funds to address widespread faculty salary compression, on this campus;
  • Invited and hosted updates from campus leaders on high priority initiatives impacting students, staff, and faculty, to enable EC representatives to share and implement information in their home units: improving textbook access for students with Library Services; supporting campus security and protocols, with Campus Safety and the VCFA; growing recruitment and retention, with Student Services; staying informed about contract practices for Teaching faculty, with NTT faculty leaders;
  • Established compliance with OPMA for all EC meetings, after consultation with State and UW leaders, implementing standard practices for all public decision-making bodies in Washington State: posted agendas and meeting dates, places, and times; publicly accessible meeting minutes and voting records; and ongoing coordination with that office;
  • Initiated stronger cooperation with UW Bothell GFO, to consider and address shared interests in tri-campus governance, including current disparities between the UW Faculty Code and Presidential Executive Orders (E.O.s), and opportunities for improving faculty voice and shared governance across all 3 campuses, through the Faculty Council on Tri-Campus Policy;
  • Enacted a collaborative workshop planning approach to subsequent quarterly retreats, with the goal of practical, substantive outcomes for attendees, EC reps and EFC Chairs;
  • Initiated stronger communication with EFC Chairs, as a relatively recent shift in faculty governance structure at UWT, and an overall FA goal for the year;
  • Hosted quarterly updates from the Chancellor and the EVCAA, and strengthened invitation and communication practices with our campus leadership team.

 

THANK YOU to our EC representatives and FA Standing Committee Chairs, and especially to Program Coordinator Andrew Siebert and Vice Chair Andrea Hill, whose commitment and professionalism have been superb throughout a very unusual autumn term.

Happy Holidays, and see you in 2025!