Faculty delegates voice concerns with UNC system's 5-year plan

The proposed UNC-system strategic plan will affect many aspects of the University, and some faculty members are worried the systemwide policy changes might overlook University-specific concerns.

The Faculty Executive Committee met Monday to voice concerns and discuss the five-year plan, which will be presented to the UNC-system Board of Governors in February.

Members will have a chance to have their voice heard by UNC-system President Thomas Ross on Friday at the UNC-system Faculty Assembly meeting.

“We want to stress the value of liberal arts,” said Lloyd Kramer, chairman of the history department. “We want to research across all disciplines — I mean, not just the ones that are singled out. And we want to stress the importance of autonomy.”

The delegation — five elected UNC faculty delegates led by microbiology and immunology professor Steve Bachenheimer — will represent the University at the meeting.

One of the main issues with the strategic plan that faculty members discussed was how to fund the state’s eLearning online courses program.

Members also expressed concern about the plan’s perceived trend toward homogenizing the UNC system. UNC law professor Mike Gerhardt said the plan would eliminate positive competition between the universities and result in a loss of academic diversity.

The committee also worried whether the strategic plan’s goal to “become the national leader in the assessment of student learning gains” would force professors to teach to a test.

History professor Sarah Shields expressed concern about the vague language of this goal.

“I keep telling my students that their core competency is about critical analysis of sources and critical thinking about the ways that other people have dealt with the past,” she said.

“And I’m a little bit worried that, as vaguely as this is presented, that my students are going to have to take tests on American history as it’s been defined in somebody’s textbook in order to complete their core competency.”

Although faculty members had many concerns with the strategic plan, there are still some aspects of it that they agreed with.

Rachel Willis, an American studies professor, said faculty will strive to make their current measures of student performance more transparent.

“We are sincerely committed to collaborating with the UNC General Administration on eliminating inefficiencies in the system and injustices,” Willis said.

“We are in complete agreement on that,” she said.

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