The system’s Faculty Assembly, which represents faculty on all 17 campuses, has drafted a resolution on Ross’ ouster. It’s now being circulated around the UNC system’s faculty senates for their support.
The resolution praises Ross’ presidency and asks the Board of Governors to explain the reasoning behind his removal, said David Zonderman, chairman of N.C. State University’s faculty senate, which voted Tuesday to endorse the resolution. Winston-Salem State University’s faculty senate followed suit on Thursday.
“Both as faculty and citizens of the state, we’d like some explanation and some sense of what’s guiding the board in its decisions,” Zonderman said. “If they won’t tell us their reasoning, how do we know where we’re going as a system?”
Zonderman said faculty concerns center on Ross’s performance as president and confusion about why he was removed.
UNC-CH’s Faculty Council will discuss the resolution later this month, said chairman Bruce Cairns.
“It is crucial that faculty across the UNC system stay engaged and involved — this is an important time for all of us,” he said in an email.
Other faculty senates have also approved the resolution, including UNC-Pembroke and UNC-Asheville, which did so unanimously.
“At UNC-A, we value open discourse,” said Dee Eggers, chairwoman of UNC-A’s faculty senate. “Changes in public policy are best arrived at through deliberative public processes.”