Proposal to Add Faculty BOT Seat Sparks Debate Among University, State Officials

A resolution passed at the Feb. 22 Faculty Council meeting called for providing the chairman of the Faculty Council with a nonvoting position on the BOT. The resolution states that professors deserve representation on the board because of their interest in the well-being of the University.

Faculty Council Chairwoman Sue Estroff said the board's decisions are important and warrant faculty perspectives. "These are people who are making decisions for all of us, and we'd like to have a voice in that process," she said.

But BOT Vice Chairman Stick Williams said faculty already have enough access to the board and said BOT members often solicit faculty members' opinions and encourage them to attend meetings. "I think (the faculty) have a tremendous amount of influence," Williams said. "I'm a little bit surprised at the premise that they have to be a member of the board to have an impact."

But even if the BOT supported faculty representation, some say giving faculty a seat would require legislation at the state level.

Sen. Tony Rand, D-Cumberland, said such a move likely would require amending the Higher Education Reorganization Act of 1971, which organized the 16 UNC-system schools under one governing board and set the policies for those campuses. Rand said he would prefer a systemwide move instead of campus-specific changes because the structure of all UNC-system trustee boards now is the same.

Sen. Virginia Foxx, R-Watauga, also said faculty interests are being served without a faculty presence on the BOT. "I don't think (adding faculty) will do as much good as they think it will," she said.

But Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, D-Orange, said she thinks the faculty's request is valid, though she doubts other legislators share her opinion. "If a board is to govern an organization, there ought to be a seat for those who are being governed," she said.

But Estroff stressed that the Faculty Council drafted the resolution carefully, leaving out any request that would require legislative action. She said they recognize that the law prohibits faculty from having a vote because they are state employees.

Bill Friday, who served as president of the UNC system during its restructuring in the early 1970s, said he generally is not opposed to the idea, but he would prefer a systemwide alteration.

But UNC-system Board of Governors member Bradley Adcock said the chairwoman of the Faculty Senate at Appalachian State University holds an ex officio position on that school's board.

Chancellor James Moeser, who has voiced his support of the faculty proposal, also noted the faculty presence at ASU. "I think it's not inconsistent with the policy of the UNC system," he said.

Estroff said she thinks the support the faculty resolution has been met with is increasing the prospects of its initiation. She added that while a faculty seat on the BOT would be a significant alteration to an institution that seldom changes, faculty will continue to push until they gain representation. "Tradition dies hard here, but I think this is the right thing to do."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.