May 9, 2002
Faculty senate
Last month, Dan Jacoby, Chair of the General Faculty Organization at UW Bothell shared his views in a University Week column titled, “Growing up is a challenging balancing act for Bothell.” Faculty members at UW Tacoma have experienced very similar demands over the past 12 years. Balancing teaching, research and service on the developing campuses is a taxing endeavor. As we engage in institution building, we have been faced with uncertainties regarding new-program development, the pace of growth, campus governance structures, tri-campus issues, as well as the design and development of our permanent facilities.
We struggle with being autonomous in some areas and interdependent in others. When developing programs, we evaluate carefully the “strategic complementarity” of programs versus purposeful duplication to serve the needs of the region. These ambiguities and others will continue to consume a great deal of time and energy in the future.
The UW Tacoma Faculty Assembly, our campus wide faculty governance structure, is working on several challenging issues this year. Although we are only 12 years old, our UW Tacoma Faculty Handbook is outdated and requires revision. Ambiguity exists because our academic structures do not fit neatly into the University of Washington Faculty Code. The term college is interwoven throughout the code, yet we have a campus with one chancellor and dean and seven academic units (programs) headed by program directors. We are clearly more than a college (although we are listed among the many schools and colleges in the UW Handbook and in many documents, including budget documents).
As a campus, we operate as a “college-plus.” Our “college-plus” model is a recognition that circumstances at the still new and developing campuses are different than at UW Seattle. Thus, while we acknowledge the UW Code is our code and that we must follow its provisions, there are definite ambiguities in the governance process. Along these lines, a specific issue we are addressing this year is related to promotion and tenure. It is essential that we develop local interpretations that will allow us the flexibility to acknowledge the extraordinary contributions faculty make to institution building.
Another example of ambiguity is related to potential changes to campus structures. This year, we have been exploring the possibility of creating colleges within the campus. As the campus continues to evolve, it is essential that we begin to articulate our vision for the future and develop governance structures that facilitate our functioning. Through our initial discussions about the development of colleges at UW Tacoma, it has become evident that the relationship between the campus and colleges is not clear. If we have colleges with powers and responsibilities (curriculum, academic standards, promotion and tenure, budget advisement) what authority would the campus wide faculty organization have?
There is a desire to maintain a campus wide faculty governance structure and a campus wide advisory role to the chancellor. However, this would add an additional layer of faculty governance and create a tremendous burden to faculty members, whose service responsibilities related to institution building are already high. Furthermore, there is concern that a multiple college structure would promote further intellectual fragmentation among colleagues across campus. This is highly undesirable, since faculty came to UWT because of its interdisciplinary nature.
Ambiguity related to our three-campus system is another major focus for our faculty. Currently, the Faculty Council on Tri-Campus Policy is addressing issues related to “campus.” We were originally analogized to a college or school, but that view is being transformed and we are now recognized as a campus.
The Faculty Council on Tri-Campus Policy is developing language for the UW Handbook that defines “campus.” This definition should help us clarify that UW Bothell and Tacoma are more than just colleges. Given the work of this council, UW Tacoma faculty have decided that rather than change our current campus structure to multiple colleges at this time, it is prudent to defer our discussion and work with the campus language once it is developed.
As I gaze out my office window at the construction of the light rail line and new Museum of Glass, the revitalization of downtown Tacoma is increasingly evident. The UW Tacoma campus, housed in renovated and new buildings, provides transformative educational opportunities for students, research contributions, and serves as a catalyst for economic, technological and community development in the South Puget Sound region. Maybe Tacoma will indeed one day fulfill its dream and become a city of destiny with a certain future.
Janet Primomo is Chair of the Faculty Assembly, UW Tacoma
