SUNY-ESF’s Academic Governance talks consultation visit, strategic plans at 1st meeting

SUNY-ESF’s Academic Governance discussed shared governance and strategic plans for the 2018-19 academic year at its first meeting of the semester at the Gateway Center on Tuesday.  

Melissa Fierke, the 2018-19 AG chair, said a consultation team from the SUNY University Faculty Senate will visit the SUNY-ESF campus in January to hold discussions about shared governance, which is a set of guidelines for faculty and staff to work with administrations in decision-making processes.   

David Amberg, SUNY-ESF’s interim president since July, also addressed what he called “elephants in the room.”  

AG’s executive committee and university faculty senator Kelley Donaghy sent a request for a consultation team with experts in shared governance in spring 2018. Those discussions, pending the support of the Academic Council and other SUNY-ESF groups, will be part of the college’s annual mentoring colloquium, Fierke said. 

They requested guidance in areas such as “understanding the roles and responsibilities of different constituents within a healthy shared governance climate,” according to a letter sent to UFS president Gwen Kay. 

The request came after years of tension between administration, faculty, staff and students over university decisions and leadership. Fierke said that after a few meetings with UFS, the executive committee decided consultation was the most appropriate option, rather than moving through an arbitration or grievance system to resolve a conflict.  

UFS’s most recent governance handbook states that the visitation committees are developed “in the event of a serious, prolonged conflict about faculty governance.” After a visit, the committee is expected to submit a report, which may include recommendations to resolve campus conflict.  

At Tuesday’s meeting, Amberg said that the SUNY-ESF community must work together to restore productive communication and relationships, especially after students called for increased communication from administrators. He added that disagreements should be discussed face-to-face, rather than using email as a “weapon of dissention.” 

He also said he’s been meeting with Chancellor Kent Syverud once per month to discuss student-focused shared services, including a payment for information technology services with Syracuse University. SUNY-ESF is also working to create support hubs for their students through regional partnerships, including with the State University of New York Upstate Medical University, he said.  

Amberg also discussed SUNY-ESF’s budget issues, saying initial estimates for SUNY-ESF’s 2018-19 operating deficit were “concerning.” After conducting an analysis, administrators found that 60 percent of the deficit was due to labor costs, he said.   

The administration is currently discussing options to reduce the projected deficit with new revenue strategies and cost-cutting ideas, including pausing $600,000 budgeted for new administrative and staff hires.  

Amberg said that the pause doesn’t mean SUNY-ESF is freezing faculty hires. He said the college is looking at each request thoughtfully to maintain the university’s programs and competitiveness.  

“I can’t commit to those salaries in light of the large projected deficit,” Amberg said of the money going toward new hires. “I have seen universities go through extended periods of freezes, and it leads you into a death spiral.”  

Amberg also reviewed the ESF Discovery Challenge, a strategic plan request by SUNY Chancellor Kristina Johnson, on Tuesday. The ESF Discovery Challenge includes three advisory groups that will focus on human resources, financial stability and faculty and student engagement.