That the chairs of the appropriate Senate committees serve as ex officio, non-voting members of Regents' committees:

• The chair of the Senate Committee on Faculty Affairs sit on the Faculty, Staff, and Student Affairs Committee

• The chair of the Senate Committee on Educational Policy sit on the Educational Planning and Policy Committee

• The chair of the Senate Committee on Finance and Planning sit on the Financial Operations Committee

• The chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Facilities Management sit on the Facilities Committee

• The vice chair of the Faculty Consultative Committee sit on the Audit Committee

• The chair of the Faculty Consultative Committee sit on the Committee of the Whole

Rationale:

1. The faculty voice would be heard throughout any deliberations that affected the faculty: a faculty presence would help the Board understand proposals from a faculty perspective. There would be no surprises that would prompt faculty consternation, or, at a minimum, the Board would be aware that faculty would likely react adversely to a particular proposal.

2. A faculty presence would help ensure there were no inappropriate non-public proceedings or inappropriate non-public conduct of business. The faculty would always know it had a pipeline to the Board, thereby reducing faculty distrust of the Board.

   Informal dinners and meetings with faculty groups such as FCC are not an adequate substitute for representation on regental committees; faculty always have some level of distrust for the Board (any board, at any institution), and at present the situation here is more acute than normal. Informal interaction with FCC and other groups of faculty are always welcome, and can be helpful in promoting mutual understanding, but the faculty also want someone at the meetings who can participate formally. Deliberations of the Board are open, so faculty can know what is being said, but the faculty themselves cannot participate without a seat at the table.

3. In the past, it has been the President's responsibility to speak to the Board for the faculty. The situation has changed in the past few decades; the President now speaks for many constituencies, so the faculty voice has been weakened, if not lost. The press of many constituencies, and attention to their voices, is especially true at Minnesota. The perception is widespread that the President can no longer speak forcefully for the faculty.

   The faculty note that there is a student regent and two student representatives on each Board of Regents' committee; there is a widespread perception that the faculty voice has been diminished by the lack of parity with students on the Board. This proposal does not call for representation equal to the students, but rather for one faculty member on each committee.

   The growth in the operations side of the University has also led to the faculty voice being dissipated. The faculty, whose activities constitute the core of the University, are frequently treated as merely another group of employees or another constituent group.

4. The faculty, through research grants and other activities, bring an enormous amount of money to the University, and have a vested interest in the health of the institution.

5. The individuals who serve as the senior academic officers are usually in their positions only for a few years. Students attend the University only for a few years. Faculty members typically spend their entire careers at the University, and thus have a great commitment to and interest in the health and welfare of the University.

6. The events of the last 5-10 years have led to a chasm between the faculty, administration, and regents, of which the tenure debate was only an outgrowth. What is needed is healing and repair efforts, but the faculty must assist in that healing. Putting a faculty voice on the Board will go a long ways to help that healing.