So What Does the University of Minnesota's Regent's Policy

Say About Reduction or

Postponement of Faculty Compensation?

My fellow U of M alum and friend, Michael McNabb, points out:

From the Regents' Policy on Faculty Tenure
[with editorial comments in capital letters or in brackets]:

Section 11.3 FIRST Stage: ALTERNATIVE Approaches. IF there has been a serious reduction in INCOME . . .

[There has not been a reduction in income; the increases in tuition have offset the decreases in state appropriations that are the result at least in part of the failed legislative strategy of the administration.]

The president will identify the magnitude of the shortfall, the measures which might be taken to alleviate it (which MUST NOT involve the impairment of faculty rights), and alternative measures which have been rejected. The president will give the committee FULL ACCESS to all available information and WILL RESPOND SPECIFICALLY to additional proposals suggested by the committee. At this stage the University will consider reductions in OTHER EXPENSES

[such as the costs of administration and the annual multi-million dollar subsidy to the athletic department]. . . .

Section 11.4 SECOND Stage: Reduction or Postponement of Compensation. IF the University has implemented ALL of the measures which are required to be considered in the first stage . . . and they are inadequate to meet the shortfall, the president may, AFTER consultation with the Faculty Consultative Committee, propose the TEMPORARY reduction or postponement of faculty compensation for a predetermined period NOT TO EXCEED one year . . . . The Faculty Consultative Committee will report on the adequacy of the steps taken in the first stage and make its recommendations on the proposal. If the Faculty Senate approves the proposed action (or any modification of it) by an ABSOLUTE MAJORITY of its membership or by a TWO-THIRDS vote of the members present and voting (a quorum being present), the Board of Regents may take the action . . . .

See http://www1.umn.edu/regents/policies/humanresources/FacultyTenure.pdf

Another friend points out that the above description corresponds to what is described a fiscal emergency. For section relevant to financial stringency please see later posts.