Violation of Tenure Code

at University of Minnesota?

For background, please see an earlier post:

Faculty Senate to Vote on Furlough

My friend and fellow University of Minnesota alumnus, Michael McNabb writes:

The president fails to read Section 4.5 (on the temporary reduction of faculty compensation)in conjunction with Section 11.4 (on the same subject).

However, Section 11.2 expressly states that "the following general principles of priority apply IN ANY FINANCIAL CRISIS." A temporary reduction in faculty compensation may be taken in the second stage of a financial crisis. See Section 11.4.

In the first stage of a financial crisis Section 11.3 REQUIRES the president to identify measures to alleviate the situation that do NOT impair faculty rights.

The president must give the senate consultative committee FULL ACCESS to all available information and must RESPOND SPECIFICALLY to additional proposals suggested by the committee. The University MUST consider reductions in expenses, increases in tuition, sales of assets, and borrowing. Such alternative measures MUST be implemented.

Here the proposal of the president violates the Regents' Policy because it goes directly to the temporary reduction of faculty compensation, the second stage of a financial crisis under Section 11.4. Yet Section 11.4 authorizes that measure to be considered only AFTER the University has implemented ALL of the measures that are required to be considered in the first stage and has determined that such measures are not adequate.

Michael W. McNabb
University of Minnesota B.A. 1971; J.D. 1974
University of Minnesota Alumni Association lifetime member