NFA update on presidential search

Yesterday afternoon a contingent of NFA members, made up of our Executive Committee and our College Liaison Committee members (or their proxies), met with Chancellor Klaich to provide input on the presidential search. While the contents of our discussions must be kept confidential as per the commitment we made to the Chancellor, they reflected the priorities that I have heard from the many members I consulted in the last few days (and thanks to all who took the time to speak to me or to write) plus new ideas introduced by the other committee members.

Although ours is but one of the many voices to whom the Chancellor and Chairman of the Regents are listening during their three days of meetings, we do feel that it was important that faculty and professional staff were represented through both the NFA and the Senate meeting held on Tuesday. We appreciate being included in the consultations and also urged the Chancellor to continue to consult as broadly as possible throughout the process, so that it is a process that at each stage is driven by the concerns of the full campus.

Above all, we emphasized the need for a strong advocate for UNLV, a leader who would be accessible and visible and eager to participate in shared governance, who had a proven record of experience working with a dynamic and engaged faculty, who would make the recruitment and retention of faculty a top priority for the university in the potentially difficult years ahead, and who could lead us smoothly and a strong presence in the very important upcoming processes including accreditation, the System formula revision exercise and the preparation for the 2011 legislative session.

If anyone has further thoughts they would like to have us pass along, or thoughts for how NFA can contribute to a successful search and smooth transition on campus, please feel free to contribute them by writing or calling me or other members of the executive committee -- or posting them below.