Proposed NSHE code amendments tabled

NFA members and other faculty concerned about the proposed code amendments concerning exigency and curricular review, on which the NFA and Senate both met late last month and provided written input to the Chancellor, will be interested to know that the amendments have been tabled for this spring, in response to our concerns. Here is the message from Vice Chancellor Bart Patterson to the Faculty Senate chairs on the matter:

After discussing with the Task Force the concerns that have been raised thus far about changes to the Code pertaining to curricular review, it seems best to postpone any Board consideration until perhaps next fall so we can more fully vet the concerns. In addition, institutions will have more experience with the curricular review processes that are ongoing this spring and into next fall, and consequently, we may have more input to consider. Until such time as there are any Code revisions, the curricular review process employed by your institution is established under the auspices of the president pursuant to the existing Code section, Title 2, Chapter 5, Section 5.4.6 which provides as follows:

5.4.6 Curricular Reasons for Termination. A faculty member may be laid off because an administrative unit, project, program or curriculum has been discontinued, reduced in size or reorganized for bona fide reasons pertaining to the missions of the System institutions resulting in the elimination of the faculty member's position. Such curricular revisions shall come as a consequence of the academic planning process as established in writing and approved by the presidents of the member institutions affected, and which may be set forth in the institutional bylaws. For faculty members of the Desert Research Institute, however, refer to Section 5.8 of the Nevada System of Higher Education Code.