Championship form

Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics Communications Ohio State men's gymnastics team member Jamie Natalie competes on the still rings at the NCAA Championships, held April 6 in Columbus. Ohio State won the national title, with Natalie and Raj Bhavsar claiming the top two spots.

Alterations to, elimination of units are subject of proposed rule

A new rule will go before the University Senate in May that is designed to specify who at Ohio State may propose alterations to or elimination of academic units, to codify a process for undertaking these changes and to assign decision-making responsibilities as such proposals move forward.

Administrators and faculty have observed that agreed-upon procedures for assessing and implementing changes in academic units are needed so all involved understand the rules of engagement and to ensure faculty rights are protected and academic integrity is maintained.

The Senate Oversight Committee on Restructuring indicated in its final report in the late 1990s that the University had missed an opportunity to restructure academic units sufficiently in response to the financial challenges in the early part of that decade. In a March 1999 speech, Executive Vice President and Provost Edward J. Ray asked the Senate to develop such rules for considering reorganization of academic units at the college level.

Three faculty governance leaders, motivated by the observations made during the academic restructuring of the 1990s and problematic attempts at eliminating certain units on campus, put their heads together and drafted the new rule.

A key missing ingredient a decade ago that has been added to the mix: a vote of the faculty residing in an affected department or school that would reflect faculty sentiment as any proposal moves forward.

The draft rule outlines the process by which proposals may be made and carried out to consolidate, reconfigure or eliminate tenure-initiating units. It stipulates that no faculty may be involuntarily terminated by such processes and assigns final review to the Council on Academic Affairs (CAA) before a recommendation moves to University Senate, which is empowered to approve any proposal or render it void.

The proposed rule now is moving through governance channels as it nears the end of lengthy consultation. Reflecting refinements along the way, the original was drafted by Susan Fisher, secretary of University Senate and professor of entomology and veterinary biosciences; Larry Anderson, chair of the Senate Steering Committee and professor of chemistry; and Gerald Reagan, former secretary of Senate and professor of educational policy and leadership.

"We're taking more steps now to see if we got it right," Fisher told the University Senate April 7 during a discussion on the proposed rule, which supplemented two Universitywide forums on the draft. The authors sought community input to ensure that they appropriately balanced the flexibility needed to meet future institutional challenges with built-in protections for faculty and students.

"We have consulted as widely as we could," Fisher said.

Since the 1998-99 academic year, the drafts have gone through exhaustive reviews by several major Senate committees as well as the Office of Academic Affairs. The rule will go before the full Senate for a vote on May 5, and ultimately must be approved by the Board of Trustees before going into effect.

Under the rule, procedures for altering or abolishing a department or school include:

• A proposal initiated by a dean administratively responsible for the unit, the executive vice president and provost, CAA and/or the faculty in the unit.

• An analysis containing a number of elements, including rationale for the change; enumeration of all faculty affected and proposed faculty reassignments or transfers; analyses of courses, students affected and budgetary consequences; and the impact on external constituencies, diversity, and faculty academic freedom and responsibility.

• Faculty and staff involvement, including opportunities for verbal and written feedback, followed by a faculty vote.

• Advancement of the proposal, along with the faculty vote results, to CAA, which can seek additional work, approve the proposal and send it to Senate, or disapprove it and end the process.

• A Senate vote which, if positive, goes to the president for review and to the Board of Trustees for final disposition.

• Oversight by a specially appointed committee.

The procedure is similar for alteration or abolition of colleges, with the following exceptions:

• CAA must appoint an ad hoc committee, consisting primarily of regular faculty, to evaluate proposals and conduct extensive consultation with affected faculty, staff, students and external parties. The committee forwards a recommendation to CAA.

• Prior to accepting or rejecting the ad hoc committee's recommendation, CAA must consult with Faculty Council, which will vote on the proposal, and the executive vice president and provost, who will provide a letter of evaluation and recommendation. CAA either terminates the process or forwards a positive recommendation to Senate.

The full text of the proposed rule is on the Web at: http://senate.ohio-state.edu/AlterationofUnitsRule.htm.

BioHio to bring science to life at OSU

Ohio State will celebrate agriculture with BioHio 2001, a giant open house running May 10-12 on the Columbus campus.

BioHio will be held in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences campus area from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Through hands-on demonstrations, exhibits and tours, visitors will learn about agriculture, the environment, gardening, fish farming, native plants, berries and more. Advice and information will be available from experts.

Live entertainment will be featured each day. The BioHio theme is "Bringing Science to Life."

BioHio visitors can bring samples of plant, weed and insect problems for identification and recommendations; learn how strawberries and black raspberries may reduce the risk of certain cancers; see how earthworms can help recycle organic waste, such as food scraps; learn about Ohio's native plants and how to grow them in the landscape; and learn more about turfgrass varieties for the lawn.

The University's Veterinary Hospital, Horticulture and Crop Science greenhouses, and Aquaculture Laboratory will offer tours. Side trips to the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park and Ohio Stadium also are available. On May 11, from 1 to 3 p.m., visitors can take part in a wetland open house and groundbreaking ceremony for a new Wetland Research and Education Building to be constructed at the research park.

BioHio is sponsored by the college's components -- Ohio State University Extension, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, the Agricultural Technical Institute and the Office of Academic Affairs. Admission and parking are free.

Parking for BioHio will be north of the Jerome Schottenstein Center off of Fred Taylor Drive. Buses will shuttle visitors to the event from the parking area.

For more information about BioHio 2001, call 292-3897 or visit the BioHio 2001 Web site at www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/biohio/.

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