THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT ASHEVILLE

FACULTY SENATE

Senate Document Number 2807S

Date of Senate Approval 02/08/07

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Statement of Faculty Senate Action:

Sense of the Senate Resolution:

The Faculty Senate of the University of North Carolina at Asheville, North Carolina’s designated Public Liberal Arts University, is alarmed and concerned with the recent involuntary departure of long-time employees. These individuals devoted the majority of their professional careers to making UNCA a better place. The Senate is troubled, not only by the loss of valued contributors to the institution, but by the cumulative effect their departures have on the climate in which we pursue our shared goals.

It is impossible “to interact closely in a supportive community,” as the UNCA mission statement promises, unless there is an atmosphere of mutual trust, respect, openness, and accountability.

The Senate calls upon all members of the campus community to commit ourselves and hold ourselves accountable to the Shared Values of Our Community statement, particularly the principles of Engaged Citizenship, Equity, and Trust and Integrity in order to move closer to our stated mission that humane “values play a role in thought and action.”

Chancellor Anne Ponder’s response:

Senate Document Number 2807S

Response:

While the actual numbers do not reflect a significantly higher level of faculty and staff turnover for this administration compared to others, I understand that this data does not reflect the feeling on campus. We can do better, for example, in evaluating performance, especially for EPA employees who do not currently have standardized review processes, and we can improve supervisory expertise at all levels. That improvement, along with increasing salary levels, will, over time, advance our efforts at better retention of long-term employees.

It is gratifying that in less than a year, our University has coalesced around the early draft of university values in such a compelling way. In strategic planning sessions, we have found ways to expand it and refine it, but it has remained essentially intact throughout our many discussions. I am pleased that the faculty senate has chosen to endorse this statement of who we are and who we strive to be. We may still be at a stage in our development as a university community where one or more of these values has been practiced rather imperfectly, but we are aiming for the same sense of community. These values are ideals; we agree that we should do our best to practice them and that we should grow toward them. I endorse the faculty senate resolution and accept my part of the shared responsibility inherent in this important statement by the faculty senate.