Addendum # 2

Report of the Emeriti’s representative to the Academic Senate on the matter of the proposed UNL Bylaw change on the appointment and responsibility of the Dean of Graduate Studies.

The Board:

1.      supports keeping in the Bylaws the direct reference to the selection of the Dean of Graduate Studies by means of the ordinary selection process, that by which deans are selected, including the use of a broadly based search committee with significant faculty participation.

         The Academic Senate accepted the report of the Chancellor that this              

       process was protected elsewhere in the bylaws.

2.      supports the continuation or reinstatement of the job description which gives the authority to appoint the Dean of Graduate Studies to the Sr. Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

3.      supports the line of authority which has the dean of graduate studies reporting to the Sr. Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and probably, where appropriate, to  the Institute Vice Chancellor;

4.      is uneasy about having an academic officer answering to the VC for Resource Development; and regards not including these points in the bylaw as reducing the status of the Dean of Graduate Studies to the position of some non-academic administrative officer with a courtesy title.

On the last three items the Senate accepted the report of the Chancellor that the bylaws give him the authority to change the structural arrangements of offices, including the appointment and reporting lines. In the case at hand, he assured the Senate that the relationship between the Dean of Graduate Studies to the Vice Chancellors for Academic Affairs and the Institute would be represented on the administrative chart by very  heavy dotted lines.

The Representative of the Emeirit Association to the Senate had made the points approved by the Board  at the previous meeting of the Senate.  At that meetin, g  by an overwhelming majority, the Senate had instructed its Executive Committee to reconsider the proposed bylaw change and to return with a new recommendation.

At its most recent meeting,   the Senate President reported the Chancellor’s response to the issues raised; he reported that the Senate Executive Committee had heard the Chancellor’s perspective on those matters  and recommended to the Senate that it accept the changes as proposed.

The Senate engaged in no discussion before assenting to the proposed by-law change unanimously.

Respectfully Submitted,

Jim McShane