The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Miami forms panel to examine regional plan

Inmate escapes sheriff’s car
5/26/12
Cable worker hurt on the job
5/25/12
Beach Waterpark sued for failure to deliver
5/25/12
Lakota to discuss open enrollment proposal
5/25/12
AD resigns to take job at Kettering
5/25/12
> More headlines

By Richard O Jones, Staff Writer 7:38 PM Friday, February 3, 2012

OXFORD — An ad hoc faculty committee formed to investigate the possibility of Miami University’s regional campuses into a separate academic division held its first meeting Thursday afternoon and received its charge from Provost Bobby Gempesaw.

The committee is chaired by Rob Schorman, regional dean of academic affairs. Members include three faculty members who were elected by the faculty: Tammy Allen, senior instructor, Spanish and Portuguese; Dave Berg, zoology professor and Janet Hurn, senior instructor of physics. Three members were appointed by Gempesaw and Dean of Regional Campuses G. Michael Pratt: Cathy Bishop-Clark, chair and professor, computer and information technology; Garry Bowyer, associate professor, kinesiology and health; and Ted Light, chair and associate professor, business technology.

“The ad hoc faculty committee has been tasked with analyzing the benefits and challenges of the proposal to establish a sixth academic division at the regional campuses,” said Hamilton Campus spokesman Perry Richardson.

“The committee will be aiming to report its findings in time for consideration at the April 9 meeting of the University Senate,” he said. “It will coordinate its review with the University Senate’s Academic Policy Committee, at least to the extent that if the committees wish to have forums or meetings with stakeholders, they will join their efforts rather than duplicate them.

The Academic Policy Committee of the University Senate will receive a similar charge from Provost Gempesaw soon, Richardson said.

Both committee reports are due to the Senate by April 9, which will present its evaluation to the board of trustees by April 27. The board of trustees has the final authority to create a new academic division.

The proposal to create a separate academic division has not been popular with some of the university’s faculty across campuses. A group of 72 professors, mostly in the science departments, sent a letter of protest to Gempesaw and Miami University President David Hodge on Jan. 18 outlining their concerns about staffing and diversity issues.

The Middletown Campus’ Faculty Forum Executive Committee endorsed a letter at its meeting on Jan. 30 outlining additional issues regarding how diplomas would be presented and a protest as to how the process has been communicated.

“Without any clearer articulation of processes and procedures to be followed within so tight a time frame, we are left to wonder what role the ‘newly formed regional campus faculty committee’ can hope to play,” the letter said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2188 or rjones@coxohio.com.

The story so far

Jan. 19: Dean of Regional Campus Michael G. Pratt reveals at the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce State of the Schools function that Miami University was putting a plan in motion to make the regional campuses a separate academic division.

Jan. 26: The JournalNews reports 72 Miami University faculty members signed a protest letter, claiming the plan would be detrimental to finances and educational opportunities.

Jan. 30: Pratt meets with students on the Middletown campus to explain what this move would mean to students and the community. Provost Bobby Gempesaw submits a formal proposal to the University Senate requesting that two committees investigate and make recommendations on the matter.

Feb. 2: A faculty ad hoc committee organized to investigate the proposal holds its first meeting and receives its charge from the provost.

Share this article