The Faculty Senate of Western Nevada College passed the following resolution in response to that campus administration's curricular review plan:
Academic Faculty agree that the ultimate criteria for all decisions regarding WNC need to support the students, community, and programs of the college. The Academic Faculty Senate is in agreement that the goal of curricular review is to maintain academic integrity.
After a careful review of the Curricular Review process and proposals, Academic Faculty Senate is deeply concerned that the process used to develop the original proposals did not use a collegial model. Given that the academic faculty were specifically charged with providing a response to the curricular review proposal, we are proposing that representatives from the academic faculty senate and the administration engage in a bilateral process to jointly revisit and finalize the scope and specific proposals of the curricular review.
One faculty member provides the following analysis of the situation:
"The curricular review plan was handed to us in a special meeting on April 4, two days after in-person notifications went out to affected faculty. The faculty senate was given one month to respond. After creating a subcommittee to consider our options, the full senate elected to take the high road and challenge both the plan and the process used to develop it.The curricular review plan was developed by the executive administration behind closed doors with no faculty input whatsoever. The proposed plan includes layoffs for seven faculty and at least one librarian in concert with eliminating and restructuring of academic programs(keep in mind we have only 65 faculty and librarians at this time). The other personnel losses via the plan are classified. One vice president is retiring and is to be replaced by a director (NOTE: The president wants to search the position immediately; we are resisting. The WNC faculty feel that searching a high-paying administrative position while laying off faculty is wrong). Otherwise, no executives or permanent administrators are proposed to be cut.
