By KRIS KANTHAK and ROBIN KEAR

The 2022-23 academic year was a busy and challenging one, both for the University of Pittsburgh in general, and the University Senate in particular. As we transition to summer, now is a good time to reflect on all we’ve accomplished this year and the work that lies ahead.

Transitions

As Chancellor Pat Gallagher said in his final Senate Council meeting as chancellor, the Senate remains a point of continuity amid several leadership changes throughout the University.

The Senate officers appreciated the opportunity to meet with Chancellor-elect Joan Gabel as one of her first duties just after being named to the position. We look forward to building a strong relationship with her as she guides Pitt onto its next chapter.

We are grateful to Chancellor Gallagher and his strong and continuous support for shared governance. In recognition of his efforts, the Senate officers were unanimous in selecting him for this year’s Senate Service Award.

Similarly, we wish all the best to another partner in shared governance, Provost Ann Cudd, as she departs for a new position as president of Portland State University. We are also most grateful for the solid foundation for cooperation and shared governance we have already built with incoming Interim Provost Joe McCarthy, who has long been a vital part of the Senate’s work.

Challenges

The Senate continues to face challenges to our core work in shared governance as negotiations between the University administration and the partial faculty union continue.

Late October brought a letter from the union to members of the administration, which led to an intensification of the interpretation of roles for the union, administration, shared governance and mandatory subjects of bargaining that necessarily continue to impact some of the Senate’s work. The administration’s response was something of an overcorrection, limiting discussions on some Senate committees. This included removing bargaining unit members from some University policy committees for policies that related to mandatory subjects of bargaining.

As we await a finalized contract, Senate committees face a diminished ability to do their work.  Most affected are Faculty Affairs, Budget Policies, and the Benefits and Welfare committees. Committee leadership and members have done admirable work under frustrating circumstances to do what they can.

Similarly, discussion between Senate leadership and the vice provost for faculty affairs has sadly been on pause. We miss the more collegial exchange of ideas, but open discussions and advisement continues in committees, albeit with changes in how administration can participate and implement in certain areas.

Notably, Senate leadership has been working with representatives of the union’s bargaining committee to help address some of these issues and facilitate communication on the myriad issues of shared interest. We look forward to continuing that communication both during this interim period and after contract negotiation is complete.

Some specific processes related to these challenges, which have evolved or are yet unresolved include:

• Senate appointments to University policy committees: If the policy is related to mandatory bargaining, bargaining unit members cannot be appointed.

• The yearly Medical Advisory Committee Senate appointment.

• The University Planning and Budget Committee faculty representatives can continue to discuss the raise pool as a whole number for management purposes, but cannot differentiate specifics on merit, market, equity or differences in application from low to high salaries.

• Bargaining unit members participation in planning and budgeting remains unsettled, including in unit-level planning and budget committees.

Similarly, the University Senate has been working on a series of actions to improve the University that have been stalled during the ongoing negotiation with the partial faculty union. These initiatives include:

• Progress on a dependent care ad hoc committee

• A permanent vaccination and immunization requirements policy

• DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) and Community Engaged Scholarship guidelines in promotion and tenure that moved through the shared governance process in AY2021-22 have not been implemented.

Successes

The University Senate passed eight new University policies this year, sending them forward for the chancellor’s approval. They are listed below, alongside the Senate committee(s) that shepherded the policy (policies denoted with a * do not cover faculty bargaining unit members):

• AC 69* Tuition Exchange Scholarship Program (September 2022), Student Admissions, Aid and Affairs (SAAA)

• ER 21* Intergovernmental Personnel Act Assignments (October 2022), Research

• AO 47 Management of University Facilities and Grounds Policy (December 2022), Campus Utilization, Planning and Safety (CUPS)

• FN 15* Relocation Policy (December 2022), Benefits & Welfare, Faculty Affairs

• RI 13 Drones (February 2023), Research

• AO 38 University Network (April 2023), Computing and Information Technology (SCITC)

• FN 27* Travel Advance (April 2023), Budget Policies

• AO 23 Licensing and Use of University Name, Logos, Trademarks and Service Marks (May 2023), Library

The University Senate also passed three resolutions:

• Resolution on the Defense of Academic Freedom (put forward by the Tenure and Academic Freedom committee) (October 2022)

• Affirmation of the Principles of Shared Governance (December 2022)

• Statement of Support for the English Language Institute related to imminent closure (January 2023)

The University Senate also can report that its efforts have yielded progress on several other issues as well. These issues include:

• Work with Pitt IT, Panther Central and Human Resources to address issues related to identification cards and summertime library/bus access for faculty coded as adjuncts and part-time in Pitt’s systems, but who return from year to year. Those identification cards will now work as expected over this summer, and future identification cards will have longer expiration dates, and renewal will be automatic.

• Advising in the creation of a clear process for decommissioning University policies, including a 28-day comment period. Fourteen policies were decommissioned this year.

• Creation of an Interim University Policy on Research and Clinical Training Using Cadavers, reviewed by Research committee leadership.

• Minor interim updates to five other policies.

• The English Language Institute received a one-year reprieve.

• Senate leadership worked with Staff Council on the Employee Emergency Fund for staff and faculty outside the bargaining units.

• Maintenance of free exercise facilities for all employees.

Future

As we look to the future, we look forward to continuing our work on these and other important topics. Importantly, we plan to continue our open and frank discussions related to the responsibilities of free speech and the impact of hate speech. Over this past semester, several speakers invited to our campus tested the limits of our commitment to the free exchange of ideas as well as our ability to create an equitable and inviting community for all. Look for our work to continue in this important area in the next academic year.

Robin Kear and Kris Kanthak are president and vice president, respectively, of Senate Council.