[CED/CD/EAT] FW: Summary of special Faculty Senate Meeting held Aug 17

[Silvertooth, Jeffrey C - (silverto)]

Jeffrey C. Silvertooth, Ph.D.
Associate Dean
Director for Extension & Economic Development
Division of Agriculture, Life, & Veterinary Sciences, and Cooperative Extension
Forbes 301, Bldg. #36
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ       85721-0036
520-621-7205

From: agriculture-gen-fac-request at list.arizona.edu <agriculture-gen-fac-request at list.arizona.edu> On Behalf Of McDonald, Daniel A - (mcdonald)
Sent: Friday, September 4, 2020 11:01 AM
To: agriculture-gen-fac at list.arizona.edu
Subject: [agriculture-gen-fac] Summary of special Faculty Senate Meeting held Aug 17

Summary of Special Faculty Senate meeting held August 17, 2020 from 3:00 to 6:00 PM

The recording of the August 17, 2020 Faculty Senate meeting is available here:  https://arizona.zoom.us/rec/play/tJwocun6rzk3SNzBtASDA6N5W9S7e_2shCIX-qVczkyyVnZQOlqjb7oXN-d32KOccobJkGNThFoa8M8x?autoplay=true&startTime=1597700912000

Updated (10pm, August 16) Global Campus FAQs: http://globalcampus.arizona.edu/frequently-asked-questions

Summary of Key Findings from WSCUC Ashford Accreditation Report, and memo from ABOR Chair regarding Ashford: Global Campus Box folder<https://arizona.app.box.com/v/GlobalCampus>

Summary:
A special Faculty Senate meeting was held on August 17 to discuss the Ashford University acquisition with President Robbins, Provost Folks, Vice Provost for Global Affairs, Brent White, and Vice Provost for Online and Distance Education, Craig Wilson, with Q & A opportunities, and CFO Rulney. According to Brent White, the deal is done with the exception of approval by the accrediting institution and the US Department of Education. The conclusion of the senate meeting was that more information was needed in order to make an informed decision. Several motions were made to that end:

(1)    Motion to Distribute Ashford Acquisition Memorandum via the All Faculty listserv. "I agree to allow the Ashford Acquisition Memo prepared by Dr. Gary Rhoades, to be shared via the All Faculty listerv, so that members of the UArizona community may choose to endorse it as a petition to ABOR." (Motion passed 43 to 4 with 2 abstentions)

(2)    Resolution on Documentation and Due Diligence on the Ashford Deal "I call upon President Robbins to release immediately to the Faculty Senate and C11 as the appropriate shared governance bodies under ARS 15-1601B: 1) all documentation of the Ashford acquisition (the "Purchase," "Strategic Services," "Transition Services" Agreements and inventories of assets and liabilities changing hands, and any pre-acquisition review correspondence with the U.S. Department of education referred to or implied in Zovio's August 1, 2020 8-K SEC Filing.pdf);" 2) all documentation clarifying the terms of affiliation, governance, accreditation and fee structure relationships of all University of Arizona and University of Arizona Global Campus entities involved in the transaction, including with the Arizona Board of Regents and the Higher Learning Commission; 3) all documentation of due diligence performed by the University of Arizona administration in 2019 and 2020, including Ashford/Zovio legal liabilities, faculty and student working and learning conditions, financial projections, allegations of predatory recruitment, fraudulent marketing, aggressive or illegal debt collection, curricular overlap, competition with UArizona programs, and the process of consultation under Non-disclosure Agreements and the results of those consultations. 4) I further support the formation of an ad hoc committee of the General Faculty (including staff and student representation) to investigate the Ashford acquisition deal. (Motion passed 41 to 4 with 4 abstentions)

(3)    Motion to Endorse the Acquisition of Ashford University "Based on the information provided by Senior Leadership to date, including the Special Session Faculty Senate meeting held on August 17, 2020, we, the Faculty Senate, do not endorse the acquisition of Ashford University." (Motion 36 to 10 with 3 abstentions)
Please attached document outlining charge of ad hoc committee: Global Campus Senate Advisory Committee (GCSAC) and letter from Faculty Senate Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion regarding Ashford acquisition.

As a follow-up to the August 5 Faculty Senate meeting, Jessica Summers, chair of the Faculty Senate, sent the following message (also see attached document):

Dear Faculty Colleagues,

On August 5, the Faculty Senate passed the Safe Re-Opening of the University's Physical Campus during the Covid-19 Pandemic resolution 47 (aye) - 0 (nay) - 2 (abstain). This resolution called for the University to develop, periodically revise, and make publicly available the criteria used to decide when transitions between the phases of pandemic operation are warranted.

The Public Health Advisory Coronavirus Team (PHACT) was convened to develop and monitor critical Covid-19 metrics and make recommendations regarding the University's coronavirus response.

Today, Dr. Joe Gerald, a Faculty Senator who proposed this resolution, provided the enclosed update in which he details the responsiveness of University administration and the ICS team to recommendations that emerged from PHACT such that faculty have had a voice in the key decisions related to the Covid-19 pandemic response.

The resolution passed on August 5th has made a positive impact on our campus and our community, and for that, we thank Dr. Gerald and all of our colleagues in the College of Public Health who are working hard on our behalf.

Please see the enclosed memo detailing these activities and this shared governance success story.

Sincerely,

The Faculty Senate Officers, Jessica Summers (Chair), Melanie Hingle (Vice Chair), Michael Brewer (Secretary)

_________________________________________________________________________________
We encourage you to contact us, your Faculty Senate representatives with, questions and concerns pertaining to any shared governance matter.
Ravi Goyal: goyalr at email.arizona.edu<mailto:goyalr at email.arizona.edu>
Tim Ottusch: ottusch at arizona.edu<mailto:ottusch at arizona.edu>
Dan McDonald: mcdonald at arizona.edu<mailto:mcdonald at arizona.edu>



Daniel A. McDonald, Ph.D. | Norton School | Family & Consumer Sciences
Take Charge America Institute for Consumer Financial Education and Research
Director
Specialist, Financial Education
Distinguished Outreach Faculty
Family and Consumer Sciences
The University of Arizona
McClelland Park
650 N Park Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85721-0078
520-621-3847


mcdonald at arizona.edu<mailto:mcdonald at arizona.edu>

[Email signature photo2]


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