Dear Charlie,

I am pleased to receive and approve the draft University Assembly Charter, provided the Assembly accepts the two clarifying changes I describe below. I applaud the Assembly for the extensive thought and consultation that it committed to this project and for the quality of the final product.

I particularly wish to recognize the emphasis the Assembly has placed on proactive communication through the University’s policymaking process. In emphasizing the need for early communication and wide circulation of proposals both by the administration and by the Assembly itself, the UA has both identified a perpetual challenge to our institutional decision-making and offered a compelling solution.

I request that the first sentence of Article 3, Section 1 be changed from:

“The Assembly may examine matters which involve the interests or concern the welfare of a substantial segment of the campus community and may make recommendations or resolutions thereon to the President or to other appropriate officers or decision-making bodies of the University.”

to:

“The Assembly may examine, on its own initiative, administrative matters which involve the interests or concern the welfare of a substantial segment of the campus community and may make recommendations or resolutions thereon to the President or to other appropriate officers or decision-making bodies of the University.”

The purpose of this change is to distinguish the discretion granted to the Assembly to determine what matters it will examine from the specific obligations of university officers to consult with the Assembly as identified in Article 3, Section 1.3.

I request that the following sentence be appended to Article 3, Section 5:

“The Assembly shall also defer to the advisory authority of the Faculty Senate and the college and school faculties regarding matters of educational policy within their purview pursuant to the University Bylaws.”

The purpose of this change is to explicitly acknowledge the autonomy of the University Faculty in matters of educational policy that the first sentence of the section already recognizes implicitly by reference to the University Bylaws.

As the Assembly works under the terms of this Charter to better engage our community in shaping campus policies, I encourage you to work closely with Tommy Bruce and with the Office of the Assemblies to develop communications strategies that make effective use of the channels available within the university. One additional step you may wish to consider is establishing a position or committee focused specifically on public communications as many other assemblies have.

I look forward to collaborating with you in these endeavors.

Sincerely,

David J. Skorton