The Board of Regents’ Faculty Advisory Committee said it’s shocked that sweeping changes to the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system were adopted on Thursday without more clarity and transparency.
The plan calls for a consolidation among the 17 colleges and universities of “back office” administrative functions, and the creation of a centrally managed community college system with campuses statewide.
Barbara Richards is a professor of sociology at Housatonic Community College and chair of the FAC.
"Even though we’re supposed to be advising the board, we did not receive this plan until the same time that it was released to the public," she said.
Richards believes that FAC representatives should be involved on all future implementation teams. She said there was a lack of information based on earlier work groups.
"There were many, many things that the faculty and staff from the FAC knew that top administrators -- especially in the system office -- did not know, because they’re not on the ground dealing with the kinds of details and as much with the students as we do," she said.
The consolidation will face all kinds of complexities around accreditation and financial aid, Richards said, but there’s agreement that the focus should be on preserving the value of the classroom and direct student services.
