UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 11, Page 3                       
November 12, 1992                                      
'A wake up call'; Provost seeks to restore confidence in higher ed
                                                       
     The following remarks were delivered Oct. 5 by Provost R. Byron
Pipes before the Faculty Senate.                             
                                                             
     I want to bring to the faculty's attention my concerns regarding
societal questions of higher education recently expressed in various
forums such as the C-Span Senate hearings, the news media, books and
articles.                                                    
     The central theme of these communications is a loss of trust in
the enterprise of higher education and in the professorate and
university administration. Society has begun to question our 
commitment to the enterprise in which we are engaged, namely, the 
delivery of education, the transformation of students and faculty, and
the discovery and codification of knowledge.                 
     The President and I often represent you in various venues
throughout our state and nation. We are frequently asked to respond to
questions regarding the practices and procedures in higher education.
It is quite clear that the motivation for many of these questions is
based on the economics of our times, the rising costs of education and
the expectation that individuals who engage in higher education will
be transformed.                                              
     It is also expected that this transformation of the individual
will result in a higher standard of living and quality of life. This
concept is at the very foundation of American higher education and our
way of life.                                                 
     Perhaps the most pervasive issue discussed in our community has
been the deterioration of the contract between the University and its
students. Are we delivering that which we have promised to deliver,
given the tuition we collect and the level of state appropriation we
receive?                                                     
     Everyone associated with higher education is familiar with one or
more ways that the student-faculty relationship has changed during the
past several decades. Recently, I suggested to the deans that they
request that the faculty supply course syllabi to students at the 
beginning of each semester. The syllabi were to include the course
expectations, content, exam schedule and grading system. This request
was made in the spirit of strengthening and clarifying the contract
between student and faculty.                                 
     However, as I have received faculty reactions to the request and
given the issue further thought, I am now convinced that we must
mobilize the faculty-at-large to participate in a broader study that
will have as its purpose the defense and strengthening of our
enterprise. We should, as a faculty, examine the currently accepted
standards of behavior and performance of our faculty and students. We
need to ensure that current practices provide for the transformation
of our students and we need to measure that transformation.  
     I call upon the Faculty Senate to engage itself, through the 
appropriate committees, in this study. During the past week, I have
met with representatives of the Faculty Senate and AAUP leadership to
discuss how we might begin this process. We should recognize that the
time available to conduct this activity is not limitless.    
     The loss of the trust of our society in higher education puts our
enterprise at risk.                                          
     Indeed, our response to these concerns must at the same time
react to the valid criticisms and provide clarifications where
misunderstandings exist.                                     
     I believe our society has given higher education a "wake up call"
that requires University faculty and administration to take steps to
restore confidence in higher education and in its ability to enhance
the quality of life in America.                              
     I look forward to engaging faculty and administration in this
extraordinarily important endeavor.