The Modern University: The Sound of Silence from a Public University (#657)

A Century of Achievement.

A Season of Silence.

As commencement season comes and goes, universities become very good at telling stories.

The stories are uplifting.

The stories celebrate history, tradition, discovery, and achievement.

The stories remind us of the generations who built the institution and the thousands of students who will carry its name into the future.

In a recent message, UC Davis Chancellor Gary May celebrated the university's centennial year and welcomed 12,000 new graduates into the ranks of Aggie alumni.

Chancellor May reflected on a century of accomplishments in agriculture, medicine, environmental sustainability, and scientific discovery.

Chancellor May’s message was filled with pride, optimism, and gratitude.

However, it was difficult to read without noticing what was missing.

Let me explain.

For months, I have been asking UC Davis questions about shared governance, stakeholder consultation, naming rights, and the role of faculty in major institutional decisions.

My questions are not obscure questions.

My questions go to the heart of what a public university claims to be.

Who was consulted?

Who was not?

What role did faculty, staff, students, alumni, and donors play in the decision-making process?

What procedures were followed?

What principles guided those decisions?

These questions have been directed through the proper channels.

Letters have been sent for months.

Follow-up requests have been submitted.

Academic Senate committees have been contacted.

Faculty governance bodies have been approached.

Yet substantive answers remain elusive.

This creates a troubling contradiction.

Public Universities frequently celebrate their commitment to community.

Public Universities speak proudly about engagement, transparency, and inclusion.

Public Universities highlight the contributions of alumni and other stakeholders.

Public Universities remind us that the institution belongs to all of us.

But when stakeholders ask questions about how important decisions are made, the conversation often stops.

The institution that proudly welcomes 12,000 new alumni may appear far less interested in hearing from those who already belong to its community.

The stakeholders.

The institution that celebrates a century of shared achievement can become remarkably reluctant to discuss who shares in governance today.

Perhaps this is the most important question raised by the current debate.

What exactly do universities mean when they use the word community?

Does community mean participation?

Or does community simply mean observation?

Are stakeholders expected to contribute to decisions, or merely applaud them after they have been made?

Shared governance was never intended to be a ceremonial concept.

Shared governance was designed to ensure that universities benefited from the collective wisdom of those who teach, learn, work, and support the institution.

Shared governance was intended to provide:

Accountability. Transparency. And Trust.

But, trust is created by answering and engaging reasonable questions rather than ignoring them.

Trust is created when institutions demonstrate that consultation is more than a slogan.

As UC Davis celebrates its first hundred years, perhaps the most important challenge is not remembering its history.

The most important challenge is deciding what kind of institution UC Davis wishes to become in its second century.

A university confident in its decisions should welcome questions.

A university committed to shared governance should answer them.

And a university that celebrates its community should be willing to listen to its stakeholders.

Further Reading

Checking in With Chancellor May: 10 Ways UC Davis is Changing the World. https://leadership.ucdavis.edu/news/checking-chancellor-may-10-ways-uc-davis-changing-world

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