The Boulder Faculty Assembly on Nov. 3 approved a resolution concerning a campus common curriculum (PDF) that “endorses the substance of the common curriculum, particularly its statement regarding the purpose and distinction of a CU Boulder education.” The vote was 43 in favor, six opposed and three abstentions.
The move followed a BFA discussion of the common curriculum on Oct. 20 with Senior Vice Provost Katherine Eggert and Dean of Undergraduate Education Daryl Maeda, who co-chaired the Common Curriculum Planning Committee. The Oct. 20 discussion centered on generating language for the resolution that would outline the role of faculty in implementing the common curriculum.
The final resolution calls for the implementation to be “led by faculty at all stages, with the ultimate establishment of a permanent campuswide curriculum committee chaired by faculty and with a majority faculty composition.”
The common curriculum is currently undergoing review and approval from the faculty governance entities within CU’s colleges and schools and will then be submitted to CU Boulder Provost Russell Moore for his approval—a move expected sometime in December or January.
Following the meeting, Eggert thanked the BFA for their partnership in devising an approval process that involves faculty governance across campus.
“The common curriculum is based on faculty discussions in every academic department, college and school of the values underlying a CU Boulder education,” Eggert said. “It’s crucial for the integrity of the common curriculum for faculty governance to weigh in on the proposal, just as it will be crucial for a campuswide faculty committee to oversee the common curriculum itself.”
In other action, the BFA approved a resolution to endorse teaching and clinical faculty promotion raises by a vote of 49 in favor and 1 opposed, with two abstentions.
The resolution, sponsored by BFA representative Rolf Norgaard of Arts & Sciences and chair of its Teaching Faculty Affairs Committee—so renamed following a BFA resolution vote Thursday night—suggests a minimum $4,000 raise upon promotion to teaching/clinical associate professor and a $6,500 raise for promotion to full teaching/clinical professor.
The resolution also asks the Academic Resource Management Advisory Committee to review raise amounts relative to peer institutions in a similar fashion to the committee’s work in modeling and recommending tenured and tenure-track faculty promotion salary increases.
The resolution also calls for an annual increase “with any percentage increment increase in faculty salary funds.”
“Salary compression is a huge, huge issue,” said Norgaard of the resolution prior to the BFA vote. “There is no real incentive for promotion and career advancement . . . it brings little reward.”
Norgaard made a direct appeal to Moore, who was at the meeting, saying “I hope you will take it very seriously and act as soon as you can.”
Moore has previously indicated he would take up the issue as soon as fiscally feasible and told CU Boulder Today after the meeting, “I appreciate the opportunity to explore ways in which we can meaningfully acknowledge and reward the important contributions of our teaching professor ranks.”
For other discussion items at the Nov. 3 meeting, including an update on the campus’s Honor Code process, an overview of academic progress by CU student-athletes, and links to the nomination process for the 2023 BFA Excellence Awards, see the BFA’s Nov. 3 meeting recap.
