LETTER FROM MFA TO THE PROVOST

March 13, 1997

Dr. Lloyd Armstrong
Provost

Dear Dr. Armstrong:

At the February 19, 1997 meeting of the Academic Senate, you indicated that you hoped to issue a statement within a couple of weeks regarding the Governance Document of the School of Medicine.

At the March 4, 1997 meeting of the Medical Faculty Assembly, Dr. Van Der Meulen stated that when he became Dean, he never considered the document to be a valid document, and that the Administration believes that portions of the document are not consistent with University bylaws. He stated that you, as Provost, would be willing to work with the faculty to revise the document if the faculty accepted the position that the document is not in effect during the revision process. No other option from you was presented.

The faculty pointed out to Dr. Van Der Meulen that the MFA had already made its position clear regarding the Governance Document in MFA Recommendation 1996-97-004, which states in part: "The MFA strongly recommends to the FEC and to the Dean of the School of Medicine that any changes in the 1988 Governance Document be made in accordance with the specified procedures in the document and that the existing document be kept in force until such changes have been approved by all parties involved."

In addition, at the MFA meeting, the faculty requested that the Administration communicate in writing to the faculty: (1) The University rules and procedures that apply to approval of governance documents of schools in general; (2) The position of the Administration as to whether these rules and procedures were or were not followed in the specific case of the Governance Document of the School of Medicine; and (3) The portions of the Governance Document considered by the Administration not to be consistent with University bylaws.

When asked when the faculty might receive a written statement from the Administration on these issues, Dr. Van Der Meulen said he did not know if you, the Provost, would be willing to do that. The MFA would be most concerned if you did not promptly issue a written statement regarding the Governance Document. In 1991, the Administration presented the Governance Document to the LCME accreditation panel as a valid governance document. The School is now in the midst of a self-study in preparation for another accreditation, and in order to properly prepare the documents relating to governance, we must have a document that clearly states the position of the Administration.

We express to you in advance our thanks for your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Robert H. Stellwagen, MFA President
On behalf of the MFA Executive Board
HMR 600, HSC
342-1149

Attachment: Copy of MFA Recommendation 1996-97-004