The faculty senate of Eastern Michigan University voted no confidence in the university’s Board of Regents because it failed to withdraw from its sponsorship of Governor Rick Snyder’s Educational Achievement Authority, as it had promised a year earlier.m, based on its failure.
Here is the senate’s resolution:
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Faculty Senate
Eastern Michigan University
Resolution 2016-02-03
Whereas the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents, at the behest of the Governor’s office, entered into an Interlocal Agreement with the School District for the City of Detroit creating the Educational Achievement Authority (EAA) in June of 2011, and
Whereas the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents passed a resolution on December 5, 2014 explicating their intent to provide notice of withdrawal from the EAA agreement in December 2015 unless substantial progress was made in four areas: 1) a stronger partnership between Eastern Michigan University and the Educational Achievement Authority; 2) demonstrated student achievement and progress in EAA schools; 3) fiscal accountability; and 4) complete transparency of all activity, including prompt and appropriate responses to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act, and
Whereas, the Faculty Senate provided a detailed report to the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents a week before the Board’s December 8, 2015 meeting documenting the failure of the EAA to make any progress in the four areas outlined by the Board’s December 2014 resolution, and recommending immediate withdrawal from the agreement, and
Whereas, the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents at its December 8, 2015 meeting, despite the Faculty Senate report and impassioned calls for immediate withdrawal from Eastern Michigan University’s faculty, students, and alumni as well as community members from Washtenaw County and the City of Detroit, failed to take any action on the EAA agreement, and
Whereas, the decisions and actions of Board members on December 8, 2015 violated the following provisions of the Board of Regents’ Code of Ethics signed annually by each member:
Preamble
“We will consider the interests of all of its constituents in decision making, including students, administration, faculty, staff and other stakeholders.” By repeatedly ignoring the voices of students, staff, faculty, a sitting University President, alumni, and community members, the Board has failed in its responsibility to consider the interests of all of its constituents in decision-making.
Article 1, Paragraph 1 (Public Trust)
“Regents are expected to carry out their governance responsibilities in an honest, ethical and diligent manner.” This provision was violated when the Board did not follow through with its actions outlined in the December 2014 memorandum stating it would send notice of a withdrawal unless substantial progress was made by the EAA in four areas. When the Board was notified of the EAA’s failure in all four areas it changed the EAA discussion from an action to a non-action item on its agenda and would not discuss the agreement with the public on December 8, 2015.
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Article 1, Paragraph 2 (Welfare of Eastern Michigan University)
“In carrying out their duties, however, Regents must keep the welfare of the entire University paramount over any parochial interests. Regents should refrain from actions and involvements that might prove embarrassing to the institution.” The Interlocal Agreement that established the EAA was formed at the behest of the Governor’s office, and the Board of Regents did not consult with EMU faculty experts during or after the process. The agreement has generated a great deal of negative and embarrassing articles in the popular press and in the scholarly literature; the agreement also has had a negative impact on EMU students. The Board’s adherence to the agreement in the face of opposition from all sides within and outside of the University demonstrates that the Board has failed in its responsibility to keep the welfare of the entire University paramount over any parochial interests.
Article 1, Paragraph 3 (Duty of Care).
“Consistent with their responsibilities as members of the Governing Board, Regents will discharge their duties, including any duties as a member of a committee, in good faith, with the care an ordinarily prudent person in a like position would exercise under similar circumstances, in a manner the Regent reasonably believes is in the best interest of the University, and with the level of decorum appropriate to the office of Regent.” An ordinarily prudent person, in the face of multiple voices detailing the negative impact of the Interlocal Agreement—including a sitting University President—would NOT have made the decision that the Board did at its December 8, 2015 meeting. The Board has failed to follow the care an ordinarily prudent person would exercise under similar circumstances and thus failed to serve the best interests of the University.
Article 1, Paragraph 5 (Due Diligence).
“Each Regent shall undertake with due diligence a critical analysis of the risks and benefits of any matter coming before the Board for action. Regents shall promote a culture of constructive debate about major information necessary to carry out the Regents’ duty of care to act in the best interest of the University.” As noted above, the Board entered into the agreement without consulting faculty experts on the subject. Subsequently, the Board, on December 8, 2015, failed to consider the analysis presented by the Faculty Senate and the perspectives of many in attendance when it decided to not take action on the EAA agreement; the Board’s lack of response on the issue was antithetical to promoting a culture of constructive debate. The Board of Regents has thus failed in its obligation to undertake with due diligence a critical analysis of the risks and benefits of the Interlocal Agreement.
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved that the Faculty Senate, given the Board’s gross violation of its own code of ethics and failure to be a faithful steward of our University, has no choice but to vote no confidence in the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Here is the latest info on this subject.
http://www.easternecho.com/article/2016/02/regents-vote-to-end-eaa
EMU Board of Regents votes to withdraw from the EAA By Scout Bostley | 02/05/16 3:41pm
By Andrew Mascharka / The Eastern Echo
The Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents voted unanimously to withdraw from the Education Achievement Authority effective June 30, 2017.
This vote comes after a postponement to vote on the EAA at the previous Dec. 8 meeting.
“I would like to express my gratitude to the Regents with the overdue decision to withdrawal from the EAA,” Student Government President Steven Cole said.
By Drew Saunders | 12 hours ago
For some this vote was anticipated and for others it seemed like a complete surprise.
“I’m surprised the university finally listened to its students,” William Daniels, EMU alum said. “[But] you can’t take back the three-year experiment of cooperate educational reform.”
Recently both Student Government and the Faculty Senate voted “no confidence” in the Board of Regents, this was partially stemmed from the continued partnership with the EAA.
“The vote was long overdue; each day Eastern remained involved was another day of damage done,” Cole said. “I am pleased with the decision to withdraw, although this was not the end of the conversation – our student teachers need help securing quality teaching placements. I call upon the University to redouble efforts to help our current and future College of Education students.”
Steve Wellinski was a scheduled speaker at the meeting and touched on a number of things including faculty senate.
“The faculty had their voice magnified with the vote of no confidence,” Wellinski said. “From this point forward we reject you…we need change in the Regents.”
He also voiced an opinion on Regent James Stapleton, who was absent from this meeting as well as the previous Dec. 8 meeting, only reachable by conference call, which he ended in the middle of the meeting. Wellinski called for the removal of Regent Stapleton.
“Silence will not be rewarded for instances of injustice,” he said.
The meeting was heavily guarded with EMU officers closing off one stairwell to control traffic to the meeting. Maximum occupancy of 135 people was enforced and an overflow room was available. This was the first meeting where maximum occupancy was enforced with signs at every entrance in Welch Hall.
“I think it is a little excessive, I feel like they are trying to shut us up by not allowing the room to be open,” said senior English major Sarah Jacobs.
While the vote to withdraw from the EAA was the main event of the meeting, the Regents also passed several other motions including a new Fermentation Science major.
During the open communications two part-time lecturers talked about the pay struggle part-time lecturers are facing, a consistent topic at regent meetings since fall of 2014.
State Representative David Rutledge was also chosen to be the next commencement speaker at EMU.
While most everyone in the audience was happy about the decision to withdraw from the EAA, some do not think it was out of caring for EMU and Detroit student.
“It was a political decision from Lansing, they are just following orders,” Preston Johnson said.
“I don’t think this is a display of caring for the students in Detroit, just a political decision,” said Samir Webster, a senior engineering physics major. “This does not show they care.”
The next scheduled Board of Regents meeting is Friday, April 22.
The attacks on higher education are not going unmet, unlike the beginning battles in public K-12 schools. At long last, someone is starting to stand up to the ALEC bullies and the John Bircher crazies that run this state. The campaign to end public education and make higher education little more than vocational training for businesses is seeing that professors won’t surrender without a whimper like public school teachers have largely done:
http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/education/article58153158.html
“A week after the State College of Florida’s board of trustees voted to end tenure for any instructors hired after the start of 2016, the majority of the faculty is petitioning the state to allow it to unionize.
The United Faculty of Florida, a union and lobbying group that represents college, university and other post-secondary instructors, announced Wednesday it delivered more than 80 signed cards from SCF instructors to the Florida Public Employees Relations Committee, calling for certification of a collective bargaining unit at the college.
The cards represent about two-thirds of the 120 members of the college’s faculty, well in excess of the 30 percent required by Florida state statute.”
AND
http://www.theledger.com/article/20160203/NEWS/160209776
“LAKELAND — Faculty at Florida Polytechnic University have mounted a unionization campaign.
The move, announced Wednesday by United Faculty of Florida, the state’s leading union for higher education faculty and professionals, seeks to garner the same protections afforded educators at most of the state’s major universities and colleges.
More than 60 percent of Florida Poly’s academic staff of 57 submitted petitions to the Florida Public Employees Relations Commission requesting a union election, according to faculty union. That sets the stage for a union representation election in the near future.”
Activism, targeted at the Ohio’s Board of Regents, would be welcome. Apparently, there is nothing too egregious, at Wright State University, that will result in the resignation/removal of its President and Board of Trustees (Dayton Daily News reporting).
University of Akron just issued a vote of no confidence for its leadership, or lack thereof.
The goal of the oligarchs is to sully the reputation of universities, so its easier to take them over. We can hope the public understands, that the oligarchs already surreptitiously took over colleges by stacking the deck with their trustees and presidents.
e.g. Pearson Board member, Pearson shareholder, while simultaneously, president of a teachers college, at a well-known, if no longer respected, university.