On The Edge News

By Alyssa Allemand   

Edgewood College Faculty Association will vote on program recommendations on Nov. 11.  

The vote can be vetoed by Dean Pribbenow, Edgewood College vice president for academic affairs (VPAA) and academic dean. Pribbenow’s decisions can be vetoed by interim President Sister Mary Ellen Gevelinger. Gevelinger will then bring the recommendations to the Board of Trustees meeting on Nov. 14. No one can override the board’s decision. 

“What we’re looking for at the Board is a resolution,” Gevelinger said. “What I’m going to present is: these are the proposed changes. And give them as much information as they need . . .  and then they can say, yes we want you to go ahead and implement these changes.” 

“In an institution like this, the academic programs belong to the faculty,” said Gevelinger. “And the governance of those programs – the approval, or non-approval of those programs – belong to the faculty . . .  They have to vote on things. 

“Now, what they aren’t in charge of is the budget, and the payroll, those kinds of things. We have to have a department that does that, and somehow the interest of both of those groups have to come together. And . . . what we’re trying to do right now is right-size Edgewood.” 

Disciplines vs. Majors 

The college is emphasizing that even if a major is eliminated, the discipline will still exist. “While this sounds like a scary, big change, for most students there won’t be any change at all because there will still be professors, there will still be the class, you’re taking the gen-ed tag,” Gevelinger said. 

If a student is currently enrolled in a major that is eliminated, they will still be able to complete their degree in that area of study.  

If students want to major in an area that is not on the college’s list of official majors, individualized majors are something Edgewood has always offered.  

“And for the most part . . . when we take away a major, that’s because students don’t choose that major,” Gevelinger said. “But it doesn’t take the discipline away and the courses that are there. And students can pick it as a major, as a minor, as an independent major. There are a lot of opportunities here to protect . . . liberal arts because that’s at the heart of what Edgewood is: a liberal arts education.” 

From the faculty handbook:  

1. Decisions of the Faculty Association are binding unless vetoed by the VPAA, the President of the College or the Board of Trustees. 

1. The VPAA may veto actions within one week after such actions are taken. The President may veto actions by Faculty Association within two weeks after such actions are taken. If the VPAA or President is off campus, she/he may exercise veto when they return. 

1. A two-thirds majority of the voting members present may request the President to override a veto by the VPAA, and a two-thirds majority of the voting members present may request the Board of Trustees to override a veto by the President.