January Term faculty forum and governance issues

The discussion of January term in the recent faculty forum got a little off track at the start when some participants suggested that the implementation of January Term could be made permanent beyond the pilot period without further faculty approval. I took issue with that, and I'd like to say why briefly here.

• The faculty clearly approved the January Term only as a pilot program, not as a permanent program. Making it permanent without further approval from the faculty is directly counter to the sense of the meeting I got at that time. I haven't yet gone back to check the specific recorded minutes, but I was there, and it was clear we were only approving a trial program, not a permanent program.

• The faculty clearly have authority over this area granted by section 1.300 of the handbook, which reads:

The faculty establishes policies regarding curriculum, faculty personnel, degree requirements, methods of instruction, and educational issues related to campus life, subject to the authority of the President, and the Board of Trustees.

The adoption of a permanent January Term directly relates both to curriculum and methods of instruction.

Beyond that, and more importantly, I also can't figure out why anyone would want to push January Term through without explicit support of the faculty. We are strongest as a faculty and as an institution when we are unified, and we are generally pretty smart when we act collectively to guide the school. Discussion, consensus, and mutual commitment to action is deeply rooted in our Quaker tradition - it's how we do things. Without it, we are rudderless, discordant, and foolish.

I've done January Term projects for both of the past two pilot years, both of them small on-campus independent study projects, and they've been really cool experiences for me and (I hope) for my students. I think January Term, while not without costs and complications, could be something great, and I think with consensus, curricular integrity, and strong faculty involvement, we can make it so.