Monday marks the start of the 2024-25 academic year at Eastern Kentucky University. With that comes the responsibilities of students, staff, faculty, and administrators. Those duties, to some extent, can be seen in how the university is run.
“University governance” became a much-debated term just 25 miles away from Richmond as the University of Kentucky modified its structure. EKU President David McFaddin said that the administration-faculty-staff-student governance at Eastern is in line with many schools across the U.S.
“Work as I talked about in my academic initiatives…it starts with the faculty…supported by the administration..it’s approved by the Board. That’s the model and I think as you look across the country is very normal,” said McFaddin.
McFaddin noted there are day-to- day matters that are not in the classroom. The EKU president added it’s important to be timely and responsive to what might be federal or state regulations.
David Fifer is an associate professor in emergency medical care at EKU. He said fundamentally it’s a shared governance model at Eastern, but there has been some retreating from that during his time with the school.
“I don’t think I work in an autocracy. But I do hope that the faculty, that’s what I kind of represent these days, I’m a faculty senator, continues to be an equal participant in the decisions being made here at the university,” said Fifer.
Although not specific to governance structure, EKU Philosophy and Religious Studies Professor Todd Gooch is concerned about the level of state support for higher ed. Gooch fears the financial burdens on students after college will have an impact on their ability to buy a home, to raise a family, and/or start a business.
