The Board of Trustees unanimously approved changes to the University’s academic charter at its Friday meeting.

The changes – referred to by the board as a “restoration” of the charter – addressed governance, also known as “Part A” of the charter, said Pat Pauken, Board of Trustees secretary.

Specific changes included increasing faculty participation in selecting and reviewing administrators and eliminating subjects that will be included in the administration and faculty union’s first collective bargaining contract, he said.

“Those were our major goals,” Pauken said. “We also sharpened the language addressing curriculum governance, for creating a new department or degree program. I think it’s more user-friendly.”

Faculty Senate voted against the changes at its September meeting, after about an hour and a half of discussion.

The motion failed with 39 votes for, 14 against and two abstaining; a 2/3 majority was necessary to pass.

Nonetheless, the board still possesses the authority to amend the charter, Pauken said.

“Obviously the advice and counsel from faculty are important, and a majority of that came from the Faculty Senate Executive Committee this summer in proposing the changes,” he said. “After reviewing this, the board felt confident and proceeded forward with it.”

A copy of the University’s academic charter is available at www.bgsu.edu/offices/facsenate/page471.html.