From: "Gross, Louis J" Date: Wednesday, July 14, 2021 at 9:45 AM To: "Gao, Yanfei" , "Zomchick, John P" , "Spurgeon, Shawn Lamont" , "Schussler, Elisabeth Ellen" Cc: "Kelly, Diane" , "Gross, Louis J" Subject: Re: Request a statement from UTK Faculty Senate and Provost's Office Professor Gao, This is in response to the request that you made to me asking if I would publicly post the statement from the Provost. After meeting with the Office of General Counsel, the Provost, and the Chancellor’s Chief of Staff, there was consensus that there is an alternative preferable course of action at this time that would not set a precedent regarding voluntary release of confidential personnel information. The discussion in part hinged around the expectation by faculty that personnel decisions regarding them be maintained in a confidential manner that is not voluntarily released by the Senate. This expectation of privacy and confidentiality is critical to the shared governance role of the Senate for example on matters such as those handled by the Faculty Senate Appeals Committee. At the same time, we discussed the potential risk (reputational and other) to the University arising from this legal case and the very public nature of its presentation in court. The Provost will be moving forward with a statement from the University regarding the situation, noting how formal policies that govern faculty appointments were followed. The Provost is aware of the variety of public petitions on this case and is cognizant of the need for a statement to potentially ease the discrimination concerns expressed by individuals inside and outside the University. As I noted previously, this situation has led me to consult with Professor Lyons in his role as Chair of the Senate’s Faculty Affairs Committee, and he has agreed to ask the Committee to consider the current procedures outlined in the Faculty Handbook and determine if potential changes might be appropriate, given how this case developed. Thank you for your patience on this matter and for your concerns about our University. I would be happy to discuss any aspect of this situation further with you if you’d like. Stay well, Lou