Report from
Faculty Senate Executive Committee Meeting
1.
Meeting of
Attending:
Heikes, Lawson, Reeves, Etzkorn, Gaede, English,
1.1
Faculty
Senate President’s Report
As a result of the forums with
faculty we will have a Sense of the Senate Resolution today regarding a
Realignment Committee. There is no
current policy and there were two models looked at by Mitch Berbrier, one from
The feedback from the Faculty
Forums will be sent out via email.
1.2 Reports from Administration
Dr. Karbhari reported that Dr.
Williams is in
We now have a Committee being formed to look at Distance Learning co-chaired by Karen Clanton and Dawn Utley. The kick-off meeting will be next week. There will be one representative from the Senate.
We are clarifying the changes in ARC and Student Affairs and will be providing an organizational chart once it is worked out. We have saved some money in streamlining.
We are continuing discussions on Promotion and Tenure. We have had five meetings with attendance any where from 4 to 12. We are receiving thoughts from the faculty on the promotion and tenure and career track progression. We will take the issues and concerns and have an open session with the faculty. We will have discussions and see how to go forward. We are not changing what is in progress now.
As we learn more about the “stimulus package” we will let you know. We do not have specifics for the restrictions and requirements yet.
There has been much concern on campus and Dr. Williams and I will be sending out a memo on Monday morning that will outline what we will do and three criteria to follow based on information we have now. No faculty layoffs, no salary cuts and no loss of programs. We need full open discussions with faculty and what we are looking at for the future. We need to know how best to position ourselves. We are starting discussions on campus. We do not know the exact cuts now.
The new VPR will come on board February 23. The VPR and VPAA have talked and will continue to talk and get together about the best ways to develop synergy and what is best for the university.
The model budgets for colleges have been worked out and given to the deans. We will have a budget on which the Deans could plan. We will have correlations and links between faculty and courses and part time faculty and students. The deans will check the models and come back with revisions and finalize them to use for the 09/10 budget.
Enrollment is up 3.9% and headcount is up 5.1%. Credit hours are up. We are up in applications about 4% and up in admits about 8%. Business Administration is up and the others are down.
1.3
New Business
Sense of the Senate Resolution
1.4 Committee Items and Chair Reports
1.4.1 Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (Gail Pritchard).
Dr. Pritchard reported they received substitutions for HY 410 and for AAH 300. They recommended approval.
1.4.2
Personnel
(Michael Anderson).
They are still working on Partner benefits. It is being researched at the System level. There is a Committee to make recommendations to the Board Level.
1.4.3 Governance and Operations (Jennifer English).
The Committee has the Realignment Sense of the Senate Resolution to present. There was a clarification in line 15 that (faculty in this context are understood to mean non-administrative, no chair, deans, or other administrators). The vote in the Executive Committee was 8 in favor.
1.4.4 Faculty and Student Development (Andree Reeves).
Dr. Reeves reported that the Committee met and the Sense of the Senate Resolution has been worded to give the faculty a voice in decisions affecting the university and its mission. There was a friendly amendment to change the word “instructional” to “educational” in line 3 and to change “engaged in” to “consulted prior to” and to add “and operation” to the Resolution. The vote was 2 abstentions and 7 in favor.
1.4.5 Finance and Resources (John Burnett).
Dr. Burnett reported the Distinguished Speaker Funding is on hold.
1.4.6 Undergraduate Scholastic Affairs (Deborah Heikes).
Dr. Heikes brown Senate Bills 315 and 316 to the floor. Senate Bill 315 was tabled for clarification. Need clarity and work on prerequisites in Banner and in the catalog. The Curriculum Committee will work on this.
Senate Bill 316—change line 14 to read “A maximum of 64 semester hours of credit from a junior, community, or two-year college…”
The vote was 6 in favor and 1 abstention.
1.4.7 The Agenda was set for the February 12 Faculty Senate Meeting.