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SENATE OF THE FACULTY, July 10, 1998

 

The Senate of the Faculty met in room 1043-44 of the Natural Products Building.

 

Present: S. Conlon (1 P), A. Fisher-Wirth* (P), D. Graves, F. Gu, S. Hargrove (1), L. Harper, R. Klein (P), F.Laurenzo, ), L. Pittman (2), J. Rimoldi* (P), , M. Slattery (P), L. Smith, C. Taylor (1), M. Vinson, Jay Watson (P), J. Williamson,

Absent: D. Adler* (PP), J. Aubrey* (1 P), M.L. Baggett (1 PP), J. Bass (1 PP), T.Bates*(P), L. Blenman* (PPP-resigned) A. Bomba* (PP), J. Bradley (1), G. Buskes* (PP), J. Cassidy * (1 P), R. Dorsey (3), A. Elsherbeni* (PP), D. Feller* (1 P), P. Goggans* (1 P), R. Gordon (2), K. Green* (P), V. Grisham (PP), L. Hanshaw (2 P), R. Haws* (1 PP), G. Hopkins* (1 P), L. Kravitz (1 PP), T. McCarty (1), K. McKee (PP), L. McLary (1), J. Mizenko* (2 P), J. Murray (3), M. Overby* (PPP), J. S. Payne (1) , K. Raber* (1 P), T. J. Ray (1 P), W. Rayburn (3), J. Reidy* (PP), E. Sisson (1 P), S. Skemp (1), H. Sloan (3), W. Staton (2), K. Sufka* (1 P), D. Sullivan-Gonzalez* (PP), M. Tew* (PP), M. Van Boening (3), John Watson* (PP), R. Westmoreland (1), C. Williford (1 P)

 

* = Prior Notification of Absence Given, (x) = number of absences this session

 

Chair John Williamson called the meeting to order at 2:05 and stated that in the absence of a quorum, the regular order of business would be suspended. He then gave an update on pending issues. The search for a Dean of Liberal Arts is at its culmination, with the names of three ranked candidates having been submitted to the Provost. A decision should be pending.

 

He reported on the Executive Committee's meeting with the Chancellor on June 22, 1998. The Chancellor gave the committee two charts comparing salaries and E&G expenditures by function among the eight IHL institutions for FY '97/98 and FY '98/99. These charts were distributed to those present. The salary chart shows average UM salaries are higher than those of the other schools at the associate professor and full professor levels, second highest at the assistant professor level, and below average at the level of instructor. The E&G expenditure chart shows UM has the highest allocation for research.

 

The Chancellor had shared a draft organization chart with the Executive Committee as well. He is leaning away from the Provost model. While he likes the Provost model in theory, he questions whether it is really workable on this campus and whether the high salary needed ($200,000) to attract high quality candidates would throw other salaries on campus out of balance. He is willing to keep the Provost title for the Academic Vice Chancellor, to set it above the other Vice Chancellorships , as first among equals. He said that a triad model (Chancellor and Vice Chancellors for Academic Affairs and Finance) is more workable in practice here than a Provost model. The Executive Committee is split on the issue.

 

The Chancellor announced that Don Fruge was elected President of the UM Foundation and is stepping down from his position as Vice Chancellor for University Relations. Dr. Gloria Kellum will serve as interim Vice Chancellor while a national search is conducted for a permanent V.C. for University Relations. The draft organization chart showed the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research still under the Provost on the diagram. The Executive Committee asked that the position be elevated as an interim VC, though the national search for a permanent VC for Research will not take place until the summer of 1999.

The Chancellor agreed to this request.

 

Last spring at a retreat, the Deans and Chairs drew up a list of twenty goals or tasks. The Chancellor asked that the Faculty Senate give some feedback on this.

 

Chair Williamson reported on progress toward his goal of having the budget and Foundation report on the web. The Provost is moving toward publishing an internet version of the budget next year. This year each departmental office is to be given a copy for the use of faculty. The Foundation report is to be put on the web in September. In response to questions about the level of detail to be expected in this report, Sen. Williamson stated that he would like the Finance Committee to study the operations of the Foundation this year with a goal of getting the faculty more involved in fund raising and planning.

 

The Staff Council officers have been given copies of the KPMG report, as we had requested. The Senate leadership will continue to press for continuous involvement by faculty in the second stage of the reengineering process. The Chancellor was asked to check on the appointment of faculty to the IT Board.

 

Sen. Fisher-Wirth had asked that the issue of textbook orders be put on the agenda. Chair Williamson reported that Provost Walton had asked for help in getting the faculty to submit their required reading lists to the Barnes & Noble Bookstore. The problem seems to be limited to a few faculty who prefer to give their lists to Square Books, because Barnes & Noble is not following the previous practice by the campus bookstore of sharing all lists with Square Books. The topic was discussed at great length but with no resolution. It was suggested that all lists be submitted centrally to the Academic Affairs Office, where they would be available to all bookstores, possibly via the web. It was pointed out that students should have the right to choose the bookstore with the lowest prices, and that parents are complaining. Sen. Fisher-Wirth asked that the matter be referred to the Senate Academic Affairs committee for further study, to which the Chair agreed.

 

Sen. Slattery, chair of the Senate University Services Committee and the Campus Beautification Committee, reported that he was asked to investigate why $100,000 of landscaping at the new entrance to the Library was being pulled up, with many plants disappearing to private use. Apparently a donor was funding more extensive landscaping of the area and his landscape architect declared much of the library landscaping to be inappropriate for the setting. The issue is that no one was informed in advance of this action - not the Campus Beautification Committee nor the library administration. Library employees were concerned when they saw the workmen removing plants. The Chair asked Sen. Slattery to draft a resolution using this incident as an example.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 3:53 PM. The next meeting of the Senate is Friday, September 11th at 2 PM.