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Meeting of the Senate of the Faculty
minutes_20050100October 14, 2004 4:45 PM
Thad Cochran Research Center (Natural Products Center), Room 2066
Meeting called to order with a quorum at 4:51p.m.
Present: Edmund Acevedo, Donna Adler, Bahram Alidaee, Robert Brown, John Bruce, Judith Cassidy, Daisy Cheng, Alice Cooper, Laurie Cozad, Conrad Cunningham, Gregg Davidson, Michelle Emanuel, Laurdella Foulkes-Levy, Garey Fox, Jamie Harker, Charles Ingene, Greg Johnson, Ivo Kamps, Fred Laurenzo, Diane Marting, Chris McCurdy, Rosemary Oliphant-Ingham, Elizabeth Payne, Michael Repka, Sidney Rowland, Laura Sheppardson, Warren Steel, Joe Sumrall, Joe Urgo, Randy Wadkins, Kathleen Wickham, John Winkle, Haidong Wu, Alexander Yakovlev
Absent: Milam Aiken*, Victoria Bush*, Tristan Denley, Rick Elam*, Ray Fulton*, Kris Gilliland*, Matthew Hall*, Jennifer Mizenko, Bill Scott*, Mary Thurlkill, Diane Tidwell, Nancy Wicker*, Kristine Willett*
* Prior Notification
I. Old Business and Updates
a. Minutes of the September 9, 2004 minutes_20040900.html
Senator Bruce made a motion to accept the minutes.
Senator Davidson seconded.
For senators Harker, Kamps, Urgo, Wickham, and Marting, change from “absent” to “excused”. Remove Senator McCurdy from minutes on #5. Correct typos.
Senator Steel made a friendly amendment to accept Minutes with proposed corrections.
Minutes passed.
b. Instructor Career Ladder (Instructor Policy)
Announcement: The Council of Academic Administrators has accepted the Instructor Career Ladder Policy
c. Extra and Supplemental Compensation Plan for Faculty and Staff
Announcement: The Council of Academic Administrators has accepted the Extra and Supplemental Compensation Plan for Faculty and Staff. A request was made to place a copy of the Incentive Plan on the Faculty Senate Website and then to inform the Senate of when the link is active.
d. Committee on Elections
Announcement: Committee elections are almost complete. Senate elections will be initiated in November.
A request was made to try to place elections online instead of email and/or paper.
II. Reports from Committees
a. Academic Support Services: Chair, Michelle Emanuel
Electronic Privacy – take a look at Penn State policy, forward questions/changes to Senator Emanuel; schedule a meeting with IT (Buster Hale) before November; discuss again at next meeting.
b. Faculty Governance: Chair, John Bruce
Faculty Survey
Senator Steel motioned to table
Senator Emmanuel Seconded
Motion passed without dissent.
c. University Services: Chair, Laura Sheppardson
No action necessary
d. Academic Affairs: Chair, Robert Brown
No action necessary
III. New Business
a. Faculty Senate Web Page Editorial Update
Discussion:
Senator Urgo made a motion to accept the proposed changes and to email any further corrections to the Constitution and Bylaws to Senate Chair within one week and to post changes ASAP.
Senator Kamps seconded
Motion passed without dissent
b. Chancellor’s Initiative
What can be done to enhance the “Intellectual Culture” on campus?
Recommendations:
It would be helpful to have a list of the programs that will be presented on campus prior to the start of the semester. Faculty should not be defensive but instead should initiate. Intellectual culture should not be artificial. Is their concern that this is coming from under utilization of the Ford Center. This is going to have to come from the top down. Faculty Senate does not have the resources or ability to do this. Schedules need to be made months in advance at the request of the administration. Publicly promote an initiative. DM should have a major role in developing culture. Possibly develop a committee chaired by the Provost or someone from the academic administration. Show support of the undergraduate culture task force; David Swanson (Sociology) is the Chair of this task force. John Neff is the subcommittee chair on this task force addressing intellectual culture.
c. Faculty Parking
Does the faculty want a voice and sense that they need a voice?
Discussion:
A parking committee does exist. Inform committee for traffic and parking that faculty has concerns. Is there faculty representation on committee? How are issues concerning parking for faculty being communicated to administration and to faculty? Sold parking spaces on game days make it impossible for faculty and staff to have access to offices for purposes of work. Where have the bicycle racks from in front of buildings gone? Could there be a mechanical arm/gate to control traffic/parking lots? Invite chair of committee to come and address the senate or can there be something in writing that could be sent to chancellor and/or administration. The pressing issue is to address day to day parking.
d. Provost’s Request to Address Standing University Committees
Provost has stated that there are a few standing committees that do not meet and have not met in years. She would like the Senate to address which committees could be deleted or created.
Discussion:
It may be that faculty are frustrated with lack of support from the administration for ideas and work. Committees do not meet because they feel as if there is no purpose or incentive/expectation. Invite Provost in to talk about issue in January or February with full senate.
e. Health Insurance Options
Concern with increasing Health Insurance. If University had its own Blue Cross Blue Shield plan separate from other state employees, would the cost be decreased?
Discussion”
HMO options? Clarification is needed on the law that limits the University’s flexibility to opt out of the state health insurance plan. Invite campus representatives (Andy Mullins & Johnny Williams) to discuss university finances. Suggest that presenters provide a generic report on specific topics provided to presenter prior to meeting (i.e., insurance packages, salaries, budget cuts). Request that future visitors talk only 15-20 minutes to allow for questions.
Senator Emmanuel made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
Senator Brown seconded.
Motion passed without dissent.
Meeting adjourned at 6:23 pm