FACULTY SENATE MEETING
Minutes,
Senate
Members: L. Atkinson, R. Booker, L. Cornett, J. Konz, B. Larson, S.
Mills, G. Nallan,
P. Nickless, D. Pierce, B. Reynolds,
Excused: B. Butler, D. Lisnerski.
Visitors: T. Glenn, W. McDevitt, L. Preston, S.
Robinson, K. Whatley.
I. Call to Order and Announcements
Dr.
II. Approval
of minutes
The minutes of
III. Administrative Report
Dr. Kathy Whatley represented the Administration
in Dr. Padilla’s absence.
Administration and
Financial Affairs Annual Report
Mr.
Wayne McDevitt, Vice Chancellor for Administration and Financial Affairs,
thanked the
Faculty Senate for the opportunity
to present a summary and update of several functions for which
he is responsible. His report is available at: Executive Summary.
Question/Comments
- Staff Pay-grade
System
Dr.
Rossell asked how converting from the pay-grade system to the career banding
system would impact staff salaries. Mr.
McDevitt explained that the Office of State Personnel (OSP) and the governor
have decided that all public institutions are going to move from the current
personnel structure to a competency-based system. This structure is for SPA employees only and
has three competency levels (contributing, journey, advanced) within ten career
bands. We are beginning a five-year
cycle toward the new system. In the next
five years, no employee’s pay will decrease and a lot will increase. It would cost about $160,000 to get everyone
to the journey level.
UNCA is
making the case with the OSP that some small agencies are restricted in having
the ability to grow revenue; money should be given to OSP and there should be
criteria so that we can apply for money to do this. Otherwise, we will have to find ways to
address this over a several year period.
It could cost between $1.5M to $2M over the next four to eight
years. We have not been told when we
have to fully implement the new system and it has not been funded at this
point.
- Equity funding and enrollment growth
Dr.
Konz stated that he understood that the equity funding we were to receive was
in the enrollment growth budget and not the continuing budget – is that
correct? Do we get a bonus in our base
budget for being the liberal arts institution?
Mr. McDevitt replied that there is a formula for funding the campuses
that is based on student credit hours, and part of the formula is based on
average faculty salaries. There is no
money within that system for the liberal arts.
This campus decided to pursue equity in 1996. We received $500,000 in equity funding for
the first time in 2003 and this goes into the continuation budget. However, our budget cuts that year were about
$510,000. We were the only one to
receive the equity funding and it helped because we were able to break
even.
For the
last several years, the university system has been asking for focused growth
money for the growth campuses. The
historically black campuses are in that grouping. It is quite a bit of money. We changed the approach. We refer to this as “special and strategic
institution” money rather than equity money.
We also put it in with the focused growth campuses; we are partnering
with them. It is a separate line so
there is no misunderstanding by anybody – we are not a growth campus in the
sense of what they are calling growth campuses.
For
funding purposes only, we would benefit by moving to the baccalaureate area
(with
We
will go to the General Assembly for the equity funding. At the campus level, we will ask for $1.5M
for the next biennial session -- $750,000 for each year. Mr. McDevitt would argue that as long as the
focus growth campuses are doing that year after year, we should continue to receive
it. Once we receive it, it is in our
base budget and it is a continuation budget item.
Dr.
Pierce asked that as we look at the issue of campus growth, can we count on any
special funding recognition for our institutional mission on an on-going basis. It sounds like we have to request special
funding every year. Mr. McDevitt replied
that we received it one year. It is
on-going once it is in the base budget.
We have good evidence, relative to our peers and to other institutions, and
we can make the argument for the need.
But whether it is using the funding formula, the equity funding, or the special
institution funding – only in the special institution funding are we saying that
we are a liberal arts institution and therefore we have special needs. That recognizes that we are by definition a
smaller institution and we are not growing.
That is on-going, although we would be served just as well if they moved
us for funding purposes into the baccalaureate area and funded us at 90-100% of
minimum.
NC
Center for Health and Wellness Promotion and
Dr.
Walters asked how the NC Center for Health and Wellness Promotion and
Dr.
Nickless added that in 2001 the Faculty Senate approved a Health Promotion
major, but did not have the funding to go forward with it. Mr. McDevitt noted that faculty governance
also addressed this last May.
IV. Executive
Committee Report
Dr. Nickless gave the Executive
Committee Report
Update
on Planning
The Executive Committee met with
Chancellor Mullen and talked extensively about our planning process. The Chancellor is getting ready to create a
Committee on Strategic Planning that will include five or six faculty members
from the Faculty Senate. The membership
is still under negotiation but it will include part of IDC and perhaps the
Executive Committee. The Chancellor
wants the Chair of the Board of Trustees and the Vice Chancellors to also serve
on the committee. The committee should
be underway before the end of the semester.
Constitution
(clarifying election process SD0204F)
Dr.
Nickless notified faculty that the Senate passed the revision to the Senate
Constitution on
V. Student
Government Association Report
Mr. Tarik Glenn reported for the
Student Government Association.
The
Cubicles in the student activity
wing of the Highsmith Union are underutilized because many organizations do not
have enough members to staff it for the required twelve hours a week.
Josh O’Conner, the current Vice
President of
Many older students on campus do not
have health insurance. The
Greenfest was a success. Students planted trees around the Highsmith
Union and Founders Hall, and picked up debris.
Efforts are being made to raise awareness of the energy usage in
Highsmith. Last year the residence halls
held a contest to see which hall could use the least amount of resources.
VI. Institutional
Development Committee Report
Dr. Irene Rossell reported for the
Institutional Development Committee (IDC).
Update
on Enrollment Growth and University Size Task Force
The Enrollment Growth and University
Size Task Force has announced the first of several
campus
forums. Faculty, staff, and students
have been invited to the first forum on November 18,
from
-the
nature of the student body we would like to have at UNCA,
-the
campus environment we would like to have, and
-the
working environment we would like to have.
The Task Force will give a brief
introduction to its charge, along with background information relevant
to enrollment planning. There is a link to supporting documents on
enrollment planning on the Faculty
Senate webpage: http://www3.unca.edu/facultysenate/.
Update
on UNCA Centers
Dr.
Rossell and Dr. John Stevens have met periodically since last May regarding a
Policy and Procedures document regarding Centers at UNCA. IDC will meet next week with Dr. Stevens to
review this document that explains how Centers are planned, established,
reviewed, and dissolved. This is
important because the number of Centers on campus has been increasing and
questions come up frequently. Although
this will be a UNCA policy that does not require a Senate document, it would be
prudent for the Senate to endorse the policy.
Dr. Rossell wants to ensure that Senators have sufficient time to review
the proposal.
Several Centers submitted Requests
to Plan last year and IDC approved all of the requests with the understanding
that the planning documents would come to IDC.
The planning documents are now coming to IDC. As many as six Centers will likely bring
planning documents (Requests to Establish) to IDC through the end of spring
semester.
Next week IDC will consider the Request
to Establish the Pisgah Astronomical Research Science and Education Center
(PARSEC). PARSEC would be a
IDC is primarily looking at the
resource implications of the Centers.
They are taking up space on campus, using facilities, and should be
self-supporting. IDC plans to review and
keep track of the Centers.
Dr. Ruiz asked how many Centers
there were. Dr. Rossell replied that six
Centers will be coming to IDC over the next six months. This includes the Environmental Quality
Institute (EQI), which has been operational for a long time, but was never
formally approved as a Center. Likewise,
the National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC) is already on
campus, but the paperwork has not gone through yet. The
Major
in Women’s Studies
IDC will meet soon to consider a
Request to Establish a major in Women’s Studies.
VII. Academic
Policies Committee Report
Dr.
Report
on Study of Plus/Minus Grading
As reported at the last meeting,
Drs. Nallan and Atkinson began to
gather information from Institutional Research on the grade distributions that
we have had since plus/minus grading has been implemented. The information was distributed to
ILSOC
Membership
At the last Senate meeting, Dr.
Padilla suggested that the ILS Oversight Committee receive a member from
Students Affairs in an ex officio capacity, and it was referred to
First
The
following documents were distributed for First Reading:
CSCI 201 in the Applied Physics
Concentration.
Change
in title/description/prerequisite for ECON 250;
Change
in title/description for ECON 330.
The
VIII. Faculty
Welfare and Development Committee Report
Dr. Kitti Reynolds gave the Faculty
Welfare and Development Committee Report in Dr. Lisnerski’s absence.
Status
of Child Care
Dr. Keith Ray has offered to look
into the feasibility of offering child care on campus. Limited child care was offered on campus
about two years ago, then it disappeared.
FWDC believes that having good child care on campus could be an
important recruiting and retention tool.
The lack of child care may explain why some of our young faculty members
with children have not stayed. Dr.
Reynolds suggested that
Dr. Rossell reminded Senators that
at one time the Child Care Center was going to be located where the new student
parking lot is now located. During the
several meetings she attended, they were trying to reduce the cost and trying
to help students who needed assistance with child care. Dr. Nickless noted that many of our sister
institutions fund child care for students.
Dr. Reynolds added that AB Tech offers child care at a reduced rate for
students.
First
The
following document was distributed for First Reading:
FWDC 1: Proposal to Modify the Composition of ILS
Intensive Subcommittees
(Revision of SD0703F and Faculty Handbook
10.3.8)
A number of committees do not have
Senate documentation and some committees do not have their membership structure
finalized. Dr. Lisnerski has met with
Porscha Yount about appointing students who are needed on committees.
III. Administration
Dr.
Nickless returned to the Administrative Report.
Dr. Whatley did not have a report
but offered to answer questions.
Transportation
for Class Use
Dr. Rossell asked if the mini buses
would be available for class use next year.
Dr. Whatley did not know the status of the mini buses. During discussion, Dr. Nickless stated that
it was her understanding that if the mini buses were not needed to shuttle
students to apartments next year, then they would be available for campus
use. Dr. Rossell had heard this, but she
also heard that the mini buses might be used as a shuttle for general
transportation. Dr. Whatley agreed to
ask Dr. Padilla about the status of the mini buses.
Dr. Rossell expressed concern that
if their one van is disabled, then departments will have no transportation for
class use. Dr. Whatley stated that the
administration tried to work out a contract with Young Transportation; she was
supposed to collection the information from the departments that used the van
on a regular basis but it died for lack of support.
IX. Old Business
Faculty Handbook Editor
Dr.
Nickless explained that in the 1980s, the Faculty Senate passed a document that
recommended that a faculty member edit the Faculty Handbook and that the
appointment be for two years. Although
the document was accepted by the administration, a Faculty Handbook editor was
rarely appointed; instead, we followed the practice of periodic major
revisions.
X. New Business
There
was no New Business.
XI. Adjourn
Dr.
Nickless adjourned the meeting at
Respectfully submitted by: Sandra Gravely
Kitti
Reynolds