FACULTY
SENATE MEETING
Minutes,
Senate
Members: L. Atkinson, G. Boudreaux, B. Butler, K. Cole, L. Cornett,
B. Hook, P. Downes,
H. Holt, S. Judson, B. Larson, D.
Lisnerski, C. McKenzie, S. Mills, G. Nallan,
P. Nickless, M. Ruiz, S. Walters, J.
Wood; M. Padilla.
Visitors: J. Cone, D. Eggers, D. Forbes, L. Friedenberg, T. Glenn, A.
Gravely, E. Katz,
A. Ponder, D. Race, A. Shope, B.
Spellman, K. Whatley.
I. Call
to Order
II. Comments
from Chancellor-elect Anne Ponder
Dr. Ponder
highlighted her experience as a teacher, scholar, and administrator.
Borrowing
from Bill Friday’s definition of an administrator, she stated that it would be
her responsibility to provide the environment where other people get to do
great work. She noted that these are
tough times for higher education, not just UNCA. She brings experience in both managing scarce
resources and strategic planning so can help us dedicate our scarce resources
to the things that mean the most. She is
very interested in philanthropy and the power that it offers when it is put to
right purposes. She calls this organized
generosity; from time to time she may ask for faculty assistance in this.
Dr. Ponder
asked that in her first few months here she receive information on work that
has already been done – such as the work on enrollment growth and size for the
university as well as strategic planning processes and elements of strategic
planning that are underway. In addition
to receiving the written reports, she would like to meet with the groups that
did the work, to receive the information in conversation.
Senators introduced themselves and the duties of the
Faculty Senate committees were outlined.
The Institutional Development Committee (IDC) is concerned with planning
and institutional effectiveness, and historically has been engaged in strategic
planning as well. The Academic Policies
Committee is concerned with academic policy and curricular development. The Faculty Welfare and Development Committee
is the committee on committees and deals with policies effecting faculty.
Dr. Ponder explained that Christine Riley is an Assistant
to the Chancellor and Director of Internal Operations. Her position gives us an opportunity to
update the staffing in the Chancellor’s Office in ways that private education
does, to include some of the functions that the other branches of the
university now do. Ms. Riley’s expertise
will give us the opportunity to bring people and planning closer to the
Chancellor’s Office.
Dr. Ponder described her
administrative style as highly collaborative and consultative at the strategic planning
level, so we decide the general aims and have a mutual understanding for where
we are taking the university. She would
like to spend a lot of time together discerning the strategic intent, and then
for us to trust each other to carry out that intent. There will be times when, despite our desire
to consult, a topic will be too fast or too hot to do in that particular
way. But we will have built together an
understanding of what we intend to do, so that decisions which might overwise
seem abrupt can be made quickly.
Dr. Ponder supports the Faculty
Senate’s role in mutual decision making.
As a representative body, part of the Senate’s role would be to help
decide -- when we are consulting – whether this group is a sufficient and
appropriate body for that or whether the consultation needs to be more
extensive.
She described the liberal arts as not only the best
education, but also the most practical education. By the liberal arts she means the ability to
think deeply and well, to acquire a multiple set of skills and perspectives. For people who are liberally educated, the
world must be substantially more inclusive and substantially more global than
the liberal arts might have been a few decades ago. Students need, in addition to a true sense of
intellectual and academic encouragement, to be able to understand and belong to
an academic community, to live with and among ideas. And to live with and among each other, to
develop in a very intentional way a sense of first, an on-campus and then, a more
extended community. The latter is
something that UNCA can do better than any other branch of the university because
of our small size.
Dr. Ponder highlighted areas of success at Colby-Sawyer of
which she is particularly proud and that will be pertinent to UNCA: 1) the improved quality of academic offerings
and experience on campus; 2) financial support obtained that provided
endowments, new facilities, and scholarships for students; and 3) the opportunity
to be an influential figure in the quality of life and the development of the region.
III. Approval
of minutes
The minutes of
IV. Administrative
Report
Director
of Athletics
Janet Cone, Director of Athletics, reminded
senators that last year she made a commitment to the faculty that our student-athletes
would be students first and athletes second.
This has been a great year and she came today to thank the faculty for
their support. The faculty and staff are
the team behind the teams.
In addition to discussing the
student-athletic code of conduct, Ms. Cone highlighted the academic
achievements of our student athletes:
·
UNCA
received 970 out of 1000 points in the new NCAA academic progress rate.
·
Student
athlete graduation rate is nearly 98%.
·
85
student athletes received the Presidential Honor Roll award from the Big South
Conference.
· 82 student athletes maintained a 3.0 GPA and received an additional $400 scholarship from the Athletic Director Club.
PROVOST
Dr. Padilla looked forward to working with the Senate and to
an effective and hardworking year as we tackle this university’s most important
issues. Handouts were distributed for
informational purposes:
Highlights of Academic
Affairs Funding in 2004-05
·
$32,000
increase to initial operating budgets for academic departments and programs.
·
$40,000
awarded to faculty through faculty development programs to support travel,
research and curricular enhancements.
·
$86,000
awarded to faculty for participation in ILS faculty development workshops.
·
$40,800
in mid-year education and technology fee allocations to academic departments
and programs.
·
$60,000
in allocations from
·
$140,500
for academic department and program purchases through computer refresh program.
·
$15,000
for summer stipends to department chairs and program directors.
·
$82,200
for faculty-student summer research partnerships.
·
$84,000
to purchase classroom and common area furniture for new building to replace
Carmichael Hall.
· Distributed campus based tuition increase to faculty base salaries; resulting raises averaged 9%.
Academic Affairs Goals for
2005-06
Enhancing Community and Communication
·
Targeted faculty development workshops (e.g., UNC/UNCA 101,
ILS).
·
Use of web for improved communication.
·
“First Fridays" celebrations of faculty accomplishments.
Increasing Flexible Streams of Revenue
·
Grants and sponsored program research.
·
Summer programming initiatives.
·
Summer school.
Focusing Institutional Priorities
·
Enrollment Management Task Force
- Admissions
- Retention
Exploration of the Learning Paradigm
- CTL
- Faculty Forum
Implications for strategic planning
-
- Learning/outcome goals
Response to Spring 2005 Faculty Salary Equity Review.
Budget
The budgets for all schools in the UNC system will be reduced by 1.72 percent this year. This is the fifth straight year of budget cuts. The administration will do its best to mitigate the impact on the classroom and on the work of faculty. We need to find streams of revenue besides state funds. The administration is working to develop the grant infrastructure for faculty, departments, and centers to work with to provide minimal support. There is interest in offering faculty workshops to help understand the budget process, how we are funded, and how to promote the system and the funding formula.
Summer
Programming and Budget
Dr. Padilla complimented Bill
Spellman and other members of the Summer Programming Committee, such as Peg
Downes, on summer programming initiatives.
Salary
Increases
The administration is awaiting instructions on how to apply the $850 or two percent salary increases. If there is a merit component, it will dovetail into our merit process.
Enrollment
and Retention
An Enrollment Management Task Force is
needed to help us better craft our classes and meet our enrollment targets. Enrollment projections are made biennially
and the census day is the tenth day of classes.
We exceeded our enrollment target last year and it appears that we will
have fewer students than projected this year.
As of yesterday, the difference between projected and actual enrollment was
171 students. UNCA instituted a new
admissions process last year, from rolling to deadline-based admissions.
Dr. Padilla expressed concern over retention. Preliminary numbers suggest that retention from freshmen to sophomores has decreased 2.1% from last year. The University is investing heavily in an ILS program with freshman seminars that are designed to improve retention. He welcomes faculty participation and help in better understanding why students chose to come here, what kinds of students are likely to most benefit from our mission, and how we can retain students.
Exploration
of the learning paradigm
The Center for Teaching and Learning is studying the learning paradigm that refocuses higher education on learning versus teaching.
Spring
2005 Faculty Salary Equity Review
Dr. Padilla thanked members of the Task Force to Study Faculty Salary Distribution that produced the report. He is currently concentrating on the salary inequities that have been identified for the category of non-white and non-black faculty members. The report revealed that this group – the other minority group – had the largest number of inequities and suggested that immediate attention be given to that group of faculty. He will be addressing that inequity very quickly; it is a top priority for him. He will also be talking with the Chairs about a model of compensation that does not use base salary but rather a stipend salary so there is more funding to address the inequities in the budget over time. He will also be looking at the recommendation to track the salaries of faculty who are released for administrative duties so that when they return to faculty they are at a salary position that is fair to them and fair to their peers.
Economic
Development
Dr. Padilla referred to a draft
document, a white paper, written by the Office of the President on The Role of
University in Community and Economic Development. He was given a copy by a fellow administrator
and preferred not to share it as it had not yet been formally presented to the
Provost. He anticipated receiving the
document at the Chief Academic Officers meeting in mid-September. He recommended that Senators talk to their
Faculty Assembly representatives, as that body will likely be the conduit to
begin looking at and commenting on this document. There is discussion of new metrics for evaluating
campuses on their impact on economic development. Whether the new metrics turn into a new
funding formula is unknown.
UNCA is involved with an economic development planning
process called HUB, a community collaborative project that was commissioned by
V. Executive Committee
Report
Board of Trustees
Meeting
Dr. Nickless reported that as the
Chair of the Faculty Senate, she attends the Board of Trustees meetings as an
observer. The last two years, she has
been struck by our Trustees’ passion for UNCA and how they understand the
liberal arts and are committed to diversity and other goals that we have as
faculty.
Standing Rules and Rules of Order
Dr. Nickless explained that UNCA’s
new constitution calls for Standing Rules and Rules of Order (SRRO). The draft document was distributed and an
editorial correction was made. This year
the Senate will adopt the SRRO at its September meeting; in subsequent years it
will be adopted at the first Senate meeting.
Senators were asked to review the document carefully to make sure they
understand it and to ensure that it reflects the practices we developed last
year.
Dr. Nickless noted that this document calls for the Institutional Development Committee to fulfill the functions of the University Planning Council. The University Planning Council still exists but it has not functioned for at least a year. The Faculty Senate needs to address how we do planning. This will be an opportunity to work out a new strategic planning procedure with the new Chancellor.
Academic Progress Rate of the Student-Athlete
as measured by the NCAA
As faculty representative to the
NCAA, Dr. Nallan explained the new NCAA academic measurement for team sports
known as the Academic Progress Rate (APR).
About five years ago the presidents and chancellors of the member
institutions mandated academic reform to improve both graduation rates and how
we treat student-athletes – particularly in football, men’s basketball, and a
few other sports. Dr. Nallan explained
how the APR is calculated and distributed UNCA’s APR for one academic
year. Eventually, the APR data will be
for a sliding four-year period.
VI. Student Government
Association Report
Due to another commitment, Mr.
·
·
Student
Government Council will serve as a foundation and resource for every student
club/organization. Each month student
leaders will convene to coordinate and discuss future plans and events and
receive vital information.
·
·
Many
students have wondered or questioned the role and impact of Student
Governments. This year
·
The
Student Government website was redesigned in Spring
2005.
·
Student
Organization Wing – to allow for a more welcoming environment
·
Leaving
the main suite doors open
·
Providing
two calendars in the suite, one for planning events and the second to serve as
a master calendar for scheduled events
·
Analyze
the usage of cubicle space, internet and telephone jacks in the suite
·
Placing
a “Student Organization Suite” sign above the main doors
·
Placing
a mural in the suite
·
Office
Hours: Monday-Friday,
VII. Institutional
Development Committee Report
Dr. Larson distributed IDC’s preliminary
meeting schedule and membership. Members are:
Brian Butler, Peg Downes, Herman Holt, Scott Walters, John Wood, and
Early in the semester IDC will
familiarize itself with what have been the planning documents for UNCA -- mission
and vision statements, goals, and guiding concepts – to understand the history of
IDC, the University Planning Council, and the Institutional Effectiveness
Committee. The real opportunity we have
this year is to re-establish strategic planning at UNCA and for it to have
broad participation. Chancellor-elect
Ponder described herself as a “highly collaborative and consultative leader” –
so we will have opportunities for strategic planning which we simply have not
had in recent years. This is the area
where wonderful things can happen for the university.
Dr. Larson highlighted four areas that
IDC could work on this year:
1) Institutional
Effectiveness is arguably the part of the SACS assessment process which could
lead an institution into serious difficulties.
It is something we want to be good at because it will allow us to get
what we want to have as an institution;
2) The Report of the
Task Force to Study Enrollment Growth and University Size. Some of its recommendations point directly to
activities that IDC has engaged in during the past;
3) Learning Outcomes is a very important issue in relation
to Institutional Effectiveness, but it is important enough to stand on its
own. This connects back to John Tagg’s
book The Learning Paradigm College.
UNCA has no specified learning outcomes for the university as a
whole. When we have our next SACS
review this is something we definitely want to have; and
4) Strategic Planning.
Chancellor-elect Ponder is recognized as an expert in strategic planning
and we have now learned that she works along with her assistant Christine
Riley. This is an opportunity to
re-establish strategic planning and for it to have broad participation.
Finally, there is the interesting
task of integrating these items – how do all of these items hang together? This can be exciting for us and help us to
get want we want to have as an institution – and
specifically for our students.
VIII. Faculty Welfare and
Development Committee Report
Don
Lisnerski reported for the Faculty Welfare and Development Committee.
Next week FWDC will meet and begin
working on carry-over business from last year.
There are still committees that appear in the Faculty Handbook that do
not have supporting Faculty Senate documentation. FWDC will also work with the University
Service Council to fill positions due to resignations from committees late last
year. It will also review the new
procedure for committee assignments.
IX. Academic Policies
Committee Report
Gary
Nallan reported for the Academic Policies Committee.
Last week
Dr. Nallan explained that the most important
change is that the Chair of
Alternate
Course Schedule – “Late Start”
Dr. Nickless explained that in 1996,
the Faculty Senate approved a policy that created our Alternate Schedule – also
known as “late start”. The schedule needs
to be revised to match our new course time schedule.
X. Old Business
Dr. Nickless introduced Alicia Shope,
XI. New Business
There
was no New Business.
XII. Adjourn
Dr.
Nickless adjourned the meeting at
Respectfully submitted
by: Sandra Gravely
Don Lisnerski