FACULTY SENATE 2005-06

MEETING MINUTES

December 13, 2005

RSC 111, 2:30p

PRESENT: Dave Carroll, Orv Clark, Maria Cuzzo, Martha Einerson, Cindy Graham, Marshall Johnson, Peter Nordgren, Chuck Reichert, Peggy Marciniac for Cecilia Schrenker, Nicholas Sloboda, George Wright, Art Bumgardner

ABSENT: Chip Beal, Tim Cummings, Laura Jacobs, David Kroll, Susan Loonsk, Chad Scott, Ralph Seelke,

EXCUSED: Matt Faerber

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

November 15, 2005, Minutes were unanimously approved with one correction (Clark/Cuzzo). Add the word "not" to fourth line of Faculty Representative Report, so sentence reads, "Sloboda encouraged faculty not to write the President of Regents individually with a list of how this travel program is not effective."

Receive Executive Meeting Minutes: November 29, 2005

REPORT OF THE CHANCELLOR

No report

REPORT OF THE PROVOST

The strategic planning process continues and is outlined in a recent email from the Chancellor. The Provost attended the BOR meeting for the Chancellor. Personnel Policies and practices were discussed, including backup appointments and concurrent appointments. There was no final resolution and this will continue to be an item on the BOR agenda. Also, the BOR discussed decreased access due to rising tuition and decreasing financial aid. The options are differential tuition and freezing tuition.

Faculty salaries were discussed, and plans are to address inadequate salaries and tuition increases. Summer college is moving along and the goal is for a brochure to come out Feb. 1, 2006. Campus received the announcement of SESLI closing as of June, 2006. The program was terminated due to declining enrollments and deficit spending.

Sloboda asked the Provost for details on how they will address faculty salaries? There are no details, just that there is a need to improve and increase salaries. There is more of a sense of urgency given the action at Eau Claire.

REPORTS

Chair of the Faculty

No report

Secretary

No Report

Faculty Representative

Sloboda highlighted a number of items from his report posted on the Faculty Senate webpage, including item #6, holistic admissions will reach Faculty Senate eventually. #7 there will be a 2^nd Student Regent, and #9, Nick will ask this body for the Executive Committee to pursue a motion regarding salary compression.

Planning Budgeting, and Review Council

No Report

Personnel Council

Graham reported Council's review of NCA Working Groups wording on two reports. First, the campus climate report, items 6 & 7 were discussed.

Terri Kronzer attended the Personnel Council meeting and discussed the wording for the ad hoc hearing committee to insure privacy and create no conflict of interests.

Carroll asked if Student Life & Climate proposals will be brought forward for Senate Action, and Graham replied that she will bring these items to Faculty Senate Executive for their January meeting

Undergraduate Academic Affairs Council

The General Education subcommittee is in the process of discussing specific recommendations of the NCA Working Group on General Education. The subcommittee has a draft and timeline, which Joel Sipress has reviewed, and will bring these the Council for more feedback. Also, the Council completed all catalog copy information and changes that were fit to print, and this will eventually come to Senate for approval.

Graduate Council

The Council finished catalog copy and are redoing forms to coincide with the new copy to make more student friendly. They will be addressing the requirements of graduate courses, and will provide a friendly reminder that all slash courses must have separate graduate syllabi.

Student Senate

No Report.

Academic Staff Senate

No Report.

OLD BUSINESS

Senate Constitution Review (set for January Agenda)

NEW BUSINESS

Recent approval of faculty searches for UW-Superior.

Carroll read a motion from Executive Committee as follows:

"While recognizing severe budget limitations, the faculty strongly urge that in future searches, tenure-track be given priority, and that the faculty be deeply involved in determining the future direction of hiring faculty and the categories within which the hiring occurs."

Sloboda stated that Executive discussed the recent hires and the lack of tenure-track searches. This topic also came up in Faculty Representative meetings. He recognizes why it’s happening in terms of budget. Nonetheless, it’s important to address more specifically in terms of tenure-track searches given priority.

Sloboda/Cuzzo moved to approve Executive's motion. Discussion ensued. Johnson stated we have a curricular interest in hiring tenure-track. Cuzzo asked how faculty were involved on this round. Carroll said that SPBC discussed these decisions but that the Chancellor made the final decision.

Cuzzo/Nordgren moved to establish a consistent policy for faculty searches and hires, and this policy be brought back to Senate in February for referral based on Charter Review Committee recommendations. Senate members unanimously approved motion.

Carroll read a motion from Senate Executive, to charge Personnel Council regarding Salary Adjustment as follows:

"The Faculty Senate recommends that the Personnel Council address the issue of faculty salary adjustment requests (outside of merit and rank adjustments) by designing an evaluative framework for such adjustment requests that would serve to advise the administration in addressing such requests."

Sloboda stated this is so as not to leave requests outside of faculty consideration. Faculty should not exclude themselves from this process.

Sloboda/Nordgren moved to approve above motion. Carroll said that the Chancellor asked the Faculty Senate to faculty construct some sort of framework/criteria for consideration of these requests. Different campuses within UW-System use different models. We would ask Personnel Council to review the models and others as well, and make recommendation to Senate, on a more systematic basis. Kronzer stated that every two years we receive rules about distributing money for salaries. The Chancellor can hold back 10% for salary increases, or our campus can determine distribution based on departmental votes on salary merit. We are the only campus where the Chancellor chose not to hold back the monies. Senate has no say in holding back 10%, though the Chancellor has sought feedback from Academic and Faculty staff in past decisions. The State Audit Bureau will come and do a complete audit of our personnel policies and pay policies. Kronzer gets weekly requests for salary information from the BOR. Graham is confused in terms of personnel receiving this charge--in terms of parameters for a consistent policy for reviewing salary increase requests--would the Chancellor’s decision come into play? Yes. Kronzer will forward information to Einerson on the recent BOR requests.

Cuzzo cited two layers of issues--how we respond to unequal raises, generally, and second, how do we respond to faculty requests in general? Wright asked if there was a process in place now. Carroll said about 10 years ago Toivola put together a process for review, which he does not believe is currently in use. The most Personnel Council could do is a more general guideline format, that faculty could then refer to and develop their case. Wright asked if this would also do away with “special merit.” Graham would have to take to the Council to determine this.

Cuzzo offered friendly amendment to original motion, as follows in bold:

"The Faculty Senate recommends that the Personnel Council address the issue of faculty salary adjustment requests (outside of merit and rank adjustments) by designing an evaluative framework (parameters, criteria, and process) for such adjustment requests that would serve to advise the administration in addressing such requests."

Senate unanimously passed the amended motion.

ADJOURNMENT

Clark moved to adjourn, at 3:28 pm. Motion approved.

Respectfully submitted this 6^th day of January, 2006.

Martha J. Einerson, Faculty Secretary