Minutes for September 10, 2007
The Faculty Senate of Eastern Kentucky University met on Monday, September 10, 2007, in the South Room of the Keen Johnson Building. Senator Eakin called the first meeting of the academic year to order at approximately 3:30 p.m.
The following members of the Senate were absent:
| D. Clay | B. Gaffney | K. Johnson* |
| K. Kean* | M. McDermott*^ | K. Petronio*^ |
| S. Pressley* | T. Randles* | C. Rich |
| C. Ruppel | R. Sambrook |
*Indicates prior notification of absence to the Faculty Senate Secretary
^SUB Laurie Rincker attended for M. McDermott
^SUB Nina Coyer attended for K. Petronio
Visitors to the Senate were: Onda Bennett, University Programs; Jim Conneely, Student Affairs; David Fifer, SGA; Jerry Pogatshnik, Graduate Education & Research; Jaleh Rezaie, Graduate School; Virginia Underwood, Chief of Staff; Janna Vice, Academic Affairs; Cari Wallace, First Year Programs; and Marc Whitt, Public Relations & Marketing
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Senator Eakin asked the new senators to stand and be recognized, and he also introduced the new Interim President, Dr. Doug Whitlock. Senator Eakin thanked Senator Whitlock for agreeing to provide refreshments for the Senate for the 2007-2008 academic year.
Senator Eakin announced that David Sefton would be filling in as Parliamentarian for today's meeting.
Senator Eakin announced that Senator Johnson recently had surgery at Vanderbilt, is recovering nicely and sends his regards.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
The May 7, 2007 regular and organizational minutes were approved as written.
REPORT FROM THE PRESIDENT: Senator Whitlock
Senator Whitlock announced that the EKU Board, along with several staff members, will be attending the annual Governor's Conference on Trusteeship this coming weekend. The theme for this year's event is doubling the numbers by 2020.
The draft of EKU's Business Plan was shared with the Board of Regents at their September 8th meeting and was presented today to the Council on Postsecondary Education. To the extent possible, the plan has been developed from the University's strategic plan for 2008-2010 and clearly sets forth a strategy and cost analysis for the institution in support of doubling the enrollment numbers by 2020. Central to this plan is the concept of EKU as a 22-county campus and the proposal that the University develop educational extension agents in every county of the region. The draft plan will be available online soon, and the campus community will have an opportunity to provide feedback on the plan in the near future.
Planning for the 2008-2010 biennial budget cycle is now underway. At a recent retreat, the Council on Postsecondary Education posed the following seven questions to consider when reviewing budget needs:
- What level of total public funding (TPF) is needed on an annual basis to achieve the long term reform goals?
- How does the balance between state affordability and between state and student affordability influence the short term and long term budget recommendations?
- How should the recommended distribution of state appropriations be divided among strategic investments?
- How should the recommended distribution of state appropriations be divided among the institutions?
- What level of capital investment is needed to achieve long term reform goals?
- How can the system achieve greater productivity and efficiency gains from current and future resources?
- How does the budget recommendation address the need for greater accountability and a stronger link between investment and outcomes?
The Governor's Office of Policy and Management has recently issued the branch budget guidelines which provide the framework and format for agency budget requests for the coming biennium. The CPE has issued a set of understandings regarding the process from which the following is excerpted--the branch budget request forms will be based on the funding recommendations approved by the CPE in November 2007. In other words, the capital requests must reflect only those projects, regardless of the source of funds, recommended by the CPE as well as projects requiring any authorization by the 2008 General Assembly. Budget hearings are scheduled for October 3rd and 18th. The CPE meeting at which budget recommendations will be adopted is scheduled for November 5th. After that meeting, the University has until November 15th to submit all forms.
The Promotion & Tenure recommendations approved by the Senate were listed as an informational item on the Board's September agenda. Several issues have emerged that must be addressed prior to submission to the Board as an action item, hopefully at the January, 2008 meeting. Senator Whitlock stated that the proposed recommendations provide for a more clear delineation of the roles of the committees and the academic administrators in the development of recommendations. Furthermore it provides greater flexibility to allow departments and colleges to develop new criteria for those units for promotion and tenure which can, among other things, recognize and reward more toward regional stewardship.
Senator Whitlock indicated that a consensus needs to be reached on whether or not it is politic to convene the faculty-at-large to consider the Promotion & Tenure recommendations prior to the Board's consideration. In the Faculty Handbook under the "Organization of the faculty of Eastern Kentucky University", one of the Senate's duties and responsibilities is to act on recommendations and revisions for promotion and tenure on behalf of the faculty-at-large. Therefore there is no requirement that the document must go before the faculty-at-large prior to going to the Board of Regents. However, Senator Whitlock stressed that if the judgment was made to do so, it could be done.
Notification of SACS reaffirmation is expected at the December meeting of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges in New Orleans.
Senator Whitlock reported that he will be spending a considerable amount of time and energy focusing on the capital campaign. His first off-campus engagement will be in Northern Kentucky tomorrow evening.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
Motion on Unwritten Protocols. The unwritten protocols proposal was moved and seconded at the May 2007 meeting. Senator Eakin ruled the motion substantive and deferred further discussion to the September meeting. The majority of the Senate were in favor of the unwritten protocols proposal and the motion carried.
NEW BUSINESS:
EKU Reads. Cari Wallace, Associate Dean of First Year Students, was in attendance to discuss the EKU Reads Program and to encourage faculty participation in the program. Those interested in either serving on the committee or making suggestions for a book for the program, should contact cari.wallace@eku.edu. [attachments: EKUReads Flyer & EKUReads Contest]
University General Education Committee. Senator Eakin asked for a volunteer to serve as the Senate representative on the University General Education Committee for the 2007-2008 academic year. Senator Sanchez volunteered.
Policies Template. The new Policies template was shared with the Senate as an informational item only. Senator Piercey reported that the template will help to track the approval process and identify the scope of the policy. The most important aspect of this effort is to try to organize the entire body of policy for the institution in a way that is accessible and as transparent as policies can be.
Report from Council on Academic Affairs
- Computer Science B.S. revision (addition of two options)
- Interactive Media minor (new)
- Social Institutions & Change minor (new)
- Music (MM) General Music Option - Change title to Master of Music in Music Education
Senator Piercey moved approval of item 1, seconded by Senator Winslow. The majority were in favor and the motion carried.
Senator Piercey moved approval of item 2, seconded by Senator Styer. The majority were in favor and the motion carried.
Senator Piercey moved approval of item 3, seconded by Senator Ciocca. The majority were in favor and the motion carried.
Senator Piercey moved approval of item 4, seconded by Senator Koontz. The majority were in favor and the motion carried.
GENERAL & STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT: Senator Eakin
Senator Eakin discussed the history of the wording change from "teaching, service and research" to "teaching, scholarship and service" in the strategic plan and shared several documents listing the history of the change. He also shared seven questions that senators are encouraged to share with their colleagues. The questions relate to the new EKU mission statement and will be a starting point for campus-wide discussions on how to move the University forward to achieve the goals set forth in the strategic plan. The questions are:
- What does the EKU's mission statement mean?
- How do we define scholarship at EKU?
- What is the relationship between Scholarship and Service at EKU?
- How do we document Service?
- How do scholarship and service relate to faculty workload?
- What does graduate education mean at EKU?
- What type of credentials should be used to classify a faculty member as a "graduate faculty"?
Senator Eakin thanked Dr. Jaleh Rezaie, who was in attendance to answer questions regarding the history of the language change and to discuss the seven questions that were presented.
In his written report, Senator Eakin shared the following.
The Executive Committee met on August 27, 2007. The major items discussed were: 1) language change from "teaching, service, and research" to "teaching, scholarship, and service"; 2) proposed policies template; and 3) promotion and tenure recommendations.
Dr. Sherry Robinson indicated that she will be reorganizing and reformatting the Faculty Handbook this year and will be asking for the Senate's help with this project.
The Promotion and Tenure recommendations will be listed on the September 8th Board agenda as an informational item only. Upon review, the University Counsel discovered some inconsistencies in the recommendations which must be addressed. The Executive Committee, along with the University Counsel and the Rights & Responsibilities Committee will work together to correct the inconsistencies. The recommendations will go back to the Board for action at the January 2008 meeting.
FACULTY REGENT REPORT: Senator Frisbie
Senator Frisbie reported that the Board has met three times since the last Senate meeting. The first of those meetings was a regular quarter meeting held on June 28. The following action items were approved unanimously.
- The Board passed the 2007-08 Operating Budget for the university. The budget guidelines had been passed in January.
- Academic Issues: The Board passed several academic program and policy items, including approval of program modifications (new options) in the BS and MS programs in Career and Technical Education and MS in Safety, Security and Emergency Management; of new programs in Coaching (minor), Fire and Emergency Services (certificate program), and Occupational Safety (certificate program); and of a late enrollment policy aimed at making clear enrollment deadlines and criteria for consideration of special cases and exemptions.
- The Board approved revisions to the "Rights and Responsibilities" section of the Student Handbook. These revisions update terms and procedures, and change the sanctions for some infractions. The revisions grew out of efforts of the Office of Judicial Affairs and the Judicial Sanctions Committee.
- The Board approved naming of the Physical/Defensive Tactics Facility in the Department of Criminal Justice in honor of L.J. Weber, a long-time instructor of physical fitness and defensive tactics.
A special meeting was called on August 13th, and a new interim President was appointed. As part of that action, the Board authorized the chair to prepare a request for proposals to engage an executive search firm to help with the search process for a permanent President. Proposals are due on September 28th and the Board will meet on or about October 12th to review those proposals and interview several of the search firms that respond.
The Board met on September 8th for a regularly scheduled quarterly meeting. The Board approved the following action items unanimously.
- The Board approved a proposal to name the skills area of the Department of Criminal Justice Training the Robert C. Stone Building, honoring the first commissioner of the then Bureau of Criminal Justice Training. Dr. Stone was instrumental in establishing the College of Justice and Safety and in bringing the Department to EKU.
- The Board approved the nomination of Ray Ochs as Faculty Emeritus.
- The Board passed several items from Academic Affairs including the removal of the residency requirement for baccalaureate and associate degrees and creation of a new major in Comparative Humanities.
- The Board approved several modifications to the University's six-year capital projects plan. Under state policy, any project of $600,000 or more must be part of the state biennial budget, even if funding for the project comes from sources other than the state. In preparation for getting several projects inserted into the state budget, the Board moved to place those projects into its own 6-year plan. Those project include: several modifications and creations of new facilities to be undertaken by Aramark at several locations on campus, an addition to Stratton Building (25,000 ft 2, $5 million) to be undertaken with Program of Distinction funds, and construction of an Early Childhood Center (14,000 ft 2, $3.3 million). The Early Childhood Center was placed in the plan in two places as a stand alone center and as part of the College of Education construction project.
- The university has not yet received the report being prepared by Bright Horizons, the consultant studying the childcare needs of the University. Placing the Center in two places in the 6-yr plan will leave us some flexibility in responding to the recommendations in that report.
The next quarterly meeting of the Board will occur in January 2008.
COSFL REPORT: Senator McKenney
Senator McKenney announced that the first COSFL meeting for the fall semester will be on Monday, September 17 at 2 p.m. in Louisville, Kentucky.
PROVOST REPORT: Senator Piercey
Senator Piercey introduced Dr. Janna Vice, the new Interim Associate Provost, to the Senate.
Merit distributions were completed at the end of the spring semester. A new process has now been developed to address incremental equity issues as they arise in academic departments.
Senator Piercey announced that progress is being made on a draft policy-on-policies motion, and the Senate should see something on that soon.
Senator Piercey indicated that his office has talked with a number of groups already about an effort reporting technique which will help recognize scholarly activities, service activities, and differentiated workloads.
At the end of the last Senate meeting, The Office of Academic Affairs had two items in queue for consideration from the Senate. One was a proposal to change CAA membership. That proposal has not been sent forward to the President because the committee charges for the Provost Council and the CAA have been re-interpreted. The CAA membership motion needs to be reviewed to see if it is still relevant under the new committee charges. At this point, two options are available. Either the motion can remain in the Provost's office and be reviewed again after the two committees have met a few times, or the motion could be returned to the Senate for further review.
The second proposal is the Promotion and Tenure proposal which the President has already reported on.
A new task force has been created to explore the possibilities of moving most of the responsibilities for summer school back to the academic colleges.
In his written report to the Senate, Senator Piercey shared updates from the following areas: Academic Affairs, Enrollment Management, Graduate Education & Research, Institutional Effectiveness and Research.
STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION: David Fifer
Mr. Fifer stated that he would like to see better communication between Student Senate and Faculty Senate. He is going to recommend that the chair of the Student Senate Academic Affairs Committee start attending the Faculty Senate meetings with him.
Mr. Fifer reported that progress is being made on the Colonel's Path. The street has been repaved and maroon sidewalks are now in place. Call boxes, banners and some other items are on order. Dr. Conneely and Student Affairs are contributing some benches and other accessories for the path, and Facilities Services is chipping in for landscaping and trash cans.
Renovation will begin soon on the Herndon Lounge in the Powell Student Center. The lounge will be converted into a theatre or forum-style facility for students.
The Student Government Association is offering a poster series of three different campus photos available for purchase. The price is $10 a piece or $25 for the set. All proceeds go to benefit the Tom Myers Endowed SGA Scholarship Fund.
Check out SGA's new website at www.sga.eku.edu.
STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Welfare Committee. Senator Collins reported that the committee would be meeting soon. One of the issues the committee will be discussing is the recent change in employee life insurance and the benefit differences as a result of that change.
Ad Hoc Committee on New Senator Orientation. Senator Robles announced that the orientation is tentatively scheduled for September 24.
ADJOURNMENT:
Senator Piercey moved to adjourn at approximately 5:35 p.m.
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