Minutes for February 4, 2019

The Faculty Senate of Eastern Kentucky University met on Monday, February 4, 2019 in the South Ballroom in the Keen Johnson Building. Senator Winslow called the fifth meeting of the academic year to order at approximately 3:30 p.m. 

The following members were absent:

^* Indicates prior notification of absence to the Faculty Senate Secretary
^ ALT Jennifer Hight attended for R. Causey-Upton
^ ALT Codi Domenghini attended for C. Hagan
^ ALT Jessica Price attended for M. McKinney
^ SUB Robert Milde attended for B. Shannon
^ SUB Amanda Strasik attended for M. Vandenberg

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Senator Crosby moved approval of the December 3, 2018 minutes, seconded by Senator Woodruff. Motion carried. (YES = 52 votes | NO = 0 votes | ABSTAIN = 0 votes) (Due to a computer glitch in the digital voting software, individual votes are not available to post for this meeting.)

EKU FORWARD:

Senator Hartch made the following recommendation:

• Explore the connection between independent studies courses and reassigned time.

REPORT FROM THE PRESIDENT:  Senator Benson

Adding a faculty/staff dining area within the new Case Dining Hall has been delayed because of an increase in cost. After a consultation with our Board chair, feedback received from students, and the fact that fewer than anticipated faculty and staff have dining hall passes, we’ve decided to designate a space within the existing Case Dining Hall areas where faculty can congregate. This will free up funds to move forward with the remodel of Java City in the Library.

Your voices have been heard during the EKU Forward discussions as it relates to spaces on campus. The provost is working with the deans to develop a prioritized list of immediate needs, and we will start addressing those immediately. Hopefully, renovations will be completed in time for fall semester 2019.

You may have seen a national promotion that was put out by Learfield, a sports promotion company that we use for EKU Sports. Unbeknownst to the administration, that promotion had a partnership with Trump hotels. We’ve informed them to cease and desist and in the future to please tell us what kind of partnerships with potential properties or clients they are anticipating.

The new year ushers in new leadership for our Board of Regents. We recently welcomed Mr. Lewis Diaz as the Chair of the Board. We also welcome a new board member, EKU alumna Lynn Taylor Tye of Danville, to the Board of Regents. She will be sworn in as a new member of the Board later this month.

Board Chair Diaz has changed the meeting day format slightly. Instead of a pre-meeting or post-meeting lunch, the Regents will go to Case Dining Hall at 11:30am on meeting days to eat with students, faculty, and staff. The dates for the Board meetings are available on the Faculty Regent website.

We continue to grapple with reductions in our base budget, the new performance-based funding formula, fewer Kentucky high school graduates feeding into the higher education pipeline, and unprecedented pension obligations. A recent article posted by Inside Higher Ed noted that Kentucky is one of two states in which the funding of higher education is down two to four percent, despite the upward trajectory of funding for higher education across most states.

In a recent KET interview with Renee Shaw I had an opportunity to discuss how an investment in higher education benefits not only the individual, but also our society as a whole. It was a welcomed occasion to highlight all the milestones we have accomplished in recent years and outline work still ahead.

The unenviable challenge of our pension obligation will take a sharp increase in the next fiscal year. I can assure you pension reform is EKU’s top legislative priority as the Commonwealth’s pension crisis continues to threaten our ability to provide opportunity to future generations of Kentuckians. The legislature has formed a bipartisan Public Pensions Working Group tasked with offering recommendations to the General Assembly later this month.

Dr. David McFaddin and the Office of Government Relations have a daily presence in this session to represent and promote EKU. Your participation in the legislative process is always welcome and encouraged. If you schedule meetings with policymakers or government officials while representing your official role with EKU, we kindly ask you to work with EKU’s Director of Government & Community Relations Ethan Witt as he is very willing and able to assist.

In addition to our Government Relations team, we have several “Colonels in the Capitol” with new assignments:

• Representative Deanna Frazier (R-81) was elected to the Kentucky General Assembly and her district includes EKU’s Richmond campus. She is an alumna and adjunct faculty member in the College of Education’s Communication Disorders Program.
• EKU graduate Rep. John “Bam” Carney (R-51) was elected Majority Floor Leader of the House of Representatives. He previously chaired the House Education Committee and has served nine years in the state legislature.

Whether they are serving in our capitol, or our local communities, we must not lose sight of the difference EKU graduates are making for the Commonwealth. This was particularly evident in one of our recent December commencement speakers, Marti Burton. Marti proudly protects and serves EKU as a detective with the police department. She has been assigned to stand watch at many graduations, but was yet to walk across that stage herself after starting and stopping her studies over the course of two decades. The pride she exuded as her college’s selected commencement speaker while recognizing her two daughters was palpable, and a poignant example of how an entire family’s trajectory is altered by educational attainment.

December’s ceremonies were especially memorable as I cannot recall hearing any better speeches than those from the students selected to address their fellow graduates and all the assembled guests. They were all incredibly inspiring. Thanks to all who participated.  

GUEST SPEAKERS:

Ombud Quarterly Report. Ombud Joan Beck was in attendance to provide an update.

During the Fourth Quarter of 2018, Ombud Beck consulted with 44 faculty and staff members. This is a substantial increase over prior quarters (1.4 consultations per day vs. .3 consultations per day). Five new matters were raised, most involving two or more people. Two matters required multiple encounters and are not yet concluded. The remaining matters were resolved by year end. The increase in use of Ombud services is a function of the complexity of the issues presented and the numbers of people involved in each matter.

As the budget implementations continue there will be countless opportunities for conflict and for positive resolutions that build better relationships. Whether it is one-to-one, mediation, or group facilitation, our Ombud is available to work with faculty and staff to resolve conflict and improve work life. Visit the website to learn more or to contact Ombud Beck.

Student Government Association. Ryan Wiggins shared the following SGA highlights:

• Student Senate recently passed the revised constitution which now moves to the Board of Regents for approval
• SGA is now housed in Coates 2.
• The Rally for Higher Education is scheduled for February 12.
• Appointment of a new Chief Justice is anticipated next week.
• SGA is working closely with Rebecca Geiger in Green Dot and with the Office of Equity and Inclusion on new sexual assault awareness posters. Once approved, the posters will be printed and distributed across campus.
• SGA elections will be held on March 26th. New appointments will be sworn in at our April 18th banquet.
• SGA has partnered with the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, Student Life and a couple of other areas to bring Franchesca Ramsey to campus on February 22nd.

Faculty Laptop Rollout. Betina Gardner and Jonathan Sikora were in attendance to answer questions concerning the upcoming faculty laptop rollout. To sign up for a date to exchange faculty computers, please visit https://it.eku.edu/rollout2019.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

Policy 4.1.1 - Academic Freedom. Senator Styer moved approval of Policy 4.1.1, seconded by Senator Ciocca. Motion carried. (YES = 49 votes | NO = 2 votes | ABSTAIN = 1 vote) (Due to a computer glitch in the digital voting software, individual votes are not available to post for this meeting.)

Policy 4.7.9 - Limitations on Academic Work while under Contract to Teach at Eastern. Senator Nachtwey moved to repeal Policy 4.7.9, seconded by Senator Spigelman. Motion carried. (YES = 51 votes | NO = 0 votes | ABSTAIN = 1 vote) (Due to a computer glitch in the digital voting software, individual votes are not available to post for this meeting.)

Policy 4.3.12 – Degree Completion for Accomplished Professionals. Senator Brewer moved to repeal Policy 4.7.9, seconded by Senator Bishop-Ross. Motion carried. (YES = 51 votes | NO = 0 votes | ABSTAIN = 0 votes) (Due to a computer glitch in the digital voting software, individual votes are not available to post for this meeting.)

Policy 4.7.7 – Consulting and Outside Activities by Faculty. Senator Nowak moved approval of Policy 4.7.9, seconded by Senator Spigelman. Motion failed. Chair Winslow recommended that the policy go back to the drafting team for additional review. (YES = 18 votes | NO = 29 votes | ABSTAIN = 4 votes) (Due to a computer glitch in the digital voting software, individual votes are not available to post for this meeting.)

NEW BUSINESS:

Policies Introduced for First Read. Chair Winslow presented the following policies for first read and stated that action is anticipated at the March meeting.

• Policy 4.6.12 – Shared Faculty Appointments (recommending repeal)
• Policy 4.1.7 – Student Opinion of Instruction
  (See also: Clean draft copy)

Rules Committee Vacancy. Senator West was approved by acclamation to fill the committee vacancy.

Information Technology Committee Vacancy. Senator Nachtwey was approved by acclamation to fill the committee vacancy.

Report from Council on Academic Affairs.  Vice Provost Robinson presented the following materials.

Senator Pianalto moved approval of items 1-10, seconded by Senator Ciocca. Motion carried. (YES = 50 votes | NO = 0 votes | ABSTAIN = 1 vote) (Due to a computer glitch in the digital voting software, individual votes are not available to post for this meeting.)

GENERAL & STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS

REPORT FROM SENATE CHAIR: Senator Winslow

During the December Senate meeting a Senator brought up the issue of the lack of infrastructure or procedures to support faculty organizations like there are for student organizations. The Executive Committee has given the Faculty Senate Rights and Responsibilities Committee the charge to look into this matter.

As you know, there will be an election for Faculty Regent later this month (see timeline, below). Please urge your constituents to engage in this process. The Faculty Regent is our voice and representative on the body that makes the final decisions about many important matters, and it is critical that we elect the very best person for that job.

• Friday, February 1 at 4:30 pm: Deadline to submit nomination petitions for candidates for Faculty Regent
• February 19-20: Faculty Regent Candidates’ Forum (2 sessions) 
• Thursday, February 21: Voting for Faculty Regent opens
• Friday, March 1 at 4:30 pm: Faculty Regent Voting Ends 
• Monday, March 18: Second ballot for run-off election, if needed
• Friday, March 29 at 4:30 pm: Faculty Regent Voting (Run-off election) ends 

Nominations for Senate Chair and Senate Vice-Chair will be accepted at the April meeting, and voting will take place during the May organizational meeting.

REPORT FROM FACULTY REGENT: Senator Day

The EKU Board of Regents is set to meet on February 22nd in the EKU Center for the Arts. Committees will meet at 12:30 p.m. and the Regular Quarterly Meeting will begin at 2 p.m.

Looking ahead, Chair Diaz has set dates for the remaining regular meetings for 2019.

• April 23rd, Keen Johnson, Hosted by the Aviation program.
• June 18th, Center for the Arts—Budget meeting.
• September 17th, Whitlock Building, Hosted by Student Success/Student Life.
• November 19th, Martin Hall, Hosted by Housing & Residence Life.

PROVOST REPORT: Senator Pogatshnik

The provost shared his vision for Academic Affairs, the challenges that are in front of us, and how we can collaborate together to meet those challenges. His main two priorities for Academic Affairs is improving the Student Learning Experience and focusing on Fiscal Stewardship.

There is a great need to renovate a number of our classrooms. Chairs and deans are working on a prioritized list to help identify the most immediate needs. Faculty with suggestions for the list should contact their chair or dean. That list is due to the provost by March 1. Then, the deans, provost, and Facilities will review and determine the highest priorities.

The provost has asked CAA to place a temporary hold on curriculum expansion of adding new courses to the curriculum. That doesn’t mean that new courses can’t be added; but, if new courses are proposed, it stands to reason that there are older courses that may no longer serve a purpose and should be eliminated.

One of the things that Academic Affairs must look at is how to increase efficiency. Now that doesn’t mean increasing course enrollment to 100+ capacity per class because there aren’t enough large classrooms on campus to accommodate offering many large sections. However, the larger enrollment classes that we do have, helps to offset some of the lower enrollment classes. Even so, there is a large number of very small sections offered that is inhibiting our efficiency. So, we need to look at how to use our resources most effectively.

We must be mindful of what we do in terms of recruiting and retention. Our highest risk population is the freshman class. They need excellent instruction; and, unfortunately, that is not always the tenured and tenure-track faculty who are doing that. The provost is working closely with the deans and chairs to assure that their best faculty be aligned with the students that are in most need of quality, rigorous instruction--particularly in the gateway courses.

We are looking at possibly revising general education. Dr. Sherry Robinson has been asked to form a small exploratory group to look at possible alternatives to our sort of cafeteria approach to general education and see if we can’t come up with some recommendations and some ways for improvement.

Finally, there is going to be some ongoing discussions on dual credit courses. Dual credit is sort of a double-edged sword. We need dual credit to augment our recruiting efforts. At the same time, there are some challenges with assuring that what is going on in the high schools in terms of dual credit offered and sanctioned by Eastern Kentucky University meets the same quality standards as our students would receive here. A focus group will be formed to review Dual Credit and hopefully be able to come up with a set of processes to make sure that our dual credit not only meets the university’s needs in terms of our enrollment and recruiting efforts, but also meets the quality standards expected of all of our classes in Academic Affairs.

Please review the list of upcoming events and mark on your calendars.  

STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS:

Budget Committee. Senator Ciocca reported that the committee met on January 23, but there was no quorum. The next meeting is scheduled for February 27.

Elections & University Nominations Committee. Senator McCardle reported that the deadline to submit petitions to run for Faculty Regent was last Friday. There are two candidates. The committee will meet soon to approve the signatures and petitions and to set the times for the upcoming forums. A notice will be sent out to faculty once the schedule is confirmed.

Rights & Responsibilities Committee. Senator Gershtenson reported that the committee’s last meeting was cancelled due to inclement weather.

ADJOURNMENT:

Senator Pogatshnik moved to adjourn at approximately 5pm.

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(See also:  Polling Results by Motions) (Due to a computer glitch in the digital voting software, individual votes are not available to post for this meeting.)

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