Minutes for October 1, 2018

The Faculty Senate of Eastern Kentucky University met on Monday, October 1, 2018 in the South Ballroom in the Keen Johnson Building. Senator Winslow called the second 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 Ginny Whitehouse attended for J. Fitch

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Senator Ciocca moved approval of the September 10, 2018 minutes, seconded by Senator Woodruff. Motion carried. (YES = 54 votes | NO = 0 votes | ABSTAIN = 2 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)

EKU FORWARD:

Some of the suggestions shared by senators included the following:

1. Over $3M in capital improvements have been used to make the campus more aesthetically appealing. However, funds should be spent to maintain and/or renovate academic buildings and faculty offices in order to provide a safe, healthy environment for faculty and students.
2. The campus should have a multi-level discussion (department, college, university) to answer the question what is the university? The university is essentially academic and what does that mean?
3. Either a committee should be formed or a designated office should be appointed to review data and determine which students are providing the greatest economic value so that recruitment efforts can be more focused on the target market.
4. Textbook costs have increased 3 times the rate of inflation and the increased costs place an extra financial burden on students. As a reminder, the library provides a plethora of resources both as subscribed and open access for faculty to use in their courses instead of requiring a textbook.
5. Either the Executive Committee or Faculty Senate should review the policy for late class adds because as it stands now the add date is late enough that in some cases students can miss up to 2 to 3 class periods as well as 2 labs. Missing out on that much instruction at the beginning of the semester increases the likelihood that struggling students will fail the course. 

REPORT FROM THE PRESIDENT:  Senator Benson

As a result of the EKU Forward discussion on the condition of faculty offices in several buildings across campus, Senator Benson announced that the Moore building will re-open hopefully in time for the spring semester. While there are some HVAC issues that need to be addressed between semesters, the condition of Moore is still better than Miller, Beckham or Keith.

An unmistakable positive vibe permeated the first Board of Regents meeting of the new academic year on Monday, September 24.

All the reports shared with the Board, whether about the demographics of our newest freshman class, our many diversity initiatives, budget implementation, the Board Innovation Fund or the various summer camps that bring many prospective students to our campus, give us great cause for optimism and excitement as we move forward after such a difficult and trying year.

The meeting was held in our new Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning in Crabbe Library, and our Regents learned from Dr. Rusty Carpenter about the difference the center is already making in the work of our faculty and, ultimately, in the success of our students.

All those positive reports come on the heels of a month of several highlights for the University.

• We have made great strides in recent years in attracting more of the best and brightest students, with our last four freshman classes successively becoming the best prepared academically in Eastern history. Starting next fall, even more high school seniors will be eligible for a scholarship based on their high school academic performance. This expansion of our merit scholarship program also includes an incentive to reside on campus, which is in itself a major factor in student success.
• More and more prospective students consider a school’s commitment to environmental sustainability when making their college choice. The second phase of our new Science Building recently earned LEED Gold honors, testifying to the University’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Also last month, we learned that Eastern ranks fourth nationally among colleges and universities in the water management category of the 2018 Sustainable Campus Index, published by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.
• Students also notice, appreciate and benefit from an institutional commitment to diversity. For the third consecutive year, EKU received the annual Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from Insight into Diversity magazine. EKU is the only regional university in Kentucky to receive the award and will be featured along with 95 other recipients nationally in the November 2018 issue of the magazine.
• Our acclaimed aviation program received some terrific exposure on the national stage again on September 13 when Program Coordinator Dennis Sinnett participated alongside high-ranking airline executives on a panel at the Federal Aviation Administration’s day-long Aviation Workforce Symposium in Washington, D.C. EKU was one of only two public universities nationwide represented on panels at the event.
• It was announced in September that our online enrollment is up 13 percent over a year ago. This increase is attributed to new program offerings, increased interest in degree completion and sustained enrollment in foundational programs.
• Dr. Clint Pinion, assistant professor of environmental health science here, has been named president of the Association of Environmental Health Academic Programs.

I also want to call your attention to a couple of events this month.

One is a rather unusual exhibit in our Giles Gallery October 1-25. EKU graduate Dr. Deborah Alexander has put together a collection of photographs that chronicle her long, distinguished career with the U.S. Department of State, circling the globe as a diplomat and field program manager, often helping to rebuild war-torn countries. The opening reception is Thursday, October 4, from 5 to 7 p.m. in Giles Gallery. An exhibit by our own David Afsah-Mohallatee runs concurrently with the Alexander exhibit.

The Homecoming Parade will be held on Friday, Oct. 19, beginning at 6 p.m. and proceeding along its usual route. A town-and-gown tailgate will precede the parade at 5 p.m. The annual but newly named J.W. “Spider” Thurman Alumni Awards and Pioneer Brunch will be held on Saturday, October 20, at 9:30 a.m. Then, that afternoon at 3, the Colonels will take on Murray State University at Roy Kidd Stadium. Additional information and a complete schedule of events are available online at http://www.homecoming.eku.edu/.

I’d like to call your attention to a feature on our EKUStories web portal about one of our custodians, Kenna Smith, who became a standout student in our Department of Recreation and Parks Administration. 

Finally, we had a CPE meeting last week in Frankfort during which Moody’s reported on the financial stability of both the State of Kentucky as well as on the individual colleges and universities. In the data that was shared with the CPE Board, it was noted the student composition of each campus and the percentage of students from Kentucky. As you know, EKU has the highest percentage of native Kentucky students. (See: WICHE report (on page 4) on the high school graduation trends in Kentucky projecting up through 2032.)

GUEST SPEAKERS:

Provost Search Update. Search Committee Co-Chair Shirley O’Brien gave a brief update. The first of five interviews began today. The forum was videotaped and is accessible through EKUDirect for anyone that was unable to attend. Visit the website for the schedule for the remaining candidates. Dr. O’Brien encouraged faculty to share feedback on each of the candidates.

Changes in Healthcare Benefits. Sarah Pitt and Patty Sallee were in attendance to review upcoming changes in healthcare benefits for the next year. This year there is a mandatory enrollment and the enrollment period is October 8-26. The benefits guide is available for review on the HR website. The Benefits Fair will be held on October 9 from 9am-4pm in Keen Johnson and on October 24 from 9am-4pm in Perkins. Free flu shots will be available at the Benefits Fair on those days until 2:30pm.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

Policy 4.1.15 – Grade Appeals. Senator Elliott moved approval of Policy 4.1.15, seconded by Senator Fleischer. Motion carried. (YES = 52 votes | NO = 1 vote | ABSTAIN = 2 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)

Policy 4.3.8 – Posthumous Degrees. Senator McCardle moved approval of Policy 4.3.8, seconded by Senator Spigelman. Motion carried. (YES = 34 votes | NO = 13 votes | ABSTAIN = 7 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes) 

Policy 4.2.4 – Transfer Credits from Academic Institutions. Senator Elliott moved approval of Policy 4.2.4, seconded by Senator Woodruff. Motion carried. (YES = 52 votes | NO = 0 votes | ABSTAIN = 2 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)

Policy 4.4.14 – Laboratory Safety. Senator Woodruff moved approval of Policy 4.4.14, seconded by Senator Brewer. Motion carried. (YES = 53 votes | NO = 0 votes | ABSTAIN = 1 vote) (See Also: Individual Votes)

Policy 4.6.5 – Evaluation of Non-Tenured Tenure-Track Faculty. Senator Eser moved approval of Policy 4.6.5, seconded by Senator Woodruff. Motion carried. (YES = 55 votes | NO = 0 votes | ABSTAIN = 1 vote) (See Also: Individual Votes)

Policy 4.7.7 – Outside Activities. Senator Woodruff moved approval of Policy 4.7.7, seconded by Senator Eser. Motion failed. (YES = 21 votes | NO = 29 votes | ABSTAIN = 5 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)

NEW BUSINESS:

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

Senator Nowak moved approval of items 1-7, second by Senator Pianalto. Motion carried. (YES = 49 votes | NO = 0 votes | ABSTAIN = 3 votes) (See Also: Individual Votes)

GENERAL & STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS

REPORT FROM SENATE CHAIR: Senator Winslow

Chair Winslow announced that a link for the Senate Internal Procedures is now included on the Senate website. He encouraged the standing committees to review their section of the internal procedures for guidance in completing their charges.

The chair’s report to the Board of Regents on September 24 contained information about the charge to the Academic Quality Committee about large class size, and about EKU Forward. Several Board members inquired about EKU Forward and indicated their appreciation of it.

The Board also discussed President Benson’s evaluation, for which the Executive Committee contributed a report of faculty opinion. While no official action was taken, the Board seemed very positive about President Benson’s performance, and expressed their appreciation for our report. For his part, President Benson accepted the praise but promised to work on the areas of weakness indicated in the various reports.

REPORT FROM FACULTY REGENT: Senator Day

The EKU Board of Regents held it fall quarterly meeting on Monday September 24th in the new Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning (Library 318). Below are some of the highlights.

Barry Poynter shared some preliminary budget data showing total E&G Revenue down by approximately $8 million compared to this time last year. This is due to a combination of factors but $2.6 million of that is due to decreased fall tuition revenue. There will still be some additional fall tuition revenue from online courses yet to be received. Special use fees including the Asset Preservation fee have been moved into a restricted accounts, so there is actually more revenue this year, but the restricted funds do not show up as E&G Revenue. State Appropriations are down $257,000 to date.

The Board received an update on the performance of our auxiliary units so far this year and with the exception of the Airport FBO, all units are self-sustaining - and the Airport is only down $22 thousand. This is a substantial improvement over recent years. Housing revenue is up more than $2 million, the Center for the Arts is up about $300 thousand, parking is up, and the Club at Arlington is operating in the black by almost $27 thousand.

David McFaddin and Tanlee Wasson brought the Board up-to-date on the Implementation Team’s work on meeting the FY 19 budget goals. It was essentially the same information shared with the campus via email on August 31st. (See: FY 2019 State Allocation Summary on page 2). They also shared data on performance funding. (See: performance funding graphs on pages 3, 4, 5, 6)

The Board also agreed to delegate authority for management of the university’s Optional Retirement Plan to the president. (See: resolution on page 7)  This “housekeeping item” rectifies an omission that probably ought to have been handled at the time the ORP was established. As I understand it, the Board set up ORPs some number of years ago but failed to grant the president the authority to make adjustments in a timely fashion. Changes had to await approval by the Board. That kind of delay can hamper the institution in making timely adjustments in its investments as economic factors change. Typically, one would want their investment advisors to move quickly when opportunities appear.

The resolution calls for the creation of an oversight committee. In fact, a small ad hoc faculty and staff committee, including Ben Woodruff and Burke Christensen from Finance, has been operating for a little while. With passage of the resolution, the committee will now be formalized into the university’s committee structure. Members will be required to have an appropriate level of financial acumen.

Consistent with Policy 4.8.1, the Board of Regents concluded an evaluation of the president of the university at Monday’s meeting. Chairman Turner asked me to lead the process which put before the members data collected from the faculty, staff and a number of external stakeholders. The president also submitted a self-evaluation of his first five years at EKU. I believe it is accurate to say that for the first time in university history the Board of Regents discussed the performance of the president in public session. (See: Executive Summary: Evaluation of President Michael T. Benson on page 8)

Board members were also advised that a new revision of KRS 164.321 has necessitated a review of University Policy and Board of Regents Bylaws regarding “an annual evaluation of the president of the university.”

The Board agreed to charge the Executive Committee of the Board of Regents with reviewing current policy and bylaws and outlining a new process for annual evaluation of the president.

The next meeting of the Board of Regents is scheduled for December 3rd at 10:30am in Martin Hall. 

PROVOST REPORT: Senator Whitehouse

Last week, I attended EAB’s Academic Affairs Forum in Washington, D.C., which focused on two main themes:

• Cross-Disciplinary Advancement and Governance
  The first major theme was emerging efforts at universities to create broader divisions of faculty groups with similarities working collaboratively to advance interdisciplinary skills for future societal needs. There is a growing trend in interdisciplinary degrees and administrative structures as universities strive to foster both disciplinary knowledge and broader humanitarian skills in tomorrow’s thinkers and workers.
• Reducing Demographic Disparities and Achievement Gaps
  EAB’s second major theme this year involved research to help universities identify practices and policies that create demographic disparities in academic performance, student engagement, and post-graduate success. Universities were challenged to drill further down into their data and identify solutions to reduce barriers to success for their unique student populations.

Our Assurance of Learning Day was originally implemented by Dr. Vice as a way to promote student success by dedicating a day for all faculty to engage in a data-driven discussion of ways to enhance student learning in their programs. We just completed our 7th annual Assurance of Learning Day last Friday, and I was pleased to visit with some of your departments and programs and see all of the hard work you’re doing to ensure success in our programs. Thanks to all of our faculty for another productive Assurance of Learning Day.

Overall participation in the 4th-Week Report has hovered above 75 percent for the past five semesters, and 76 percent of undergraduate CRNs reported for Fall 2018. I would particularly like to acknowledge those departments reporting at or above 90 percent of their CRNs. Thanks to all faculty who participated in this early intervention best practice! (See: List of Departments Reporting a 90+ Percent in the Fall 2018 4th Week Report)

Finally, I commend Senator Matt Winslow and each of you on the “EKU Forward” initiative. EKU Forward presents an exciting pathway to focus energy on academic quality and develop collaborative strategies to complete critical work throughout all aspects of faculty engagement and student success. EKU will benefit from the interdisciplinary, innovative ideas this think-tank initiative produces. What better group to analyze and innovate for our programs, students, and emerging structure in this era of higher education’s evolution!

Please mark the following upcoming dates on your calendars:

• October 12 – Posters-at-the-Capitol Abstract Submission Deadline (http://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/
  postersatthecapitol/)
• October 19 – 2019-2020 Honors Course Proposals due to Dr. David Coleman
• October 26 – Proposals due for the 2018 Showcase of Teaching & Learning Innovations (https://studio.eku.edu/2018-tli-showcase)
• November 1 – Application deadline for the 2019 Faculty Leadership Institute (https://studio.eku.edu/faculty-leadership-institute)
• December 5 – 2018 Showcase of Teaching & Learning Innovations
• February 21, 2019 – Posters-at-the-Capitol 

STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS:

Academic Quality Committee. Senator Shannon reported that the committee met last Monday and will meet again on October 29.

Elections & University Nominations Committee. Senator McCardle announced that the election for a part-time faculty representative will begin this week. There are 6 candidates.

Rules Committee. Senator Bishop-Ross announced that the committee met and she was elected to serve as chair for the year. This year the committee will be reviewing the definition of “faculty-at-large” which seems to have different meanings in several places in the Faculty Handbook.

Faculty Welfare Committee. Senator Bentley stated that the committee has met and their primary concern for faculty was related to the new printing policy. The committee plans to seek more information on the new policy and will report back to Senate next month.

ADJOURNMENT:

Senator Whitehouse moved to adjourn at approximately 5pm.

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