Minutes for March 2, 2020

The Faculty Senate of Eastern Kentucky University met on Monday, March 2, 2020 in the South Ballroom in the Keen Johnson Building. Chair Ciocca called the sixth 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
* SUB Shane Hoose attended for R. Byrd
* ALT Scott Hunt attended for P. Kraska
^ SUB Cynthia Frazer attended for M. Powell
^ ALT Jonathan Malzone attended for D. Yow

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Senator Ciocca introduced Jennifer Merrick, the new parliamentarian for Senate.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Senator Crosby moved approval of the February 3, 2020 minutes, seconded by Senator Dyer. Motion carried. (YES = 50 votes | NO = 1 vote | ABSTAIN = 0 votes) (See Also:  Individual Votes)

REPORT FROM THE PRESIDENT:  Senator McFaddin

Even in a leap year, February has flown by. With this being a budget year of the legislative session, a great deal of time has been spent sharing the mission, successes and priorities of EKU with our elected officials. A highlight of every session is our annual “Colonels at the Capitol” day.

HB 366 passed out of the House Education Committee unanimously. Model has been an integral part of EKU for more than a century. HB 366 will need to pass the full House, then on to the Senate and ultimately the governor’s office.

From our many discussions with state leaders, we are aware our great Commonwealth continues to have far more needs than it has resources to support those worthwhile and needed programs. While there are many who want to invest, there does not appear as though there is any additional money for higher education funding right now. We remain cautiously optimistic that at a minimum we will not see a decrease in our funding levels.

While it is welcome news that EKU and education in Kentucky does not appear to be facing cuts, it also means that we must seize the opportunity to grow our enrollment and identify additional revenue opportunities to fulfill our commitment to our students and to our outstanding employees.

To that end, earlier this month Dr. Tanlee Wasson and her team coordinated a day-long enrollment summit. Nearly 70 participants from all areas of campus gathered to discuss our current state of enrollment. The complex conversations about how we can positively affect enrollment continued with an additional session last week. A set of aspirational goals and key strategies have been identified that will help us WIN at strategic enrollment growth that includes a focus on:

• online students
• underrepresented minorities
• out-of-state students
• transfer students
• graduate students
• financial aid
• additional support measures critical to student success

Expect to hear more about a comprehensive plan to increase both enrollment and retention in the coming weeks.

An important part of retention and student success is the overall student experience and we know as a regional university in the south, there are cultural issues that we must identify and work to improve so that everyone who comes to EKU feels included, at ease and at home. I commend the many offices and organizations that hosted events and programming for Black History Month.

Other news and noteworthy items since our last meeting include:

• 2020-2022 Foundation Professors
  • Dr. Carol Sommer, Department of Educational Leadership, Counselor Education & Communication Disorders, College of Education
  • Dr. Wally Borowski, Department of Geosciences, College of Science
• EKU Libraries launch the first open-access textbook in African American Studies
  The partnership between the African and African American (AFA) studies department and EKU Libraries to publish “Slavery to Liberation: the African American Experience,” is an innovative approach to providing quality classroom resources without additional financial burdens for our students.
• Approval of four faculty/staff innovation fund proposals by the Board of Regents
  • Dr. Lindsay Calderon and Dr. Margaret W. Ndinguri received $53,000 for continued research of cancer drugs and patents to treat reproductive and breast cancers
  • Kelly Smith, associate librarian, received $25,000 for an alternative textbook challenge grant to incentivize faculty to adopt textbooks and course structures that would allow students to use open educational resources.
  • Dr. Michael Bradley and Dr. James Maples were granted $59,371 to create a research division to offer competitively priced economic impact, outdoor recreation, and tourism research to areas in and around Kentucky.
  • A proposal to bring pre-kindergarten childcare to “desert” areas where childcare is difficult to find was presented by John W. Roden III Executive Director: Early Childhood Programming and will receive $99,000.
• EKU Earns Gold Rating for Veterans
  EKU is the only university in Kentucky and one of only 72 nationwide to earn Gold distinction in the 2020-21 rankings released recently by Military Friendly® (militaryfriendly.com).
• EKU Junior Selected as Truman Scholar Finalist
  Junior public health major Breanna Bowling has been selected as a finalist for the highly competitive Harry S. Truman Scholarship recognizing juniors who excel in leadership and public service and grants up to $30,000 for graduate study.
• Alumnus Librarian Honored
  Brad Marcum, Eastern Kentucky University Librarian, has received the Kentucky Library Association’s Outstanding Academic Librarian award.
• College of Business & Technology Senior Director of Development Receives Beth K. Fields Award
  Sharron Townsend was awarded the prestigious Beth K. Fields award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education Kentucky (CASE-Kentucky).

GUEST SPEAKERS:

Update on Census. Lynnette Noblitt, Chair of the Department of Government and faculty liaison to the Colonel’s Count Census Committee, spoke to Senate about the importance of completing the census in April. Madison County has been identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as being on the cusp of moving to a new municipal classification. If over 100,000 individuals are counted in Madison County, there could be an increase in federal funding by as much as 60 percent. Typically, college students are undercounted. Please discuss this in class with your students and encourage them to complete the census. If faculty or students have questions about the census, contact Dr. Noblitt or Ryan Wilson.

IT Update. Jeff Whitaker, Interim Chief Information Officer in Information Technology, was in attendance to share the results of the 2019 ETRAC IT Faculty Survey and to report on the status of upgrades and updated classrooms as a result of the data received from the survey.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

Repeal of Policy 4.1.5 – Pre-Final Examination Week. This item was pulled from the agenda prior to the meeting. Academic Affairs recently voted against repeal of Policy 4.1.5. (See: Item #73 on CAA agenda) So, coupled with the ongoing consideration of shortening the term to 16-weeks, and the need for the other policies/handbook language to go forward prior to the potential repeal of the Pre-Final Exam Week policy, this issue will be visited at a later date.

Policy 4.3.17 – Academic Program Discontinuance Due to Financial Stringency. Senator Cizmar moved approval of Policy 4.3.17, seconded for Senator Woodruff.

Senator Harter moved to amend the policy to change the number of faculty on the Program Discontinuance Review Committee from one to four faculty members (on page 2 under Procedures, item #2), seconded by Senator McKinney. Motion to amend carried. (YES = 42 votes | NO = 5 votes | ABSTAIN = 1 vote) (See also: Individual Votes)

Senator Wilson moved to amend the policy to increase the response time from 15 calendar days to 60 calendar days (on page 2 under Procedures, item #3), seconded by Senator Woodruff. Second Motion to amend carried. (YES = 44 votes | NO = 4 votes | ABSTAIN = 2 votes) (See also: Individual Votes)

Senator Smit moved the following, seconded by Senator Fitch:

Send the amended policy to the Faculty Welfare Committee to collect suggested edits and then forward to the drafting team for review, which in turn will forward a revision on to the Executive Committee two weeks prior to the May Senate meeting.

Motion carried. (YES = 28 votes | NO = 5 votes | ABSTAIN = 2 votes) (See also: Individual Votes)

Policy 4.6.16 – Dismissal of Faculty. (See also: clean draft) Policy 4.6.16 was removed from the agenda and will be brought back to the May meeting for action along with Policy 4.3.17.

NEW BUSINESS:

Report from Council on Academic Affairs. Vice Provost Robinson presented the following materials. (Vice Provost Robinson noted that item #22 was approved by the Board of Regents on 02-28-20 contingent on the Senate's approval today.)

Senator Crosby moved approval of items #1-28 (new programs), seconded by Senator Wilson. Motion carried. (YES = 39 votes | NO = 1 vote | ABSTAIN = 0 votes) (See Also:  Individual Votes)

Senator McKinney moved approval of items #29-30 (program suspensions), seconded by Senator Crosby. Motion carried. (YES = 34 votes | NO = 3 vote | ABSTAIN = 4 votes) (See Also:  Individual Votes)

Senator Crosby moved approval of items #31-72 (program revisions), seconded by Senator McKinney. Motion carried. (YES = 35 votes | NO = 0 votes | ABSTAIN = 2 votes) (See Also:  Individual Votes)

GENERAL & STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS

REPORT FROM SENATE CHAIR: Senator Ciocca

The Executive Committee met on February 17, 2020 at 4:00 p.m.

Senator Donghui Quan and Derek Bussan, professors in the Chemistry department, provided a presentation on faculty pay and inquired about the feasibility of an increase at this time. President McFaddin, who was in attendance, stated that it is a top priority and, if at all possible, a plan should be rolled out sometime later this spring.

During the April Senate meeting, nominations will be sought for Vice Chair and Chair of the Senate for next year. Voting for these positions and all vacancies on the various Standing Committees will be held during the Organizational Meeting on May 4. With your support, I would like to continue in my position as Chair of the Senate and will announce my candidacy in April.

At the February 28 Board of Regents meeting, the Board identified William Funk & Associates to help with the search for a new president.

REPORT FROM FACULTY REGENT: Senator Marion

The Board of Regents met Friday, February 28th from in the Powell Student Center. Several of the items likely of interest to the Faculty Senate are as follows:

• Philip Gump was recently elected Staff Regent.
• Matt Roan, Director of Athletics, provided his first report in his role to the BoR.
  • EKU’s 320 student athletes report an average GPA of 3.059, which represents the 16th semester the mean GPA exceeded 3.0. EKU’s six-year graduation success rate (GSR), an important NCAA metric, is 88%.
  • The Department of Athletics budget is $14.55M and $11.8M has been spent to-date. The majority of expenditures occurred in the fall semester and Mr. Roan is confident the department will stay on budget for the fiscal year.
  • There are two on-going capital projects related to athletics, which include the resurfacing of the outdoor track and the sand volleyball courts, both of which will be able to be shared use with the university community.
• The BoR received financial and construction updates.
  • Mr. Barry Poynter’s report indicated the university’s expenses are tracking closely with the budget, and through watching expenses, we should finish the fiscal year on budget.
  • Mr. Brian Wilcox reported that the new Student Recreation & Wellness Center is on budget and has a contingency balance of $959,855, and the Powell Student Center is on budget and has a contingency balance of just over $2M. The BoR was given assurance that the contingency balance will be used within the terms and conditions of the student fee and the bonds which were used to finance the project. Specifically, these funds will go towards continuing to improve these facilities and potentially enhancing the areas in/and around the center of student life, including the Powell Plaza.
    • The pool in the new Student Rec & Wellness center will open March 23.
    • Progress is also being made towards construction of a pedway overpass for the Eastern Bypass near Alumni Coliseum and the Center for the Arts.
• A development and alumni engagement report was provided by Dr. Betina Gardner.
  • Approximately $8.35M in fundraising occurred in the last fiscal year.
  • The university’s Giving Day will be April 14th.
  • The Make No Little Plans Capital Campaign is ongoing.
• An enrollment update/enrollment strategy presentation was provided by Dr. Tanlee Wasson.
  • Over the last five years, across Kentucky’s public universities, enrollment is down 4%.
  • Over the last five years, enrollment in the KCTCS system is down 2%.
  • Among private universities, enrollment is up 36% in the last five years (mostly online).
  • Kentucky will see a declining number of high school grads the next five to seven years.
  • College-going rates are also going down as well.
  • Our overall enrollment (grad & undergrad) in 2016 was 16,881. For 2019, it was 14,980.
  • Many strategies were presented to increase enrollment. These strategies emerged from two days of enrollment strategy workshops held the last month.
• The BoR approved the Kit Carson Commons Project easement.
• Dr. Sherry Robinson presented two academic policy revisions and Ms. Haley Norberg presented several administrative policy revisions, adoptions, and repeals.
  • The policies as presented in my email to the faculty on Wednesday, February 26th were relatively unchanged. The social media policy was presented with a clearly stated exemption of application to student media, such as The Eastern Progress, and the campaigning activity for university employees policy included language in the policy adoption area acknowledging the Faculty Senate’s contributions.
• Program reinstatement (BS-Family & Consumer Sciences Education/Teaching and Associate of Science in Nursing), and program revisions (BS- General Dietetics, M.A.Ed.-Communication Disorders, BS-Forensic Science, BA-Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Master of Public Health) were approved, and an online Master of Social Work was approved conditional upon the Faculty’s support.
• The SGA (Regent Lipscomb) presented a resolution honoring Dr. Sheila Pressley and they have a planned series of diversity and inclusion events to honor her and have named a week after her which they plan to continue annually.
• Our outstanding faculty including Dr. Margaret Ndinguri, Dr. Lindsay Calderon, Dr. James Maples, Dr. Michael Bradley, and Kelly Smith, along with administrative staff member John Roden truly “wowed” the board with their outstanding board innovation fund proposals. All the proposals were supported.
• The scheduled 2020 meeting dates are June 4, September 10, and December 10. A special meeting may need to be called in April if state legislative actions immediately influence EKU following their 2020 legislative session.
• The Board had to enter executive session pursuant to the statute to allow for confidential discussion regarding received proposals following the board’s request for proposals pertaining to a presidential search firm.
• Lastly, the board returned from executive session and approved a search firm (R. William Funk and Associates). The university counsel was authorized to draft contract language with the search firm.

REPORT FROM PROVOST: Senator Pogatshnik

Below are a few updates from Academic Affairs:

• CPE Program Review
  The two-day workshop with Gray & Associates on the CPE program review process will be held during the next two days. At our Chief Academic Affairs Officers meeting on Friday, we saw a presentation from WKU about how they used the process to identify areas for growth as well as programs that required revision and, in some cases, suspension. Many of the programs recommended for suspension were outdated programs and concentrations. The review process was primarily used to refocus on programs that needed attention. My goal is to use a similar approach during our visit.
• Enrollment Summit
  A half-day meeting was held last week to follow up on the Enrollment Summit that took place in January. We continue to be concerned with our overall declines in enrollment in general, and on campus enrollment, in particular. From 2001 through 2016, our enrollment increased from a little under 15,000 students to almost 17,000. In the past three years, we have lost nearly everything we gained during that 15-year period. So the Gray program review comes at an opportune time. While much of the discussion around enrollment growth has been about transitioning more of our programs to an online format, we are also reviewing ways in which we might make higher education more affordable for students who wish to attend EKU.
• Associate Provost Search
  The Associate Provost Search Committee is in the final stages of recommending candidates for campus visits. A list of candidates and a schedule for visits should be announced later this week.
• Corona Virus Update
  It is important to remind everyone that there are no confirmed cases of corona virus in Kentucky. But in staying with the strategy of hoping for the best and preparing for the worst, we all need to be thinking about how we might manage a worst-case scenario. With particular regard to academic affairs, this means thinking about how to deliver courses in the event that the campus would need to be closed for an extended period of time. Many of our sister institutions are looking at ways of how to best continue instruction, through the use of blackboard and other on-line resources, in the event that this becomes necessary. The advisory committee has set up a standing weekly meeting to monitor the situation. Travel is restricted to all counties listed on the CDC Level 3 Notice. We will continue to keep the campus community informed about contingencies for dealing with this situation.
• Appointment of Interim Associate Dean of the Graduate School
  Dr. Ryan Baggett has been appointed to serve as Interim Associate Dean of the Graduate School.

STANDING COMMITTEES:

Information Technology Committee.  Senator Fleischer stated that the committee is formulating the 2020 IT Faculty Survey and asked for feedback from faculty about what should be included on the survey. Faculty should submit comments to Senators Fleischer or Nachtwey.

Rules Committee.  Senator Bishop-Ross announced that the committee is working on a more efficient way to handle clicker check outs.

Ad Hoc Committee on EKU Forward.  Chair Ciocca announced that no senators attended the February meeting. He encouraged senators to attend either the Wednesday, March 18 or Thursday, April 23 meeting. Meetings are in FCTL in the Library at 3:30 p.m.

ADJOURNMENT:

Senator Pogatshnik moved to adjourn at approximately 5:30pm.

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