Minutes for September 9, 2019

The Faculty Senate of Eastern Kentucky University met on Monday, September 9, 2019 in the Perkins Building Quads. Chair Ciocca called the first 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 Fontaine Sands attended for L. Jones
^ ALT Shane Dutton attended for A. Noland

 NOTE:  ALT Charles Hausman filled in until D. West arrived

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Senator Woodruff moved approval of the May 6, 2019 regular and organizational minutes, seconded by Senator Schilling. Motion carried. (YES = 50 votes | NO = 0 votes | ABSTAIN = 1 vote) (See Also:  Individual Votes)

REPORT FROM THE PRESIDENT:  Senator Benson

Starting in October, the Faculty Center in Keen Johnson will be open on the days Senate meets from 7am to 6pm with refreshments.

According to U.S. News & World Report earlier today, EKU was ranked #54 among the southern regional universities in the 2020 edition of “Best Regional Universities”.

During a meeting with the university presidents last year, we learned that the number one CPE priority is to add more funding to the performance-based funding model and to request a $200M asset preservation bond for year one of the biennium and another $200M during the second year. If the preservation bond is approved, that could mean $43M to $45M that would come to our campus to address needs in several buildings on campus. Our number one priority is to get a new chiller for the Wallace building.

The deans were recently told by the Provost to plan for some reductions in their respective areas. This will not be a significant cut like we did 18 months ago. This is a charge from our Board to focus on several things strategically on campus: to reduce redundancies in our services, to reinvest in programs that show the greatest promise for growth, and to look at a business model(s) that can help to raise revenue.

The Society of Professional Journalists has named EKU’s student chapter as the winner of the Campus Program of the Year Award for their First Amendment Week program.

It is vital in the year ahead that we seek a comprehensive approach to preserving our academic mission and a first-class student experience amid continued budgetary challenges. Summer proved to be a busy time at EKU as the looming pension legislation called for continued discussions in Frankfort. While we were relieved to get a reprieve from the anticipated July 1 increase, this issue is far from true reform and resolution and we will continue to be involved in discussions for a sustainable pension model that upholds the commitments we have made to our employees.

With declining state funding, tuition revenue becomes even more essential and aside from pension legislation much of our administrative focus this summer was on recruitment efforts. While we saw a slight dip in new freshmen enrollment, the class of 2023 boasts a number of important benchmarks worth noting:

• More than half of our freshmen class received merit scholarships based on academic performance and the class of 2023 has a mean ACT composite of 22.6 and mean high school GPA of 3.39. These three stats indicate one of our most academically prepared freshmen classes 
• More than 70% of freshmen are registered for 15 hours or more, putting them on track to graduate in 4 years 
• The class of 2023 is one of our most diverse freshman classes with nearly 16% classified as under-represented minorities and this is the largest number of Hispanic freshmen (102) in EKU’s history 
• This class also represents increases we have seen increases in EKU dual credit students, honors students, veterans, and Rodney Gross scholarship recipients. 

The nearly 2,450 new Colonels have brought new energy and aspirations to campus. This energy was palpable as they walked down Lancaster Avenue and through the Turner Gate at the Welcome Walk.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Parliamentarian Johnson reminded senators of the following:

• Stand to be recognized and state your name.
• A senator may speak twice to a motion and the chair may call on the senator for a third time. If an amendment is proposed, a senator may speak two more times on the amendment.
• When a senator has the floor, all remarks should be addressed to the Chair.
• Items submitted for inclusion on the Senate agenda should reach the chair or a member of the Executive Committee two weeks before the scheduled meeting. (A substantive matter that hasn’t been submitted but that is presented on the floor of the Senate as part of a discussion will be placed on the agenda for action at the next meeting.) 
• Discussion doesn’t begin on a motion until the items has been moved and seconded. (Reminder: A second is not required if the motion comes from a standing committee.)
• If making a motion during a meeting, if it hasn’t been submitted previously to the Executive Committee, please have it written out in advance.
• If a motion contains several issues it is recommended to move to divide the motion. If approved by the body, then those items can be voted on separately.
• If there is lengthy discussion, a motion may be made to postpone to a definite time—usually the next meeting.
• If the Chair or another senator is not following proper procedure, any senator can call for a point of order. The Chair will ask what the point of order is and then make a ruling with or without consulting the Parliamentarian.
• A record of all votes will be included in the minutes. Please remember that if you abstain from voting, that vote does not count at all.
• Unanimous votes may be recorded, if there are no dissensions.

NEW BUSINESS:

Policies for First Read.  The following policies were introduced for first read and will be on the October agenda for action. Questions on any of the policies may be emailed to Vice Provost Sherry Robinson or presented at the October meeting.

• Policy 4.6.3 - Determining Faculty Rank for Initial Appointments
• Policy 4.7.7 - Consulting and Outside Activities by Faculty
• Policy 4.7.5 - Faculty Absences

Elections for Committee Vacancies. The following vacancies were filled by acclamation.

• Academic Quality Committee (1 vacancy) - Anne Cizmar
• Executive Committee (1 vacancy) - Lisa Jones
• Information Technology Committee (1 vacancy) - Todd Gooch
• Rights & Responsibilities Committee (2 vacancies) - Gerald Nachtwey and Molly McKinney [NOTE: Senator McKinney was a new elect in May - vacancy will be elected in October]
• Rules Committee (1 vacancy) - Renee Causey-Upton
• COSFL (1 vacancy for 2nd alternate) - Timothy Smit

GENERAL & STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS

REPORT FROM SENATE CHAIR: Senator Ciocca

The Executive Committee met on August 26.

Volunteers are needed for several drafting teams listed below. If interested, please contact Vice-Provost Robinson. Please consider serving or let your department colleagues know about this service opportunity.

• Policy 4.1.5, Pre-Final Exam Week (Dead Week) – Will also look at Policy 4.1.14, Final Examinations
• Policy 4.3.7, Dual Degree Agreements with Foreign Institutions
• Policy 4.6.15, Foundation Professorships

The Executive Committee discussed reduction of vendors and the discontinuation of Waddell & Reed Services on December 31. Further information on why the vendors were reduced was discussed and the question was asked if it might still be possible to continue services with Waddell & Reed for those affected faculty. (See memo from Senator Woodruff for additional details.)

If you have not done so already, standing committees should meet and elect a chair and implement a schedule for the semester. Once done, please forward this information to the Secretary of the Senate for publication on the Senate website. (See: 2019-2020 Standing Committee Charges)

This year, EKU forward will continue in a slightly different format. Please send ideas in writing (500 words or less) to marco.ciocca@eku.edu. Suggestions received will be discussed by the Executive Committee. In addition, three EKU Forward meetings will be scheduled on Mondays at 3:30pm during the fall semester (September 16, October 28, and November 11) in the Keen Johnson freshly renovated Faculty Club. An email with the same information was distributed last Friday. Please try to attend if schedule permits.

Textbook costs have increased three times the rate of inflation and the increased costs place an extra financial burden on students. The ad-hoc Committee to Review Open Educational Resources will continue its work, with the following members: Kelly Smith, Steve Szabo, Atilla Sit and Matt Winslow.

New Senator Orientation was held on August 28 in the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning in the Library. New Senators were introduced to the procedure of Senate, the flow of Policy, the University Ombud, Parliamentarian procedure and Open meeting requirements.

REPORT FROM STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION: Grant Minix reporting for Madison Lipscomb

This year SGA is really focusing on student engagement. Last week the Colonel Initiative was passed. This is similar to the Colonel Pride program from last year but rather than focusing only on athletic events the program has been expanded it to include other events on campus as well.

Last semester students were asked to complete a tuition survey. The results showed that students have no idea where their tuition dollars go. So this coming spring, a student-friendly version of the university budget report will be developed and shared with students so that they are better informed.

Also noted from the survey results, students want more classroom updates. So last fall SGA allocated approximately $400,000 out of their student-funded IT grant to the IT department. A portion of those funds will be used for classroom upgrades and another portion will go to the new Tech Commons.

President Benson congratulated Grant for his appointment by Governor Bevin to be the student representative on the CPE Board for the next two years.

REPORT FROM REGENT: Senator Marion

Our Regents have been pretty active with their interactions with our faculty and students since our last senate meeting in May.

• The regents were able to learn about the second oldest music camp in the country, our very own Foster Music Camp (est. 1936), while getting to interact with our own Senate Vice-Chair, Dr. Richard Crosby.
• Several regents attended Big E Welcome (see video) and were able to interact with our highly engaged group of freshmen and transfer students at several events including an ice cream social and Freshman Academy. Recently, at our August 29 meeting, several regents also had some great interactions with our faculty regarding Camino Camp all while also seeing some very strong positive trends in enrollment growth in our veteran and CPE-defined “URM” or underrepresented minority populations. 

Below are key highlights from the August 29 meeting.

1. New Regents – SGA President, Madison Lipscomb, started her term. It has also been just announced that Janet Sword Way of Hebron, Kentucky (and President of Leadership Kentucky) has been appointed by the Governor to serve a term expiring June 30, 2025. 
2. New CPE Student Representative – In additional news, the Governor following a recommendation of the Board of Student Body Presidents, appointed Grant Minix of Prestonsburg, Kentucky to the sole student position on the CPE Board. Grant, an EKU student, also serves as the Executive VP for the EKU SGA. 
3. The Board’s Presidential Evaluation Committee (chaired by Regent Makinen), is working with the Senate’s Executive Committee in carrying out the now-statutorily-required annual evaluation of the university president.
4. The 2019-20 budget supports $1M in classroom renovations through dollars from the asset preservation fee, IT, and academic affairs.
5. The approved university budget for 2019-20 provided a monetary increase over previous promotion levels for new faculty promotions to associate & full professors. The Board and interim provost remain cognizant that more needs to be done to address salary compression and talent retention in due time.
6. EKU is awarding more degrees than ever (4,154 this year vs. 3,884 last year) and despite having a near flat level of newly admitted Freshmen this year versus last year, our overall enrollment is down slightly (and those numbers are still being calculated).
7. Enrollment is a key area of the Board’s focus currently. Despite freshmen retention continuing to remain at an all-time high level (~74%), due to a variety of factors (possibly AP credit, dual credit, academic quality of our students), we are seeking to grow the university. The board received a report, linked here, that provides a snapshot of our current freshmen enrollment profile. 
8. The Board has a new committee, co-chaired by Regent Makinen and myself, focusing on Enrollment, Student Success, and Strategy. The committee with the full support of the Board has already started the process of enhancing university visibility to potential new students. Some of the committee’s strategies were addressed at the Board’s August 29 meeting. By also serving as a co-chair, a faculty member is now on the executive committee & academic affairs committee of the Board.
9. The Board updated the Board's committee structure. The structure was revised to be more strategic, align with Association of Governing Boards’ recommendations, and to also better reflect our values as an institution. Beyond a strategy/performance committee, the Board created a diversity & inclusion committee. The first meeting, chaired by Regent Juan Castro was quite inspiring as the board received a report from the President’s Inclusive Excellence Committee on Camino Camp along with several activities aimed at creating a more diverse, welcoming, and inclusive campus by a team including Dr. Poffenberger and Dr. Zaraogza. Again, enrollment in the URM population is increasing and such is worthy of recognition and realization of what is working well. 
10. The Board Counsel provided all of the regents with a copy of the Attorney General’s guidance on complying with Open Meetings laws here in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. All the regents signed and returned a statement at the meeting to the Board’s counsel acknowledging their receipt. 
11. The Board extended the current strategic plan, Make No Little Plans, through 2022, to better align with SACS accreditation timelines to ensure sufficient data exists for completing the many aspects of that process. 
12. The Board received an update on HB1 (the pension bill), which includes a freeze to limit any budget effects this year while giving EKU several options – all of which include substantial evaluation on our part to ensure we are making a decision that makes sense for our university and is sensitive for our folks, particularly those in the staff ranks, who have funds in the impacted pension system. For assisting our ability to make wise decisions, we will likely consult with outside financial entities and/or several of our fellow regional universities in Kentucky to explore our options as an institution. 
13. The Board, including our President, closed the last Board meeting on August 29 with some very kind remarks about the value of the teaching profession in Kentucky at all levels. These remarks were inspired following a recognition of Dr. Allen Engle and his family’s lengthy service to EKU (dating back to 1928, when EKU was a State Normal School). Dr. Engle advised the board that EKU has not been a normal institution, since the Engle’s showed up. 
14. As your faculty regent, I am working closely with faculty, staff, and student leaders to ensure the Board has more interactions with our university community members – particularly those with noteworthy scholarship or service related to the academic mission of the institution or where social uplift is being effectively demonstrated. 

As a university community member, I remain inspired by the work being done by Barbara Kent (EKU Office of Military and Veterans Affairs) with the programming for EKU Veterans and their families. The future funding discussions in Kentucky where performance-based funding models may be amended or done differently might benefit from also including or recognizing our important work in Kentucky for serving this population. Last week, the SGA passed a resolution recognizing this unique population.

REPORT FROM PROVOST: Senator Pogatshnik

The following classrooms were renovated over the summer: Combs 323A, Whalin 204, 205, 306, 333, 348, and 407. 


The following classroom renovations are scheduled for completion in September: Combs 106, 216, Wallace 226, 227, 233, 234, 326, 328, 330, 346, Memorial Science 279A.

These classrooms have been updated through use of the Asset Preservation fee. In addition, further renovations to Combs, Roark, Burrier and B&T have been made possible through investments made by the Colleges of Education, CLASS, Health Sciences and Business & Technology, respectively. Our goal is to identify the next round of renovation projects to be undertaken next summer so that we can continue to make substantive improvements in the learning environments that we offer to our students.

We will face another challenging year with respect to our budget. As you may know, our overall enrollment decreased by over 700 students this fall. While we anticipated a decline during the budget planning process, we obviously did not expect a decline of this magnitude. Coincidently, the lead article in the Chronicle of Higher Education that came out today was titled, “The Great Enrollment Crash.” If that is any indicator of what is to come, enrollment pressures will continue to affect us.

We have initiated steps to work toward addressing the shortfall. In the coming months, regular updates will be provided to the Faculty Senate Budget Committee and the Faculty Senate as a whole regarding the potential impact on Academic Affairs. When I spoke at the Faculty meetings at the beginning of the term, I emphasized the need for increased efficiency. This isn’t something anyone likes to hear. At the same time, it’s becoming a fact of life. We have had a number of departments make significant strides in increasing efficiencies within their programs during the past year. I would encourage faculty to continue examining their programs of study to reduce concentrations, particularly in those areas that attract limited numbers of students. Reducing the number of low-enrolled course continues to be one of the best options for improving efficiencies while maintaining program quality.

As a final information item, on Wednesday the Deans’ Council and representatives from Financial Affairs will be viewing a presentation on CPE’s new Program Review database system. Over the next several months we will be working with their outside contractor, Gray Associates, in providing cost and student outcomes data. The contractor’s representatives will schedule a 2-day campus visit early in 2020 to move forward with the implementation. The database includes information on occupational demand for existing and potentially new majors. But another aspect will focus on program cost. As a result, any steps we continue to make toward program efficiencies will benefit us as the CPE Board and others are likely to use that data to make programmatic recommendations that may affect all our campuses.

In spite of the challenges, it is a good time to be at EKU. This fall we again welcomed approximately 2500 first year students to EKU.  

GUEST SPEAKER:

Council on Postsecondary Presentation. CPE President Aaron Thompson spoke to Senate about preparation for future changes in higher education.

CPE President Thompson will be on campus again on October 9 to visit with the campus community as part of CPE’s Higher Education Listening Tour.

ADJOURNMENT:

Senator Pogatshnik moved to adjourn at approximately 5:15pm.

click here for printable version of minutes  
(See Also:  Polling Results by Motions & by Senators)

You will need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader plug-in installed on your computer in order to view and print a hard copy of the minutes.