Minutes for April 1, 2024

The Faculty Senate of Eastern Kentucky University met on Monday, April 1, 2024 via Zoom. Chair Kay called the seventh meeting of the academic year to order at approximately 3:30 p.m.

The following members were absent:

^* Indicates prior notification of absence
^ALT Jens Arneson attended for L. Edwards
^ALT Anne Kipp attended for M. Emanuel
^ALT Daniel Roush attended for K. Moore
^ALT Ann Callahan attended for E. Stevenson

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:

Senator Lauk moved to approve the March 4, 2024 minutes as written, seconded by Senator Buck.  Motion carried. (YES = 40 votes | NO = 0 votes | ABSTAIN = 2 votes) (See also: Individual Votes).

REPORT FROM THE PRESIDENT:  David McFaddin

Legislative Update
There are two working days left in the 2024 legislative session. The 10-day Veto Period began on March 29th and legislators will return to Frankfort on April 12 and 15 to override vetoes from Governor Beshear and potentially pass non-controversial bills.

The finalized state budget includes the following appropriations for EKU:

• Asset Preservation - $25,910,000 annually (No Match Required)
• Model Lab Phase II Construction- $59.1M (year 1)
• EKU Aviation Program - $12.5M annually
• Fire/tornado insurance - $3,125,500 annually
• Inflationary cost support on top of general fund appropriation - $2,866,200 annually.
• Corbin Scholar House Childcare Center construction - $5M
• Model Lab Mandated Program - $4,571,900 annually
• EKU Manchester Endowed Scholarship Fund - $200,000
• Pension Cost (KERS) Subsidy - $6,236,800 (year 1) and $5,345,800 (year 2)
• Debt Service - $3,424,500 (year 1) and $7,894,000 (year 2)
• Performance Funding: Total pool up $29.2M to $105M in FY25 & $115M in FY26
• General Fund appropriation: $60,842,300 annually

Here’s an update on bills of interest:

Giving Day
On April 17th we embark on our 6th annual Giving Day event. The goal this year is to have 2324 donors to commemorate the historical academic year that we have had with record enrollment growth, record retention and new and innovative programs that create an undeniable momentum toward the best days ahead for EKU.

Mark your calendar for that night for Trivia Night. Join the Alumni Association for an evening of trivia, prizes, and purpose at Giving Day Live! Trivia Night on EKU’s annual Giving Day. Head over to Dreaming Creek Brewery for a night of trivia and fun. Kyle's Kitchen food truck will be available beginning at 5:00PM and trivia will begin at 7:00PM. Teams are asked to arrive by 6:30PM. If you want to create a challenge, be an ambassador or get involved in some other way for EKU Giving Day contact our team at giving@eku.edu.

Spring 2024 Commencement
It was announced during the Fall semester that the Spring 2024 commencement will be held at Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, due to construction occurring within Alumni Coliseum. Ceremonies are planned for Friday, May 10, 2024, at 9 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. Check go.eku.edu/Spring24 for the latest information.

This year’s honorary doctorate was nominated by members of our Library team. Kim Michele Richardson, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today bestselling author, has written five works of historical fiction, and a bestselling memoir. Learn more here: https://www.kimmichelerichardson.com/about.

President's Excellence Awards
Award recipients will be announced at a ceremony on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at the Center for the Arts.

Emerging Leader Award
Lauren Keeler – Office of University Counsel
Nicholas Moore – Communications and Brand Management
Jasmine Nettles – Housing and Residence Life

Excellence in Community and Belonging
Laurel Addison – Slate
Karen Edwards – Model Laboratory School
Allison McCann – Campus Recreation

Excellence in Engagement and Hospitality
Heather Brent – Student Success
Dr. Kelly Cogar – Center for Student Accessibility Services
Carrie Foster – University Development

Excellence in Innovation
David Fifer – College of Justice, Safety, and Military Science
Tiffany Hampton - Slate
Dr. Matt Schumacher – Student Success

Excellence in Leadership
Dr. Brooke Bentley – College of Health Sciences
Dr. Bryan Makinen – Facilities and Safety
Jeremy Steele – Information Technology
Johnna Thomas – University Development

EKU in the News
Check out EKU’s March highlights in the news on pages 3-5 in the written report.

Upcoming Events

• April 15 - Sine Die-Last Day of General Assembly Session
• April 17 - Giving Day
• April 23 - Milestone Breakfast
• April 24 - President's Excellence Award Ceremony
• May 10 - Commencement (Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park)
• May 15 - Board of Regents Meeting 

REPORT FROM THE PROVOST: Sara Zeigler

Thanks to Amy Scarborough for her diligent work during the legislative session. Also thanks to Lisa Kay, Ginny Whitehouse, Michael Lane, Jade Robinson, and Deanna Kasitz for their work in keeping us all up to date for all the participants in the listening sessions. It was really helpful to know the context, to know exactly what talking points we needed to prepare for Amy to outline the accreditation issues.

The CFO position is now posted on the EKU website, so if you know anyone who might be good at this role, please encourage them to apply. The search committee will have its first meeting tomorrow afternoon at 1pm. At that meeting, they will undergo search committee training, sign their confidentiality agreements, and then proceed with establishing a timeline. Interviews will probably be scheduled in May. There will be some remote options for people to attend an open forum, so that faculty can still participate in that search and see the finalists.

The Academic Affairs members of the search committee, aside from me co-chairing with Matt Roan, are Derek Paulsen, Dean of the College of Justice, Safety, and Military Science (who also has a very good public budgeting background from his time working for the City of Lexington), Maggie Abney (whose background and expertise is in banking), and Dana Howell who will serve as the representative of the Chairs Council.

Senate Chair Kay and I are continuing to work on faculty turnover data. We have an upcoming meeting in a week or so to talk with Academic Impressions about some further surveys that will let us pinpoint the reasons people are staying or leaving the university. A lot of those factors can be influenced by things other than compensation, so we want to really look at what we can do, in addition to continuing to build our compensation, and we will report back to you on all of that as soon as we have a little more information.

Upcoming Dates

• April 9 - Sabbatical showcase, Faculty Awards Ceremony, and our Sip and See for the Faculty Club in the Keen Johnson Building. 
• April 5 - Deadline to apply for the Provost Faculty Internship Program.>

NEW BUSINESS:

Policies Update. Lauren Keeler shared that the Faculty Grievances 4.7.4 Regulation has been vetted, approved, and is now live on the Policies website. There is also a new Faculty Grievances form to complete which is available under Forms for Policies on the Policies website.

Nominations for Faculty Senate Chair. Senator Bishop-Ross nominated Senator Kay, seconded by Senator Lauk.

Nominations for Faculty Senate Vice Chair. Senator Streetman nominated Senator Blair, seconded by Senator Easterling.

Senate Internal Procedures Revision. Senator Streetman moved approval of the revised Senate internal procedures, seconded by Senator Buck. Motion carried. (YES = 43 votes | NO = 0 votes | ABSTAIN = 0 votes) (See also: Individual Votes)

Organization of the Faculty Revision (taken from Part 7, Faculty Handbook). Senator Buck moved approval of the revision, seconded by Senator Cogdill. Motion carried. (YES = 46 votes | NO = 1 vote | ABSTAIN = 0 votes) (See also:  Overall Votes  - NOTE: Due to a computer glitch, individual votes are not available.)

Chair Kay stated that the document will be sent to IR in the near future to distribute to the faculty-at-large for review. The revision will go into effect unless 10% of the members of the Faculty-at-Large (excluding Adjunct Faculty) dissent by electronically signing the petition to initiate a vote by the Faculty- at-Large at the next regular or specially called meeting of the Faculty-at-Large.

Senate and Committee Vacancies. Chair Kay shared the list of senate and committee vacancies for next year. She encouraged the outgoing senators to remind their areas to elect replacements in time that they can attend the organizational meeting in May.

2024-25 Senate Schedule. Chair Kay shared the informational item and announced that the schedule now includes the locations for the four in-person meetings for next year.

GENERAL & STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS

REPORT FROM SENATE CHAIR: Senator Kay

The Faculty Senate Executive Committee met on March 18, 2024. The committee discussed the following topics: training session ideas for senators, the format of the 2024-2025 Executive Committee meetings, Faculty Senate and committee vacancies, revisions from the Rules Committee, and the faculty handbook.

Our “Problem Solvers” group met with the Provost on March 25th. The next meeting is scheduled for April 15th.

Remember that the regular and organizational meetings for Faculty Senate in May will be held in the Perkins Quads.

The deadline to apply to the 2024 Provost Faculty Internship Program is April 5. Learn more and apply for the 2024 cohort here.

A Celebration of Life for Dr. Martha Mullins will be held on Saturday, April 13th, at 10:00 a.m. in the EKU Center for the Arts lobby. Faculty are welcome to attend the Celebration of Life. Anyone interested in attending will need to RSVP by Wednesday 4/3 to ashley.thacker@eku.edu as there is limited seating.

The next Faculty Lunch and Learn session with President McFaddin will be at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10th. Enjoy a complimentary lunch by signing in at either of the check-in areas at Case Kitchen and take your food upstairs to the Regents Room to engage in meaningful conversation.

Policies Update

• The updated Academic Regulation 4.7.4ACR, Faculty Grievances, has been approved: https://policies.eku.edu/sites/policies.eku.edu/files/policies/
  faculty_grievances_2024_.pdf.
• The proposed revisions to Administrative Regulation 8.3.10, Campaigning & Political Activity of Employees, have been approved: https://policies.eku.edu/sites/policies.eku.edu/files/policies/
  8.3.10_campaigning_and_political_activity_2024.pdf.
• Proposed revisions to Administrative Regulation 11.2.5, Social Media Communications, were also approved earlier this semester: https://policies.eku.edu/sites/policies.eku.edu/files/
  policies/11.2.5_social_media_communications_2024.pdf.
• The proposed Academic Curriculum Policy has been posted for a 10-day comment period, which ends on April 11th: https://policies.eku.edu/sites/policies.eku.edu/files/policies/
  academic_curriculum_2024_1.pdf.

Please encourage faculty to submit comments via the Policy Development website.
NOTE: CAA is seeking more information regarding the potential for allowing Faculty Senate to vote on program closures. That discussion is ongoing.

We continue to receive comments via the virtual suggestion box. All comments are read and then forwarded to the appropriate areas. Comments are also shared with Provost Zeigler and Regent Marion. Some of the recent topics include:

• Research standards
• Academic calendar
• Environmental noise

Faculty who are comfortable sharing thoughts via email are encouraged to email Vice Chair Blair (james.blair@eku.edu) or me (lisa.kay@eku.edu) or you may call or text me at 859-302-2548. In the near future we hope to summarize the issues from the suggestion box along with their corresponding resolutions or clarifications. In the meantime, some basic information has been summarized about the recipients of the comments: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1F_Jmp6eviBb_R7uEj8XlrAT-0N-QdKP5dL4OcugBty8/edit?usp=sharing. (It is possible there could be some omissions or errors, but the list should be relatively accurate.)

REPORT FROM FACULTY REGENT: Senator Marion

Since the last Faculty Senate meeting, the Board of Regents has not convened. The Board’s Finance Committee met today at 11 a.m. in Perkins for receiving an informational update from VP Poynter regarding the 2024-2025 university budget following passage of the state budget bill by the Kentucky General Assembly. The bill was sent to the Governor for consideration on March 28.

The Board’s next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Most of the May meeting’s focus will likely be on the university budget as informed by recent appropriations in the state budget as well as enrollment predictions inclusive of new students, retained students, and transfer students. Recent difficulties in the federal roll-out of the intended-to-be-simplified FAFSA system have delayed applications and admission decisions at EKU and at higher education institutions across the country.

State Budget Information:
The state budget bill (HB6) was delivered to the Governor on March 28. The current bill text (before any line-item vetoes, if any get made) is viewable here: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/
24RS/hb6/bill.pdf

For anticipated new revenue from the state budget for 2024-2026, there was a modest inflation adjustment provided to EKU for $2.9M for this upcoming year. The university will also be receiving new revenue for funding up the new additional costs for fire & tornado insurance, resulting in $3.1M in new revenue. The performance funding model will also yield an increase in $1M in new revenue.

Finance Committee Updates:
In addition to the state budget information presented above, there was information presented on enrollment. Slight enrollment increases are expected through in-person undergraduate and online enrollment; however, graduate enrollment is likely to decline. The overall budget for now is being conservatively estimated on essentially no enrollment growth. The overall enrollment and tuition and fee revenue should still yield an additional $3 to $4M in revenue, of which $1-2M of the gains will be allocated for student support in scholarships.

The university’s administration and the Finance Committee is monitoring the growth of state-mandated waivers for important populations to Kentuckians (e.g. students matriculating to public higher education as foster or adopted youth, and immediate family members of certain military veteran populations impacted with disability or the death connected to active service). At EKU, this growth has resulted in $3.2M in waived tuition in 2021-22 to $4.2M this last year (2023-2024). Across Kentucky, $25M is waived for these programs, while noble, EKU is shouldering the greatest amount of this responsibility in terms of students and relative percentage of our enrollment. President McFaddin indicated this topic is one of the top three state-level government relations priorities in the next year and there will be encouragement the state government create an endowment fund at the state-level for these programs that all public institutions can access to support these important populations. Our forecast on this population has been missed for several budget years and has had a seven-figure impact on our budget due to these populations preferring our programs and faculty.

Overall, while there’s an increase in revenue from increased state support and tuition that will likely exceed $11M, there are some areas of the budget where the revenue forecasts will be down, including how much of Foundation revenue is used (down by $4M) and how much of EKU’s strategic reserves (savings/rainy day) is used to build the budget (down by $2.4M in this budget). There are also some changes in the state retirement system (KERS) liability provided as a subsidy that decrease revenue by $1.8M.

The President and Vice President Poynter added that they want to present a budget that also invests in our people and our students. The President is aiming to increase support for existing faculty and staff by an additional $2.5M and to support compression and/or inversion adjustments by an additional investment of $820,000, and with an expected increase of $220,000 for supporting expected promoted faculty.

For accomplishing some of these budget objectives, the budget will be built through the $11+ million in new state and tuition revenue, as well as reducing expenses by $2.4M through strategic budget reallocations, strategic asset preservation funds, paying off the last of 2012 Series A bond (debt) service, and reducing the KERS unfunded liability. While trying to reduce spending, there are fixed increases expected in our utilities/contracts and insurance, expected increased student debt by $1M (in students who owe the university), and increases in fire and tornado insurance (up $3.1M). Some state support for these increases will be helping a lot.

Lastly, the President and Vice President communicated a goal to have wider margins near the end of the fiscal year to stay on budget. Rather than budgeting in a manner that has resulted in increasing cost controls and greater scrutiny in unbudgeted funds in February, March, April and May, it is likely that many budget lines will be reduced to enable units to have greater certainty in their unit- or division-level budgets (and more of their time back from administrative tediousness) during that time. The President communicated the budget is aimed at trying to add to our investment in our people.

STANDING COMMITTEES

Budget Committee. Senator Lauk reported that committee met with the Provost last month and got her perspective on some of the budgetary issues. The next meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 29th with Barry Poynter.

Elections & University Nominations Committee. Senator Spira announced that a letter was sent to department chairs requesting replacements for senators who are rotating off in May. Replacements should be on board in time for new senators to attend the May organizational meeting.

The Adjunct Faculty election is underway and should be completed in time for the new part-time senator to be invited to the organizational meeting.

Out next meeting is scheduled for April 15th at 3:30pm.

Faculty Rights and Responsibilities Committee. Senator Slijepcevic reported that the committee met on March 21st and discussed the summary of findings of shared governance across the State of Kentucky. The committee delegated the review and comparison of EKU and other universities in the Commonwealth (NKU, WKU, Murray State, Morehead, UK and U of L) among the committee members. The next meeting will be on April 15th to review and discuss our findings.

Chair Kay stated that the co-chairs have asked to present their report to the Executive Committee on April 22.

Rules Committee. Senator Bishop-Ross announced that their last meeting of the year will be on April 15th to write their year-end report.

Welfare Committee. Senator Manning stated that she met with the University Benefits Committee last Friday and got a stronger update on some of the benefits that are going to start being proposed in the fall.

Our next committee meeting will be on Wednesday with Teri Begley to discuss tuition waivers both at the undergraduate and graduate level.

Our final charge was to look at Jaggaer. We're currently finalizing a Jaggaer survey but that may not go out until the fall semester.

ADJOURNMENT:

Senator Grabeel moved to adjourn at approximately 5pm.

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(See Also:  Polling Results by Motion & Senators)

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