Minutes of the Faculty Senate | Faculty Senate | SIU

Meeting convened at 1:02 p.m. by Peggy Stockdale, President.

ROLL CALL

Members present: Mark A. Amos, Terry Clark, Joan M. Davis, Stephen D. Ebbs, James S. Ferraro, Samuel Goldman (ex officio), Philip C. Howze, H. Randy Hughes, Kathryn A. Hytten, Sanjeev Kumar, Mary E. Lamb, Douglas W. Lind, Michael J. Lydy, Don Rice (ex officio), R. William Rowley, Thomas A. Shaw, Mohammad R. Sayeh, Cynthia Sims (for Carl R. Flowers), Pamela A. Smoot, Gerald R. Spittler, Peggy Stockdale, Thomas H. Tarter, Brooke H. H. Thibeault, Rebecca J. Weston, Matt R. Whiles, Kay M. Zivkovich.

Members absent: Allan Karnes (ex officio), Spyros Tragoudas (ex officio), Russ Trimble (ex officio).

Members absent without proxy: Edward J. Alfrey, Gary Apgar, Joseph Brown, Jon D. Davey, David A. Lightfoot, Lori Merrill-Fink, Cathy C. Mogharreban.

Visitors and Guests: David Carlson (Library Affairs), Patrick Jones (Shryock Auditorium), Hugh Muldoon (Student Health Center), Robert Swenson (Architecture), Kenneth Teitelbaum (Education and Human Services).

MINUTES

The minutes from the regular meeting on April 8, 2008, were approved as presented. The minutes from the 2007-2008 Senate meeting on April 22, 2008, were approved as presented. The minutes from the 2008-2009 Senate meeting on April 8, 2008, were approved as presented.

REPORTS

1. P. Stockdale welcomed K. Teitelbaum and H. Muldoon, both of whom will address the Senate later in the meeting. P. Stockdale reported she attended graduation, as well as a constituency heads meeting with Vice President John Haller to discuss ideas for the next chancellor search process. P. Stockdale reported she then met privately with J. Haller to discuss the Senate's resolution on community colleges. He indicated [universities] have a delicate relationship with community colleges, particularly those in the southern Illinois area. Community colleges provide space for service centers, so universities do not want to spoil that relationship; however, at the same time, they are expressing concerns about the baccalaureate degree programs being offered on some community college campuses. J. Haller indicated that Mid-Continent and Franklin University, both out-of-state operations, received approval from the IBHE for a state-wide license; this means they can set up shop anywhere in the state. SIU does not have a state-wide license. The President's Office complained bitterly to the IBHE, and they have since changed the policy so that licenses will be offered area by area. Unfortunately, Mid-Continent and Franklin will be grandfathered in. P. Stockdale reported she invited J. Haller to speak to the Senate some time in the fall to give an update on the relationship with community colleges. She will also continue to press him for more conversations and setting up an equitable arrangement between universities and community colleges. She suggested the possibility of also inviting Brian Chapman to speak with the Senate since he runs SIU's service centers. He could provide some information about how that is working and what can be done to improve that process.

On a related issue, P. Stockdale reported that J. Haller discussed the two bills that are working their way through the legislature that concerns community colleges' domain. One is HB5025, which would remove IBHE oversight over community colleges. He reported this bill will likely die. The other piece of legislation, the Harper Bill, would permit Harper College to offer some baccalaureate degree programs. J. Haller indicated that the presidents of public universities wrote a fairly strong letter to the committee chairs who would review the bill and expressed their displeasure of that bill. J. Haller believes this could slow down or kill the bill.

P. Stockdale discussed some of her general goals for the year, noting she would like to work with the various offices within the University on the Senate's important, pressing issues: enrollment, recruitment, and retention. Tied into that is the first-year experience, an effort that will be led by M. Amos. She believes it is a great connection to have him on the Senate, as well as being part of that program. In addition, P. Stockdale reported she is working with UWPA Director Michelle Miller on increasing the number of women in higher administrative positions. She had been asked by President Poshard for advice after a recent Board of Trustees meeting at which retired A/P staff member Laraine Wright expressed dismay to the Board on this issue. P. Stockdale indicated she would like the Senate to explore some of the dynamics involved not only with gender but with diversity in general in order to nurture and maintain women and minorities in leadership positions. With all these issues in mind, she then gave the following general charges to each of the standing committees:

Governance Committee: (a) Explore the concept and meaning of diversity on search committees; (b) explore the composition of search committees, in particular whether composition should be universal, across all departments or all [other] areas or whether there should be specific emphasis in some areas; (c) report back with some college-specific guidelines for the composition and process of search committees; d) propose changes to the Senate's Operating Paper to provide for electronic voting.

Budget: (a) Assist the Chancellor in defining what is meant by a signature program and help move that concept forward; (b) provide the Chancellor with input on revamping the faculty hiring initiative; (c) discuss ideas for hitting more gender-focused marketing to help fill the gap of female students coming to SIU.

Faculty Status and Welfare: Explore the climate for women and minority faculty across the colleges. This may mean conducting a study or looking at studies that have already been done, and reporting back on what those studies found and what [the University] is doing on this issue.

UEPC: In conjunction with the Committee on Committees, appoint a member of UEPC to the group being formed by the Office of Enrollment Management to provide that office some guidance on recruitment and retention efforts.

P. Stockdale indicated she would be happy to meet with any of the committees to provide more insight on their respective charges.

2. Interim Chancellor Goldman commented that he was on the Board at the time L. Wright gave her presentation. He thought it was an excellent report and very sharp in the sense that it directed attention to what has existed on campus. Board members spoke very positively about her report and made a commitment, as did he, to recruit more women into the higher level administrator positions. He has spoken with the deans about this issue and has alerted them to the fact that they need to be very aggressive in the hiring of faculty, particularly as they look at women candidates.

Interim Chancellor Goldman reported: a) the University is no longer facing a rescission, in great part because of the efforts of President Poshard, who has spent the last four weeks in Springfield; b) the University is gearing up for a very important accreditation visit by the North Central Association, which will take place in the spring. He is concerned in that there are some individuals on campus who are more negatively predispositioned towards the University. He recognizes this is their right, but hopes that those who feel oppositely will temper that so the accreditation team does not face this negativity when they arrive; c) now that the 2% contingency fund has been freed up, he will be meeting with the Planning and Budget Advisory Committee to discuss splitting the funds so that units receive half of the contingency back, and he keeps the other half. The reason for this is because there are several [emergency academic needs] on campus. They are one-time only items, and funds are needed to address those needs. The funds will also be used to provide support for those areas that have a need and the capability to expand their enrollment. With respect to the funds going back to units, he will make arrangements to allow the funds to be carried over to the next fiscal year so units will not have to rush to spend them by June 30. He strongly advises individuals, and particularly the academic deans, to put some of those funds into OTS. Faculty should be provided with the support they need; d) he has been talking with Assistant Vice Chancellor Victoria Valle about establishing a committee on strategic enrollment, and he would very much like the Senate to take part. She has provided him with a list of names, and he will make those contacts. What V. Valle will do is develop, both conceptually and practically, the idea of recruitment, enrollment and retention, and it will be the plan that is used for the long-term as well; e) he would like to start working on a mutually agreeable, acceptable definition of signature program. These are programs of national standing, high visibility, productive faculty members, etc. SIU needs to establish its stature and is able to do so because it has quality signature programs. He is hopeful that once the University is through, and possibly has addressed the [emergency academic needs], he will be able to put some money into signature programs. It will be done in a very transparent way; f) he would like to provide support to those colleges who can show him they can bring in new, quality students if only they had the resources. He has already done so for one [college] that made a very strong case that their enrollment would grow if the resources were there. He would like to hear about others; g) enrollment indicators are being carefully watched. With cooperation and understanding, and the help of faculty and staff, enrollment numbers can be turned around.

QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION

M. Lamb commented that she came in from Chicago over the weekend and saw billboards for Rend Lake, John A. Logan, Mid-Continent--which was right in front of the entrance to John A. Logan--and Murray State. She inquired as to SIU's billboards and was told there is no money for them. T. Clark responded that last year there were some tough trade-offs they had to make. There was effectively $300,000 to place media, and part of the plan was to have billboards at all of the major entrances into southern Illinois. However, the spots they wanted were not available. In addition, the money was spread thin all over the state. In Chicago and the metro east area, there were ads on tv. It is part of the plan to have billboards. M. Lamb then asked Chancellor Goldman to provide funding to T. Clark for SIU billboards. Chancellor Goldman responded that he would like to be able to do so with part of the contingency funds he will be withholding. T. Clark cautioned against simply throwing money into any form of advertising; rather, it should be thoughtful, research-based, and more esthetically-pleasing that what is being done by competitors.

REPORTS (cont.)

3. Provost Rice reported that Royal and Company, a firm that helps with recruiting students, has begun its search by sending e-mails to hundreds of thousands of sophomores and juniors, with hard copy contacts going out on Friday. All responses will be sent to Enrollment Management for personal follow- up. Royal will also continue to contact those people and track their decisions over time. On another matter, Provost Rice complimented and expressed thanks to Interim Dean Gary Kolb, his wife, Georgia, and the College of Mass Communication and Media Arts for the way they handled the delivery of a posthumous degree for one of the college's students, Ryan Rendleman.

4. K. Teitelbaum indicated he began his position as Dean of the College of Education and Human Services on August 1. For the last 20 years, he has been at institutions somewhat similar to SIU in the sense that they are [mid-major] public research universities. He commented on the differences and similarities between SIU and some of the other universities at which he had been and also discussed his goals for the college.

5. Reports were submitted by faculty representatives on various University committees (included as Attachment A to the Agenda).

6. P. Stockdale reported that Tom Britton and Eric Hellgren have been elected chair and vice chair, respectively, of the Graduate Council.

7. T. Tarter reported he will speak with the faculty in Springfield and submit something through the standing committee he is on regarding the diversity issue. If there are any other major issues that arise from among the faculty, he will provide a report. P. Stockdale noted that she would like to get the Springfield Senators more involved in the business of the Senate.

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

S. Kumar reported the Council discussed electronic voting, and the consensus was to try it for one year, with the service being provided by Applied Research Consultants (ARC). If everything goes well, then the following year the Senate may want to purchase some kind of software that can be run through the Faculty Senate office. The elections ARC will run next year will be the spring elections and the fall Judicial Review Board elections. On another issue, the Council invited Victoria Valle to its meeting to discuss enrollment management.

COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES -- R. Weston, Chair

1. R. Weston reported the committee received a request to appoint two people for the Search Committee for Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Dean of Students. The committee forwarded the names of Susan Tulis, Associate Professor, Library Affairs and Herman Peterson, Associate Professor, Library Affairs. It was noted that only one person will be appointed to serve.

2. R. Weston presented for approval the Standing Committee Assignments (included as Attachment B to the Agenda).

Standing Committee Assignments approved on a voice vote.

BUDGET COMMITTEE -- T. Clark, Chair

T. Clark reported: 1) the committee will have a report on the in-state tuition some time over the summer; 2) he and S. Kumar sit on the Chancellor's Planning and Budget Advisory Committee, and they had mentioned one way to win the hearts and minds of faculty was to put money back into OTS. T. Clark was pleased to hear the Chancellor's recommendation for the same. K. Zivkovich asked if the rollover of funds would just be for this year. She commented that she would like to see the funds carried over every year. P. Stockdale responded her understanding is that there is a state rule against doing so, the reason being that if [units] have funds left over, they did not need [that much] in the first place. D. Carlson indicated that for the last three or four years, the University has allowed units to carry over 1% of their total budgets from year to year. He is unclear whether that 1% max is still effective, or if they will be allowed to exceed that max. P. Howze noted the Chancellor stated the carryover would be a one-time thing. P. Stockdale responded that what she heard the Chancellor say was that for one time he would take some of the money to fix some holes to get ready for accreditation and that he may be able to get approval to roll over a certain percent one time. B. Rowley commented that before he came to SIU, he was director of the School of Film at Ohio University. They were allowed to carry funds forward. If there is a need to cite a peer institution with such a policy, Ohio University could be cited. T. Clark noted that in this current climate, it may be dangerous to leave extra money sitting in accounts; 3) [Barking Dawg Productions] is beginning to shoot a series of ads highlighting professors and research on campus.

FACULTY STATUS AND WELFARE COMMITTEE -- None.

GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE -- None.

UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION POLICY COMMITTEE -- None.

OLD BUSINESS -- None.

NEW BUSINESS

H. Muldoon gave a presentation on Gaia House, a residential college-type facility being proposed to be built on the site of the existing Interfaith Center (corner of Grand and Illinois). He noted most of that property is rented from the University on a 99-year lease, which makes it essential to get the University's support for the project. He indicated that anyone who would like to hear more about Gaia House can meet with him at any time.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

C. Sims expressed thanks to those departments and faculty in Mass Communication and Media Arts, Liberal Arts and Education and Human Services who allowed some of the high school participants in her [Mentorship Academy program] to take classes with their students.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 2:21 p.m.