Minutes of the Faculty Senate | Faculty Senate | SIU

Meeting convened at 1:03 p.m. by Phil Howze, President.

ROLL CALL

Members present: Om P. Agrawal, Gary A. Apgar, Lisa B. Brooten, Joan M. Davis, Stephen D. Ebbs, James S. Ferraro, James E. Garvey, Samuel Goldman (ex officio), Judith Green (for Kathryn A. Hytten), Eric Hellgren (ex officio), Philip C. Howze, Kent Hsiao (for Sanjeev Kumar), H. Randy Hughes, Allan L. Karnes, Jim LeBeau (for James S. Allen), Khalid Meksem (for David A. Lightfoot), Lori Merrill-Fink, Michelle Miller (for Peggy Stockdale), Cathy C. Mogharreban, Jerry Monteith (for Kay M. Zivkovich), Don Rice (ex officio), Benjamin F. Rodriguez, Gerald R. Spittler, Brooke H. H. Thibeault, Candle Wester- Mittan (for Douglas W. Lind), Rebecca J. Weston.

Members absent without proxy: Edward J. Alfrey, Joseph Brown, Sandra K. Collins, Lisabeth A. DiLalla, Mary E. Lamb, Michael J. Lydy, Marla H. Mallette, Jose R. Ruiz, Thomas H. Tarter.

Visitors and Guests: Leslie Freels Lloyd (Allied Health), Codell Rodriguez (Southern Illinoisan), Jesse Trushenski (Zoology).

MINUTES

The minutes from the 2008-2009 Senate meeting on April 28, 2009, were approved as presented. The minutes from the 2009-2010 Senate meeting on April 28, 2009, were approved as presented.

REPORTS

1. P. Howze expressed appreciation to everyone for their support regarding the confusion about the May meeting, which was cancelled because of the storm.

P. Howze reported that the Faculty Senate President represents the faculty on a number of committees within the University, including the Chancellor's Executive Committee, as well as attends meetings of the constituency heads and Graduate Council. He also reported that he has altered slightly the format of the Senate agenda this year in order to handle business items in a more timely manner.

2. L. Lloyd discussed the activities of the Campus-Wide Assessment Committee (see appendix 1). P. Howze indicated that all the University committee reports that have been submitted will be taken up by the Executive Council to determine if there are any issues embedded in those reports that need to be addressed by the Senate. [Committee reports can be found as Agenda Attachment A for May and Agenda Attachment A for July.]

3. A. Karnes reported he attended an Executive Committee meeting of the Faculty Advisory Council to the IBHE, which was held at Northwestern Illinois University on July 7 (see appendix 2). R. Hughes clarified that the general funding bill for SIU was not vetoed. It was passed by both houses and is awaiting the Governor's signature. The [capital] bill contains an increase and has not been vetoed but rather he believes is one of those things being held hostage until the budget is finished. He agreed that the bill that was vetoed contained [money for MAP].

4. E. Hellgren announced that he was elected chair of the Graduate Council this year. At the Council's meeeting on July 2, it was reported that the Chancellor had approved the purchase of "Apply Yourself," a program that will greatly facilitate graduate applications and enrollment. It is hoped this program will be up and running for fall 2010. E. Hellgren reported the Council will be working on a number of issues in the coming year, including a) research incentives for faculty; b) program reviews (there are over 20 graduate programs to be reviewed); c) library serials and how to maintain library resources, especially for graduate research and education; d) review of the open access policy, which will likely be a joint effort with the Senate.

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

P. Howze reported that S. Kumar will begin providing a separate report at each meeting of what is discussed within Executive Council.

COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES -- R. Weston, Chair

1. R. Weston presented for approval the 2009-2010 Standing Committee Assignments (included as Attachment B to the Agenda).

Standing Committee Assignments were approved on a voice vote.

2. R. Weston presented for approval the University Committee Assignments (included as Attachment C to the Agenda). She noted each person was contacted and expressed a willingness to serve.

University Committee Assignments were approved on a voice vote.

P. Howze thanked R. Weston, who will be leaving SIUC for a position elsewhere, for her excellent service as chair of the Committee on Committees.

UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION POLICY COMMITTEE -- L. Merrill-Fink, Chair

1. L. Merrill-Fink presented for approval the Resolution to Recommend Approval of the RME to Add a Specialization in Jazz Performance within the Bachelor of Music Degree (included as Attachment D to the Agenda).

Resolution was approved on a voice vote.

2. L. Merrill-Fink reported the committee met last week and reviewed two RMEs and one Notice of Intent (NUI). The NUI is for the addition of a B.A in International Studies, which was returned to the College of Liberal Arts for further development. The RME for the addition of an Interdisciplinary Minor in Peace Studies was returned as well. The committee is still waiting on the RME for a minor in Global Studies, which was overlooked during the transition of UEPC leadership. The committee plans to meet as soon as possible to move forward on [these] issues.

GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE -- G. Spittler, Chair

G. Spittler presented for a first reading a revision to the Operating Paper of the Faculty and Faculty Senate that would allow more representation for non-tenure track (NTT) faculty on the Senate. He distributed a revised version of the resolution, noting there was a grammatical change that needed to be made. He requested that the revised resolution (included as appendix 3) be considered in place of the one distributed as Attachment E to the Agenda. S. Ebbs noted in the third whereas that the number of people with continuing appointments represents approximately a third of the NTT members, yet they are given five of the six positions on the Senate. He asked why that minority is being given the majority of seats. G. Spittler explained that many NTT faculty, like those on tenure track, have a long-term commitment to the institution and want to work for its best interests above and beyond the normal faculty assignment of teaching, research and community service. The idea is to make sure that those who sit on the Senate have that long-term commitment. The other seat representing the non-continuing faculty serves two purposes: first, to give that group a voice on the Senate; and second, to give the Springfield faculty (who chose to be excluded from the NTT Faculty Association) the potential to continue having a seat on the Senate.

A. Karnes asked if the committee considered some kind of mechanism to ensure that seats are not concentrated within a college or two. Otherwise, the possibility exists that those colleges with large numbers of NTT faculty could have more seats than other colleges that do not have as many NTT faculty. G. Spittler responded that the committee did discuss that possibility; however, past voting patterns suggest this would not be a problem since there are fairly large constituencies in each of the major colleges such that those interested could easy rally their colleagues to make sure they had a representative. A. Karnes suggested there could be a distribution plan for the NTT faculty elections as there is for the tenure track representatives on the Senate. G. Spittler responded that it was the committee's belief that setting up barriers on what is only a relatively small number of seats would put too much of a constraint on those who could serve.

L. Brooten asked whether the interests of the continuing and non-continuing NTT faculty are similar enough that the non-continuing tenure track faculty would be adequately represented. G. Spittler does not believe the interests of the tenure track faculty are too divergent from that of the NTT faculty. In fact, he believes there are relatively few points where the non-continuing faculty would necessarily be diverging from a common commitment to the rest. The major issue is to give the Springfield NTT community the chance to serve as well.

R. Hughes indicated that one of the issues the committee considered is that there are currently two NTT representatives on the Senate who are continuing faculty as well. The Senate has in the past had non- voting tenure track [faculty], and again, they were mostly people who had been here some time; so, the proposed change would actually bring in more representation for that group. R. Hughes added that the committee did also discuss the issue of how to apportion the seats, [possibly by combining smaller colleges with common interests]. L. Brooten suggested apportioning across no fewer than three to ensure that out of six representatives, three colleges are represented. J. Ferraro suggested the phrase, "no more than two per college" or "no college is represented by more than two senators." B. Rodriguez asked if it is possible to find out where the 600 NTT positions are currently distributed amongst the colleges. G. Spittler responded that it could not be done easily. J. Ferraro asked if there will be a minimum number of members from Springfield, but a minimum of at least one member. J. Davis responded that the committee discussed adding that there would be five members not from Springfield and one from Springfield, but then decided it was better to say continuing and non-continuing. S. Ebbs asked if the constituency represented in the proposed change is satisfied with the five-to-one split, or will that come later with the ratification of this change. G. Spittler responded that the constituency is satisfied. After further discussion, G. Spittler noted that the first reading is done to get a sense of the Senate, and in this case, he believes a valid point has been made that the committee should consider. He will bring the resolution back to committee for further discussion.

FACULTY STATUS AND WELFARE COMMITTEE -- G. Apgar, Chair

G. Apgar reported that he will be e-mailing the members of the committee to work out a meeting schedule. He will also speak with P. Howze in order to finish any unresolved issues from the past year.

BUDGET COMMITTEE -- A. Karnes, Chair

A. Karnes reported the committee has not met, but stands ready to work with the administration on the potential budget problems in the fall. It appears enrollment will be down substantially, and the committee wants to be able to offer suggestions on how to attack any income fund shortfall. This offer has been made before, but the committee has not been asked to participate, nor have they been given access to the college efficiency reports that were prepared earlier in the summer. On another note, A. Karnes reported that former Senator Terry Clark has resigned as director of Barking Dawgs Productions. T. Clark was disappointed that he was not able to direct advertising dollars where he felt they could produce the highest returns--for example, the Chicago market--as he demonstrated in his presentation to the Senate. He also cited disagreements about the types of ads they were to use. There was a push- back on the edgy types of ads that were designed to appeal to young people.

NEW BUSINESS

P. Howze changed the order of the agenda to address an item of new business before a quorum was lost. The issue speaks to replacing R. Weston on the Senate. He proposed, in keeping with Robert's Rules of Order, as well as [what he believes] has been past practice of the Senate, to fill the vacancy with the person receiving the next highest number of votes on the spring election final ballot. The alternative would be to send the matter to the Elections Committee so that a special election can be held. [B. Rodriguez] moved to fill the unexpired term of R. Weston with the person receiving the next highest number of votes in the spring election held in Liberal Arts; seconded by L. Merrill-Fink.

Motion carried.

P. Howze reported that the Senate has re-seated Mark Amos (English).

ADMINISTRATION REPORTS

1. Chancellor Goldman reported: a) the capital budget has been approved, though it will be a while before the money becomes available. Included in the budget are funds to complete Morris Library. The plan is to put the First Year Experience (currently located in Faner) on the sixth floor; b) the operating budget has not yet been approved by the Governor. He has 60 days to act on it, but the belief is that it will go fairly quickly; c) there have been so many glitches with enrollment that it is hard to make predictions. As of July 13, enrollment is at 82% of last year. Unless there is a big push over the next nine weeks or so, there may be a shortfall from last year. Approximately 5,000 of the 11,000 financial aid packages have been accepted. Phone calls are being made regularly to follow up with students about whether they are coming. With respect to international student enrollment, SIUC will be getting new students from China; however, there is a shortfall in Engineering students, most of whom are from India. The number of admits from the border states is up about 100. More are needed to make up for the potential shortfall as a result of the differentiated out-of-state tuition; d) the administration is doing some anticipatory planning for FY11 and 12 because what will be left from the state will be very bleak once the stimulus bill goes away in one or two years. Issues of hiring in all cases are being examined closely. He does not want to institute a hiring freeze at this time, partially because it will not have much effect until FY11, anyway. The filling of positions will be carefully examined and will be done on a case by case basis; e) MAP may only be funded at 87%, and it will be front-loaded, meaning all of the remaining MAP money will go into the fall semester. The Illinois Veterans Grant (IVG) is emerging as an incredible difficulty because it turns out that the federal bill, which assured payments to veterans, is not as attractive as it seemed. Given a choice between the Illinois grant and the federal grant, the Illinois grant comes off better. The University could take a big hit on the Illinois grant because the state has cut IVGs to zero, meaning there is no reimbursement if veterans choose to use the IVG; f) the University is proceeding to collect from the insurance company for the damages done by the May storm. Some places on campus were hit badly, in particular Agricultural Sciences. Some of their farm buildings were badly damaged. Insurance will cover the cost to replace them, but there are other buildings that had no coverage, so that is a problem. There are still some places on campus that need to be cleared of tree damage, but everything should be completed by fall. He has put together a landscaping committee to look at adding to the beautification of the campus. That group will likely work closely with the green group, which was established by the students using student fees. The landscaping committee will look at sustainability and other issues. Funds for deferred maintenance will be used, though it is unclear when they will arrive from the state; g) the transition from [SIS] to Banner [is complete]. Banner was down for a few days, and students could not register during that time. He believes SOAR is an excellent program, but its schedule is very drawn out, and it insists that students do not register until they have attended SOAR. As a result, there are students who want to register but cannot. Still, he is fairly optimistic about enrollment, but realizes that it may not make last year's numbers. He has looked at the colleges' enrollment, and all but Agricultural Sciences are down. He believes the entire process of registration and enrollment needs to be examined carefully, and that will be a major activity.

2. Interim Provost Rice reported: a) graduate student enrollment is flat relative to a year ago in terms of both applications and admissions. However, there are better than 150 admission decisions that have been deferred to the colleges because they are awaiting certain aspects of an application in order to complete the process. Doctoral applications are up, but masters level applications are down. The loss is attributed to the large number of students from India who would normally apply to the College of Engineering. The only cause given to him is financial, so that is something that will be pursued further; b) SIUC is pursing a number of opportunities with foreign universities, including the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) in Beijing. Max Yen in the College of Engineering has worked very hard on that relationship, and UIBE is treating SIUC very well. They have set up a center for SIUC and even created a nice brochure describing the center and the types of programs in which students can get involved. He believes that is the kind of model the University should follow with other institutions; c) a national search will be conducted in the coming academic year for an associate chancellor for diversity and affirmative action. Internal searches were conducted for the positions of associate provost for academic administration and associate provost for academic affairs. Susan Logue, who was the interim, has accepted the permanent position of associate provost for academic administration. That position primarily deals with personnel issues. Patricia Elmore, who was the interim in the other position, has returned to the faculty of the College of Education and Human Services. For the time being, S. Logue will take on the issues that are largely student related, and the remainder of the duties of that office will report directly to him (Continuing Education, Touch of Nature, assessment, program reviews, program changes, etc.). He may appoint someone to help him with that position, but it is his intention in the fall to constitute a search committee and conduct an internal search. A committee has been constituted and will conduct a national search for a permanent dean of the College of Applied Sciences and Arts. The application deadline is late fall, and he hopes to appoint a permanent dean by the end of the year. Peter Alexander has stepped down as dean of the School of Law effective June 30. Frank Houdek has been appointed interim dean and will hold that position until a permanent dean has been named. The School wants to fast-track the search and have an appointee by January; he presumes the person will begin in early summer. An internal search will be conducted for an interim associate dean. In the College of Engineering, R. Viswanathan will continue as the interim dean for the academic year. The search for a permanent dean was held in late spring, and two people were interviewed; however, one took a position at another institution, and a third invitee was scheduled to arrive the weekend of the storm, so that visit was cancelled. The faculty went off contract on May 15, so he suspended the search until the fall. Other positions that need to be filled include a director of Academic Support Services (a search is underway), a director of Records and Registration (a search will begin later in the year), a permanent director of Continuing Education (there is currently an interim, but he would like to have an internal search to make that permanent), a director for Touch of Nature (a search to begin shortly) and a director of Assessment (the search did not yield any strong candidates, so a new search will begin in the fall); d) he and the Chancellor have been discussing for some time the restructuring of the Provost's office, particularly since several units that were under the associate chancellor for diversity and affirmative action have been moved to that office. It has increased the workload for whoever will be the associate provost for academic affairs, as that position also handles contract negotiations with both faculty unions. Negotiations are currently ongoing with the NTT Faculty Association, and negotiations with the Faculty Association will begin in the spring. There is an unequal distribution of work, and some of the issues that have to be handled are becoming intensive. Therefore, the entire operation of the provost's office will be examined, with the hope that it will bring about a reorganization of workloads and possibly a change in staffing.

3. J. LeBeau commented that Murray State is reported to be up in both in-state and out-of-state applications. He asked what has happened to SIUC's efforts to attract these out-of-state students. Chancellor Goldman responded that there are many issues to examine in terms of recruitment and enrollment, and competition is very high. It is his understanding that other universities in the state are also having enrollment difficulties, and the economy is a concern. Another problem is that it is becoming more expensive for students from Chicago, for example, to get here. There are declining populations in this area as well, so SIUC is reaching out to other states. The University is experiencing growth in some of the newer programs, however.

J. LeBeau commented on the speculation that Banner and the restriction on students to complete SOAR before they can register may be deflecting students from enrolling. If that is true, will someone lose her/his job? Chancellor Goldman responded that those in SOAR do present solid, rational arguments, but there will probably be some changes in the future. Provost Rice added that some colleges have been told that if their advisors wish to contact their continuing students or have names for new students outside of the organization scheduling a SOAR to register them if they can. Not all colleges feel that need; some like Applied Sciences and Arts do because they have prime programs that have caps, and they do not want to wait until July to admit those students. He is not as inclined to point the finger at Banner, although he is aware there are issues. He believes there are fixes and certainly changes in workflow that can be made to improve that circumstance. Faculty also need to do more with respect to retention of students. Colleges have put some retention programs in place, and the First Year Experience will hopefully improve retention of transfer and first year students. The University has invested in several things that will hopefully make a considerable difference in FY11 and FY12. Chancellor Goldman indicated that reasons for the decline in graduate enrollment will be explored. Programs where there is heavy interest, such as the baccalaureate aviation program, will be pushed, and new programs are being created. There will also be a push to move the application process along faster. Provost Rice noted that some of the holds on registration are a result of students being unable to pay off a debt, which he attributes in part to the current economy. He believes the economy is affecting some of the kinds of students the University attracts, and that is an issue. Chancellor Goldman noted the University allocates approximately $220 million in financial aid a year, and SIUC's package is pretty good, but now everyone is allocating financial aid, and students can shop around for the best deal.

K. Meksem commented that students today are looking for a city where they can study, but also have fun. He believes the city of Carbondale does not do much to actually help the University. The economy is bad, and most students will be looking for jobs. However, there are not enough jobs to satisfy students who come to Carbondale. There should be more communication between the University and the city so they can help students coming here to study and also enjoy their lives as students. Chancellor Goldman believes the difficulty is that Carbondale does not have an urban area on which to draw and so does not have the advantages of living in an urban center with employment opportunities. The University itself is likely the highest employer of students; yet, with the increase in minimum wage and decrease in dollars, the institution is strapped to provide jobs. Provost Rice mentioned that University Communications recently created a brochure for potential faculty, and it is intended as an advertisement for what it is like to live in this region. It does not deal with the issue of jobs other than a reference to such for spouse/significant other hires. The brochure is very nice and may help attract more faculty and give them a better sense of what they are coming to here. At the Dean's Council meeting earlier, they discussed the brochure, and the suggestion was raised that it should be refitted for students, with emphasis made on jobs. Chancellor Goldman noted the brochure was created (with the help of the University) and was funded by the Carbondale Convention and Tourism Bureau.

P. Howze reported that at the recent Chancellor's Executive Committee meeting he attended, there was discussion on the topic of succession planning--the need to put talented faculty in place to succeed individuals who may soon leave. He believes SIUC needs to start tapping some of its faculty talent so there is some kind of an internship core by which people can train to be the next wave of leaders. There are already some fine programs that are supported by the administration, such as HERS Bryn Mawr Institute. He has taken up this issue on behalf of the Senate to ascertain how to get people in key places, especially in middle management where the Provost's area has grown. Provost Rice noted that he has a scanned version of the presentation that he will share with P. Howze. He commented that, as an academic institution, the University does have procedures in place for succession. The rationale for the presentation was not to suggest changing or violating those; it was about redundancy. This campus has the problem that if someone whose position is critical leaves for however long, there is no one available who can do that job. It was intended to be a wake up call, not just about succession but also about workload in offices. P. Howze noted that, additionally, he is talking about the creation of a middle management core, an internship among talented faculty who are willing to take that opportunity.

B. Thibeault indicated that a while back, the Senate was told that one of the [problems with enrollment] had to do with something procedural going on in admissions [that was causing a bottleneck]. Provost Rice responded that they have looked at bottlenecks, and the data does not always help to understand them. For example, they will get data one week that suggests there are a large number of applications; yet, the numbers at registration are low, so that has to be examined to see what is happening. They are fairly convinced that there are not large numbers of unprocessed applications. Still, there is some concern. Staff and computers have been added to the Admissions office; a Sunguard consultant is currently on campus and helping with the implementation of Banner. To date, they believe they have everything in terms of work flow under control.

K. Meksem commented that most graduate students in his college (Agricultural Sciences) are paid from grant funds, so one of the reasons for not admitting them is that faculty have to wait to hear if their grant will actually be funded. Is it possible for those agencies and the University to work together to provide, for example, matching funds [until such time as the grant funding comes in]. Chancellor Goldman suggested contacting the dean of the Graduate School to see if something like that could be worked out. Provost Rice expressed concern about those students funded through state grants, particularly those who are in social service areas because until those grants are funded, those students cannot be paid. In cases where [the start of a grant] does not coincide with trying to get a student on contract and enrolled, he personally has authorized the creation of accounts and beginning employment of those students before the award has actually been made; then, if any kind of problem arises, the Provost and Vice Chancellor area will cover whatever has been expended. He cannot speak for the Graduate School dean, but he is more than willing to talk to individuals who are facing that circumstance.

S. Ebbs asked at what [administrative] level is it decided whether critical civil service positions will be filled. Provost Rice responded that those requests are coming to the Provost and Vice Chancellor area. He realizes that because of past rescissions, departments and colleges cannot afford the understaffing of their personnel to get any worse. Both he and the Chancellor will look at those positions and likely would be inclined to agree that they need to be filled in order to keep the University running at a proper level. He noted that he has been receiving a number of PAPs recently for expanding civil service personnel in colleges. Expansion lines is a different issue; until the veto session is over, and the administration has a sense of what is going to happen with the speculative budget, it is too dicey to consider. He does not want anyone to be caught with a line they could afford in FY10 but cannot in FY11 or 12 because the help may not be there. With respect to faculty lines, those are being closely examined. Chancellor Goldman believes that faculty lines have to be dealt with realistically. Critical decisions have to be made as to whether to fill a position that may have been there for years, but enrollment is so far down in that college that it cannot sustain another position, as opposed to [putting that line in] another area where the promise of enrollment is very high. The University cannot continue to feed low enrollment programs at the expense of potentially high enrollment programs. Provost Rice added that another issue to consider is the impact it would have on a small department to lose one person as opposed to losing someone in a larger department. This is something that will have to be looked at closely. The question is how to best serve the students to make sure they do not lose anything in the curriculum.

OLD BUSINESS -- None.

ANNOUNCEMENTS -- None.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 2:48 p.m.