MINUTES UMKC FACULTY SENATE October 1, 1996 (Approved 10/15/96)

3:00 P.M. · Kathy Loncar called the meeting to order:

The September 17, 1996 minutes were approved with minor corrections.

Faculty Senate Committee Reports:

Academic Issues: Kathy Loncar reported that the first meeting of the Academic Issues Committee will need to be rescheduled because only three members attended the initial meeting. There is no committee chair yet for the committee.

Administrative Issues: Barbara Glesner-Fines explained that the initial process has begun for the evaluation of deans and administrators. Dean Nancy Mills (Nursing) will receive her first formal evaluation. Dean James Durig (Arts and Sciences) also is up for a first formal evaluation as is Dean Marino Martinez-Carrion (Biological Sciences). The Faculty Senate was late to inform these two deans last year that they were due for evaluation. Because of this, they both choose to delay the process until this year. Dean Martinez-Carrion asked that we evaluate him early because his school is involved in an accreditation process. This will allow his faculty to return the evaluations before the spring semester is concluded. Barbara related that the Administrative Issues committee will be glad to accommodate this but the Senate committee cannot guarantee that the evaluation summary and compilation will get done any earlier. All of the deans that are up for evaluation have been notified and Barbara will distribute the evaluation forms once she receives the participants names in the mail. The committee will then compile results. Barbara needs additional members for work on this committee. Dr. Charles Cobb has agreed to serve on the committee this year. The procedures document explains that “benefits eligible faculty with 51% teaching responsibilities” can evaluate deans and administrators. This would appear to eliminate research faculty. The Senate recommended that we change the procedures to read, ALL BENEFIT ELIGIBLE FACULTY THAT HAVE VOTING RIGHTS, tenure or non-tenure track. This is an issue for individual schools to work out. Barbara wanted to raise the issue so that it can be on the next agenda. This needs to be resolved by the end of October. Copyright policy: Barbara has a copy of the final issue that was to address the changes suggested by the Faculty Senate. The Senate will need to decide if the final version is acceptable. Barbara will compare the final version with our previous comments to determine if the comments to have been incorporated into the policy. If that is the case, Barbara will inform Jerry Jensen that the Senate endorses the policy. If the changes were not made then the Senate needs to review the policy again.

IFC report: This year Lois Pierce is chair and Susan Fiegenbaum is secretary. IFC met with Jim Snyder who is a lobbyist in Jefferson City. There was much discussion about the English proficiency test recommended in two pending bills. The problem with the bill that died in legislation is the “whistle blowing” effect that can be initiated by a disgruntled student. Each campus will forward a copy of its English proficiency policy to the IFC to determine how this issue is handled UM-wide. There is already a state law that deals with the English proficiency of teaching assistants. Discussion then turned to the attack on tenure and in terms of the legislature. Jim Snyder thinks it’s a “back-door” effort through issues of collective bargaining for state employees which raises issues about tenure. This issue will be revisited. IFC members asked of Jim Snyder if there is a chance of having a faculty member placed on the Board of Curators? He felt that the chances are not good. There is a lot of sympathy in House for this but the Senate is opposed because it feels that the state needs a board of laypersons overseeing this kind of investment. The IFC would like to have some impact on the qualifications for being a board member and that is an area Jim Snyder can explore. Dr. Mel George stated that Steve Lemkuhle has been appointed Acting Vice President of Academic Affairs while Richard Wallace fills in as UMC’s Acting Chancellor. Dr. George explained that the agenda for the next ten months is to re-establish relationships between the board and the administration. He wishes to create a partnership model rather than a business model of operation. He has no intention of beginning a new five year plan, but rather to “build a bridge” for the next president and his administration and the board. The hospital issues at UMC need to be settled soon. He has concerns over how people are learning the use of technology in the work place and how they relate to it. On the issue of tenure and post-tenure review, Dr. George is concerned about it. The concept of tenure in minds of many people outside UM is a negative one. The public perception also connects tenure to the position or person, and to salary, etc. There is more job security in middle management than with tenured faculty. External tenure concerns include: 1.) it limits the university’s hiring and firing flexibility; 2.) it may protect incompetence; 3.) there arises an intellectual stale-mate by not bringing in new faculty. He wants the university to be proactive so that we can avoid the Minnesota model. There was a PEW round table in October. The question arose as to whether Missouri should change the system of state institutions of higher education and have one governing board. There is a Faculty Advisory Committee in place to search for a new UM President. It is limited to curators professors only. The IFC would like it to include junior faculty too because they have more at stake than tenured professors. This proposal will be taken up with the Board’s President, Fred Hall. The IFC would like to ask a the next curators’ meeting about Executive Order #1 and its ramifications now that Dr. Russell has retired. There will be a reception on October 11 (5:00-7:00p.m.) to say good-bye to George Russell. It will be at Providence Point.

Discussion with the Chancellor: Salary Review: Dr. Marvin Querry explained that the Chancellor had a 4.4% salary and wage increase available for distribution. Now that the five year plan has brought salaries up to the AAU average, it will be more difficult to predict raises in the future. Future raises will depend on the economy and levels of enrollment could also be a factor. Dr. Querry is not expecting a rise in fees. There has been a committee appointed to look at graduate school and professional school tuitions. The system goal is to maintain a competitive wage and we need to keep the spirit of this. Technology Plan: Dr. Ron McQuarrie handed out summary sheets that explained two sources of information technology money allocated to the UM system by President Russell. Some of the projects co-mingle sources of money. There was an allocation of $1,164.,000 for classroom support, work stations, staffing, and technical support. In classroom projects for 1996 (supported by student computing fees) there was a match of funds from academic units. These projects support direct student use in the distribution of money or benefit student instruction. The summary sheets were taken from the tables of the August Technology Report. There is a concern of replacing obsolete equipment and so we need an ongoing source for rate money to replace hardware every year. General Officers: The Chancellor said that the General Officers met last on September 4th. The next meeting is scheduled for October 15th. Agenda items will include endowed chairs, external funding (gifts), and the status of technology planning.

Attendance Present: Greg Arling, Gary Bennett, Valerie Blanco, Jane Carl, Les Chafetz, Julie Cheslik, Robert Cleary, Ray Coveney, Rafael Espejo-Saavedra, Alfred Esser, William Frederickson, Richard Gentile, Barbara Glesner-Fines, Rich Hamilton, David Harris, Joseph Hughey, Steve Krantz, Kathy Loncar, James McKinley, Janet McKinney, Ed Mills, Jerry Place, Gary Pettett, Dennis Pyszszynski, Jan Russell, David Schwarzer, Khosrow Sohraby, Nancy Stancel, Hans Uffelmann, Jakob Waterborg, David Yourtee

Excused: Jean Braun, John Rapley

Sincerely,

Nancy D. Stancel