MINUTES UMKC FACULTY SENATE November 18, 1997 (Approved 12/2/97)

3:00 PM Kathy Loncar called the meeting to order.

The minutes of the meeting of October 21, 1997 were approved with minor corrections. The minutes of the meeting of November 4,1997 were approved as written.

Announcements

The schedule for exam week, printed in the fall semester, is incorrect. Faculty and students should be advised to follow the day of the week not the date for giving their final exams. Faculty will be given corrected information and should notify students.

The Senate will not meet on December 16,1997 as this is exam week.

Intercampus Faculty Council Report

Grievance Procedures - The lFC is considering several changes to the grievance procedures including changes in the standards for proof, the size of the Grievance panel pool, and the observation of the 180 day time limit for resolution.

Community Colleges - Several issues regarding the relationship of the university system to the state's community colleges are being discussed by the IFC. Among these issues are; the need to re-examine and update articulation agreements, the need to increase the level of discussion between university and community college faculties about course comparabilities and articulation, the need for a better means of tracking the success of community college students transferring to university campuses, the move to require four year institutions to accept up to 75 hours of community college credit including upper level courses being taught at the second year level at community colleges.

James McGill To Leave - Executive Vice President James McGill will leave the university system in January to begin anew job at Johns Hopkins University. Ken Hutchinson will serve as interim comptroller until the position is filled permanently.

Endowed Chairs - The IFC would like to see some of the endowed chairs go to distinguished scholars known for excellence in teaching. The Coordinating Board for Higher Education had indicated an interest in the strategic planning process used at UMKC. Support from the CBHE could help increase the number of endowed chairs in the future.

Intercampus Student Council - President Pacheco has approved the formation of an Intercampus Student Council to serve as a advisory group to the president and the system.

Other Topics - The IFC will discuss at future meetings the following topics: the increase in hiring of non-regular faculty, an enhance retirement plan, the differences in fee structures among units and campuses, the planning of the common calendar for the year 1999-2000, and the possibility of offering system-wide degrees.

Committee Reports

Academic Issues - The committee offered a time table for nominating and approving honorary degrees for both mid-year and spring commencements. The time table was approved by the senate and will be recommended to the Chancellor. It should go into effect I the next academic year.

Administrative Issues - This committee has considered the process of evaluation of deans and directors. Vice Provost Marvin Querry will be invited to the next meeting to discuss possible changes to this process. Barbara Glesner Fines has volunteered to manage the evaluations again this year.

Faculty Welfare - This committee has not met since there have been meetings on campus recently to inform employees about changes and health benefits and the enrollment period.

Old Business

ITEC - The chair distributed the minutes from recent meetings of the Information Technology Executive Council. The faculty is represented on this council by Kathy Loncar, Chair of the Senate, Jerry Place of the Computer Science/Telecommunication Program, and Jan Russell of the School of Nursing.

Parking Issues - The Parking and Traffic Safety Committee are considering some changes for the next academic year. The bumper stickers will probably be replaced by hangtags for all employees, although the senators expressed several concerns about this. In addition, the numbered lots for faculty and staff will become generic so that any employee can park in any lot designated for faculty and staff.

Textbook Ordering - The Senate Chair and other senators will meet with representatives of the bookstore to discuss how the ordering of textbooks for upcoming semesters can be made smoother for both faculty and the bookstore.

New Business

Electronic Approval of Minutes - Beginning next semester the minutes of Faculty Senate meetings will be approved by senators via e-mail in order to expedite the circulation of approved minutes to the full faculty.

Missouri Association of Faculty Senates - Our Senate will join this association and will be represented by the Chair and by Barbara Glesner Fines.

University Car Use - University car rental has been outsourced to Enterprise Car Rentals. Some problems have been reported with this new service. Any problems with car rental should be reported to Gary Swanson in Facilities Management.

Convocation - In an effort to make the Fall Convocation an important event in which the faculty and alumni are celebrated and honored, several changes will be made next year. The Faculty Senate will be responsible for planning and conducting the ceremony and related events.

E-Mail Maintenance - The e-mail system at the School of Medicine was down for several days recently which affected the E-Reg Program which students use to arrange interviews. This rnay have prevented students from obtaining interviews with the medical School. This kind of failure will become increasingly problematic as e-mail becomes more "mission critical." Another example of "mission critical" use is the use by the National Science Foundation and other funders who are beginning to use electronic grant applications. Failures in our e-mail systems could be very damaging to academic and research efforts of faculty. This issue will be shared with the ITEC.

Agenda -Next Meeting - Dr. Marvin Querry will be invited to discuss with the Senate three topics: the evaluation process for deans and directors, the concept of "a virtual university," and the role of faculty, in changing the reward system.

5:00pm Adjournment

Present: Greg Arling, Valerie Blanco, Charles Cobb, Ray Coveney, Robert Downs, Ann Dykas, Alfred Esser, Rafael Espejo-Saavedra, William Fredrickson, Barbara Glesner Fines, Robert Groene, Joseph Hughey, Kathy Loncar, Janet McKinney, Ed Mills, Dennis Pyszczynski, Nancy Stancel, Hans Uffelmann, Jakob Waterborg, David Yourtee.

Absent: Steve Krantz,Tony Manzo, Jerry Place, JanRussell, Nancy Weatherholt, James McKinley, Khosrow Soraby, Don Thibeault