Minutes of the University Committee
for October 13, 2005

Call to Order:

The meeting was called to order at 3:35 PM by Prof Doug DeVinny, Chair. Present in addition were Profs Frances Kavenik, Mary Lenard, Paul Mohazzabi, and Anne Statham, members, guests Provost Rebecca Martin and Dean Donald Cress, and Walter Feldt, Interim Secretary of the Faculty. Prof Chris Evans, member, was excused.

Business:

Enrollment Forecasting - Meeting with Provost Martin and Dean Cress

Provost Martin alerted the Committee that, given hard economic times, she was looking at distributing resources more equitably among the academic departments. She was contemplating using student credit hours as a stronger factor for funding by comparing departmental loads with those in peer institutions. She offered that she thought this was a more equitable approach than comparing departments with other departments on campus.

For starters, she is looking at using this approach first in the social sciences and humanities, thereby avoiding the more complex course arrangements in the sciences and fine arts, for the moment.

She also wondered whether the campus can afford to offer as many upper division low enrollment courses as are now offered, citing a model, also mentioned by Dean Cress, where faculty members taught two lower division, high enrollment courses, along with one lower enrollment section.

She said that she was searching for ways to avoid using open faculty lines to fund adjunct instruction.

Provost's Fund Review Committee

The Committee selected two faculty appointees for the Provost's Fund Selection Committee.

Sabbatical Proposal Review Committee

In accordance with the procedure approved by the Faculty Senate on October 6, the Committee selected two members each from the following groups to serve on the review committee for sabbatical proposals for 2006-07: Committee on Research and Creative Activity, Committee on Teaching and Learning and former sabbatical awardees.

It was further agreed to ask the review committee to suggest changes in procedure for 2007-08 proposals. These might include requiring that the members be tenured and allowing former CRCA or CoTL members to serve.

Secretary of the Faculty Position

Prof Feldt said that he had talked with a faculty member who was potentially interested in the Secretary of the Faculty position. Prof DeVinny agreed to contact the interestee.

Appointments to Committees

The Committee proceeded to select potential appointees to fill vacancies on the Faculty Rights and Responsibilities Committee, the Academic Achievement Assessment Committee, the Admissions, Records and Student Information Committee, the Information Resources Committee and the University Planning Council.

Faculty Perception of Administrative Performance - Form for Provost

The Committee's policy is to conduct a survey of the faculty perceptions on performance of academic administrators every two years. Forms exist for the chancellor and the deans, but a form needs to be developed for the provost. Prof Statham has been working on a form for use with the provost and the committee discussed her draft and made suggestions.

Prof Statham agreed to modify her form and bring it to a forthcoming meeting.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 4:45 PM.

Respectfully Submitted

Walter T Feldt

SECRETARY OF THE FACULTY : Interim