1)  CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order by Dennis Rome, Chair, at 3:35 P.M.  Also attending were members Herb Colston, Chris Evans, Peggy James, and Farida Khan.  Greg Mayer was excused to attend a meeting of the Racine Zoo Board, on which he will be a Senior Vice-Chair  as of January. 

2) APPROVAL OF MINUTES

The  “notes” from November 18, 2008, were approved 5-0-0, thus confirming the results of the ballots under new business a).

3) ANNOUNCEMENTS

Prof. Rome addressed the budget.  California has declared a state of fiscal emergency.  The Faculty Reps committee on salary is on the agenda at every Regent’s meeting; the promised 5½ % is now 2½ %.  There are meetings Thursday and Friday and there should be more information.

The members expressed strongly the need to have someone from faculty governance represented on the Chancellor’s planning committee for budget adjustments.

Prof. Rome also asked for ideas on the sabbatical guidelines, to be conveyed to the Education Subcommittee of the Regents. 

4) UNFINISHED BUSINESS 

• Interim Chancellor’s Survey

Prof. Rome noted the need for a clear, cogent purpose statement, a packaging where new curricular areas should fall.  A consultant on strategic planning is coming in from System to work on this, but will meet first only with the Cabinet.

Prof. Colston moved that a memo be sent to Interim Chancellor Earns expressing the UC’s concern that faculty representation on key ad-hoc committees (such as budget crisis planning and strategic planning) has not been included sufficiently early.  The motion was seconded and was APPROVED 5-0-0.  Prof. Rome noted that Interim Chancellor Earns had offered to come back and meet again with the committee.  The Secretary, representing the UC, should send this memo. 

• Position Description for Director of CTS (CTO) (original position description resent 11/11)

The Interim Provost has noted that this position will not be affected by the budget crisis.  The Committee members expressed concern with the corporate approach in the refashioning of the position description, noting especially that the paragraph in the original description (“Duties and Responsibilities”), which dealt with support of faculty research, for example, had been eliminated.  The committee recommended that this paragraph replace the “Function of the Job” in the new document.  The Committee also noted that the new document does not seem to take into account the CTS Program Review Committee’s report—which stressed the need for better communication with all areas of the campus community.

The Committee members wanted to wait to do a final response on this until it received the suggestions from the Information Resources Committee on the reshaping of its charge.

• First Friday: December 5th

There was some confusion as to who had volunteered to do the next First Friday.  The original list noted Equity and Diversity—the Committee asked the Secretary to e-mail Mr. Fujimoto.  [Mr. Fujimoto replied that he thought E&D was scheduled for Spring.]  The UC members agreed to sponsor the event if no one else was scheduled for it. 

5) NEW BUSINESS

              a) Confirm ballot approval (6-0-0, by e-mail, as filed by Secretary) of the following:

            

• Dean Cress: Augmentation of GEOS Full Professor Committee

Prof. Kolb (Chem) and Prof. Mohazzabi (Physics) as augmentors to Prof. Evans.

                 ii)  Dean Cress: Augmentation of History Executive Committee

Prof. Kaufman (Econ) and Prof. McNair (MODL) as augmentors to Prof. Gellott.

                   iii)  Dean Cress: Augmentation of Modern Languages Executive Committee (Spring 09) Prof. Mayer (Bio) as augmentor to Profs. McNair and Gonzalez.

                   iv) Approval of 2010-11 Parkside Academic Calendar

                   v) Approval of Senate Agenda for November 25, 2008

    vi) Approval of November 11, 2008 minutes (5-0-1)

This was accomplished with the approval of the “notes” of the meeting of 11-18-08.

b) Sabbatical process

Prof. Rome noted that he had received an e-mail from Dean Ebeid and had been approached by several people who did not receive sabbaticals, asking about the process.

The members reviewed the documents which had formed the Sabbatical Proposal Review Committee.  Other considerations included persons bringing in money through grants, the need to give feed back to those not receiving sabbaticals, the possibility of the College and the School having their own internal process.  It was noted that the Committee has to enforce the guidelines dictated by System; the point values assigned are added up and sent to the Provost, who makes the final decision.  It was noted as well that the effect of the guidelines was to disenfranchise pure research. The process is actually three-fold: the departments’ submissions to the Deans, who then rank the submissions, the Review Committee’s rankings by the point system, and the final decision by the Provost. 

The members noted that any changes to this process (or to the composition of the UC—as per a communication from Prof. Chalasani) would involve changing UWPF.  A proposal would need to be sent to the UC, which would take it to the Senate.

Members suggested that the Secretary of the Faculty should charge the committee every time it first meets.

The Secretary said she would see that the appropriate document is uploaded to the committee site. 

It was also suggested that the Administration should issue a final report and notify everyone of those chosen to receive sabbaticals. 

6) MISCELLANEOUS BUSINESS 

• There was discussion as to whether the UC should issue a letter of thanks to the members of the previous Chancellor Search Committee.  It was decided that it is always important to recognize important faculty service, and such a letter will be issued. 

• There will be a meeting Dec. 9th, unless there is no further business. 

7) ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 5:35 P.M. 

Submitted by Evelyn Zepp, Interim Secretary of the Faculty