Faculty Senate

September 14, 2001

Guests: Provost, Bob Coombe

Susan Sadler called the meeting to order at 1:40 pm.

The minutes of 5/25/01 were approved.

Susan introduced Faustine Miller, new Faculty Senate Office Secretary. Faustine will be in the Senate office on Friday afternoons.

First order of business: Elections

Dennis Barrett explained that two positions needed to be filled: that of President-Elect, and Member of the Executive Committee At-Large. President-Elect is a 3-year commitment. There were two candidates: Leon Giles and Joe Szyliowicz. There were no nominations from the floor. Ved Nanda moved that nominations be closed; Gordon von Stroh seconded. Barrett distributed the ballots, and retired to count them.

Provost's Report: Bob Coombe. Coombe expressed a commitment to developing a working relationship with university faculty in the coming years, to staying in touch with faculty issues, and to attending all Senate meetings.

Coombe then addressed the Senate on the restructuring of the position Vice-Provost for Graduate Studies and Research. Citing the number of administrative positions currently open at the university, and large-scale transition that the University currently faces, Coombe announced his intent to accelerate the search for the Graduate Studies position. Explaining that changes in the responsibilities attached to the position have led to a restructuring of that position to include a half-time Research component. In the past, the Graduate Office has been a source of funding. With the current decentralization of the budget, many of the responsibilities formerly residing there now rest in the divisions, and the position has become significantly less than a full time job. By creating a single position linking scholarship and graduate studies, the intent is to strengthen both and allow for more flexibility and involvement across the university, especially in the professional schools not previously overseen by the Graduate Office. Sarah Nelson is currently filling the position in an interim capacity. Coombe anticipates that the search for a new Vice-Provost with take approximate one year. He also said that the decision to restructure the position should have come to the Senate initially. It did not, and that is why he is making a point of discussing it now.

Q&A: Don Stedman indicated that the Senate did not receive a financial status report from the administration during the last academic year. The report generally comes out of Craig Woody's Office, and is published in a fall issue of the Faculty Forum. He suggested that this year's State of the University Fiscal Report include last year's data as well.

Gordon von Stroh concurred with Stedman's concern, indicating that the failure of the Senate to obtain this information has significant implications for the University, as it is part of the Appointments, Promotion, and Tenure (APT) document, and has legal implications. Faculty should be apprised on financial health of the University, especially as they affect the viability of faculty appointments. Coombe promised to look into the matter.

Elections, cont'd. Barrett announced that Leon Giles had been selected as President-Elect, and opened the floor for nominations for Senator at Large to the Executive Committee. Cathryn Potter nominated Joe Szyliowicz. There were no further nominations. Alton Barbour moved to close nominations; Cathryn Potter seconded. Szyliowicz was elected by acclamation.

Senate Constitutional Overview. Barrett gave an overview of the Constitution of the Faculty Senate, outlining senators' responsibilities. Failure to attend a meeting requires a written designation of proxy. Three consecutive absences without cause constitute revocation of membership. Participation is important for both voting and non-voting members. Senators not in residence for four months should resign. He then outlined procedures for committees and reporting lines to the full Senate. Three consecutive absences at meetings equates with resignation from that committee.

Susan Sadler distributed copies of the Faculty Senate Handbook, indicating where information about the Senate Office, roster, constitution, and decision-making flow chart are found. She also outlined the findings of the North Central Accrediting (NCA) body. Because the report cannot be posted electronically, she asked that senators be responsible for distributing paper copies to interested persons in their departments. She then outlined the Senate's committee structure, announced the names this year's committee chairs, and read the charges of each of the five committees.

In closing, it was announced that a memorial service for Mike Martin (Mathematics) would be held in the Driscoll Center at 10:00 a.m. on the morning of Sunday, September 16, 2001. The meeting was adjourned so that committee chairs could convene initial meetings of their members.

Respectfully submitted

Deborah Grealy

October 8, 2001