April 2016
April 2016
FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY MEETING
April 8, 2016
Attendance: Pam Shockley-Zalabak, Terry Schwartz, Susan Szpyrka, Monique French, Barbara Prinari, Bita Rivas, Mark Malone, Tom Zwirlein, Rhonda Glazier, Jay Dawes, Kerry Peterson, Jill Bradley-Geist, Lori Notestine, Pam Carter, Suzanne Cook, Stephen Carter, Cerian Gibbes, Valerie Brodar, Stephanie Spratt, Anna Kosloski, Norah Mazel, Catherine Grandorff, Dave Anderson, David Havlick
Call to Order / Approval of Minutes:
Motion to approve the minutes from March 11, 2016 meeting by Catherine Grandorff
Seconded by Anna Kosloski
Motion passed with 13 in favor, 0 opposed and 1 abstention
Reports of Visitors:
Pam Shockley-Zalabak, Chancellor:
We just got the confirmed announcement of the Provost Search Committee last night. Tom Huber and Christina Martinez are the co-chairs of that committee and I will be delivering the charge to the committee next week. We will be following Regent Policy 3E (Searches for Administrators and Guidelines for the Appointment of Chief Officers of the University) in conducting the search process. They will have two open sessions and will meet again to provide search input. They will work on virtual teams over the summer and will bring candidates to campus either late September or mid-November. I will be spending time and meeting one-on-one with the Regents in order to prepare for the HLC Accreditation visit, since the Regents will actually be spending more time with the HLC than anyone else. The Long Bill has gone through the House and Senate, but it will be going to conference committee. UCCS will be able to raise the merit pool to 2.0 from 1.6. The CU system got some flexibility in handling raises as a result of the statewide funding formula – with House Bill 1319, we got a small bump and are able to do it.
Terry Schwartz, Interim Provost:
We received good feedback on the first draft of the HLC Assurance Argument and there will be more chances to respond. Vice President Lightner and the Faculty Council Personnel Committee have brought forward some concerns with APS 1009 - Evaluation; Multiple Means of Teaching and whether or not all campuses are using this policy to make sure we are all compliant. One measurement stated in the policy should be FCQ’s. By the end of the semester, we need to suggest members for the FCQ system-wide review committee – maybe an Associate Dean and a faculty member? The other item of concern is the CU standard for receiving a pass in a pass/fail course, which has been a D-. This is causing issues for transfer students and we should change this pass grade to a C- by December 31, 2016.
Susan Szpyrka, Senior Vice Chancellor for Administration & Finance:
Budget outlook for fiscal year 16-17 with tuition and fee requests along with compensation was presented to the Board of Regents in February and their standard process is to approve it in April. We presented an undergraduate lower division resident tuition increase of 4.6% for comparison to other state institutions and the CU system. This includes tuition and fees. University of Colorado has a 5% cap and the top cap for some other institutions is 8%. This is a $300 increase in student tuition for that resident category along with a $135 increase in fees, which covers the academic year. A reduction of state support is expected and we were planning on losing $1.5 million in 2017, 18 and 19. CU did well on the House Bill 1319 matrix and we received $335,000. The Long Bill is moving forward, but we are cautious. The merit pool was at 1.6 for all employee categories, but we can now take it to 2.0. We had to cut our enrollment contingency due to lower enrollments. Carlos Garcia is our new Associate Vice Chancellor for Administration & Finance and he is responsible for the business units. We are working on reviewing and updating our policies. Gayanne Scott represents the financial side and faculty representatives review the academic side. There have been significant challenges with the Elevate upgrade system to Finance and Human Resources and everyone is working on resolving those issues. Please be sure to check your paycheck to ensure its accuracy. We tailored our past Finance and HR systems so specifically to our operations that we weren’t able to upgrade with their system due to customization issues and problems with Sponsored Programs tracking, which is why there was an overall system change.
Officer Reports:
Past President’s Report
Not present – no report
Reports from Standing Committees:
Faculty Advisory Committee on the Budget
Faculty Minority Affairs Committee
Library:
Not present - no report
Intercollegiate Athletics:
Not present – no report
Misconduct in Research, Scholarship & Creative Activities:
Not present – no report
Reports from Representatives:
A. Spring Semester Conversations at Clyde’s:
1. Tuesday, April 26, 4:00pm – 6:00pm; Ann Amicucci, Cerian Gibbes, and Anna Kosloski are the coordinators.
2. Volunteers needed and date/time set for the week of May 9-13.
B. Other items: - proportionate representation on Faculty Assembly to actual faculty count in each college will be reviewed
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
None
NEW BUSINESS
Motion 1:
The Faculty Assembly Executive Committee moves to approve Tom Christensen as the UCCS member of the Privilege and Tenure Committee to replace Lynda Dickson (2016-2018).
(Motion passed unanimously with 18 in favor, 0 opposed and 0 abstentions)
Motion 2:
The Faculty Assembly Women's Committee (FAWC) moves to amend the Faculty Assembly Bylaws to create a new Regular Standing Advisory Committee. The new advisory committee would be named the UCCS Women’s Advisory Committee (UWAC) and it would be charged with: assessing the cultural climate of the university as it pertains to opportunities of women faculty for academic advancement, productivity and appropriate compensation; creating an academic environment that fosters the academic success of women faculty and staff; working to assure fairness in the recruitment and retention of women faculty and staff; developing support networks and recommending policy to address the needs of women faculty and staff. Additionally, the UWAC would operate in coordination with and in an advisory capacity to the FAWC.
(Motion passed unanimously with 18 in favor, 0 opposed and 0 abstentions)
Motion 3:
The Faculty Assembly Executive Committee moves that the Faculty Assembly Bylaws revisions to Section VI be approved.
(Motion passed unanimously with 18 in favor, 0 opposed and 0 abstentions)
Motion 4:
The Faculty Assembly Women’s Committee moves that their Bylaws be approved.
(Motion passed unanimously with 18 in favor, 0 opposed and 0 abstentions)
Motion 5:
The Non-Tenure Track Faculty Committee (NTTF) moves to update their Bylaws.
(Motion passed unanimously with 18 in favor, 0 opposed and 0 abstentions)
Motion 6:
The campus EPUS Committee moves to update their Bylaws.
(Motion passed unanimously with 18 in favor, 0 opposed and 0 abstentions)
Motion 7:
The Faculty Assembly Executive Committee moves to suspend the Bylaws in regard to advanced notice for agenda items for one meeting only for the month of May 2016.
(Motion passed unanimously with 18 in favor, 0 opposed and 0 abstentions)
Motion 8:
The campus EPUS committee has reviewed a significant revision of the Guidelines and Procedures for Research Misconduct Allegations. EPUS would like to suggest one minor revision. It is based on the idea that a Faculty Assembly committee can propose a policy or resolution, but it has no power until it is approved by the assembly. Suggested changes relate to section V Part G on page 14 of this document (changes added in italics below):
V. General Operating Procedures for the CMRSCA
G. Amendments to Guidelines and Procedures
These Guidelines and Procedures may be changed or amended by the RIO, in consultation with the CMRSCA, at any time to ensure compliance with University, federal, or other requirements for a pending investigation. Typically, changes will be made following normal campus processes and with appropriate input and approvals by Faculty Representative Assembly.
(Motion passed with 17 in favor, 0 opposed and 1 abstention)
Motion 9:
The Faculty Representative Assembly moves that the approval of the entire Guidelines and Procedures for Research Misconduct Allegations document be postponed at this time.
(Motion passed with 11 in favor, 1 opposed and 3 abstentions)
Adjournment:
Motion to adjourn the Faculty Assembly Meeting by Pam Carter
Seconded by Norah Mazel
Motion passed unanimously
Meeting adjourned at 2:10 p.m.