FAC121401

FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY MEETING

December 14, 2001

Attendance: Mark Malone, Richard Blade, Charlie Shub, Ceil Malek, Lesley Ginsberg, Michael Brunn, Teresa Strasner, Sue Byerley, Ron Fitz, Patricia Keilbach, Paul Sondrol, Don Morley, Venkat Reddy, Rebecca Duray, Cleve McDaniel, Pam Shockley, Robert Wonnett, Tom Bellamy

CALL TO ORDER/APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Mark called the meeting to order and welcomed everyone.

Motion by Mark Malone to approve the minutes from November 9, 2001 and approval of the minutes from the special meeting held on October 19, 2001.
Moved by Venkat Reddy to approve the minutes from November 9, 2001 and October 19, 2001.
Seconded by Sue Byerley.
Motion passed unanimously.

REPORTS OF VISITORS

Pam Shockley, Chancellor – Pam gave highlights of the forum held earlier.

• Pam feels we are reasonably well positioned for what may be another potential issue with our budget come the December 20 revenue projections for the state. Applications are up for spring and we again need to over-realize tuition to avoid another rescission. Contingency plans in all units are ready. We are doing much better than surrounding states.

• Blue Ribbon Panel recommendations continue to evolve. We are asking for an expansion of our region as well as focus research agenda. Pam is meeting with President Hoffman on Tuesday discuss this item.

• Fundraising efforts are surprisingly robust. Since July 1, we have come up with $246,000 cash scholarships.

• Capital development is delayed and we are reasonable well positioned as a campus and shouldn’t have to freeze any vacant positions. Pam is not anticipating any layoffs and gives credit to Cleve McDaniel, Richard Blade and other members of the Budget Advisory Committee for reducing the deficit.

• Over 300 people showed up for the 1^st December Graduate reception.

• January 4, 2002 is set for the next round of Faculty Housing application deadlines. Mark will put out an e-mail to the campus with the website for Faculty Housing.

• The Boulder campus has requested advice from faculty regarding domestic partner benefits with recommendations to be forwarded to the Regents. Additional modifications have been made by Regent Sievers. Pam will take and forward information from Faculty Assembly. Please advise either way. This is a Regental policy, not administrative. Mark will do whatever is necessary to support this basic fairness, basic human rights issue.

• A committee has looked into bringing graduation back to campus. Limits would have to be placed on who could attend. A new model has been planned for next year where college events will be held on campus; nice receptions in the afternoon before graduation. All receptions will be coordinated with the pickup of caps and gowns. May be heading to the point of two graduations, one in May and the other in December.

Cleve McDaniel, VCAF – Due to the over-realization of tuition and the fact that we are out of the deficit hole, we are in a much better position. This was made possible from efforts made by the entire campus.

The Benefits Officer position was advertised in the Silver and Gold several weeks ago and we now have the candidates ready to be interviewed. There are seven external candidates and two transfer candidates. Cleve would like someone from the Benefits Committee to be on the interview board.

The Associate Vice Chancellor position will start again in January. The paperwork is already done, so it should go much faster.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT – Mark Malone

Mark provided a handout of his report.

Mark expanded on the last item in his report regarding Rex Welshon. Mark will take a motion to next Faculty Assembly Executive meeting to ask that Rex finish out this term as a Faculty Council Rep.

Moved by Richard Blade to have Rex Welshon continue as Representative of UCCS campus on Faculty Council..
Seconded by Charlie Shub
Motion passes unanimously

REPORTS OF VISITORS (CON’T)

Robert Wonnett, VCSS – Total applications as of last Friday are up 10.5% and registration is running at 9.7%. This is over the same time last year. Students are leaving the housing village and Robert is hearing wonderful things about our faculty. One hundred students showed up for orientation. There is going to be a phone bank set up soon to call all registered students.

VICE PRESIDENT’S REPORT – Don Morley

Don will be sending out an e-mail after the Christmas break putting together the slate for spring elections asking if you wish to stay in your current position or if you know of others wanting to run. He is encouraging everyone to get involved in faculty governance. If you can’t serve, please find someone in your college who can.

REPORTS FROM STANDING COMMITTEES

PERSONNEL AND BENEFITS – (As reported by Charlie Shub) Al Ramirez was elected chair at the last meeting. Open enrollment is done and over 100 classified staff migrated from the state plan to the university plan. The board is looking at changes in the membership.

REPORTS FROM SPECIAL COMMITTEES

NTTF, Ceil Malek – Ceil provided a handout of her report. Salary Oversight committee is working on some of the items listed in her report. Richard Blade would like to see a motion come from the NTTF committee asking for support from Faculty Assembly. Ceil will make up motion and bring it to the Faculty Executive Committee.

ATHLETICS, Charlie Shub – The women’s basketball team won for the first time ever in Hays, Kansas. The men’s and women’s basketball teams will be competing this Saturday and Sunday, please come out and support them.

ACADEMIC PROGRAM REVIEW COMMITTEE – Mark thanked Dan Ponder for accepting the position of Chair of this committee.

P & T – Mark advised that Robert Lorch and Richard Wunderli have agreed to serve on this committee.

LIBRARY, Lesley Ginsberg – Leslie has been elected chair of the Library Committee. She thanked Mark for organizing this committee. They are in the process of scheduling meetings with the topic of re-evaluating where money from journals goes. They will get input from faculty as a whole.

NEW BUSINESS

Motion: At the time of its inception, the composition of the University Benefits Advisory Board (UBAB) was determined with input from many groups including the Human Resources Policy Group, Faculty and Staff governance groups, and the consultant firm helping with the transition from the former model. The Board seems to be working well. The UCCS Representative Assembly is opposed to changing the composition of UBAB by adding more members, either voting or ex-officio.

There was discussion on the motion.

Moved by Richard Blade to amend the motion.
Seconded by Charlie Shub

Amended Motion: At the time of its inception, the composition of the University Benefits Advisory Board (UBAB) was determined with input from many groups including the Human Resources Policy Group, Faculty and Staff governance groups, and the consultant firm helping with the transition from the former model. The Board seems to be working well. The UCCS Representative Assembly favors keeping the University Benefits Advisory Board at its current size.

Don Morley – Question on amendment
Seconded by Lesley Ginsberg

Amendment carries

Moved by Richard Blade to question motion as amended
Seconded by Don Morley
Motion passes unanimously

REPORTS OF VISITORS (CON’T)

Tom Bellamy, VCAA – Tom congratulated GES on their approval by the Regents for their Masters Degree program.

In the Office of Sponsored Programs, Dave Schmidt is working step by step on restructuring this office. The next thing you will see will be new forms for grant submissions. A PI handbook will be made and Tom will bring policies before the Faculty Assembly for input. The search for the Director is going quite well.

Tom met last week with EPUS on the faculty vacancy policy and the summer policy. Summer session seems to be a very positive change with a plan in place that will pretty significantly increase enrollment over last year without a dramatic change in the budget. They had originally set aside some money for courses in Extended Studies and then the campus decided to fund those courses through the regular budget instead.

There is one change Tom would like to call your attention to in the CRCW grants. One slight difference is a priority on either support for junior faculty or support for faculty members starting a new line of research.

Tom met with Ceil Malek and made a commitment that the VCAA office will be the point of policy development to get something in place.

Faculty vacancy policy is moving ahead one step at a time. Important change in the Dean’s interaction is that for instructor positions, the Deans will provide a full slate of positions rather than position by position for budget approval.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

None

ANNOUNCEMENT AND QUESTIONS

There will not be a January Faculty Representative Assembly meeting.

Mark is down to the last committee needing representation. He needs one more person for the Campus Awards Committee from Business. Venkat will get back to Mark if he finds a candidate.

ADJOURNMENT

Motion by Mark Malone to adjourn the meeting.
Moved by Charlie Shub to adjourn the meeting.
Seconded by Venkat Reddy.
Motion passed unanimously.

Meeting adjourned at 2:10 pm.