February 2007

February 9, 2007

 

Attendance: Bob Durham, Ron Fitz, Glenda Reimer, Tom Zwirlein, Tom Napierkowski, Dick Discenza, Jim Henderson, Pam Carter, Jim Null, Kelli Klebe, Jackie Berning, Peg Bacon, Jenenne Nelson, Valerie Brodar, Sue Byerley, Weldon Lodwick, Suzanne Cook, John harner, Livia Gilstrap, Linda Kogan, Kee Warner

 

Call to Order / Approval of Minutes:

 

Motion to approve the minutes from December 2006 by Dick Discenza; seconded by Kelli Klebe

 

Reports of Visitors:

 

Peg Bacon:

A goals committee has been formed on campus to pull together all the different strategic areas and compile them into one overall campus plan. The new academic strategic plan will be completed before the new Provost for Academic Affairs arrives.

 

The BA in Women in Ethnic Studies will be going to UBAC and then the Board of Regents this spring. A BS in Biology is in the process of being approved. LAS is developing a Ph.D. in applied science.

 

There is a lot going on with faculty development. Dr. Kathy Trower of Harvard gave a presentation on recruiting and retaining faculty, emphasizing differences in work attitudes among faculty age groups. A faculty book club is starting next week. Discussion will be centered around the title, Whatever Happened to the Faculty by Mary Burgan. The club will meet on Thursdays at 7:30 am in the 3^rd floor apse of EPC. On March 23 Paul Loeb, a national expert on student engagement, will present a lecture for students in the morning and faculty in the afternoon.

 

Jim Henderson:

Debbie O'Dell will be revising the Course Bulletin to make it more user-friendly and readable.

 

UCCS has had two different consultants on campus in the last six weeks to look into enrollment and management issues. We are working with Lipman Hearn to implement some of the recommendations. This will engage a lot of the people in Student Success from Admissions, Dean of Students office, and Recruitment.

The president's office has given us a budget to improve our non-resident recruitment.

 

One of the things faculty can do to help retention is to engage with students more frequently. It has been shown that faculty is more deeply engaged with students, retention rates will be higher.

Weldon Lodwick, System wide Privilege and Tenure:

Overview and update attached

P&T is a CU system level committee that handles grievances, violations of academic freedom and dismissal for cause cases. It considers the process by which decisions are made, not the decisions themselves.

 

There is a change in the time schedule for dismissal for cause. A case must be completed in 120 days.

 

Officer Reports (system wide):

 

President's Report attached

 

Vice President's Report

No Report

 

Past President's Report

Faculty Assembly elections are this spring.

 

Reports From Standing Committees:

 

EPUS: Report

EPUS is working on the academics ethics code and expects to bring it to Faculty Assembly in March. They are also studying how the University should assign credit to faculty who supervise independent studies.  At their next meeting EPUS will begin discussions on academic planning, the diversity plan, academic rigor, and how we ensure students are learning.

 

Finance

No Report

 

Personnel and Benefits

Minutes attached

P&B will be involved in reviewing the Administrative performance appraisal. The Chancellor wants to complete another appraisal since one has not been conducted for several years. The salary grievance policy is coming along and hopefully we will have a draft by next meeting. We will also have our recommendations on summer school.

 

 

Minority Affairs Committee

Minutes attached

The Diversity Strategic plan was sent out in early December to the faculty, student government, and staff counsel. We have incorporated the feedback into the revised plan. It is now in the hands of the Chancellor and EPUS. This document is the overarching framework for diversity on this campus. The second phase is the action portion of the plan. There is a website for the Diversity Strategic Plan at: www.uccs.edu/dsp .

 

Academic Advisory Committee

Higher Education in Colorado can expect an increase in its budget for next fiscal year of 30 to 50 million dollars. UBAC is looking at budgets for the next fiscal year and putting together some preliminary figures.

 

Women's Committee

No Report

 

Academic Computing

Oracle has been chosen for the new SIS system. The wireless system will be in place this summer. Pay for print will begin this summer: the cost per page will likely be 6 to 7 cents.

 

We are looking to reduce the number of course management systems on this campus down to one. Dave Anderson has provided a list of features that faculty should consider in a course management system attached. He would like faculty to provide feedback to this list (which features are most important; do more features need to be added and considered). Please contact him if you have comments. In the near future he will email the features list in a survey format so that faculty can more easily respond with suggestions.

 

Non Tenured Track Faculty

Minutes attached

 

Research Council

No Report

 

Teaching Excellence Committee

No Report

 

Sustainability Committee

The committee has been working on a 5 year sustainability strategic plan for the past 6 months attachment. We would like faculty input on the draft before bringing it to Faculty Assembly for approval. Sustainability document attached

 

 

Athletic Department

No Report

 

OLD BUSINESS

The Chancellor is satisfied with the pool of applicants for the Provost search. The airport interviews will begin in a week or so. Campus interviews will be open to the faculty.

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

The Chancellor has put together a Strategic Planning Goals committee to look at all the strategic plans and make one overarching plan. The plan will also provide guidance to UBAC for funding decisions. The goals will be sent to all campus staff and faculty and there will be open forums to discuss the goals. The committee will revise the plan based on the input. The Chancellor will then present the plan to the Board of Regents for their input. The goals committee will use the Board's input to develop strategy tactics to go with the goals.

 

John Harner raised the issue of the North Nevada redevelopment project. John wants a discussion about the impact this will have with the campus and community. Faculty and students should have more voice and participation in the outcome of the development. It was decided to set up a campus forum with Brian Burnett and the Chancellor to discuss this issue.

 

Adjournment:

 

Motion to adjourn the Faculty Assembly Meeting

Motion passed unanimously.

Meeting adjourned at 2.00 pm.