May 2018

May 2018

May 2018

FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY MEETING

May 4, 2018

Attendance: Venkat Reddy, Tom Christensen, Chuck Litchfield, Anja Wynne, Joey Vijayam, Maja Krakowiak, Melissa Benton, Barbara Prinari, Norah Mazel, Andrea Hutchins, Pam Carter, Eileen Gerrard-Gough, Margaret Hunt, Carole Traylor, Kaitlyn DeGhetto, Martin Key, Matt Metzger, Patty Witkowsky, Jugal Kalita, Les Tekamp, David Havlick, Leilani Feliciano, Andrew Lac, Glen Whitehead, Kristi McCann, Wendy Haggren, Nicole Huber, Kathrin Spendier, Joel Tonyan, Michael Landon-Murray, Monica Yoo, Kimbra Smith, Scott van Ness, Elizabeth Daniels, Dave Anderson

Call to Order / Approval of Minutes:

Motion to approve the minutes from April 13, 2018 meeting by Monica Yoo
Seconded by Pam Carter
Motion passed with 24 in favor, 0 opposed and 1 abstention

Reports of Visitors:

Venkat Reddy, Chancellor: 
The CU Foundation Trustees are on campus today and were also here last night and they have been very pleased with their visit.  We pitched a scholarship to them and will wait to see what kind of response we receive.  There is a higher ed bill still going back and forth in the legislature and we don’t know how it will be resolved yet.  There is also a Cyber Coding Cryptology bill that we have seen waver quite a bit, but has just now been passed by the legislature.  This bill allocates $1.8 million to UCCS to develop academic programs and scholarships for cybersecurity and $1 million to the National Cybersecurity Center we are in partnership with for training and research.  Jim Gallogly has been appointed to the University of Oklahoma as their new President on July 1.  We will continue to focus on diversity and inclusion, and the Board of Regents are equally involved with that mission.  The online initiative will cost $20 million and we don’t know where that funding is coming from – we are looking at what all four campuses can do together.  We have signed a new agreement with UC Health Memorial Hospital whereby the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Beth-El College of Nursing & Health Sciences will be offering an existing program that will enable registered nurses who already hold an Associate’s degree to be able to complete a Bachelor’s degree online with UCCS.  The ENT Center for the Arts has been showcasing well and we want to make sure we operate it sustainably, both financially and operationally.

Chuck Litchfield, Vice Chancellor for Administration & Finance: 
He met with a number of committees this week and is getting used to the campus structure.  He is looking at the Senior Instructor salary issue, along with multi-year contracts and uncompensated merit and will be reporting back to the assembly.

Tom Christensen, Provost: 
Article V went to the Chancellors yesterday and will show up again on the website with noted changes.  Then it goes to the Board of Regents Governance Committee, and then on to the Regents.  After it is approved and in place, it will go into campus policies and then on to college RPT criteria.  Thank you for your service in shared governance.

Anja Wynne, Human Resources Executive Director: 
Please check your faculty e-mail for the survey regarding campus closures and complete the survey so that we have your input on this issue.  A presentation was shared with the assembly representatives concerning faculty pay.

Joey Vijayam, Student Government Association President: 
He informed the assembly representatives about the annual SGA report and mentioned a few projects they’ve been involved with concerning the improvement of pedestrian safety on campus (Safety on the Bluffs), discussions concerning opening access to UCCS Presents for students at a cost of $5 per student, and implementing the Inclusivity Pledge.

Officer Reports:

President’s Report:
CU system working on a 4-week paid parental leave floor for all campuses.

President-Elect’s Report:
All committee positions are filled for next year.

Past President’s Report:
End of 3-year service term – it has been an honor and pleasure to serve.

Reports from Standing Committees:

EPUS

Personnel & Benefits

Faculty Advisory Committee on the Budget

Faculty Minority Affairs Committee

Women’s Committee

Non-Tenure Track Faculty

Teaching with Technology

PRIDE:
No report – have not met

Intercollegiate Athletics:
No report

Sustainability

Committee on Disability:
Not present – no report

Misconduct in Research, Scholarship & Creative Activities:
Not present – no report

Reports from Representatives:

None

Unfinished Business:

None

New Business:

Motion 1:

The Educational Policy and University Standards Committee moves that the Faculty Representative Assembly endorse the revisions to UCCS Policy 200-017: Mentoring of Faculty.
(Motion passed with 20 in favor, 0 opposed and 10 abstentions)

Motion 2:

The FCQ Redesign Team moves that the following nine questions be included on the Faculty Course Questionnaire:
(Motion passed with 24 in favor, 0 opposed and 6 abstentions)

      “1 Strongly Disagree -  to -  7 Strongly Agree

  1. Course materials (including any textbooks, readings, lectures, online content, etc.) were organized effectively.
  2. Materials (including any textbooks, readings, lectures, online content, etc.) were useful for this course.
  3. Exams and graded assignments were clearly related to the course content (including lectures, assigned readings, etc.).
  4. The course made it possible for me to increase my knowledge, skills, and understanding of the subject.
  5. The instructor explained course ideas in a clear and understandable manner.
  6. The instructor encouraged interest in this subject.
  7. The instructor demonstrated interest in student learning.
  8. The instructor demonstrated respect for and professional treatment of all students.
  9. The instructor communicated effectively with students about the course.”
Motion 3:

The FCQ Redesign Team moves that the following overall question be included on the Faculty Course Questionnaire:
(Motion failed with 9 in favor, 16 opposed and 4 abstentions)

  1. My overall rating of instruction in this course is:
    1 – Very Poor; 2 – Poor; 3 – Below Average; 4 – Average; 5 – Good;
    6 – Very Good; 7 – Excellent”
Motion 4:

The FCQ Redesign Team moves that the following 2 questions be included on the Faculty Course Questionnaire:
(Motion passed with 18 in favor, 4 opposed and 6 abstentions)

  1. The workload for this course was:
    1 – Very Light; 2 – Light; 3 – Fairly Light; 4 – Neither Light nor Heavy;
    5 – Fairly Heavy; 6 – Heavy; 7 – Very Heavy
  2. My personal interest in this material before I enrolled was:
    1 – Very Low; 2 – Low; 3 – Fairly Low; 4 – Neither Low nor High;
    5 – Fairly High; 6 – High; 7 – Very High”
Motion 5:

The FCQ Redesign Team moves that the following 3 open-ended questions be included on the Faculty Course Questionnaire:
(Motion passed with 24 in favor, 1 opposed and 4 abstentions)

  1. List up to three things about the course that contributed to your learning.
  2. List up to three things that could be changed to improve student learning in this course.
  3. Additional comments (i.e., Is there anything else you think would be helpful for the instructor of this course to know)?”
Note:

The FRA Executive Committee has agreed that a task force be assembled to make recommendations for best practices on utilizing FCQs for faculty evaluations. Volunteers are encouraged to participate.

Adjournment:

Motion to adjourn the Faculty Assembly Meeting by Pam Carter
Seconded by Andrea Hutchins
Motion passed unanimously
Meeting adjourned at 1:54 p.m.