September 2013

FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLY MEETING
September 13, 2013

Attendance: Pam Shockley-Zalabak, Mary Coussons-Read, David Moon, Andrea Hutchins, Mandi Elder, Bob Durham, Tom Zwirlein, Craig Elder, Monique Dooley, Morgan Shepherd, Pam Carter, Rebecca Webb, Vicki Brownrigg, Suzanne Cook, Curt Holder, Cerian Gibbes, Roger Martinez, Norah Mazel, Anna Kosloski, Christina Martinez, Stephany Spaulding, Valerie Brodar, Laura Marshall, Sonja Tanner

Call to Order / Approval of Minutes:

Motion to approve the minutes from May 10, 2013 meeting by Bob Durham
Seconded by Andrea Hutchins
Motion passed with 14 approved and 1 abstention

Reports of Visitors:

Pam Shockley-Zalabak, Chancellor:
We have a record enrollment this year of approximately 10,700 students compared to 9,777 students last Fall 2012, which is an increase of about 8.4%. Census date is today, so all the data is not in yet. Our index scores (combination of GPA, class rank and test scores) of incoming students are usually about 93, and now have increased to 109. We're in the second tier of Colorado institutions and we're increasingly becoming a first-choice institution. We're up 86% out of state, which helps our budget. We've made investments of additional instructors and we will probably have the most money we've had to invest in a decade. We missed our enrollment target for summer last year, but this summer we had a record increase of 11%. We hope to make robust investments in Academic Affairs, Student Success and Administration & Finance. We are working on a project for the Board of Regents regarding the academic prioritization process. Faculty, Deans and Directors will be involved with the process as well as nominating people for active participation. We do not see any constrictions in programs and we want to continue to see a transparent process. We were the only CU campus who grew this year; Boulder is flat, Denver is down along with other state campuses. Parking relief is on the way; the Lane Center will open on time. At this time the Board of Regents has said that the budget needs to get under control before new degree proposals go forward. We will continue to plan ahead. We are #1 in the state for professional exams and licensures for engineering, nursing, CPA and Elementary Education. We also have the highest percentage of applicants accepted to the Anschutz medical campus of all the CU campuses. First generation, Pell-eligible, varied race and ethnicity students graduated at the same rate as the majority population and we are the only institution in Colorado with such high graduation rates. 87% of our engineer graduates do not go on to the job market because they are all hired by their internship coordinators. These success rates are experienced by graduates from the other colleges too. Our students have a good working background and do well in the outside job market.

Mary Coussons-Read, Provost:
Academic Affairs is in the process of reorganizing its structure for better efficiency and effectiveness. The team consists of David Moon (Vice Provost) concentrating on institutional effectiveness in undergraduate education; Kelli Klebe (Associate Vice Chancellor for Research & Faculty Development) expanding on faculty development; Kee Warner (Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity & Inclusiveness) becoming more formalized in those efforts; and Venkat Reddy (part-time Assistant Vice Chancellor for Online Education) taking on a more active role. The Provost role will be concentrating on partnerships and innovations, long-term planning and academic program development. In addition, on the first Tuesday of each month (September - December), faculty and staff are invited to attend "Coffee with the Provost" from 8:30am - 10:00am so that we can get to know each other better and have some open dialogue about any issues of concern. The Research office (Office of Sponsored Programs) is also reorganizing to include Kelli Klebe as the Chair of IRB; Michelle Mello in a new position supporting IRB; and 2 new positions, one of which is a new pre-award Grants Development Specialist to help with putting grants together. The non-tenure track contracts are ready for the roll out process for a limited number being offered, which will put a few into place this year - 9 are being issued, which is about 10% of the full-time Senior Instructor positions. Ultimately we want to place 30% overall on limited 3-year contracts. This percentage is purely arbitrary in order to reserve buyout and set limits.

Gary Reynolds, Executive Director of Facilities Services:
The Austin Bluffs project is continuing in widening the road to 6 lanes. This is an 18 month project and they are currently working on utility connections in the street. They have relocated half of the trees affected and we have gained some from the city along with irrigation installation. The Academic Office Building is in process across from the Parking Garage and should be ready for move-in next August. It is a 5-story building. History, Economics, Sociology and School of Public Affairs will all be moving into this new building, which will result in some freed up space for reissue in both Columbine and Dwire. We have added 2 new residence halls for a total of 192 new beds, and we will be adding another 510 beds plus a dining hall to open in 2016-2017. These buildings will be across from Alpine Village in Parking Lot 9. The new parking garage will open in Spring 2014. There are plans to expand the Recreation Center to double its size and for a student Wellness Center, which should be completed Fall 2015. The Lane Center, in partnership with Peak Vista, is scheduled to open February 2014. There is also a Health & Wellness building 2 by Lane Center. Additionally, there is a $68 million project for a new VAPA Center and that design process has already begun. There is also a plan for a Track & Field stadium. Overall there is a total cost of $330 million in new developments.

David Moon, Vice Provost:
In the interest of saving time, it was suggested by Tom Zwirlein that David compose a 2-page report on enrollment which can be distributed after the census data is confirmed.

Jim Spice, Executive Director of Parking and Transportation:
All parking rates have been increased by 20% across the board. We have temporarily lost about 50 parking spaces in Lot 6 due to construction of the Academic Office Building. The new parking garage will open in Spring 2014 and will have 1234 spaces (144 visitor / 1090 resident students). Lot 15 was added north of Four Diamonds last year with 440 spaces, which has already been parked to capacity so far this year. By reconfiguring that lot, we've been able to add 75 more spaces. Last year we transported 400,000 passengers by bus the first week of classes and this year we have increased that amount by 40%. We have added a couple more buses and we now have a total of 10 buses. Parking in the Hub is about the same as it has been; we actually sold 50 fewer Hub permits this year. Also, faculty with Hub permits can park in visitor parking - level 3 of the garage. Faculty can also park in Lot L by the Lodge when it is open. Tom Zwirlein asked about whether they had investigated the impact of daily passes on parking and the reply was no, they have not.

Jeff Ferguson & David Weiss, Co-Chairs for General Education Taskforce:
We have spent a lot of time in each of the units to map their courses to this degree program. The process is now in implementation phase and we are mapping with the individual units to actualize the new Gen Ed goals in the curriculum. We are currently setting up the approval process on the Provost's website, which will require a description of the course, a syllabus and a signature form to be submitted for course approval. The courses need to be approved by the colleges first. This is the first time we've had a university-wide Gen Ed program. Keep in mind that the end result is a superior learning experience for our students. We are looking at a December timeframe in order to rollout in Fall 2014. We are working on a FAQ document that will be put up on the Provost website. Other information on the Gen Ed requirements is already posted on the website.

Officer Reports:

President's Report

Vice-President's Report
Not present - no report

Past President's Report
No report
 

Reports from Standing Committees:

EPUS Report

Personnel & Benefits

University Budget Advisory Committee

Faculty Minority Affairs Committee

Women's Committee

Non-Tenure Track Faculty

Academic Computing
Not present - no report

Library
Not present - no report

Intercollegiate Athletics

Sustainability

PRIDE
Not present - no report

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

OLD BUSINESS

None

NEW BUSINESS

None

Adjournment:

Motion to adjourn the Faculty Assembly Meeting by Andrea Hutchins
Seconded by Tom Zwirlein
Motion passed unanimously
Meeting adjourned at 2:03 p.m.