WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
FACULTY SENATE MEETING MINUTES
Date: August 20, 2003
Taft Botner
Room (Killian 104)
I. ANNOUNCEMENTS
A. Minutes of April 25 & May 1,2003 meetings accepted as printed. (Proffit & Graham)
B. Roll Call
Members present: Abel, M., Atterholt, C., Bardo, J., Beam, R., Bell, B., Brown-Strauss, S., Bumgarner, R., Chamberlin, M., Clark, C., Ellern, J., Graham,G., Gibson, T., Henderson, B., Kolenbrander, N., Mallory, J., Mechling, G., Metcalf, C., Noel, R., Norris, N., Nybo, V., Philyaw, S., Proffit, A., Smith, N., Spencer, A., Starr, K., Tholkes, B., Thompson, S., Vihnanek,E., Wooten, C,
Members with proxies: Caruso, R., Pennington, K.
Members absent: Adams, M., Bailey, P., Connelly, D., Kane, H.,
C. Chancellor Bardo
1. The main computer is down. It should be fixed by Friday or Saturday.
2. Registration is going well.
3. There are no low enrolled liberal studies classes.
4. Made the freshmen Democratic legislators aware that faculty salaries are no longer competitive, the benefit package is poor, more money is needed for building repair, and that we need to have the flexibility to decide where to make budget cuts.
Questions/Discussion:
1. Thank you for representing us concerning the salary and benefit issues.
2. Does the Legislature or the NC University System have a policy on full-time/part-time faculty numbers? The Legislature does not.
D. Mary Adams, Senior Faculty Assembly Delegate: See online report.
E. SGA President, Heather List: No report.
F. Staff Forum Chair, Dennis Benson: No report.
G. University Advisory Council Chair, Tori Ellis:
1. The first UAC meeting will be September 9.
H. Chair of Faculty, Newt Smith:
Priorities for this year are:
1. To create a task force to consider Faculty salary adjustments. The report should be ready by December;
2. To build community within the campus and with the surrounding counties;
3. To Revise the Faculty Handbook and implement the changes;
4. To develop an easier way to report the budget and allocations within it;
5. To continue to enhance communication between Faculty and Administration;
6. To develop a long range plan for governance and vision planning;
7. To revisit the computer requirements for students and technology and media support for Faculty.
II. COUNCIL
REPORTS
A. Faculty Affairs, Kevin Pennington Chair
This Council is charge to protect Faculty interests. Therefore this year it will
1. Consider salary issues;
2. Monitor the IT/CIO changes and make sure Faculty get the support they need;
3. Continue to define Faculty load.
B. Council on Instruction and Curriculum, Scott Philyaw Chair. This Council is charged with handling issues related to the curriculum and instruction. Therefore this year it will focus on:
1. Campus wide faculty evaluation;
2. Changes to the catalog about advisement.
C. Council on Student Affairs, Alvin Proffit, Chair. This Council is charge to protect the interests of the students. Therefore this year it focuses on:
1. Technology issues and freshman computer policies;
2. Readmission issues; and
3. Phasing this Council out of the Senate to another place.
III. OTHER
BUSINESS
A. Old Business- none pending.
B. New Business
1. Nominations and Elections
a. Academic Problems: Roger Lirely and Dixie McGinity with Brian Dinkelmeyer and Bob Adams alternates.
b. It is recommended that the Senate Restructuring Task Force be incorporated in to the Rules Committee to implement the approved restructuring into the Faculty Handbook. The members will be David Claxton, Malcolm Abel, Kathy Starr, Harrison Kane, Terry Gibson, Terry Kinnear, Casey Hurley, Gael Graham, Nancy Kolenbrander and Newton Smith.
c. Senate Steering Committee: Malcolm Abel, Kathy Starr, Newt Smith, Elizabeth Vihnanek, Kevin Pennington, Scott Philyaw, Al Proffit, Chancellor Bardo, Vice Chancellor Collings.
d. Post Tenure Review Appeals Committee: Will come from CONNEC.
e. Paul A. Reid Award: Ben Tholkes and Joann Stilly
f. Senators: Jane Burns will replace Karen Bauer in Applied Sciences and Jill Ellern will replace Elizabeth Vihnanek for Hunter Library.
g. Athletics Committee: Steven Henson
h. Faculty Advisement Committee: Kevin Ayers (Ed), Sandra Grunwell (ApS), Brian Gastle (A & S), Business nomination to come from the Dean.
A motion was made to suspend the rules and vote on the above slate today (Spencer & Proffit).
Motion
was made to accept the above slate of Committee and Senate members.
Motion
approved by voice vote.
2. The following changes were made to the Council on Instruction and Curriculum:
David Coffey will replace Gary Williams,
David Coffey will also be on the Library Committee.
Ben Tholkes will replace Valorie Nybo and
Ron Bumgarner will replace Kathy Starr.
3. The task Force on Faculty Salary Adjustment is charged to study the discrepancy among faculty within WCU and at other peer institutions. The committee includes:
Robbie Pittman, Mary Jean Herzog, Barbara Bell, Henry Mainwaring, Ann Rogers, Robert Kehrberg, Tim Carstens, Rich Kucharski, A.J. Grube, Kathy Wong, Chuck Wooten, Sue McPherson, Aaron Ball, Austin Spencer and Vice Chancellor Collings. One further appointment is to come from Business.
C. The Chair presented the issues discussed at the opening Faculty Caucus. (See attachment).
a. What happens to the issues from the caucus? Are they revisited to check our progress?
b. Suggestion: have Steering Committee determine which Council should consider them. Then review the list in the spring.
D. Curriculum items: None
The meeting adjourned at 4:30.
Respectfully submitted
Elizabeth Vihnanek