Members present: Bob Orr, David Whitaker, Jan Gilbert, Debie Connelly, Litta Adams, Debbie Beck, Linda Beja, Phyllis Bolick, Lex Davis, Janet Dickinson, Nancy Dillard, Bill Haggard, Chris Hall, Fred Hinson, Jeff Hughes, Casey Hurley, Jeanine Knowles, Chloe Little, Dianne Lynch, John Ritchie, Lisa Scruggs, Newton Smith, Keith Stiles, Roger Turk, Bob Vartabedian, Jared Wilkins and Tori Ellison, recorder
The meeting was called to order at 3:30 p.m.
Member Satisfaction Survey
Nancy Dillard presented a member satisfaction survey. In an effort to receive honest feedback about the Council's work over the last two years, members are not asked to give their name on the survey.
Annual Report
Bob Orr will prepare an annual report on the activities and accomplishments of the University Advisory Council. This report will be presented to the Western Carolina University Board of Trustees, as well as to the Board of Governors for the University of North Carolina System. Each chair has been asked to submit a few paragraphs for this report by May 23, 2002.
Executive Committee Membership
The Executive Committee recommends the following change to the Executive Committee membership election process.
Currently
The membership of the Executive Committee shall consist of the officers of the University Advisory Council, the chairs of the Leadership and Communication committees, and one representative from each campus constituency -- students, staff, faculty and administration.
Proposed
The membership of the Executive Committee shall consist of the officers of the University Advisory Council and the chairs of the Leadership and Communication committees. In addition, the Chairperson of the various governance organizations -- students, staff, faculty and administration shall appoint one member from their respective University Advisory Council representatives to serve on the Executive Committee.
Rationale
The proposed change facilitates the interchange of ideas between constituencies and provides the various governance organizations greater input into the Executive Committee. The change also fosters thoughtful consideration of Executive Committee membership and eliminates an election process where, by necessity, the members are nominated and elected at one meeting.
Strategic Vision Document
Bob Orr passed out copies of the Strategic Vision document created by the University's Strategic Planning Task Force. The Chancellor has asked for feedback on this document from the UAC. Members were asked to pass along their approval and /or any suggested changes, corrections or additions to Bob by May 10, 2002.
2002-2003 Officer Elections
The following members will serve as officers for the 2002-2003 academic year.
Chairperson Nancy Dillard
Vice Chairperson Tori Ellison
Secretary Chris Hall
Leadership Chairperson Kathy Wong
Communications Chairperson Debie Connelly
Health Benefits Event
Keith Stiles gave an update on the activities of the Health Benefits Task Force. The committee has learned Western employees across all pay scales dropped family coverage after the last rate increase. In addition, WCU's benefits package is already having a negative impact on faculty recruitment. Human Resources expects the same negative impact to occur in staff recruitment, especially in technical fields, very soon. The group is working with Peg Shafer and Kathy Wong to schedule a Town Hall Meeting with Ron Penny, Vice President of Human Resources for the Office of the President. The Task Force also plans to invite local legislators to campus after the November elections.
Social Security Task Force
Linda Beja reported on the work of the Social Security Task Force. Western currently has no policies and procedures for the disposal of secure documents, so this committee is starting from scratch. Kathy Wong is creating a draft document. The task force is closely examining the procedures of California, New York and Arizona universities, since these states have conducted a great amount of work in this area. The task force will continue to work through the next academic year.
Leadership Committee
The Leadership Committee is preparing a survey to conduct a campus leadership needs analysis. Chris Dahlquist from Human Resources, as well as the Office of University Planning are involved to help ensure the survey is a valid testing instrument. Staff will be the first group surveyed, since most are on campus during the summer.
Communications Committee
The newsletter is out. The Communications Committee will remain in place, but meet on an as needed basis (probably 1-3 times per year). Also, Debie Connelly will invite the communications officers from each university governance organization to be part of the committee.
Information Items
The Council was briefed on campus activities.
Faculty Senate Update, Casey Hurley
- Janet Dickinson, Chloe Little and Newt Smith will remain on the UAC. Three new Faculty Senate representatives will be appointed in August.
- Restructuring – The Faculty Senate will transition to its new structure during the 2002-2003 academic year.
Student Government Update, Lex Davis
Staff Forum, John Ritchie
Keith Stiles Chairman
Jeff Bewsey Vice Chairman
Judy Revere Secretary
- Salary Equity Adjustment
- Staff Mentoring
The meeting was adjourned at 4:45 p.m.
