UW-Eau Claire University Faculty Minutes of April 18, 2005

· No additional nominations from floor

Without objection, nominations closed.

2. Introduction of Proposed Amendments to the Constitution of the Faculty and Academic Staff – Susan Harrison, Chair, University Senate

Faculty and Academic Staff Handbook Twenty-First Edition, October 2004, Chapter 3

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Article One: University Faculty

Section C Definitions: The University Faculty is composed of ~~four~~ three groups:

1. tenured or probationary faculty who hold the rank of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, or instructor in an academic department or its functional equivalent;

2. academic staff who have been designated as having faculty status by the faculty and the Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire;

~~3. unranked faculty who are tenured under the provisions of the former Chapter 37 of the Wisconsin State Statutes;~~ and

4.3. limited appointees (e.g., academic deans, director of libraries) who hold concurrent ranked faculty appointments in academic departments or functional equivalents.

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Section G University Faculty Committees

1. University Faculty Nominating Committee

a. Membership: The committee includes five University Faculty members who serve staggered two-year ~~one-year~~ terms. Members are not eligible for consecutive terms.

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6. University General Education Committee

a. Membership: The committee includes six faculty representatives from the College of Arts and Sciences, two faculty representatives from the College of Business, two faculty representatives from the College of Education and Human Sciences, and one faculty representative from ~~each of the three schools of~~ the College of Nursing and Health Sciences ~~Professional Studies~~. These representatives will be chosen by existing shared governance processes established through the bylaws of the respective schools or colleges. One student~~, with at least junior standing,~~ will be appointed by the Student Senate President in accordance with customary procedures. Faculty serve staggered three-year terms with approximately one-third of the representatives from each College being elected each year. The Provost and Vice Chancellor or designated representative shall serve as an ex officio non-voting member of the committee.

b. The University General Education committee is responsible for recommending criteria for General Education courses, and developing the purposes and intended learning outcomes for general education. The criteria, purposes, and intended learning outcomes will be forwarded to the University Senate Academic Policies Committee and the University Senate for approval. The Committee ~~approves~~ is responsible for approving courses for inclusion in the General Education Program, periodically reviewing existing general education courses for reapproval, yearly review of UWEC catalog copy regarding General Education, and working with the office of Academic Affairs to annually evaluate the GE program’s course availability and, using information from the Plan for Assessment of Student Academic Achievement,periodically evaluate the GE program’s effectiveness against the General Education goals as passed by the University Senate.

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Section B Membership: 1. University Faculty Senators

All members of the University Faculty who are eligible to vote in the University Faculty meeting…
Each academic department having four or more positions shall elect one senator. For purposes of senate representation, Library Services shall be considered the equivalent of an academic department. The department election shall take place at a regularly scheduled department meeting…
~~One senator shall be elected from the University Faculty members within each of the following having four or more positions:~~

1) ~~Library Services~~

2) ~~Chapter 37 faculty as defined by Article One: Section C, part 3 of the Constitution of the University Faculty and the University Academic Staff.~~

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4. Senator Balance

Each year the Senate Executive Committee will review the size of the University Senate and distribution of senators, as described in the Bylaws of the University Senate. The percentage of University Faculty senators and the percentage of University Academic Staff senators within the University Senate shall reflect, as closely as possible, the percentage of University Faculty and the percentage of University Academic Staff, respectively, within the total number of University Faculty and University Academic Staff eligible to vote. ~~To monitor these percentages, the following steps shall be followed:~~

~~a. Each spring~~ tThe Senate Executive Committee or authorized representatives will work with the appropriate administrators to determine the numbers of University Faculty and University Academic Staff eligible to vote using the Oofficial Ffrozen Ffile created ~~the previous fall~~ for that academic year. (Eligibility to vote is defined in Article One: Section D and Article Two: Section D of this constitution.) Based on this information, recommendations pertaining to the number and distribution of senators may be made.

~~b. The Senate percentages will be compared to the eligible-to-vote percentages.~~

c. If the Senate percentages differ by more than five percent from the eligible-to-vote percentages, the Senate Executive Committee shall recommend to the University Senate the necessary minor adjustments to the number of University Faculty and University Academic Staff senators at large to maintain the proper percentages.

~~All~~ Any recommendations for changes in the number and distribution of senators at large and procedures for implementing the changes must be approved by the University Senate. Upon approval, such changes shall be reflected in the spring elections of senators at large.

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1. The Executive Committee

a. Membership: The committee shall include ten University Faculty, four University Academic Staff, the Chancellor, and the Provost and Vice Chancellor. The ten University Faculty and four University Academic Staff shall be composed by of the Chair and the Vice Chair of the University Senate, the Chair-elect or the immediate past chair of the University Senate (whoever is serving), the Academic Staff Representative, (the Faculty Representative ~~is included as either the Chair or Vice Chair)~~, and ten to eleven additional senators elected for two-year terms. Of the additional senators, there must be one from each of the colleges, three University Faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences, one University Faculty from the College of Business, one University Faculty from each of the schools of the College of Professional Studies, one or two additional University Faculty from any area (as necessary to total ten University Faculty), and ~~one or two~~ additional University Academic Staff from any area (as necessary to total four University Academic Staff). The Chair of the University Senate shall serve as Chair of the Executive Committee. The Chancellor shall be a non-voting member of the Executive Committee.

2. The Faculty Personnel Committee

a. Membership: The committee includes nine members: four faculty senators elected by the faculty members of the Senate, four University Faculty elected by the University Faculty, at large, and one administrator selected by the Chancellor. In any given year the committee must have at least one member from ~~the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, and~~ each of the ~~schools of the College of Professional Studies~~ colleges. The University Faculty Nominating Committee shall take the responsibility for assuring this representation of Colleges ~~and Schools~~. Members shall serve three-year terms unless committee membership is terminated by expiration of a Senate membership as described in the bylaws.

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b. Functions: The Faculty Personnel Committee shall consider and recommend policies affecting the faculty in regard to status, salary, tenure, promotion, and working conditions. It shall also consider and recommend the practices and procedures for implementing those policies and serve as the primary agent for recommending revisions and amendments of the UW – Eau Claire Faculty Personnel Rules.

3. The Academic Staff Personnel Committee

a. Membership: The committee includes nine members: four academic staff senators, one of whom is the Academic Staff Representative and one of whom must be instructional academic staff, elected by the academic staff members of the Senate, four academic staff, one of whom must be instructional academic staff, elected by the academic staff, at large, and one administrator selected by the Chancellor. During a year when an academic staff member of the Senate has been elected to serve as Academic Staff Representative-elect, that person becomes an ex officio (and voting) member of the committee, increasing the number of members on the committee to ten. Three seats must be held by instructional academic staff members and five seats must be held by administrative or professional academic staff members. Members shall serve three-year terms. If the term of the Academic Staff Representative, on the Academic Staff Personnel Committee expires, then he/she becomes an ex officio (and voting) member of the Academic Staff Personnel Committee for the remainder of his/her term of office as Academic Staff Representative.

b. Functions: The Academic Staff Personnel Committee shall consider and recommend policies affecting the academic staff in regard to status, salary, indefinite appointment, promotion, and working conditions. It shall also consider and recommend the practices and procedures for implementing those policies and serve as the primary agent for recommending revisions and amendments of the UW-Eau Claire Academic Staff Personnel Rules.

4. The Academic Policies Committee

a. Membership: The committee includes the Provost and Vice Chancellor, nine University Faculty senators elected for three-year terms by the University Faculty members of the Senate, and one ex officio and nonvoting University Faculty representative from Library Services elected by members of the Library Services professional staff. There shall be at least one member from ~~the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, and~~ each of the ~~Schools of the College of Professional Studies~~ colleges.

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6. The Budget Committee

a. Membership: The committee includes ~~three members of the Administrative Staff selected by the Chancellor,~~ an academic dean elected by the colleges’ deans, ~~the University Senate Chair,~~ and ~~ten~~ seven senators elected by the University Senate for three year terms. Of the ~~ten~~ seven senators elected by the Senate, ~~two~~ one must be ~~selected~~ from ~~the College of Arts and Sciences, one from the College of Business, one from each of the Schools in the College of Professional Studies~~ each College, ~~one from the Library~~, two from the University Academic Staff, and one from any area. The committee also includes three ex-officio, non-voting members from the Administrative Staff selected by the Chancellor.

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8. The University Senate Nominating Committee

a. Membership: The committee includes six senators elected at the first fall semester meeting of the University Senate: three University Faculty, two University Academic Staff, and one additional senator. Members serve staggered two-year ~~one-year~~ terms. Members are not eligible for consecutive terms.

9. The University Senate Technology Committee

a. Membership: The committee includes five University Faculty and two University Academic Staff senators elected by the University Senate for three-year terms. The Chief Information Officer shall be a non-voting member of the Technology Committee.

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Article Four: College Faculties, Section A, page 18, be changed as shown:

The faculty of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire shall be organized into the faculties of the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Human Sciences, and Nursing and Health Sciences ~~and Professional Studies which includes the Schools of Education, Human Sciences and Services, and Nursing~~, and other colleges or schools which may come into being.

Without objection, proposed amendments to be included as referenda on ballot in spring election.

3. Miscellaneous Business

· Susan Harrison, ending eight-year run as Faculty Representative to UW-System, noted it has been privilege to serve in that capacity all those years

· Last year position split from University Senate Chair position – Michael Wick of Computer Science to take over in fall as faculty representative

4. Conversation with Interim Chancellor Larson – for questions and comments

· Budget forums to be completed in April

· Encourage you to attend; or email or write – welcome ideas

· Will bring closure during first week in May

· Chancellors and System to focus on pay plan

· Stories from around state showing incredible concern about not being able to recruit; now also becoming question of retention

· Welcome stories of impact on students – even though not taking positions from direct instruction, still has impact

· Budget forum last week got out baseline information; remaining forums to give opportunity for people to share ideas

· System administration has taken drastic cuts; that information now available

· Encouraged to contact legislators; must do so on own time with own resources

· Information readily available on internet can be detrimental to recruitment – potential candidates can find out about state budget reductions and past pay plan history

· Many viable candidates may no longer apply

· Exit interviews are done on voluntary basis; give useful information

· Pay plan not whole story as Wisconsin has one of best fringe benefits packages around

· Also need to share stories about how academic staff and support service cuts will impact already overworked and underpaid faculty; taking time away from class preparation and research

Without objection, meeting adjourned as 4:35 p.m.

Submitted by,

Wanda Schulner, Secretary to the Faculty and Academic Staff

University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire