UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE

UNIVERSITY SENATE MEETING

VOL. 38, NO. 7

 

January 22, 2002

 

 

Members Present:

 

Ned Beach, Joey Bohl, Marcia Bollinger, Dick Boyum, Don Bredle, Jack Bushnell, Linda Carpenter, Ken De Meuse, Gene Decker, Jesse Dixon, Stephen Drucker, Joel Duncan, Kathy Finder, Rodd Freitag, Mitchell Freymiller, Andrea Gapko, Marc Goulet, Susan Harrison, Sean Hartnett, Tim Ho, Ann Hoffman, Larry Honl, Robert Hooper, Rose Jadack, Debra King, Lisa La Salle, Kate Lang, Gene Leisz, Barbara Lozar, Barbara Mac Briar, Maureen Mack, Donald Mash, Joanne Mellema, John Melrose, Rick Mickelson, Jane Pederson, Daniel Perkins, Cleo Powers, Vicki Reed, Connie Russell, Richard Ryberg, Ronald Satz, Kathie Schneider, Roger Selin, Nick Smiar, Lori Snyder, Linda Spaeth, George Stecher, Todd Stephens, Paula Stuettgen, Kent Syverson, Jodi Thesing-Ritter, Roger Tlusty, Karen Welch, Cecilia Wendler, Michael Wick, Jean Wilcox, Karen Woodward, Rebecca Wurzer, Steve Zantow

 

Members Absent:

 

Randy Beger, Bruce Dybvik, Betty Hanson, Jeannie Harms, Gretchen Hutterli, Fred Kolb, Tim Lane, Robert Langer, Bobby Pitts, Nola Schmitt, Mehdi Sheikholeslami, Tom Wagener

 

Guests:

 

Mark Clark, Bernard Duyfhuizen, Carole Halberg, Allen Keniston, Kay Magadance, Jan Morse, Don Mowry, Andrew Phillips, Mike Rindo, Kathy Sahlhoff, Andrew Soll

 

The regular meeting of University Senate was called to order by Chair Harrison at 3:03 p.m., Tuesday, January 22, 2002 in the Tamarack Room of Davies Center.

 

1.        Minutes of the December 11, 2001 meeting of University Senate approved as distributed without objection
 

2.        Chancellor’s Remarks – Chancellor Mash

·         Governor’s message this morning preempted some items intended to cover to get new semester and year off to good start; instead will talk about budget reductions and possible impact

·         Governor’s proposal includes 4.5% reduction in UW-System budget next year, 11.5% reduction for state government operations, and 6% reduction for corrections

·         Governor continues to moderate impact on education

·         Comparatively modest reduction for higher education

·         Fully funding elementary education; two-thirds funding commitment made years ago to prevail

·         Proposal not yet digested on campus or by system

·         Will be chancellors meeting Friday with more information

·         At this point still just a proposal

·         Legislature could make changes

·         Whether changes better for UW-System depends in part on what we do between now and then

·         Will work diligently

·         Saying on one hand, this is difficult budget cut, and on other, we anticipated some reduction and are appreciative the governor recognizes importance of education

·         Although some legislators have proposed tuition freeze, governor looking to limit tuition increases to average of 10%

·         Governor also proposed increase of 10-plus percent for student financial aid to offset any tuition increase

·         When have more information, will be briefing Senate Budget Committee

·         To talk about how to manage looming reduction; don’t know exact amount but know will be significant

·         More than can manage by being careful with planning reserve and spending pennies carefully

·         Advise unit directors/department chairs to continue using operating budget until hear further

·         Good news is pay plan, at this point, not affected

·         Will work hard to show legislators reducing 4.2% phased-in increase of base is bad idea if that comes up as possible alternative

·         Continued increase in Winterim enrollment

·         Allows faculty who chose to teach Winterim an opportunity to generate additional income

·         Winterim outside enrollment limitation projections

·         Beneficial to grow Winterim and summer session enrollment

·         Had 100-plus people at Community Registration Night

·         Not big number, but message that we are available important

·         In spite of fiscal challenges, late last semester took list of approved sabbaticals to Board of Regents

·         Number was 13, which is pretty typical

·         Some things we must manage to do to invest in our people

·         Applications for fall admissions up considerably

·         Hope also means improvement in quality of student body

·         Advertising appears to be working, particularly as we focus on special programs

 

3.        Chair and Faculty Representative Report – Chair Harrison

·         Welcome new senator, Daniel Perkins from Communication and Journalism, replacing Tim Leutwiler

·         No printed chair’s report today

·         Next meeting of faculty representatives is February 1st; next meeting of Board of Regents is February 7th and 8th

·         Governor’s Office contacted Senate Office to note receipt and thank Senate for resolution dealing with administrative salaries

·         Chancellor approved proposed 2003-2004 academic calendar setting Fall Break on Friday, October 24, 2003

 

4.        Academic Staff Representative Report – Senator Wilcox

·         In teleconference on Thursday December 20, 2001, continued discussion of integration of instructional academic staff, particularly paid and unpaid leave for academic staff

·         Next meeting, January 24, 2002 in Madison, to include discussion of limited appointment positions

·         Academic Staff Leadership Conference scheduled for July 18 and 19, 2002 at UW-Parkside; will provide more information as available

 

5.        Announcements

·         January 29, 2002 will be Senate-sponsored open discussion on general education requirements

·         Flyers presenting various proposals to be distributed university-wide

·         Will be brief presentations on these proposals at meeting followed by open discussion

·         Hope is to glean information from university community that can be utilized by Academic Policies Committee in making decisions, as well as the Senate when GE requirements discussion begins there

 

6.        Reports of Committees

¨       Executive Committee – Chair Harrison

¨       Faculty Personnel Committee – Chair Keniston

¨       Academic Staff Personnel Committee – Senator Wilcox

¨       Academic Policies Committee – Senator Lozar

¨       Physical Plant Planning Committee – Senator Stuettgen

·         Next meeting February 5, 2002

¨       Budget Committee – Senator Carpenter

·         Meeting to be scheduled soon

¨       Compensation Committee – Senator Wick

¨       Nominating Committee – Senator Wendler

·         No report

¨       Technology Committee – Senator Lang

·         No report

 

7.        Special Report – Work/Life Issues Update – Administrative Officer Jan Morse

·         In 1998, President Lyall created Ad Hoc Committee on Status of Women in UW-System

·         Charged committee with determining how System might focus efforts for next decade to ensure it uses the talents of women effectively

·         Asked committee to bring forward three to five concise recommendations that would be most important for women and most susceptible to significant progress

·         In 1999, Committee brought forward its recommendations

·         One of those recommendations was to provide conditions that allow for balancing work and personal life

·         Examples included

·         Expanding and improving child care services and access to them

·         Developing a more flexible workplace through flex time, job sharing, and equitable implementation of family leave policies

·         Providing domestic partner benefits such as life and health insurance

·         Work/life best defined as working together to create and promote supportive, healthy work/life environments for all employees, as well as for students

·         Jan Morse to serve as Work/Life Coordinator for UW-Eau Claire

·         To assist with issues identified in workplace and to provide information and resources to faculty, staff and students

·         Steve Tallant and Donna Weber appointed to join Jan Morse as steering committee for work/life issues

·         To broaden discussions, will set up advisory committee composed of two faculty, two academic staff, two classified staff, and two students

·         Will begin having preliminary discussion this spring

·         Goal is in fall to begin to deal with work/life issues and bring information forward

·         Welcome suggestions and look forward to hearing from you

·         Met with UW-System Coordinator of Women’s Issues Louise Root Robbins in October

·         Interested this academic year in institutions becoming familiar with work/life issues and attending conference in LaCrosse in June where people from higher education institutions across country will present information on dealing with such issues

·         American Association of University Professors have come up with new policy statement of principles on family responsibilities and academic work (available on their website www.aaup.org)

·         Response to question from floor

·         To volunteer for advisory committee get in touch with Jan Morse

 

8.        Unfinished Business

 

Executive Committee – Postponed Motion from Spring 2001 – Substitute Motion

·         Without objection amendment under debate when motion postponed (Amendment 37-SE-06-a3) defeated unanimously to allow returning to main motion

 

Motion 38-SE-02

Moved and seconded by Executive Committee (11-0) to substitute current draft of revised Mission Statement for Motion 37-SE-06 postponed in Spring 2001

 

Vote on Motion 38-SE-02: Motion PASSED without dissention

 

Motion 38-SE-03

Moved and seconded by Executive Committee (11-0) that changes to the Select Mission of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire be accepted

 

Debate:

·         Friendly amendment proposed by University Planning Committee to change word undergraduate in second bullet to university passed without dissention

·         If passed in University Senate, revised mission then scheduled for community hearing and forwarded to Board of Regents for final approval

 

Amendment 38-SE-03-a1

Moved by Senator Syverson and seconded that the second paragraph be modified, striking the words service learning and substituting the words community service

 

Debate

·         Service-learning talking about specific requirement at this university; favor community service, but that is different than service-learning

·         Don Mowry, Interim Director of Service-Learning, noted as service-learning has been implemented in the spirit of the requirement, it goes beyond community service by linking learning back to academic environment

·         Thus favor keeping specific term service-learning 

·         Community service may be confused with that dispensed by judicial branch

·         Favor amendment; see service-learning as insider language and this is for public audience

·         Against amendment; mission statement supposed to be what is special about UW-Eau Claire and service-learning is special about us

·         Favor amendment; fact that is an educational form of community service implicit in beginning part of sentence

·         Favor amendment; service-learning has connotation of really being positive or really being negative depending upon what your views are, whereas community service represents the spirit of helping community

 

Vote on Amendment 38-SE-03-a1: Amendment PASSES by vote of 30 to 25

 

Provost Satz wanted to note for record that official use of words service-learning in university publications is always hyphenated to emphasize relationship between service and learning

 

Amendment 38-SE-03-a2

Moved by Senator Pederson and seconded that in all programs at end of first sentence in second paragraph be deleted

 

Debate

·         Saying both across the curriculum and in all programs seems redundant

·         Having both phrases suggests professional school programs are liberal arts based, not just that students take GE; question whether their required courses are actually rooted in liberal arts

·         Based on conversations in University Planning Committee, redundancy probably intentional for emphasis

·         Trying to create liberating learning experience here, thinking creatively, and so forth

·         Make sure talking about entire university inclusive of all components

 

Vote on Amendment 38-SE-03-a2: Amendment DEFEATED

 

Amendment 38-SE-03-a3

Moved by Senator Beach and seconded that the word select be added in the second bullet before programs

 

Debate

·         Appears to be saying those programs that grow clearly from areas of undergraduate strength and meet identifiable regional and state needs, all of those, will have master’s programs; that not the case

·         Word select cannot be deleted in referring to mission; imposed by UW-System for every institution

·         Insertion of select reflects what has been practice

·         Piece of mission statement which talks about graduate education for a primarily undergraduate school meant to communicate that we are not about building graduate programs; that when we do them, there is good reason

·         Was not to suggest if there is no graduate program in your area that your undergraduate program is not good

 

Vote on Amendment 38-SE-03-a3: Amendment PASSES

 

Debate on Main Motion

·         Changes in third bullet of activity to activities and enhances to enhance accepted as friendly amendment without objection

·         Other bodies, beyond University Senate, that mission statement goes to can also make changes

 

Vote on Motion 38-SE-03: Motion PASSES without dissention

 

TEXT OF MISSION STATEMENT AS AMENDED

 

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is a comprehensive university whose purpose is to foster the intellectual, personal, and social, and cultural development of its students. The University provides an academic environment designed to encourage faculty-student interaction and promote excellence in teaching and learning, scholarly activity, and public service. Its residential setting fosters personal and social development through a rich array of co-curricular activities.

 

The University’s focus is a liberal arts based education across the curriculum in all programs. The University places a special emphasis on experiential learning activities, such as international studies, faculty/student research collaboration, internships, and community service. UW-Eau Claire is the University of Wisconsin System’s Center of Excellence for Faculty and Undergraduate Student Research Collaboration.

 

In addition to the University of Wisconsin System Mission and the Core Missions Mission of the University Cluster Institutions, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has the following select mission:

 

·         (a) The University provides to provide undergraduate education in a broad range of programs, based on a strong general education component emphasizing the liberal arts and sciences, with offering degrees in the arts and sciences, allied health fields, business, education, nursing, and other areas which that grow clearly from undergraduate university strengths and meet identified identifiable regional and state needs;

·         (b) The University provides to provide graduate education, at the master’s and specialist levels, in select programs which that grow clearly from areas of undergraduate strengths and meet identifiable regional and state needs;

·         (c) The University expects to support and encourage scholarly activityies, including research, scholarship, and creative endeavor endeavors, that supports enhance its programs at the associate and baccalaureate level, its selected graduate programs, and its special mission; and

·        (d) The University provides outreach and community service programs which foster to support the cultural, educational, and economic development of the immediate region in a variety of ways, including its outreach and community service programs.

 

Executive Committee

Report on Change References to Academic Staff – Senator Wilcox

·         Our Handbook refers to Category B Academic Staff as Teaching Academic Staff and Category A Academic Staff as Nonteaching which is not consistent with System language

·         System uses Instructional and Research, and Administrative and Professional Academic Staff for those categories

·         Academic Staff Personnel Committee voted to change language in our handbook to reflect language of system

·         Does not require approval of this body

·         Executive Committee felt this a good way to get written record of change

·         More positive than referring to large body of employees as non-something

·         Still difficult for new language to creep into conversation

·         Responses to questions from floor

·         System refers to Category B as Instructional and Research; they clump them together

·         We do not have research academic staff here

·         If we did, would assume they would be in same group as instructional for governance rules

·         Would want to double check the language as change references

 

Motion 38-SE-04

Moved and seconded by Executive Committee (11-0) that University Senate endorse the following changes, voted on unanimously by the Academic Staff Personnel Committee and reflecting UW-System language, to references to Academic Staff in the Constitution, the Handbook, and other places where the terminology appears and promote those changes throughout campus

                Teaching Instructional and/or Research Academic Staff

                Nonteaching Administrative and/or Professional Academic Staff

 

38-SE-04-RS – Moved by Senator Spaeth and seconded that rules be suspended to allow this to be voted on today – Rules suspension PASSED

 

Debate

·         Terms seem unnecessarily clumsy, but mirror System language

·         More positive connotation to have someone be something instead of non-something

·         This is just way to refer to entire group, does not create four titles rather than two titles; refers to category, not title

·         Can still advertise for an instructional academic staff person (without the and research)

 

Vote on Motion 38-SE-04: Motion PASSED without dissention

 

Motion 38-US-15

Moved by Senator Mac Briar and seconded that an ad hoc committee of the University Senate be formed to evaluate the issues of retention, job satisfaction, and morale of the faculty and academic staff of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

 

Debate:

·         Concerned for last couple of years about what appears to be a morale problem on campus

·         Particularly toward end of last semester when talking about compensation

·         Think we need to get a better handle on it 

·         Through survey could see if specific issues exist and could be brought back to Senate to try to figure out what to do with them

·         Think the idea is good, but will vote against the motion

·         Big issue impacting morale is workload; committee work takes time and question if this best use of time

·         Nice for place for people to be heard in non-threatening manner; anonymous survey would give us better handle

·         Could also charge existing personnel committees to take this on rather than doing ad hoc

·         Is under their charge and occasionally they do this sort of thing

·         Survey to instructional academic staff as part of integration issue will cover lot of same issues

·         Advantage of ad hoc committee is could add other members of Senate; personnel committees quite busy

·         Ad hoc committee could also draw from other members of university community

·         Would suggest solicit, through University Bulletin or similar way, interested volunteers to form committee

·         Processed and overseen by Executive Committee

 

Vote on Motion 38-US-15: Motion DEFEATED

 

Meeting adjourned at 4:08 p.m. without objection

 

 

Wanda Schulner

Secretary to the University Senate