UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE
UNIVERSITY SENATE MEETING
VOL. 39, NO. 12
March 25, 2003
Members Present:
Ned Beach, Joey Bohl, Marcia Bollinger, Don Bredle, Jack Bushnell, Linda Carpenter, Ken De Meuse, Jesse Dixon, Dan Drumm, Meg Dwyer, Rodd Freitag, Mitchell Freymiller, Warren Gallagher, Andrea Gapko, Marc Goulet, Susan Hafen, Jeannie Harms, Susan Harrison, Tim Ho, Ann Hoffman, Robert Hooper, Mary Iribarren, Rose Jadack, Richard Kark, Debra King, Lisa La Salle, Tim Lane, Kate Lang, Gene Leisz, Barbara Lozar, Maureen Mack, Donald Mash, John Melrose, Rick Mickelson, Andrew Phillips, Bobby Pitts, Cleo Powers, Vicki Reed, Connie Russell, Ronald Satz, Nola Schmitt, Roger Selin, Nick Smiar, Alex Smith, Linda Spaeth, George Stecher, Todd Stephens, Paula Stuettgen, Dale Taylor, Roger Tlusty, Thomas Wagener, Karen Welch, Cecilia Wendler, Sharon Westphal, Michael Wick, Steve Zantow
Members Absent:
Dick Boyum, Joel Duncan, Bruce Dybvik, Betty Hanson, Sean Hartnett, Jeremy Hein, Larry Honl, Phil Huelsbeck, Fred Kolb, Barbara Mac Briar, Jane Pederson, Richard Ryberg, Kathie Schneider, Kent Syverson, Jodi Thesing-Ritter, Jean Wilcox, Rebecca Wurzer
Guests:
Judy Berthiaume, Bob Bolles, Margaret Cassidy, Patricia Christopherson, Tom Dock, Bernard Duyfhuizen, David Gessner, Dale Johnson, Michelle Kettler, Ann Lapp, Craig Mey, Jan Morse, Katherine Rhoades, Mike Rindo, Robert Rose, Kathy Sahlhoff, Andrew Soll, Ted Wendt
The regular meeting of University Senate was called to order by Chair Harrison at 3:03 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25, 2003 in the Tamarack Room of Davies Center
1. Without objection, minutes of March 11, 2003 meeting of University Senate approved as distributed
2. Chancellor’s Remarks – Chancellor Mash
· Would like to publicly recognize women’s basketball team on outstanding season just completed
· Finished third in NCAA Division III tournament
· Terrific job this season; not just win/loss record, but program captured community because class act from coach to players in what they do, how they do it, and how they comport themselves
· Fulfilling the Promise of Excellence Campaign
· Now at $24 to $25 million in committed pledges toward goal of $35 million with two years to go
· No question will complete campaign successfully even though economy not helping – no one feels as wealthy as three years ago
· Have been asked why campaign can’t help buffer budget reduction; can’t for couple of reasons
· Most gifts to Foundation, within or outside campaign, are targeted for certain purposes, such as scholarships, or faculty development
· Obliged to use dollars for those purposes
· Very little discretionary money, which is hardest money to raise
· Most major gifts pledged over a period of years or connected to wills and trusts – so that money not available either
· Will be of some assistance, but it won’t be significant
· Foundation is making a difference and having an impact – is sheet available with specific examples of where some of dollars from campaign going
· Continually working at advocating for best budget possible in current fiscal climate
· Joint Finance Committee listening session in River Falls April 3rd
· Chancellors from River Falls, Stout, and Eau Claire meeting area legislators here on April 7th to talk about this budget and what we are doing to lessen impact that might occur
· Two items available from Senate chair
· President of Board of Regents comments to Joint Finance Committee
· Letter from Katharine Lyall and Regent President sent out to friends of the university making case for support
· Give some real talking points
3. Chair and Faculty Representative’s Report – Chair Harrison
· Faculty Representatives meet next on April 4, 2003
· Board of Regents meet next on April 10 and 11, 2003
4. Academic Staff Representative’s Report – No Report
5. Unfinished Business
A. Academic Policies Committee – Second Reading – GE Criteria
Continued Debate on Previous Motion as Amended - None
Vote on Motion 39-AP-13: Motion PASSED without dissention
TEXT OF MOTION AS PASSED
Experience and learning have always communicated the interdependencies and interrelationships that exist between persons and things – and today, because of the increasingly powerful technologies of information gathering, communication, and transportation, it is even more vital for students to see that specialized knowledge alone is not sufficient to meet the challenges of reasonable and responsible living in a complex world. Specialties enable persons to be successful as professionals. General Education must enable them to be successful as human beings.
The General Education
program is provided to help each student attain the basic competencies, breadth
of knowledge, and critical judgment that characterize a mature and responsible
individual in the modern world. More specifically, the program is designed to:
(1) stimulate and direct learning throughout life; (2) provide exposure to
typical modes of inquiry within the disciplines; (3) promote active learning
and a critical response to what is read, heard, and seen; and (4) broaden
individual perspectives and emphasize relationships with other fields of study,
other cultures, or other times.
The General Education program seeks to develop further the abilities and skills of students by fostering: (1) extensive communication and analysis; (2) an elevated social conscience and commitment to a life of involvement and public service; and (3) opportunities to study and to develop a system of values.
Each GE course must:
§ Be available to non-majors. Courses for which pre-assignments are only offered to majors or whose populations are only majors in the discipline will not be considered GE. [Note: to receive a favorable Update review, the course’s enrollment history must demonstrate course availability to non-majors.]
§ Have no more than two courses as prerequisites for registration, excluding prerequisites that establish foreign language or mathematical proficiency. More courses or credits in prerequisites imply a specialization in a discipline or content area.
§ Employ a variety of means to assess and evaluate learning (i.e., no course may rely solely on types of examination that could be machine-scored).
Each GE course must contribute to:
§ Broadening individual perspectives (e.g., issues related to gender, cultural diversity and individual differences).
§ Providing a basic foundation of the field to allow critical analysis of what is read, heard, and/or seen and solve problems.
§ Providing exposure to typical modes of inquiry within the discipline(s) and examining relationships with other fields of study.
§ Enhancing the ability to write, read, speak, and/or listen.
6. Reports of Committees
¨ Executive Committee – Chair Harrison
¨ Faculty Personnel Committee – Senator Wick
¨ Academic Staff Personnel Committee – Senator Spaeth
¨ Academic Policies Committee – Senator Lozar
¨ Physical Plant Planning Committee – Senator Stuettgen
· Next meeting March 28, 2003
· Discussing proposals by Student Senate regarding parking issues
· Hearing more about and revisiting Riverbank Stabilization issue
¨ Budget Committee – Senator Carpenter
· Next meeting April 8, 2003
· Discussing auxiliary budgets and segregated fees
¨ Compensation Committee – Vice Chair Gapko
· Next meeting March 28, 2003
· Hearing subcommittee reports
¨ Nominating Committee
· Seeking nominations for Vice Chair position as Vice Chair Gapko’s term expires at end of this session
· Current Academic Staff senators interested should contact any member of Nominating Committee
¨ Technology Committee
· Next meeting April 1, 2003
· Hearing from web accessibility committee about draft policy
· Discussion of online courses
7. Special Reports - None
8. Miscellaneous Business
A. Discussion of Budget Priorities at UW-Eau Claire
· Remarks by Chancellor Mash
· At this point, governor’s budget still all we know –amounts to 5% reduction after tuition revenue increases
· In process of preparing update to be sent out to provide information and sense of what has been happening on campus
· Some picking at bits and pieces of governor’s budget, but have heard nothing on part of legislators suggesting they are looking to depart significantly from governor’s proposal
· Still very early in legislative process
· Have been talking publicly that in governor’s proposal UW-System takes 38% of spending reductions proposed; disproportionate to 9% of state budget we represent
· That is without increased tuition that backfills big portion of reduction
· Are hearing some legislators saying cuts were deep to UW-System, much different than budget repair bill where many felt could double cuts to UW-System
· Legislators also predicting will be finished with budget mid-June
· Was September when they finished budget repair bill
· We have many decisions to make before mid-June
· Have put out class schedule for advance fall registration
· Have done 5% planning exercise; instruction and critical service to students received top priority
· Went to planning reserve and put out good array of courses and sections
· Will also be at least 300 FTE students less next fall than last fall
· Have planning reserve money because have managed very carefully
· Currently below authorization for positions by about 15 or 16; some vacant for some time
· Capturing some of those dollars not spent on salary and benefits to use for other things
· Management process a matter of timing – when finally know what we have to do, our ability to do it in a year not very good
· Campuses input information into Redbook by mid-April – will use governor’s proposal as guideline for numbers
· Will come back and make necessary revisions as more known
· Budget reduction at 5% level is serious and severe
· Will get through this, but is not like past instances – can find no indication that we have had to do as much when we have been this lean
· Cannot be done without personnel implications because personnel costs 85% of operating budget
· Comments by Provost Satz
· When knew last fall that reductions of some kind were coming, began series of meetings with Academic Affairs Leadership Council
· Came up with Budget Planning Principles and Guidelines distributed today
· Have tried to keep information flow on process going; sent out notes from those meetings and put documents out on website
· Looking at total funding reduction of about $4.9 million (~$3.9 million base and $980,000 one-time reduction) and FTE reduction of 32.18 positions at UW-Eau Claire
· Asked division heads to follow budget planning principles
· Not talking about fiscal emergency – not talking about layoffs
· Protecting instruction and student support programs as highest priorities
· Use reserve funds, planning reserve, and other non-GPR funds from all divisions
· Look at broad-based cuts across entire university with no sacred cows
· Not across-the-board cuts without looking at impact on other units across campus
· Look at enrollment management as part of cut – number of students we can reasonably service
· Looking for long-term planning process involving academic program review
· Make short-term decisions based on availability of resources; use retirements and vacant positions to protect continuing positions
· Went through 5% exercise with those guidelines in mind
· Now must add one-time lapse of $604,722 to that 5% (single page handout distributed)
· Not part of base budget
· Not asking departments or units to come up with those cuts; will use planning reserve, university carryover and other one-time funds
· Is dynamic process with things changing weekly if not daily
· Inputting data into UW-System Redbook and scheduling classes for fall even though don’t know full impact of cut
· Course availability task force, chaired by Steve Tallant, working with Associate Deans to put together appropriate course schedule of what really need and how to pay for it
· Using planning reserve to pay for additional courses because know losing FTE in fall
· Those FTE from vacant positions; no currently-held positions being taken, no contracts broken
· Does require short-term fixes – positions we use for giveback next year may not be actual cuts that will be taken long-term
· All proposals have come forward from departments, units, deans and directors; none have emanated from Academic Affairs
· Reviewing proposals to determine impact on departments, units, and other programs
· Also looking at other possibilities for cost savings and efficiencies across units
· Looking at enrollment target for fall; also looking long-term to get an enrollment that allows us to be kind of university we have been in past and hope to continue to be
· Response to questions from floor
· In regard to personnel, no probationary person has lost probationary position and no contracts have been broken because of pending budget cuts
· For FTE we have to give back at this moment, looking at vacancies where they appear because of retirements, people leaving university, or end of contract
· Budget lapse is one-time giveback; does not affect base budget for successive years
· Chairs in departments have had conversations with deans concerning vacancies in specific departments
· Dynamics change almost daily – as more vacancies known, more choices available as to which vacancies to be filled
· Wisconsin Teaching Fellows and Scholars authorized to go forward; sabbatical letters currently being drafted
· Want to do best we can to protect professional development opportunities for faculty and staff
· Are postponing those few sabbaticals not able to permit at present
· Criteria used for granting of sabbaticals include ability to cover coursework
· Cannot allow situation whereby allowing someone to go on sabbatical puts students in jeopardy
· Decisions on faculty in international programs already made
· Housing of graduate programs not part of current document; for some time have been looking at running graduate programs in way that would give us more efficiency for personnel in Academic Affairs
· No proposal at this time
· Is proposal from College of Business to do some things with continuing education
· Any proposals that have to do with reorganization would have to go through appropriate shared governance bodies; will not be done quickly
· Process will probably be unfolding for three or four years as give up what is available now and make longer-term choices as more possibilities open up
· Any cost savings and efficiencies across units that involve you, you will know about
· If you have not been hearing about it, your unit not affected
· Whole issue is not only about finding FTE and dollars, but to do it in a way that leaves kinds of programs we want here intact
· Which positions to fill and which to leave vacant being decided very carefully; look at each and every position that comes up (including clerical positions) and asking whether it is critical or a possible place to take a cut
· Canceled search for director of TLTDC
· Canceled DIN-funded position that would have gone in career services because concerned about being able to provide GE support
· Have not filled athletic director position
· Have not filled director of Human Resources
· Associate Vice Chancellor position reporting to Andrew Soll has not been filled
· Have vacancy in American Ethnic Coordinating Office
· Have hired Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Development and Diversity because position absolutely critical to campus
· Number of positions already below allotment (15 or 16 existing vacancies without an incumbent) count as part of 32 positions for giveback in short-term
· In long-term may or may not fill when additional vacancies occur to afford some flexibility on personnel decisions
· Deans, associate deans, and budget folks also scrutinizing positions; in addition, chancellor has to sign off on every position prior to authorization to hire
· Chancellor aware of every position that is not filled as well
· Task force at work now, chaired by Jan Morse, to look at variety of ways other institutions conduct program review to aid in making some of these kinds of decisions – hopefully to get that report in near future
· In long-term, will look pretty much like we do now, but our size might be different
· In handling these cuts, have had continuing conversations about kinds of things that characterize UW-Eau Claire, such as experiential learning and faculty/student research collaboration
· Not talking about changing the nature of this institution
· Have to deal with some long-term problems that existed before this budget cut – such as structural deficit in academic programs
· When last defined baccalaureate degree, ended up with requirements without enough faculty to teach courses or offer credits
· Have never had an adequate base to offer some of things we have been offering
· System is well aware of kind of institution UW-Eau Claire is; anxious to work with us to figure out proper enrollment and get revenue where we can afford to do kinds of things we do
· Want to downsize in manner that allows us to retain base budget
· Clear that we have a particular personality; erring on side of maintaining level of excellence and selectivity
· Hope in long term to come out of this with legislature deciding how much money we can reasonably expect from state and how much from students instead of default posture dictated by budget difficulty
· Can’t keep going with low tuition and low state support
· If tuition higher, as it must be, then state has to fund financial aid for those who need support
· In end, individual campuses may be able to set own tuition
· Technology is taking a $230,000 hit - computer rotation not part of it at moment
· If don’t maintain rotation schedule, costs of maintaining and repairing older models increase
· Funding rotation in variety of ways including DIN funds
· Will be changes in modem pool and variety of other things
· Creates double bind for technology because large number of proposals for handling cuts in other areas talk about heavier use of technology
· Not taking money out of Admissions Office at this time because too critical in terms of identifying and recruiting students
· Some staff positions in Foundation are funded by GPR dollars and tuition
· As Foundation generates more dollars, may be possible to move positions off state payroll
· Currently not enough unrestricted dollars to entirely staff Foundation Office, yet can’t reduce staff because raising money going to lots of programs and supporting parts of university
· Have to look at big picture to determine dollar amounts, not get hung up on how salaries being paid
· Foundation is looking at its part in management of budget issue as well
· Have been very careful to share budget information; faculty and staff will be involved in final decision process on curricular issues through shared governance
· Will take short-term steps as necessary, and then have to look and see what to do beyond that
· Decisions on positions may not be final for years; initial decisions must be made by mid-April, but will continue to relook at all possibilities as choices arise – a dynamic process
· Not going to put students in jeopardy; however, jeopardy is different than inconvenience
· Have been very clear to students about things like number of sections, courses, and services
· Tuition has critical role in process; if full tuition increase not instituted but budget reduction the same, will be lots of differences in students’ lives and more than a little inconvenience
9. Announcements - None
Meeting adjourned at 4:43 p.m. without objection
Wanda Schulner
Secretary to the University Senate