University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire University Senate

UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-EAU CLAIRE

UNIVERSITY SENATE MEETING

VOL. 44, NO. 11

April 22, 2008

Members Present:

Rose Battalio, Ned Beach, Judy Blackstone, Jacqueline Bonneville, January Boten, Jennifer Brockpahler, Michael Carney, Patrick Day, Margaret Devine, Gary Don, Jeff Erger, Leslie Foster, Mitchell Freymiller, Andrea Gapko, Susan Harrison, Robert Hollon, Rosemary Jadack, Jeffrey Janot, Debra Jansen, Dale Johnson, Harry Jol, Fred Kolb, Heather Kretz, Amanda Krier, Lisa La Salle, Kate Lang, Brian Levin-Stankevich, Bruce Lo, Barbara Lozar, Brian Mahoney, Carmen Manning, Sean McAleer, Mike Morrison, Jill Pastrana, Geoffrey Peterson, Rick Richmond, Scott Robertson, Sherrie Serros, Earl Shoemaker, Jeanne Skoug, Linda Spaeth, Laurie St. Aubin-Whelihan, Steve Tallant, Charles Tomkovick, Charles Vue, Sharon Westphal, Scott Whitfield, Marty Wood, Deborah Wright

Members Absent:

Robin Baker, Janice Bogstad, Barbara Davis, Martha Fay, Ann Hoffman, Larry Honl, Robert Hooper, Lia Johnson, David Lonzarich, Karl Markgraf, Sue Moore, Tarique Niazi, Jill Prushiek, Donna Raleigh, Mehdi Sheikholeslami, Nick Smiar, Troy Terhark, Rebecca Wurzer

Guests:

Margaret Cassidy, Donald Christian, Bernard Duyfhuizen, Aaron Wingad

The regular meeting of University Senate was called to order by Chair Wood at 3:04 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 in the Tamarack Room of Davies Center.

UW System Representatives

Ron Singer, Lisa Kornetsky, Bob Jokisch
Thanks for inviting us
Ron Singer on Shared Governance
Academic Staff and Faculty reps that meet in Madison were asked to take a look at coming up with a protocol for implementing shared governance in the development of system-wide and Board of Regent policy
Outgrowth of the process or lack thereof in the development of UWS 7 and 11(handling of individuals who were charged and sometimes convicted as felons)
Chair of the committee that worked on the UWS 7 and 11 process realized that there wasn’t a process for engaging with faculty and academic staff in the shared governance context
When we looked at system-wide policies or Board of Regent policies there is nothing in Chapter 36 which addresses it
President Reilly asked Regent Spector to chair a small group to develop a protocol which can be used in the future to implement shared governance
The draft of that protocol is still circulating among the academic staff and faculty reps
One part that doesn’t seem to be a subject of controversy was that President Reilly would appoint someone at System Administration to serve in a formal liaison role with the three governance groups
- Faculty, academic staff, and students

We asked the Faculty and Academic Staff Reps to invite us to visit with their colleagues on their campuses

Met with Academic Staff prior to this meeting
Will meet with students this afternoon
Will be going to UW-River Falls tomorrow, have been to 7 UW institutions
Use the time to hear what you have to say and to provide some background
We are all part of the Office of Academic Affairs, which is headed by Senior Vice President Rebecca Martin
Lisa and I are part of the part of the Office of Academic and Student Services
- Deal with academic matters, academic programming matters, faculty and academic staff as well as students and student affairs

Open positions in System Administration in the Office of Academic Affairs
- Lisa going back to Faculty position at UW-Parkside
  - Looking for a one to two year interim
- Replacement of Ron Singer
  - Due to retirement
  - Office of Academic and Student Services
  - Work primarily on the Academic and Faculty support side
  - Permanent position
Academic Planner in Student Affairs
Introduced Lisa Kornetsky
- Academic Planner in System Administration
- Serve as the Director of Office of Professional and Instructional Development
- Work with Faculty and Instructional Academic Staff on teaching and learning issues with programming, scholars program, grants, conferences, and diversity requirements
Introduced Bob Jokisch
Special Assistant to Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Work with various units in Academic Affairs

Office of Learning Information Technology
Office of Policy Council Research
Work monthly with Academic Staff Representatives from across System
Talk about recruitment, job retention, disciplinary process, leave issues, and compensation
Work with Provost and Board of Regents Education Committee
Work with Financial Aid Records on some issues

Acknowledge the leadership of Chancellor, Provost, Deans, Faculty, Academic Staff in the Advance Wisconsin Initiative to move forward with the growth agenda that will help the state with its obligation to educate more citizens with a baccalaureate degree education
- Growth action steps
  - Dean Christian, Chair of Think Tank 1
  - Development of Learning Outcomes for our students
    - Will not be core curriculum across the system
  - Dual transcript/co-curricular portfolio
    - Goal is to assist students in representing and documenting the out of classroom activities they have been engaged in
    - Work with a group from the campuses to look at some of the initiatives that some campuses have already begun to try to develop some examples that could be started on a pilot basis
  - How we are moving forward on the Learning Outcomes
    - Provost subcommittee on how to move forward
    - Strategy is to hold a meeting on May 22 in Madison on Learning Outcomes
    - Mostly faculty will attend
    - People invited are those that were nominated by the Provost and Marty Wood and also those that were already working on some of these issues, such as members working on Think Tank Number 1, Faculty participating in Academic Score Card projects, members of the Open Council and members of the Advisory group on Liberal Arts
    - Will look at what outcomes already exist at our institutions
    - Move on to discuss where we should go and how to move forward
    - Begin to talk about assessment
    - Hope that there will be some recommendations from this committee on what things System can do to add value and where to step back
  - Student Evaluations
    - Have been talking with the Provost about taking a look at student evaluations across the system to see how we can address some of the questions that have arisen
    - No intent to create something uniform across the system
    - But really to look at it across the system to see what we can learn from practices that exist on different campuses
    - Will review and come back to all institutions
    - Trying to assist and improve upon the methods that currently being used
    - From a non-policy side, there is a lot of information out there, not just from our system
    - Some Student Services will be part of this meeting
    - More classroom oriented
    - Has become clear that we need to think more broadly
    - Will start here but will expand
    - Met with Academic Staff prior to the meeting
Trying to hear from campuses on how we can add value
- Hopefully it will yield changes on what we do, the way we do what we do, and create flexibility
Thank you for inviting us

Minutes of April 8, 2008 University Senate meeting approved as distributed

Chancellor’s Remarks – Chancellor Levin-Stankevich

Glad that System is here and glad to see participation
Searches in progress
- Vice Chancellor
- Associate Vice Chancellor positions
  - Search pool candidates have significant depth
  - Not only screening people but also trying to recruit good people
  - Share with them, not only the challenges of their position, but also the wonderful things about being part of this community and what they could add to this community
- Strategic Planning Committee
  - Working on the final draft
  - Having some word-smithing challenges
  - Meet with some Chippewa Valley groups about the Strategic Plan
    - Can be confusing so will try to simplify some key points
    - Making a good deal of progress in perception and outreach
    - Comments have been that UW is reaching out and opening up more to the community
    - Don’t think we’ve necessarily done anything different in the last couple of years but rather that we are trying to publicize what we do a little more and remind people of what we do
    - The more that he Chancellor and Mike Rindo know what we are doing the more we can talk about what we do and remind those in the community
    - Thanks for all that you do
- Budget Task Force
  - Created a process that achieves transparency, participation, timeliness, process and finality process
  - Thanks to all the members of the task force for their work
- Budget Repair Bill
  - Don’t have any more information
  - University System supports the Hospital Tax Bill
    - Brings more Federal money into the state
  - Sometimes scary because we do not know if people are talking to one another and if so what the content of those conversations are
  - The longer it goes without any resolution the shorter the time line to meet any repair and the shorter the time we have to respond
  - Once another school year begins and the expenses start, we cannot really stop them
  - Part of the Strategic Plan involves a Program Review
    - Instructional and non-instructional programs
    - How do we stack up relative to comparable institutions in terms of how we allocate and spend our money
    - Do we spend an appropriate amount on instruction, student support, physical plant, and etc
    - Joined a cross study group that can identify what we spend by zip code
    - Since it is small enough units that we can determine what are cost per student credit hour and how it stacks up to comprehensives, master level institutions, publics and other institutions
    - Will be more difficult to get cost comparisons on the non-instructional side
Chancellor cannot affect academic culture but can preserve it
- Work on environmental issues
- Signature items on campus
- Faculty and staff want to move forward
- Thank you for all the wonderful culture and for coming to the table with ways to solve problems and not just identify them
- Encourage all to be involved in activities

Unfinished Business

none

New Business

A) First Reading – Motion from the Academic Staff Personnel Committee

Revised Promotion Eligibility to Senior Level – Senator Brockpahler

Asked to clarify some language to strive for consistency
Discussion on how to improve
Equivalency means that is a person works 10 years at 50% that it would equal 5 years
Insert the word lecturer in the bold face writing to read “in the lecturer position”
Replace the word similar with the word comparable
State “2 such years” as opposed to “2 years”
Could happen at an earlier time if deemed appropriate by the department

Motion 44-AS-02

MOVED and seconded by Academic Staff Personnel Committee by a vote of 7-0-0 (for, against, abstain) that the University Senate approve the following changes to the Faculty and Academic Staff Handbook, Chapter 5, page 55.

Senior A Senior Lecturer has subject matter expertise in an academic discipline. In addition, a Senior Lecturer has extensive teaching experience (a minimum of seven years in the position or in a comparable position) gained through employment at UW-Eau Claire and/or other universities. A lecturer at this level has gained a reputation among his or her peers for demonstrably sustained superior contributions to teaching within a department or division. It is expected that the Senior Lecture will independently select, develop, and organize course content and instructional materials and approaches. Involvement with committees engaged in supporting this development is typical. However, the direct delivery of instruction is the primary responsibility of the individual holding this title. In addition, a Senior Lecturer has extensive teaching experience with a minimum of five years full-time-equivalency (FTE) in the position or in a similar position of which at least two such years were served at UW-Eau Claire. Minimum years of full-time experience must be completed by the time of application and does not include the year in which the promotion evaluation occurs.

Exceptions to these minimum requirements may be made when it is believed that the lecturer’s performance and contributions merit promotion. (US ?/??)

Debate

Language is great improvement over what it was as the current language can be interpreted a number of ways
Creates parallels
Valuable change to the handbook as it can help to retain Instructional Academic Staff , notably adjuncts who teach on a part-time basis
Clarification is certainly in order
Mirrors language pertaining to faculty
Because the nature of the change it would be valuable to take back to your departments to see what your colleagues think

B) First Reading – Motion from the Faculty Personnel Committee

Motion to clarify grievance procedures – Senator McAleer

Asked to specify what couldn’t be grieved
Added a statue of limitations
Needs to be filed within 300 days
300 days seems to be generous but follows the same procedures in the Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Office
Gives time to show the establishment of a pattern
The change is being made from having no limit to a 300 day limit

Motion 44-FP-03

MOVED and seconded by Faculty Personnel Committee by a vote of 5-0-0 (for, against, abstain) that the University Senate approve the following changes to the Faculty and Academic Staff Handbook, Chapter 5, page 36.

UWEC 6.02 Grievances¹

A grievance is a personnel problem involving a faculty member’s assertion of unfair treatment or of dissatisfaction with ~~any~~ aspects of his/her ~~university rank, salary, or~~ working conditions within the university which are not covered by other personnel rules.¹

To the extent practical, all grievances should be settled through informal discussions at the lowest possible administrative level and may be discussed with progressively higher administrators in a mutually sincere effort to reach an acceptable settlement. (FS 11/86)

Any faculty member having a grievance that ~~has~~ is not ~~been~~ ~~resolved through regular university procedures~~ covered by other personnel rules may submit a written statement of his/her grievance to the chair of the Faculty Complaint and Grievance Committee. The written statement of the grievance must be submitted within 300 days after the faculty member knew or reasonably should have known of the action or omission out of which the grievance has arisen, unless there are extenuating circumstances.

The committee will then determine …

¹ ~~Appeals concerning promotion in rank follow the procedure described on p. 28, Chapter 5.~~

~~Appeals concerning nonrenewal of faculty members follow the procedure described on p. 23, Chapter 5.~~

Examples of matters covered by other personnel rules include, without limitation because of enumeration, appeals of non-renewal, denials of tenure or promotion, and discrimination or harassment based on any protected category.

Debate

Observation that this action could have consequences if combined with the motion that passed last week

C) First Reading – Motion from the Faculty Personnel Committee

Post-tenure Review – Senator McAleer

Came up through the ranks of a post-tenure review
Seemed inappropriate that associate professors are required to discuss the promotion
Keeping with practice around the university
The word below is used in place of the word under because there could be a misunderstanding that if someone is under the rank, in other words under the rubric of, versus below the rank

Motion 44-FP-04

The University Senate Faculty Personnel Committee, by a vote of 5 – 0 – 0 (for, against, abstain), on April 11, 2008, moves that the University Senate approve the following changes to the Faculty and Academic Staff Handbook, Chapter 5, page 29:

Each post-tenure review subcommittee shall be responsible for conducting a review of those faculty members who are scheduled for post-tenure reviews and who hold a rank no higher than that of any member of the subcommittee. Each review shall be both summative and formative in nature with the express purpose of both evaluating past performance and facilitating improvement in future performance. Each subcommittee shall develop a written evaluation for its assigned faculty members. For faculty ~~under~~ below the rank of Professor, the evaluation must include explicit discussion of the faculty member’s progress toward promotion to the next rank; subcommittee members at the same rank as the faculty member being reviewed shall be excluded from this specific discussion. For faculty at the rank of Professor, the evaluation must include explicit discussion of the faculty member’s growth and professional development. The written evaluation shall not contain any recommendations as to administrative action to be taken as a result of the review

Debate

Departments that do not have enough professors should have a policy
University should have a campus-wide policy
Senate approved in November allowing a Department Personnel Committee, Promotion Subcommittee or Post-Tenure Review Subcommittee to determine what its functional equivalent shall be
Department can specify an alternative instead of mandating
Handbook now reads that unless the Department Evaluation Plan specifies other procedures for designating the functional equivalent of a Department Personnel Committee in such situations
Department decides what they want to do in that case

D) First Reading – Motion from the Academic Policies Committee

Proposal for authorization to Implement a Bachelor of Liberal Studies Degree and Liberal studies Comprehensive Major – Senator Hollon

Came before the full senate 1 year ago
Should not have been called reallocation of full-time employee but rather reassignment of faculty
Program requires 3 courses, each 3 credits and each of those will require a reassignment of faculty time to those courses for a total of .6 full-time employee total and one of those courses (the 100 level course) is a general education course and will likely will end up replacing another general education course in that category
No permanent reallocation of full-time employee from any department to another
If Senates approves, will go to Chancellor then needs approval by the Education Committee then on to the Board of Regents
UWEC would then have several years to implement the program before we lost entitlement to it
It is believed that we have until next year to develop an Academic Plan so it would not need to be sent with this

Provost Tallant and Chair Wood to verify

Movement of full-time employee might create reliance on Instructional Academic Staff instead of faculty
- Anticipate that it will be taught by tenured track/tenured faculty

Motion 44-AP-05

MOVED and seconded by Academic Policies Committee by a vote of 8 votes for and 0 votes against, recommends to the University Senate that the Proposal for authorization to Implement a Bachelor of Liberal Studies Degree and Liberal studies Comprehensive Major be approved.

Debate

Students take the upper level capstone and seminar as described, may be better described as LS courses as this point, but also take an array of courses in the major depending on which emphasis they took
Some do an d do not have prerequisites
One of the last universities to propose such a degree
System believes this degree has been well thought out
What prevents students from doing this retroactively
- Students must take all 3 seminars
- Must be valid
- This program is envisioned in part as a degree completion program, particularly for non-traditional students, who have many credits that don’t fit into any traditional degree program and this program will help them make meaning and integrate them into something that has academic cohesion
UWEC is the third best in the system on retention rate
UWEC is noted for quality, not just for a degree
Surveyed employers have said that they would be ready to hire graduates with this degree
Students must have 39 credits to take 300 or above level courses

E) First Reading – Motion from the Academic Policies Committee

Proposal to Establish a Liberal Studies (LS) Course Prefix and inclusion of the LS Prefix in GE Categories IC, IIF, IVE, and V – Senator Hollon

This motion simply establishes the category/prefix

Motion 44-AP-06

MOVED and seconded by Academic Policies Committee by a vote of 8 votes for and 0 votes against, recommends to the University Senate that a LS (Liberal Studies) Course Prefix and inclusion of the LS prefix in GE Categories IC, IIF, IIIG, IVE, and V be established.

Debate

None

University Senate Chair’s/Faculty Representative’s Report – Senator Wood

Follow-up this up with more extensive commentary on-line
Invite anyone who would like to receive from the Senate a fully printed copy of the proposals

Let us know via email

In addition to these five second readings you can expect to have a couple of other resolutions coming forward at the next meeting

One is a resolution in support of the DIN to ask System to give all the libraries more money in part for on-line access to full-text databases
The second resolution to consider registering an objection in some way to the pressure put on this institution by the Recording Industry Association of America who want us to do their policing for them as they attempt to protect their copyright and has become increasingly burdensome
- Question as to what extent the University should become involved

Brief report as your Faculty Representative

Shared Governance Principles are well established for policies on each separate campus
What doesn’t exist yet in writing is a document that sets forth guidelines and principles for those policy actions that happen at system level
Will be sent to you for your information

Conference Madison on May 22 for the system-wide learning outcomes
Next week is a joint meeting of the Academic Staff and Faculty Representatives

Part of what will be discussed is the Academic Staff concern about job security, compensation, and so forth
Will report to you after the meeting

Academic Staff Representative’s Report – Senator Brockpahler

Will follow-up with an email
Academic Staff Development Conference is in July

Staff will be getting an email in next week or so
Up to 12 people can attend this conference
Pass it on to those that may be interested

Orders of the Day

Election of the Chair-elect
One nominee – Marty Wood

Move by acclimation to elect Marty Wood to Chair-Elect of University Senate

Reportable items from Committees

None

Special Reports

None

Miscellaneous Business

None

Announcements

May 2 Putnam Hall will have an event for charity from 2-8 p.m.

Without objection, meeting adjourned at 4:29 p.m.

Submitted by,

Tanya Kenney

Secretary to the University Senate

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