Chair’s Report for September 12, 2000
Senate update
1. Important links to agendas, minutes,
Chair's Reports and other sites of interest are available
on the Senate web site: http://www.uwec.edu/Usenate
2. During debates, Senators may speak only
twice to any motion or amendment. Each speaking term is limited to 10 minutes. The Chair
will add names of those wishing to speak to a speaker's list upon recognition.
Open Forum Items from Senate Executive
Committee Meeting minutes
1.
Concern of some faculty confused about
intent and purpose of calendar change brought forward
· Now two week contract period before start of
classes
· Transition summer resulted in one week shorter span between
summer session and start of academic year
· With similar 2001-2002 calendar, gap restored because
shorter spring semester (now equivalent to fall semester) results in earlier Interim and
summer sessions
· Although some felt period was billed as advising
opportunity, students were not on campus
· First week intended for professional development as
indicated in University Senate discussion last year
· Time also allowed frequent department meetings where daily
progress could be seen and real change on issues such as curriculum made
· Provost reported two week period very busy
· None of workshops, forums, retreats, and other professional
development opportunities were required, but were well-attended
· Some under contract were not present
· Next calendar comes up for approval early spring
· Can ask colleagues what worked and what didn’t to plan
for beginning of next academic year
· May be helpful to “advertise” Senate meeting when
calendar discussed
· Senators do bear responsibility to communicate with
constituency
· Will be in Chair’s Report as part of Open Forum so may
get additional feedback
2.
University Senate brochures outlining
committee responsibilities and listing senators to be distributed to all faculty and
academic staff
Items discussed with the Senate Chair
· UW
System Grants Dissemination Conference 2000, October 6, 2000 at the Pyle Center in
Madison. - The conference is open to all faculty and staff in the UW System. There is no charge for participating, although
advanced registration is required. Features concurrent presentations by investigators who
were awarded project and research grants from UW System.
Presenters will share their results, provide ideas on how their outcomes might be
replicated, and offer tips on preparing effective grant proposals. Additional sessions are scheduled on writing
grants for UW System programs and on using on-line tools to locate funding opportunities.
Registration deadline for participants is September 13, 2000. See details: http://www.uwsa.edu/acadaff/grants .
1. Presentation of Academic Advanced
Distributed Learning (ADL) Co-Laboratory established as first step in leveraging knowledge
resources available through agreement with Department of Defense, UW-System, and Wisconsin
Technical College Systems. The Academic ADL Co-Lab (housed in Madison) performs the
following functions: Research and development of advanced learning technologies; assess
ADL compliant tools to determine if and how much they will enhance teaching and learning
in universities and colleges; conformance testing for learning objects; research and
evaluation of intelligent tutors with an emphasis on determining science and technology
needs yet to be met; application and evaluation of assessment tools in the context of
college and university curriculums; and Learning Management System evaluation and
assessment process, which will meet the specific needs of the universities and colleges
system. See: http://www.adlnet.org for details.
2. Presentation of MERLOT (Multimedia
Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching) project designed to improve the
quality and availability of peer-reviewed digital learning objects for use by faculty in
university teaching. Eight selected faculty will get together with their colleagues from a
range of other institutions to develop a peer review system for and help create new
assignments around online learning objects – small pieces of online learning
materials that faculty can incorporate into their own classes providing more flexibility
and convenience. As a resource, the MERLOT project includes a searchable database of the
learning objects. As an organization, MERLOT is a cooperative agreement between 23
university systems and universities. The goal is to increase the quality and availability
of learning objects and help build an academic culture in which the development and use of
digital teaching materials is recognized and valued. See: http://www.MERLOT.org
or http://taste.MERLOT.org/ for an organizational
overview of MERLOT.
3. UTIC now renamed Office of Professional
and Instructional Development (OPID). OPID provides leadership in fostering the pursuit of
effective and innovative teaching to enhance student learning throughout the University of
Wisconsin System. OPID sponsors a variety of programs and activities designed to put the
enhancement of student learning at the heart of faculty development. These currently
include: Undergraduate Teaching and Learning Grant Program; Conference Development Grant
Program; Wisconsin Teaching Fellows Program (designed for outstanding teacher-scholars who
are in the first 10 years of their careers in the UW System); a NEW program – Wisconsin Teaching Scholars
Program (designed for outstanding faculty and teaching academic staff who have over 10
years of teaching experience – each campus will nominate one faculty or IAS to
participate); a revised Department Chairs
Workshop; and many others. See: http://www.uwsa.edu/opid/
for details.
4. Request to please be active in
‘selling’ the budget to the legislature. Invite candidates to campus and
‘get them on the record’ in supporting the UW System. Included in the budget is
a request for a change in the language that would remove position control from the
legislature.
5. IT system update: about 3000 courses are
using the web in some major way with over 62000 students involved. Will be asking for
additional resources in this area – asking for additional staffing to aid
institutions in the development of web courses.
6. Update on Instructional Academic Staff - system-wide committee being formed now with
representatives from all 15 campuses; focus will be on recommending title changes and
looking at initiatives on the integration of IAS; Madison faculty are proposing modified
professorate titles such as assistant research professor; assistant instructional
professor; assistant clinical professor.
1. Adopt a Campus Program – Regents
JoAnne Brandes and Phyllis Krutsch have been assigned to our campus
2. Regents have also been given a
‘specialty’ to follow and report briefly at the end of the academic year on
challenges in their assigned area. Areas of interest to UWEC may include relations with
students (Alexander); relations with faculty (Krutsch); IT (Olivieri); maintenance
(Schneiders); diversity (Gracz); research (Gottschalk); academic programs (Boyle); teacher
education (Randall)
3. Request to amend the vacancy publicity
section of the UW-Eau Claire Faculty and Academic Staff Personnel Policies and Procedures
was approved.
4. During the presentation on Technology and
Teacher Education in the Education Committee, it was noted that some institutions are
requiring technology proficiency for promotions, merit, and tenure – especially in
Schools of Education. It was also noted that while School Districts are evaluating
teachers on the use of technology, we don’t have the same type of teacher mandates
for University Faculty to make sure they are skilled in this area. Regent Olivieri
wondered if the Board should make a statement encouraging all faculty within the System to
use technology. “Seems we should be able to say something about this. It is important
that the campuses hear what the Regents believe.” Regent Benson responded “we
need to do whatever it takes to seek the resources needed to fund what we are asking them
[the campuses] to do.”
5. UW-Stout has requested new program
authorization for a B.S. in Applied Science to address a need for training to use science
as a tool.
6. The report on Base Salary Adjustments to
Recognize Competitive Factors was approved to be forwarded to the Department of
Administration and the Department of Employment Relations. Included was a table
summarizing the adjustments granted during 1999-00. 528 individuals at nine institutions
received $980,428 for normal equity and retention issues. In addition, 2,106 individuals
at UW-Madison were awarded $6,942,326 of competitive compensation as part of the Madison
Initiative.
|
Equity and Retention |
Madison Initiative
Competitive Compensation |
|
Number
Annual Of Adjustments
Costs |
Number
Annual
Of Adjustments
Costs |
Madison |
48
$ 555,535 |
2,106
$ 6,942,326 |
Milwaukee |
46
86,279 |
|
Green
Bay
|
1
5,722 |
|
Oshkosh |
3
8,670 |
|
Whitewater |
1
2,863 |
|
Colleges |
423
292,198 |
|
Extension |
1
8,076 |
|
System
Administration |
4
19,205 |
|
Systemwide |
1
1,880 |
|
TOTALS |
528
$ 980,428 |
2,106
$ 6,942,326 |
7. Service-based pricing guidelines and
procedures for graduate and other adult non-traditional programs were distributed. (See
Senate Office, Board of Regents September 2000 notes for a copy of the guidelines.)
8. Amendments were made to the Regent Policy
pertaining to fee charges for class auditing. (See Senate Office, Board of Regents
September 2000 notes for a copy of the policy.)