Chair’s Report for February 10, 2004

 

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. Senate Chair’s Report will be available on this site by noon on the day of the Senate meeting.

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.

 

Senate Actions signed off by the Chancellor

1.       Faculty Committee Membership

2.       Foreign Language/Foreign Culture Requirement Revisions

3.       Criteria for Internships Abroad to Meet Foreign Culture Requirement

4.       New Minor in Ancient Studies

5.       2005-2006 Academic Calendar

6.       Handbook Revision – Recruitment Procedures

7.       Handbook Revision – Periodic Review

8.       New German Business/Professions Emphasis

9.       New Public History Emphasis

10.   Kinesiology Emphases Changes

11.   Entitlement to Plan Women’s Studies Major

 

Faculty Reps Meeting

  1. Pat Brady, System Legal Council, talked about Student Evaluation dissemination. Attorney General’s office advised System Legal to stick with current practice of upon student request, releasing numerical evaluation results and redacting parts of written comments. Language in new Public Records law vague and exception clause not strong enough to prevent release of records since students are “non-employees”. From Deans on up, Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled, in one case, that records should be closed.
  2. Larry Rubin from System gave an update on work of Credit Transfer advisory group. Principles established by group: importance of maximizing success for students; mission distinction; important role colleges play; maintaining role faculty play in discussion of transfer; importance of advising; sense of working with Technical Colleges more closely than in the past; establishing consistency; educational rationale to decisions made; focus on excellence.
  3. UW-Stout to suggest pilot where Stout will serve as portal for transfer of Tech College credits.
  4. George Brooks from System HR shared that institutions have been notified not to send letters with dollar amounts for distribution of 1% for ’04-05. Higher paid unions have settled contracts. Lower paid employees will not have a wash of 1% versus health care costs. Until one knows where things will end up, it is difficult to present a parity plan. Due to state-reduced premiums from what originally proposed, faculty and staff paying higher premium than employees whose classified contracts have settled. Classified bargaining units will need to go back and pay health retroactive payments; non-settled unions are under contract extensions and not required to pay back. These issues and many more will be presented to UW-System Compensation Advisory Committee. So – don’t hold off on Merit (solid performance) decisions, but do hold off on stating the dollar amount.
  5. Discussion on Assistant VP for Human Resources position description – concern that position language indicates looking for ‘yes’ people to ‘vigorously defend Regents’; concern limited to internal UW-System candidates. Brooks defended language: current administration well diverse, no need to go outside UW; need leadership qualities, can teach HR; knowledge of how UW works is important; lack of salary available and fact President is closer to leaving than staying makes external candidates unwilling to take chance and come here.
  6. INSTITUIONAL REPORTS: Stout – looking into Polytechnic-type program, realigning program array to work better with Techs; Oshkosh – looking at drop policy that must wait to register 30 days after course opens if repeating course, who has priority on repeats, verification of enrollment; Colleges – joint proposal between Colleges and Extension for Center for Adult Access; Green Bay – personnel code, original discussion to gain more faculty status for academic staff now turned to a push to eliminate faculty status, improving campus climate, getting voices heard, administration evaluations; Milwaukee – chancellor search, aggressively pursuing credit transfer building on articulations with MATC, disciplinary policies for faculty, Pick-a-Prof software; Whitewater – research on number of women in administrative positions; LaCrosse – set up program array committee and criteria used, NCATE to review education, make GE courses more relevant, making education program more campus wide, concern for under staffing due to budget cuts, getting more active to recruit non-resident students; Stevens Point – chancellor search, reviewing all aspects of student evals of teaching, faculty salaries equity, multiple searches; Superior – looking at salaries, finished cutting down number of credits for majors and minors, now cutting down number of tracks and minors, instructor faculty status, received $5 million donation to foundation; Parkside – restructuring Teacher Education to broaden ownership across campus, evaluation of administrators (administrators review a summary of evaluation for distribution purposed and agree to distribution of the summary to faculty), concern student records on People Soft do not allow for ‘last time attended’ remarks, concern for how to comply with requirement to gain such information, for program reviews starting mini annual program reviews thru PR committee; want to grow student body; River Falls – general education revamped, defined outcomes within goals, what must be demonstrated, assessed, 5-yr. cycle, course put into category based on content not prefix or department, program reviews, administrator evaluations, searches, trying to compile all academic policies into one place, IT said faculty & staff emails now being directed into separate mail box more difficult to access, passed resolution giving Senate chair access to global F/S email; Platteville – open forum on outside funding of UW-System, controversy on elimination of Business Print program, expanding student population by about 2000 with students from IL and Iowa paying in-state tuition plus $4K for certain majors, causes two students with different majors from same IL town to pay different tuition, will pilot in ’05-06, asking administration for more accountability for tenure track positions for faculty, ask to be notified of intentions for upcoming hiring season (eliminate positions or fill by AS); Extension – loss of tenure track positions, scholarship of Engagement committee, family leave policies, outreach scholarship conference; Madison – L & S Dean search, coming soon College of Biology to coordinate 24 ways to major in Biology now, working thru titles … title of Research Professor (an academic staff title) turned down for emeritus prof returning as academic staff, looking at textbook costs, is clear legislature misunderstands what research dollars pay for, discussion on hang tags for parking; Academic Affairs at System – integrated planning group to look at enrollment and resources per student and principles for allocation of dollars to each institution, Regent Study groups trying to bring it together as soon as possible with partial report due by March in time to address budget-related matters, PK-16 initiative success with modest amount of funding, Liberal Arts initiative receiving good press to draw attention to importance of LA and LA Education, 3 regional meetings on impact of Michigan diversity case, opportunity for explanation, National Institute for Drug Abuse, how to find new ways to get research conducted, how comprehensives can be involved, research team now of faculty from Parkside, LaCrosse, and Green Bay, research theme of drug abuse with college-age students, very interested in addiction research, need suggestions of faculty who can be competitive at federal level who want to head research or be part of research teams.

 

Board of Regents Meeting

  1. Alan E. Guskin, former chancellor at UW-Parkside and president emeritus at Antioch University, encouraged UW leaders to create a vision for the future focused on student learning, faculty quality and lower costs for students. He suggested organizational changes that support the vision of the future, which could include zero-based budgeting and more efficient uses of technology. He stressed reducing the amount of faculty time to educate students, but increase quality time – ultimately means fewer faculty educating more students using new methods of learning. Several regents stated this was one of the best presentations heard on the future of higher education.
  2. Report on UW System’s latest accountability report outlined progress university made over past year in serving students and the state. Good news: UW continues to provide access for approximately 32 percent of immediate high school grads; increased pre-college participation; served growing number of students on-line, and met rising targets for retention and grad rates. Bad news: performance on advising lags; performance on professional development and availability of information technology remain the same. Due to budget cuts, compromises were made: tenure and tenure track faculty now teach only 60 percent of total student credit hours (IAS teach 34%, TAs teach 6%); number of adult students served has declined; and facilities maintenance continues to lag state standards.
  3. Plan presented by UW-Platteville to increase regional enrollment by 2000. Extra revenue from this plan would be used to hire more faculty, address facility needs, and assist Wisconsin students (see Reps report).
  4. UW Colleges shared online programs emphasizing Colleges hope to expand online programs in the future by adding more course sections and making these available to students ‘on campus’.
  5. Half-way report of Plan 2008 showed an increase in pre-college enrollments by 134%. Several areas still need attention: financial aid, graduation rates for students of color, and need for campuses to fully align their missions with the goals of Plan 2008.
  6. UW-Milwaukee presented pilot plans with no set ending date to charge special tuition rates, ranging from $10 to $30 per credit, to provide additional dollars for programs in the Peck School of the Arts, the College of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of Business Administration, and the College of Nursing. Regents wanted assurance that this was to enhance the programs, not replace dollars lost due to budget cuts. Regents also noted the need to establish better guidelines for making decisions on special tuition rates. Regents voted to require the three-year report to be presented to the full board.
  7. Business and Finance approved allowing an increase in the mandatory refundable fee students pay to support the United Council of UW Student Governments (increase from $1.35 per student to $2.00.)
  8. In the next budget cycle, the board is scheduled to consider a budget request in August. Students hope the UW System’s budget request will include measures to rebuild the university’s capacity and quality. The budget cycle:
    1. February – United Council presentation on priorities
    2. March – discussion of a possible financial aid initiative
    3. April – budget related recommendations from Charting groups; establish criteria for Capital priorities
    4. May – preliminary Capital Budget requires; decide on final initiatives and dollar amounts
    5. June – consider cost-to-continue items and proposed statutory language changes
    6. August – review final budget document and act on submitting request to Dept. of Administration
    7. Nov/Dec – consider pay plan request
  9. The Board delegated the authority to choose a presidential search consultant to Regent President Marcovich.

 

Legislative Update

  1. Assembly Bill 766 - UW police Representative Jeff Wood (R, Chippewa Falls) has introduced legislation that authorizes UW police assigned to a given campus to make arrests anywhere in the county in which the UW campus is located if the board authorizes them to do so and adopts policies regarding investigations and arrests occurring off campus.  The bill was referred to the Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee, where it will likely have a hearing on February 10.
  2. Senate Bill 411 – smoking

Senator Fred Risser (D, Madison) introduced legislation that prohibits smoking in buildings owned or leased by the state.  The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Children, Families, Aging and Long Term Care.

  1. The Senate also concurred, by a vote of 32-1, on AB-183, limiting school district youth options programs for pupils who attend an institution of higher education to 18 credits.