Chair’s Report for November 23, 2004

Senate update

1. 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.

Senate Actions signed off by the Chancellor

1. Elimination of WCWC Representative Language in Handbook

2. Elimination of Chapter 37 Faculty Language in Handbook

Open Forum Items from Senate Executive Committee Meeting minutes

1. Comments from Chancellor Mash on the service-learning conversation and religious piece of it.

Faculty Reps Meeting – November 19 in Madison

1. Budget proposal. Reviewed President Kevin Reilly’s letter to Director Karen Timberlake, Office of State Employee Relations, noting the Board of Regent’s approved unclassified pay plan recommendations. Received from George Brooks a copy of the letter to Chancellors in which instructions were given to begin consultation with governance bodies to plan pay plan and/or market salary distribution guidelines for submission by March 1, 2005. Plans are to specifically and clearly state the following:

a. In the event the approved pay plan is greater than two percent, indicate how the chancellor would use up to 10% of the total pay plan as a discretionary fund to meet special needs such as specific market shortfalls by faculty rank, and/or academic staff internal/external pay problems, or to reward faculty and academic staff innovative, and/or collaborative program delivery, and/or exceptional performance in support of institution goals, and/or to correct gender pay inequities in the faculty and academic staff.

b. In the event the approved pay plan is greater than two percent, indicate what percentage of the general pay plan will be distributed on the basis of merit/market and what percentage will be distributed on the basis of solid performance.

c. In the event market funds are provided in the biennial budget, indicate how those funds will be “distributed to correct market needs and salary needs with due regard to establishing average salaries at peer group medians.”

We were reminded that if the pay plan is 2% or less, funds will be distributed across-the-board based on solid performance. The funds mentioned in item c above, are the 3% funds requested as part of the budget. The memo also noted that “If negotiations do not yield sufficient funds to provide ‘at least three percent each year’ in the biennial budget, the pay plan request is modified to up to a five percent increase each year to offset market funding adjustments of less than three percent that might be available in the biennial budget.”

2. Briefly discussed the Governor’s request for the 10% budget-cutting exercise to come from administrative areas. Request made to seek out legislators, especially Democrats, and stress that may not be able to support the governor in the future elections if the university is not supported now.

3. “What is a Liberal Education?” discussion was held.

4. Students addressed reps requesting Senates look into Trust Funds managed by Regents. More details coming.

5. Institutional reports: Stout – concern processes mandated by Baldrige Award conflict with shared governance; Extension – scholarship of outreach being studied; Milwaukee – looking at category B policies, digging into who owns collaborative degree? Which institution gets right to award degree when multiple institutions involved?; Madison – personnel policies and legislation for conducting annual reviews even if tenure clock extended, cost of textbooks, how to evaluate professional practice, concerned about race to win more and gain more $$ in sports; LaCrosse – looking at GE; Green Bay – GE program revision – now turf wars, discussing if resolution in opposition to Defense of Marriage amendment should come before senate or not; River Falls – soon international studies major, looking at sabbatical leave criteria, working on evaluation of administrators; Colleges – discussing UW Colleges and UW Extension relationship, chancellor search on hold until decisions made with relationship, held retreat for senate leaders; Superior – reviewing promotion guidelines, trying to get core requirements of GE completed by certain stage of student college career, looking at number of credits in degree; Parkside – rules for targeted emails & mass email policies, sabbatical priority policies, reviewing all ad hoc administrative committees to see how to be more efficient; Oshkosh – how to deal with grades from transfer students, problems with students waiting until 30 days before classes begin to sign up to repeat a course, how should courses from non-departments be approved; Platteville – Chancellor reversed decision to cancel business print, now reestablished, Tri-state initiative causing problems, investigating perceived illegal searches for top-level administrators; Whitewater – revising mission statement, faculty are requesting that any IAS hire be faculty approved.

Board of Regents Meeting – next meeting December 9 & 10 in Madison