Faculty Senate Minutes - 4/5/2001
FACULTY SENATE MINUTES
April 5, 2001
Call to order
President Mikkelsen called the meeting to order at 4:03 p.m.
Senators present
Aschermann, Bargar, Caldwell, Greiert, Hamzaee, Klostermeyer, Mikkelsen,
Nelson, Noynaert, Radmacher, Roberts, Tapia, Williams
Senators absent
Cadden, Fowler, McLear
Senators-elect present
Blessing, Caldwell, Greiert, Windsor
Senators-elect absent
Andrews, Church, Hunt, Rhodes, Smith
Ex-officio
James Roever, vice president for academic affairs, Missouri Western State
College
James Scanlon, president, Missouri Western State College
Guests
Todd Ekdahl, associate professor of biology, and chair of faculty senate
salary committee
Kelly Henry, assistant professor of psychology, and chair of faculty senate
fringe benefits committee
Kathyrne Mueller, administrative assistant to vice president for academic
affairs
Approval of minutes
Secretary Greiert noted these necessary amendments: 1) Under New Business, SR
00-01.08, lines eight and nine should read as follows: "The base salary for
new faculty shall be increased from $33,650 to $33,950 for AY 2001-2002." 2)
At the top of the fourth page, above RESOLUTION, a title should be added as
follows: "ATTACHMENT A". On that same page, number 2 should read as follows:
"The base salary for new faculty shall be increased from $33,650 to $33,950
for AY 2001-2002." 3) At the top of the tenth page, above DRAFT RESOLUTION, a
title should be added as follows: "ATTACHMENT B." The minutes of the meeting
of March 29, 2001, were approved as amended (Roberts/Tapia).
Approval of agenda
The agenda for today's meeting was approved by unanimous consent
(Tapia/Roberts).
Special meeting of 2001-2002 Senate for election of new Senate officers
Mikkelsen invited the newly elected senators who will comprise the Faculty
Senate for 2001-2002 to sit at the table for the purpose of electing Senate
officers for next year. Outgoing senators temporarily relinquished their
seats to the incoming senators. According to the Association's Constitution,
the retiring President of the Faculty Senate (Mikkelsen) ran this special
meeting.
He identified Senator Klostermeyer as a nominee for the office of Faculty
Senate President for 2001-2002. According to the election procedures for
2001-2002 Senate officers approved at the March 22, 2001, meeting, Mikkelsen
asked if any senator wanted a vote taken by secret ballot. No such request
was made. Since it was clear that there was unanimous consent, he declared
that Klostermeyer had been elected by acclamation.
Mikkelsen then identified Senator Greiert as a nominee for the office of
Faculty Senate Vice President for 2001-2002. According to the election
procedures for 2001-2002 Senate officers approved at the March 22, 2001,
meeting, Mikkelsen asked if any senator wanted a vote taken by secret ballot.
No such request was made. Since it was clear that there was unanimous
consent, he declared that Greiert had been elected by acclamation.
Mikkelsen then identified Senator Nelson as a nominee for the office of
Faculty Senate Secretary for 2001-2002. According to the election procedures
for 2001-2002 Senate officers approved at the March 22, 2001, meeting,
Mikkelsen asked if any senator wanted a vote taken by secret ballot. No such
request was made. Since it was clear that there was unanimous consent, he
declared that Nelson had been elected by acclamation.
Mikkelsen then closed the special meeting for the election of officers for
next year's Faculty Senate.
Report from college president
This report was postponed until President Scanlon arrived later in the
meeting.
Report from vice president for academic affairs
James Roever, vice president for academic affairs, announced that he had
completed all faculty evaluations and that those documents would be returned
to the faculty on April 6, 2001. Similarly, he reported that all merit
recommendations had been assessed and that those documents would also be
returned to the faculty on April 6, 2001. He further stated that the Faculty
Senate Promotion and Tenure Committee had completed its examination of all
applications for promotion and that its decisions on those would be returned
to the promotion candidates on April 9, 2001.
Report from faculty senate executive committee
President Mikkelsen reported that he will meet with President Scanlon about
budget matters on April 6, 2001, specifically on the following issues: 1)
general issues regarding the Faculty Senate recommendations on a salary
increase of 5%; 2) how differences between recommendations forthcoming from
the ad hoc Salary Committee and those from the Faculty Senate Salary Committee
will be resolved.
Mikklesen explained that the University of Missouri-Columbia has not yet voted
on curricular changes involving General Studies guidelines.
Mikkelsen noted that Faculty Senate committee assignment preference sheets
have been distributed to all full-time and half-time faculty members. The due
date for their return to department secretaries or Faculty Senate
representatives is Wednesday, April 11, 2001, at 2:00 p.m. He said that all
responses will be tabulated by computer. Vice President-elect Greiert will
then study them and bring back to the Faculty Senate Executive Committee for
discussion his recommendations for Faculty Senate committee appointments. In
turn, that committee will decide to accept or amend his recommendations and
return its nominations to the whole Faculty Senate at its meeting on April 19,
2001.
Mikkelsen stated that the Faculty Senate Professional Leave Committee had
concurred with suggestions from the Faculty Senate to recommend the following
changes in the sabbatical leave process: 1) move deadlines to early in the
Fall semester so that departments and administrators could have more time to
decide if such applications were feasible regarding replacements for faculty
on leave; 2) clarify better the criteria for decisions concerning the merit of
each proposal, particularly pertaining to professional development; and 3)
develop better feedback mechanisms for the candidates at all levels of
evaluation.
Mikkelsen announced the following revisions of agenda for schedule upcoming
Faculty Senate meetings: 1) the meeting on April 12, 2001, will focus
exclusively on debating and voting on resolutions put forth at the meeting of
March 29, 2001, regarding salary issues. 2) the meeting on April 19, 2001,
will receive and discuss reports from the Faculty Senate Promotion and Tenure
Committee, the Faculty Senate Evaluation of Faculty Committee, and the Faculty
Senate General Studies Committee. 3) the meeting on May 3, 2001, will receive
and discuss reports from the Faculty Senate Academic Regulations and Standards
Committee and the Faculty Senate Scholarship Committee, as well as vote on
proposals coming from the Faculty Senate General Studies Committee.
Report from faculty senate salary committee
Todd Ekdahl, chairman of the Faculty Senate Salary Committee and member of the
ad hoc Salary Committee, presented the final report of the former committee,
dated April 5, 2001. (See Attachment A) He also submitted, for comparative
purposes, the final report of the latter committee, submitted to President
Scanlon and dated April 2, 2001, (See Attachment B), as well as a series of
hypothetical scenarios developed by Brian Cronk, associate professor of
psychology and member of the Faculty Senate Salary Committee, to show the
financial impact of the recommendations of the ad hoc Salary Committee. (See
Attachment C)
Ekdahl reported nine recommendations from the Faculty Senate Salary Committee.
They were as follows: Recommendation #1) The Faculty Senate Salary Committee
recommends an across-the-board increase of 5% in faculty salaries for the
academic year 2001-2002. If the College budget from the State does not
increase, the Committee, instead, recommends an across-the-board increase of
3% in faculty salaries. Recommendation #2) The Faculty Senate Salary
Committee proposes that salary increases for promotion be increased and that
the length of time required for promotion also be increased from four to five
years to make promotion more meaningful and more financially rewarding. In
addition, the salary increases for promotion should be incrementally increased
by 3% each year. Recommendation #3) The Faculty Senate Salary Committee
recommends the institution of the Active Career Program. (See Attachment B,
Appendix 4 of the ad hoc report) Recommendation #4) The Faculty Senate Salary
Committee recommends the use of the initial placement guidelines for
instructors in setting starting salaries for lecturers. The Committee also
recommends the adjustment of the lecturer's salary to the level it would be at
if he/she were hired now under these guidelines. Recommendation #5) The
Faculty Senate Salary Committee recommends that the following change be made
in the 2000-2001 MWSC Policy Guide, paragraph 3, Section III.C.1, p. 121
from: "The Faculty Senate Salary and Fringe Benefits Committee" to: "The
Faculty Senate Salary Committee."
Recommendation #6) The Faculty Senate Salary Committee recommends the
formation of an ad hoc committee charged with the investigation of alternative
inducements for attracting and retaining qualified faculty at MWSC.
Recommendation #7) The Faculty Senate Salary Committee recommends that the
following statement be added to the 2000-2001 MWSC Policy Guide, paragraph 3,
Section III.C.2, p. 122: "The new salary may not exceed the salary that the
faculty member would have if he/she had been originally hired at the new
educational level without prior approval of the Departmental Chairperson, the
Divisional Dean, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs." Recommendation
#8) The Faculty Senate Salary Committee recommends the rate of pay of $600 per
load hour for part-time and overload teaching should be tied to an annual
increase of 3%. Recommendation #9) The Faculty Senate Salary Committee
recommends that the Chairperson Stipend of $2000 per year should be tied to an
annual increase of 3%.
President Mikkelsen responded that the Faculty Senate had already addressed
recommendations #1, #4, #5, and #7. The Faculty Senate received the final
report from the Faculty Senate Salary Committee.
Report from college president
President Scanlon arrived at the meeting in the midst of the report from the
Faculty Senate Salary Committee. Ekdahl relinquished the floor to Scanlon so
that he could make his report. After Scanlon's report was completed, Ekdahl
resumed his report.
Scanlon provided an update on events in Jefferson City. He said that within
three weeks MWSC will know if and when the capital budget will be released.
Thereafter, the college will proceed with the Alumni Training and Development
Center project, for which it expects to receive $1 million.
Regarding the 2002 fiscal budget, Scanlon reported that he had fought a
proposal to cut $10 million out of the core budget. Scanlon also said that a
cut will occur in money for technology that was left in the budget. The cut
will approximate 1/3 of that $180,000 fund. Scanlon further explained that
the remaining $120,000 will be put in the base, which he deemed acceptable.
Scanlon provided news that MORNET and MOBIUS funding was not good. MOBIUS, an
electronic library access program, appears ticketed for a substantial cut, if
not elimination. MORNET, which involves funding for the infrastructure of
Distance Learning, will also have its funds cut.
Scanlon explained that Advantage Missouri, a "loan forgiveness" program for
students who major in certain fields, will not be funded any further and will
be cut from the budget. Therefore, the student loans will not be "forgiven."
Scanlon announced that he had had a good meeting with the commissioner of the
Coordinating Board of Higher Education about alignment for strategic planning.
Timetables have been maintained by the CBHE and MWSC for their respective
strategic plans.
Scanlon noted that invitations had been sent to 450 fulltime employees at
MWSC, including faculty, professional staff, and support staff, as well as to
50 students to attend one of ten strategic planning sessions scheduled for
this week and next week. Already 250 people have signed up for these
sessions. In addition, Scanlon has distributed invitations to over 700 people
in the community to attend an additional six sessions on strategic planning.
As a result, he stated that the strategic planning process was off to a great
start. Senator Hamzaee praised the process and concurred with Scanlon's
assessment.
Report from faculty senate fringe benefits committee
Kelly Henry, chairperson of the Faculty Senate Fringe Benefits Committee,
presented the final report of her committee. This report entailed an
examination of the following issues: 1) Life insurance benefits; 2) the
Prescription Drug Plan; 3) potential additional fringe benefits; 4) benefits
to half-time employees; 5) a True Cafeteria Plan; 6) the 1008 hour cap and an
associated lawsuit; and 7) consideration of forming a Campus Fringe Benefits
Committee to supplant a Faculty Senate Fringe Benefits Committee. (See
Attachment D)
This report included one Recommendation: The Faculty Senate Fringe Benefits
Committee recommends that the life insurance benefit provided to Missouri
Western State College employees be changed from $10,000 per employee to one
and a half times the annual salary. (See Attachment D)
The Faculty Senate received the final report from the Faculty Senate Fringe
Benefits Committee.
New Business
None
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 5:40 p.m. (Williams/Bargar)
Respectfully submitted,
Steven Greiert
Secretary
|
