January 28, 2015
FACULTY SENATE MINUTES
January 28, 2015
Present: John Allen, Steve Barkan, Jason Bolton, Ian Bricknell, Dick Brucher, Paula Drewniany, Scott Dunning, Robert Gundersen, Gordon Hamilton, Jason Harkins, Marie Hayes, Zhihe Jin, Scott Johnson, Leonard Kass, Dorothy Klimis-Zacas, Irving Kornfield, Robert Lilieholm, Mary Ellin Logue, Robert Milardo, Grant Miles, Patti Miles, Jennifer Moore, Harlan Onsrud, Michael Peterson, Andrew Reeve, Brian Robinson, Jonathan Rubin, Thomas Sandford, Michael Scott, Howard Segal, Mary Shea, Kathryn Slott, Allan Smith, Owen Smith, David Townsend, Shihfen Tu, Gail Werrbach, David Yarborough, Bob Rice, President Susan Hunter, Jeff Hecker, Carol Kim, Ryan Low, Bonita Grindle, Peter C. Altmann
Absent: Sudarshan Chawathe, Stephen Coghlan, George Criner, Mauricio da Cunha, Charlsye Diaz, Thane Fremouw, Jordan LaBouff, David Marcinkowski, Sidney Mitchell, Martha Novy-Broderick, Deborah Rogers, Clayton Wheeler, William “Dee” Nichols, Robert Strong, Charles Rote, Lindsay Nutter (Stud. Gov), Meghan Sills (Grad Stud Gov)
The meeting was called to order at 3:15 pm
Welcome and Announcements:
Questions of the Administration will be moved up to accommodate previous appointments.
Approval of Minutes
December 17, 2014
Vote: Approved with changes
Edit under:
Question of the Administration:
In October fully funded depreciation was discussed.[end sentence]. [DELETE, looking to minimize the investment of the funded depreciation line.] Would like to have a conversation of investments that should be made in facilities, pros and cons, etc. There are opportunities, an example of that are IT items budgeted twice due to centralization. Currently looking for those duplications, which will save money.
President Hunter talked about changes in the organization of [DELETE the cut under] Development.
Q. How were faculty members chosen and was Faculty Senate involved?
A.[DELETE THIS Faculty Senate was not spoken to that can be recalled.][REPLACE WITH] Faculty Senate was not consulted for faculty representation on the committee which addressed this issue.
Committee Reports
BOT Rep – Bob Rice
The Finance Committee is meeting this Friday. Professor Ed Grew gifted a total of $250,000 for a professorship to be given in amounts of $50,000 in each of the next five years, if approved by the BOT.
Questions of the Administration
Q. Yesterday, on the local news, Chancellor Page talked about making changes to the organization and him moving to Orono and fine-tuning the missions of each campus. What does that mean for operations on the Orono campus?
A. President Hunter believes he was talking in general terms regarding administration. It’s possible people may be moved to Orono or a Bangor office. The current System offices are being assessed for sale. She thinks the vision is smaller groups of employees assigned to Orono or the Bangor campus but this will take time on how it will occur. May be reassignments but within the employees area.
Q. Some quotes made i.e., Farmington to take lead in Education and Machias with Marine Science.
A. President Hunter said she was at the BDN interview but not the Portland Press Herald interview. She said he did say those things but she pointed out that they are problematic. It seemed to be an endpoint before the APRIP process was started. At the formal presentation by the Chancellor he didn’t say any of those things from the article.
Q. There is a concern because of millions of dollars invested in Engineering and Orono being the hub. There is a 30% increase in enrollment and 45% decline in research funding. It appears the model is a declining research mission on this campus.
A. President Hunter said she doesn’t believe that’s what he meant. She thought he meant that engineering absolutely would be headquartered in Orono.
Q. It appears Chancellor Page wants to reduce the administration but in the BDN said they’re going to move over 100 people from the downtown office. When he talks about a reduction in administration it doesn’t appear to be at the System Office.
A. There is a meeting tonight with all seven Board of Visitors.
Q. So Marine Science will stay in Orono?
A. Yes
Q. Mick Peterson had a question for Robert Dana regarding a call from the parent of a student; this is the second time the subject has come up. One of the senior employees in Student Affairs told the parent that Engineering admits students and then flunks them out. Engineering has one of the largest retention rates.
A. Dr. Dana said he’d never heard that from Student Affairs and would like to follow up with Mick.
Q. Would like to hear about APRIP meeting and how it’s going.
A. Provost Hecker stated that there was a meeting on Saturday, sub-teams were able to get together, and a follow up is coming. The groups were given the charge of quality, opportunity, and improved access system wide. Data was provided for student credit hours, graduation numbers, and faculty FTE by area
If there are concerns about representation let the Provost know so it can be addressed. The next task is identifying what the areas are and how many there are. The leadership for APRIP has changed, Kate Foster stepped down. They brought in Ellen Chaffee to work part-time for a year with APRIP.
Q. With accreditation issues, graduation rates and FTE sounds like an effective measure. Is there an issue of quality being discussed?
A. The sub-teams are faculty, numbers don’t equate quality but numbers are not irrelevant either. That’s why area experts are important.
Q. How big a priority are the APRIP meetings? There isn’t much notice given when faculty teach.
A. It’s important to the campus, very important.
Comment: if there could be more notice that would be helpful so things could be prioritized to attend.
Q. Seems like more money will be needed to bring someone in from the outside.
A. That position will not be filled, the position is being divided up.
Q. Heard from the Languages sub-team that there should be a system-wide degree. The chair thought everyone should think positive and not look for the difficulties. NEASC probably would have a problem with a system-wide degree and wouldn’t accredit that.
A. Provost Hecker thought the message trying to be relayed was not to let administrative things delay the discussion. Bring it up and discuss content.
Q. There’s an attempt to participate in the program but the problem with those participating is which campus(es) would be involved in Marine Sciences. Also, asking faculty how to make ourselves more efficient. Shouldn’t there be a decision of who is in charge, campuses involved, who does what. It’s not like the two processes are being integrated. Shouldn’t one be done first and then process 2 be done?
A. It’s a challenge not knowing what the System will be. It’s a balancing act. Questions come up; outcomes based with formula against collaboration yet being asked to collaborate. Look at increasing enrollment but couldn’t the system do market research instead of asking the campus
Q. The Governor talked commented regarding funding the System at ½ of what is being requested and then will add the other ½ once he gets a plan from Chancellor Page. Is this more time sensitive based on the comment?
A. President Hunter stated that the budget increase 2.4% and 3.8% in the next biennium. It’s not ½ of the funding but half of the increase requested.
Provost Hecker said the governor has proposed the largest increase in years.
Follow-up: the Chancellor was very happy about the transfer credit being approved between campuses.
Q. If Education is centered in Farmington, what happens when a student double majors in i.e., math and education or another area and education? How will that work if most of education is on a different campus?
A. We shouldn’t focus too much on the comments on Farmington and Machias. It’s way too early at this point. It doesn’t mean there won’t be degrees in education on other campuses besides Farmington. It’s too early to focus on that.
Committee Reports
BOT Rep – Robert Rice
President Foster is no longer the chair of APRIP, it is now Ellen Chaffee. She has a one-year appointment (half time).
The Edward Grew Professorship is $250,000 total, $50,000 a year from 2015-2019. There is another in Earth Science also. The System has divested holdings in coal. Chancellor Page has stated that, by the end of the 2015 calendar year, the system office in Bangor will be closed. Some administration will be moved to other campuses, appears he will be in Orono. The Chancellors presentation has been handed out. He emphasized Signature programs and those to reach across campuses. At the end of the meeting there was an Executive Committee meeting. A few trustees asked that there be frequent upper level meetings. There is some move to get advising put into PEER guidelines. They also want to mandate the number of office hours offered by faculty.
Q. Is there room for the System here on the Orono campus and what about the Chancellor being the President of Orono as well?
A. State Statute states that the Chancellor and President cannot be the same person. The legislature would have to approve it.
Discussion:
A number of flagship campuses are separate from other campuses within their system.
Academic Affairs – Marie Hayes
There’s a motion under Old Business and New Business.
Constitution & Bylaws – Martha Novy-Broderick
No report.
Research & Scholarship – Scott Johnson & Mauricio de Cunha
There is currently a survey out with the Vice President of Research that solicits information from faculty to improve research and productivity on campus. The hope is to strengthen research at UMaine. The committee will have a brief report with recommendations in the future. We’re looking at things that can be tackled in tough budget times.
Q. Are we underperforming our peers?
A. UMaine is actually ranked in the top 100 in research universities but if the other universities are improving we need to also.
Finance & Institutional Planning – Tom Sandford
In the fall the committee looked at infrastructure in connection with depreciation, a report will be presented to elected members and then full senate. Examining data relative to the faculty, and the rest of the system, and how it compares to other institutions. Some work has already been done. There was a BDN article where Rebecca Wyke stated that centralization has saved the System $5 million. Data shows that between 2010 and 2014 the FTE of faculty, system-wide, has dropped by 6.3% and the System (non AFUM) dropped by 3.3%. It appears that centralization has come out of faculty not centralization.
University Environment –Mike Scott
No report.
Library Advisory – Robert Rice & Howard Segal
No report but a statement under New Business regarding a discussion of having the purchase of books for the Library being centralized. That needs to be looked into soon.
Service & Outreach –David Yarborough & Jason Bolton
No report.
Committee on Committees – Executive CommitteeNo report.
Program Creation & Reorganization Review – Brian Robinson
No report.
General Education — Harlan Onsrud
The committee continues to meet with representatives of the other campuses at least once a month, or more. Honing the process re transferability of courses and transparency. Plan on meeting with Community College reps soon.
Discussion: Provost Hecker stated there would be a faculty forum on February 4, to continue discussions from October about foundational areas. The university is involved in a National effort to look at how to evaluate student outcomes. This campus has been invited by an initiative from the Gates Foundation, a multi state collaborative.
Mick said it is critical to participate and show where quality comes from. Faculty should lead since they can evaluate the quality. February 4, 2015, 3:00 but the Provost will send out an email with an exact time.
Ad Hoc IT – Michael Scott
No report.
Committees of the Administration Reports
No report.
Old Business
Academic Affairs Committee
January 28, 2015
Calendar Motion 2 for 2015-2016
Background:
As the Faculty Senate determines the academic requirements of the University of Maine, we had passed a calendar motion on December 17, 2014 which named a 14 week semester for both Spring and Fall of 2015-2016 with the Spring semester start date to occur on January 11th, and final exam week with ends May 6th. This motion rewrites the start date of Spring Semester and adds one week. All other features, including Spring Break, shall remain as previously determined.
Motion:
We hereby approve a change in the Academic Year Calendar for 2015-2016. The new calendar permits a new three-week winter term, the standard two-week March Spring break, and preserves a 14-week semester plus exam week. The purpose of the winter term is to promote retention of undergraduate students.
As a consequence, we will commence spring semester classes on the day after Martin Luther King Day, which is 1/19/16 and will end classes on 5/6/16. Commencement will occur on 5/14/16.
The impact of the new Winter term on May term enrollment is of interest for pedagogical reasons as May term will be pushed forward by one week from these changes. Hence, we request that the Provost’s office inform Faculty Senate regarding enrollments in the new Winter Term to compare with the 2016 May Term enrollment.
Discussion: Provost Hecker stated that the plan is for retention and a 4-year graduation rate; 36% graduate in 4-years and 58% graduate in 6-years. There is a national push to help students finish college in 4-years. Previously concentrated on retention but now looking at graduation also. The vision is to communicate with students how they’re doing and if they’re on track for graduation. Targeted emails can show them that if they want to graduate in four years there are courses online available to stay on track.
The proposal does not change the length of spring break but would have 6 weeks before and 8 weeks after. It’s a Faculty Senate decision if there should be an amendment to have 7 weeks before break and 7 weeks after. Athletic schedules are also an issue that was discussed by the committee. Athletics was consulted, softball and baseball negotiate contracts a year out and the dates will be passed on as soon as Faculty Senate makes it.
Amendment to Motion: The Academic Affairs Committee should amend the motion to shift spring break so that there are 7 weeks before and 7 weeks after spring break.
Amended Motion Vote: Approved
Vote: Approved
New Business
Academic Affairs Committee
January 28, 2015
Motion on Sexual Discrimination Policy
Background:
The issues of sexual harassment, sexual and physical assault, and sexual discrimination are of deep concern to faculty. The faculty recognize the University of Maine’s institutional responsibly to report and respond to incidences of sexual abuse, harassment, violence, and gender discrimination, to responsibility to ensure a safe environment and to prevent sexual abuse and develop education programs. At the same time, the faculty recognizes the University of Maine’s responsibility to students and victims of sexual discrimination. We understand these are complex issues and require an informed understanding of university policy that cannot be effectively delivered with a simple statement to be included in class syllabi.
Motion: The Faculty Senate suggests that the requirement to include a statement in all class syllabi regarding sexual discrimination policy and mandated reporting be rescinded.
Discussion: Someone asked, “…what’s the issue…”.
Some of the issue, it’s an Academic Affairs issue not a faculty issue. The syllabus should not be used to educate the students on the policy, the policy was not discussed with students and faculty were not made aware of the decision.
Dr. Dana said this is a Title IX issue and the BOT has discussed it. The Provost did a good job of responding to the question but it’s a bigger issue than Student Affairs.
There are specialist on campus that should be consulted.
What will the reaction of the BOT be if faculty don’t add the statement to the syllabus? Provost Hecker said that was done by campus not BOT.
The Provost said to make sure faculty are aware of the policy is a challenge. The policy has been on the books for 2 years, he’d like to work with faculty regarding the issue. Training wasn’t effective, some have said they didn’t have training.
Dr. Milardo said he’s hopeful that the Faculty Senate will stay engaged with the process. It’s a messy problem, difficult to assemble policy to deal with all issues involved, interest is with the syllabi requirement. The responsibility of campus is to report and to educate but there is a responsibility of faculty to respond to the need of students and consider the best interest of students. The current policy seems out of balance.
The motion deals with how to communicate the policy.
There are several classes that announce when the most difficult time for students are on campus, there may be a better way to communicate the policy instead of the syllabus.
Dr. Dana stated that it is the responsibility to educate, treat, etc. A lot more cases are being reported. The more this is discussed the more it comes in to the light.
Jonathan Rubin commented that he understood Academic Affairs versus Student Affairs. He hasn’t discussed this with his unit yet and thinks that should be done before a vote is taken. His view is that he doesn’t see the problem.
Regarding the mandatory reporting, if someone wants to talk confidentially this means we can’t talk to him or her without reporting. Dr. Dana said you could refer a student to a confidential officer on campus.
Mike stated that the policy states there may not be confidentiality with those officers.
Dr. Dana said there are confidential resources.
Dr. Kass said his unit said that the statement was mandated but then the Faculty Senate discussed the issue and opinions were ½ and ½. This is an important issue and need to get it right. It needs to have discussions not just put in the syllabus.
Harlan asked if the policy shouldn’t be put in the student code of conduct. Why shouldn’t it be listed with all the other important issues.
It was added to the syllabus because it leads to faculty knowledge and student knowledge, faculty seem to be unaware of the policy.
Dr. Milardo said it being on the syllabi doesn’t convey the complex issue. Students discuss something they may not realize that the faculty now needs to report them. It really doesn’t educate the faculty or students.
Dr. Hecker is glad the committee wants to move forward with the issue. Currently, the policy is the policy as it exists. The obligation is that everyone knows about it.
If mandated reporter, that means we pass a name to Academic Affairs. If a student says they need to discuss something confidentially they can’t.
Dr. Dana, when mandated to add the statement in the syllabus it was so everyone knew the policy.
Marie said the problem is students go to faculty sometimes. Victim confidentiality is important.
Motion: Move to table to motion.
Aren’t we also required to report this to the police? Dr. Hecker said no.
Vote: Approved
Adjourned at 5:00 pm
Respectfully submitted,
Kathryn Slott
Prepared by Kim Junkins