December 16, 2015

FACULTY SENATE MINUTES
December 16, 2015

Present: Dean Astumian, Bob Bayer, Erik Blomberg, Jason Bolton, Tony Brinkley, Dick Brucher, Farahad Dastoor, Thane Fremouw, Amy Fried, Michael Grillo, Zhihe Jin, Scott Johnson, Leonard Kass, Jordan LaBouff, Robert Lilieholm, Sara Lindsay, Patti Miles, Sidney Mitchell, Charles Rote, Thomas Sandford, Michael Scott, Howard Segal, Mary Shea, Kathryn Slott, David Townsend, Shihfen Tu, Mark Wells, Clayton Wheeler, Jeff Hecker, Carol Kim, Jen Bonnet (PEAC), Piper Black (Grad Stud Gov)

Absent: John Allen, Eisso Atzema (for Paula Drewniany), Sandy Butler, Sudarshan Chawathe, Laura Cowan, Mauricio da Cunha, Scott Dunning, Jason Harkins, Marie Hayes, David Marcinkowski, Grant Miles, William Nichols, Brian Olsen, Michael Peterson, Deborah Rogers, Jonathan Rubin, Allan Smith, Owen Smith, Mona Therrien, Andrew Thomas, President Susan Hunter, Robert Strong, Peter C. Altmann (CEAC), Austin Madden (Stud. Gov.)

The meeting was called to order at 3:20 pm

I. Welcome, Announcements and Comments:

II. Approval of Minutes
October 21, 2015 and November18, 2015 minutes approved.

III. Committee Reports
BOT Rep – Patti Miles
No report.

Academic Affairs – Marie Hayes
At the last committee meeting discussion was online courses and introduced learning outcomes and assessments with Associate Provost Monique LaRoque and Peter Schilling. Members were impressed with the experience of Dr. Schilling and believe he will bring an intellectual approach to assessment and creative programming based on his experience.

Also discussed, changes related to tenure hires versus lecturers and will continue that topic as a concern for pedagogical quality over the long-term.

Next month transfer credits and residency requirements will be discussed with Dr. LaRoque’s office and Associate Provost St. John.

Constitution & Bylaws – Mike Scott
No report.

Research & Scholarship – Scott Johnson & Mauricio de Cunha
No report.

Finance & Institutional Planning – Grant Miles & Jonathan Rubin
No report.

University Environment – Tom Sandford & David Townsend
The committee is making an inventory of classrooms from the faculty viewpoint, and hopes to complete it by early spring. Roberta Hussey, Office of Student Records, is interested in the faculty feedback regarding rooms and what is needed.

Library Advisory – Robert Rice & Howard Segal
No report.

Service & Outreach – Jason Bolton
The committee hasn’t met formally. Upcoming, trying to figure out how to disseminate information to marketing and organize that information.

Committee on Committees – Michael Grillo
There is one open call for UPCC (Undergraduate Program Curriculum Committee). The opening is for a member of Faculty Senate. Contact Michael Grillo.

Program Creation & Reorganization Review – Sid Mitchell
No report.

General Education – David Townsend
No report.

Ad Hoc IT – Michael Scott & Patti Miles
The committee is putting together an IT survey, a follow-up to last summer’s survey. Peter Schilling was contacted regarding particular needs.

Ad Hoc Shared Governance – Michael Grillo
The committee met today and discussed how to build shared governance within colleges. The intention is to vote on faculty bylaws by the end of the semester. Senators are being prompted to speak with their college colleagues so that each college is ready to craft bylaws by February.
Comment: Provost Hecker commended Michael for working on this issue. The deans have spoken to him regarding this issue.
Q. What about System wide
A. Good point

Reports of Faculty Members on Committees of the Administration
No report.

IV. Announcements and Updates from the Administration
Provost Hecker stated that he had a couple announcements. About a year ago senate was asked to consider a calendar to accommodate a winter term. The administration had hoped to have approximately 300 students register. In early December, 818 had registered and as of today 852 are registered. It was unclear if the winter term would just shift spring enrollment but at this point it appears winter term is serving the purpose it was meant for.

Enrollment Management is trying different strategies with financial aid this year. UMaine will match other land grant offers from six identified states. The Flagship Match will “…provide a merit scholarship so that tuition and fees match the price of tuition and fees at the flagship institution in the student’s home state.” There’s also Maine Matters, aimed at middle income Maine families. “Through the Maine Match program, UMaine commits to matching any financial aid offer Maine students receive from any other New England Land Grant so that the net cost of choosing UMaine is the same or lower.”

The Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast will be held on January 18, 2016 at 8:30 am.

V. Questions of the Administration
Q. Recruiting out of state, what’s the calculation if tuition is reduced opposed to full out of state?
A. Many of those students won’t come to UMaine without this program. They pay their state’s in-state tuition so it should be profitable. We need to bring students in from out of state.

Q. With Flagship Match, the paper said a 1050 SAT was needed, what percentage of current students have that now?
A. We have an average of 1087 now but want to move up selectivity, so we need to work on that. We’re telling PA & NY kids having a 1300 SAT they may not get them into Rutgers but they can come to UMaine.

Q. Is it retroactive?
A. No

Q. Some students have a much higher SAT or National Merit, etc., would there be a time to revise that?
A. Yes and that’s the goal.

Q. The One University initiative, is there any update on action to merge faculty across campuses. Is it planned, envisioned?
A. There’s no group moving toward one faculty but looking at faculty issues and how to recognize where there’s a need for that.

Q. If there are seven English Departments on seven campuses, some have two people and others have many. What do you see the course of action being?
A. Provost Hecker didn’t think One University is progressing at a pace for a one English Department collaboration. UMaine and USM each have engineering programs. Can two campuses agree to the same curriculum with the same student outcomes for two years, that’s the goal. Penn State has a curriculum community but that’s dependent on the discipline.

Q. Has there been any discussion regarding the no tuition hikes being lifted?
A. Discussions yes, it’s been 5 years with no increases.

Q. Is there a good chance it will be lifted?
A. Not sure.

Q. Unified Online and program consolidation, consolidation meaning reducing full time faculty. If there’s an overlap of courses, is there a plan for reduction?
A. There isn’t a plan for that but we need to recognize reduced enrollment can lead to that. There is no master plan but it’s an issue.

Q. How do the budget and initiatives to boost enrollment work; if there’s a unified budget do the dollars go to one pot?
A. Yes and no. It’s not the plan but is a risk. Most likely, campuses will keep their tuition and fees. This campus is doing a lot to increase enrollment and if we don’t get the tuition dollars there’s no incentive to continue.
Claire Strickland stated that Ryan Low’s December 7, 2015 Unified Financials presentation is available on the President’s website.

Q. Regarding the shared governance process, can you give a general impression on the value?
A. If it’s gone about in the right way it’s a good idea, starting points are important. Everything can’t be done by vote because administration has obligations they’re accountable for but it seems like a positive thing.

Q. Does it provide any protection with programs, etc.?
A. I’d like to think so.

Q. Is the System more interested in 7 campuses or is research also important to them?
A. The Chancellor would say we need strong research that is essential to the state. Others would say there’s a requirement that there are seven campuses and those all need to be maintained.

Q. Does the Chancellor give any insight into how a strong research institution is going to be maintained?
A. Sure, mission differentiated campuses.

Q. With Unified Online and other initiatives, should there be a Unified Peer Committee? Making sure high quality hires are done through that committee? It seems like problems should be addressed now.
A. Many things are being recognized and talked about. It’s a challenge and the questions are difficult because there is no endpoint now. Knowing where things are headed will be a guide.

Q. The System has gone back and forth with a Chief Academic Officer (CAO), do they intend to reestablish a CAO?
A. Yes, there’s a push to move with that but there’s no movement yet. There are currently two part-time people that will be leaving in January and February. The seven-campus presidents are pushing to get this done because it’s needed.

Q. Other campuses across the country don’t have to be quiet about being a Flagship University.
Discussion: It appears the information the Provost distributed has the word flagship throughout it.

Q. Campuses are so different, how could you have a Peer Committee made up from all campuses? Many standards are so different, tenure for one.
A. It’s a great point but it can be solved. Peer Committees have the same group with faculty, lecturers, etc. Faculty at UMaine are peers but agreeing to a set of criteria could be difficult but doable. There are different criteria on this campus.

Q. Has anything changed from when the system set the Outcomes Based Budgeting with no formula for research.
A. The formula has not changed and it’s a problem, it’s a redistribution formula. It seems like a Unified Budget would eliminate that.

Q. At Penn State, are there a separate Chancellor and President?
A. No.

Mike Scott stated that one initiative he’d like to implement is to have faculty meet with their deans in order to exchange information and bring back issues from the college. Mike will work with Jeff Hecker to set something up.

VI. Old Business
None

VII. New Business
Election for Vice President – David Townsend elected by acclamation.

 

Adjourned at 4:30 pm

Respectfully submitted,

Kathryn Slott

Prepared by Kim Junkins