10-12-99 minutes

FACULTY SENATE MINUTES
FOR OCTOBER 12, 1999
(Vol. xxix, No. 8)

The Faculty Senate agenda is posted weekly on the Web, at 2504 Buzzard, and at 315K Coleman.

Call to order by Bonnie Irwin at 2:07 p.m. (2504 Buzzard Building)

Present: J. Allison, R. Benedict, J. Best, J. Coons, C. Eberly, P. Fewell, B. Fischer, G. Foster, B. Irwin, G. Lockart, N. Marlow, J. Tidwell, M. Toosi, B. Young, G. Kelly, B. Mazurski. Excused: K. Bielenberg. Guests: T. Abebe, J. Abell, K. Franken, M. Laiette, J. Maholy, D. Raybin, A. Samuels, S. Skala, C. Surles, B. Weber.

Approval of the minutes of October 5, 1999

Motion (Fewell/Lockart) to approve the minutes of October 5, 1999.

Corrections: In section V.A.6 "of package" should be "a package." B. Fischer should be recorded as present.

Yes: Allison, Benedict, Best, Coons, Eberly, Fewell, Fischer, Foster, Irwin, Lockart, Marlow, Tidwell, Toosi, Young.

Communications

College of Education and Professional Studies Curriculum Committee Minutes--September 27, 1999. Peggy Holmes-Layman was elected vice chair. Special Education and Ec/EI/MI both requested to substitute STG 4000 for STG 3000. Both were approved.
Council on Academic Affairs Minutes--September 30, 1999. Discussion of Humanities, Fine Arts, Social and Behavioral Sciences segments of General Education.
Faculty Senate Account Statement–September 30, 1999. Balance of $3,456.25.
Memo from Martha Brown (October 6, 1999) concerning statistical support for faculty and student research. In order to continue level of faculty research, graduate student theses, and undergraduate research, we need someone on campus who can provide statistical consulting. CGS is discussing this, but perhaps Senate should, too, since it is more than a graduate school matter.
E-mail from Shirley Stewart (October 7, 1999) regarding Distinguished Faculty Award Plaque. The UAB considered various locations for the distinguished faculty award plaque, and could find no suitable available space in the Union. They suggest we try the display cases in Old Main. Faculty senators discussed several alternatives, including the Library and the proposed "better" dining area in the Union. It was decided to take the issue back to UAB for at least temporary display in the Union. A more appropriate permanent place to display the plaque may be the Library. It was also suggested that the plaque be displayed in a "cyber wall" on the Internet with the appropriate links.
The Memorial for Lankford Walker will be held on Monday, October 18, at 7:30 p.m. at the Dudley House.

New Business

Guest Presentation: President Surles.

The President opened her remarks by stating that what Faculty Senate is doing is perhaps some of the most difficult work done on behalf of the University, and it is appreciated. Faculty Senators are the stewards of academe, and the work will become more important in the next few years. The University’s mission is to be a distinguished comprehensive university with a strong liberal arts core and very strong professional programs. Liberal arts is not a discipline but a programmatic designation–the liberal education mission. Each of us has a good strong liberal arts background regardless of our majors and professional backgrounds. In the Higher Ed Record Eastern is listed first for its liberal arts education. Liberal arts is the foundation for the professional programs. The President’s goals for the University are (1) to enhance the quality of the academic programs; (2) heighten the University’s state and national image; (3) increase public and private resources; (4) move to address deferred maintenance; (5) increase access and diversity; and (6) improve overall institutional effectiveness. Many of these goals correspond with the goals of the Illinois Commitment, including the first one. The first goal is a must for every institution of higher education. Eastern has a great deal of good work on which to build. Liberal arts and professional programs are both a part of what we do well. At the same time we need to watch the environment for trends and opportunities. We need to look for resources to protect our programs. Compensation for faculty is a very important part of this; compensation includes salaries, incentives, and equipment. President Surles made a bold request for a parity increase at the IBHE Big Picture Meeting. She made a positive presentation to encourage them to more fully fund Eastern so that we can maintain our standing with our peers. There is a $6.2 million discrepancy between the next lowest funded public university and us. It is not only a matter of having lost funds over the past; it is also a loss of opportunity. We are hopeful we can get the attention of IBHE and the legislature. It is difficult for Eastern to compete when our faculty salaries are $20,000 behind the state average. There is no fat in Eastern’s budget. She has tried to explain the dedication factor of Eastern’s faculty. They have stayed, but that does not mean they are satisfied. We will continue to make that case in as many different ways as possible. We will also take control over our destiny and try to increase private funds. The key here is matching specific interests of individuals with our needs. Many individuals are just waiting for us to approach them. We have opened the doors in many ways for private funding, and this is encouraging. The following includes discussion points and the President’s answers to questions:

We are considering a special campaign for equipment and would like the faculty’s opinions on this. We need to find a way to approach donors that would not compete with our other fund raising.
Eastern does not have a track record of any type of giving. At this point we are interested in gifts–not just long term nor just short term.
Does it make better sense to invest in senior faculty or junior faculty? The fact is we need both. These are the types of questions that legislators will ask.
The biggest single expense is salaries. It is frustrating to hear Sanders say how phenomenal we are to be 12% lower than other universities. Faculty bear the brunt of this. That is what we were trying to convey to IBHE. We did not cite any quality erosion because quality has not eroded. We are trying to convey that we are already at bare bones. If they (IBHE and the legislature) appreciate what Eastern has contributed to the state, it is time to fund us. If we do not see an increase, there will be some erosion.
When asked about her perception of shared governance, the President responded that her being there to interact with the Senate was a good example of faculty governance. She wants to interact with faculty to get a good sense of what faculty think we should do in the overall major policy decisions of the University. Faculty governance does not involve day-to-day management. Committees that deal with academic matters are entirely the faculty’s purview. Faculty are experts in academic matters. We should agree on the University’s mission and faculty should handle the academic specifics. That is governance at its best.
Forums where the President can hear directly from us are important–especially since we have to make decisions more quickly. There is a movement to encourage faculty senates around the country to provide input more quickly.
Asked about the faculty’s role in soliciting funds, she answered that at the point where there are specific proposals to take to benefactors or corporations, it is very important to have faculty a part of this. Faculty can also write grant proposals. It was noted that faculty need time and money to do this.
The question was raised whether there are any efforts among universities in the state to give the burden of retirement payouts back to either the retirement system or the state legislature. There are some very interesting developments under discussion now. The retirement program that has been established in Illinois does place the burden on the universities. It is very frustrating not to know what that financial requirement will be. This year could be a devastating one depending on how the legal case comes out. However, somebody pays for everything. Even if the burden is put back on the legislature, taxpayers will bear it and they would have something to say about that. The legislature would have to look at other sources of state revenue to meet that requirement. SURS could not cover that because they are not supposed to be a revenue producing body.
How will we determine what our niches are? By now, as a University, we should know that. The professions are certainly one of our niches, for example, teacher education and business. So is the general education core. These are all things Eastern does well. Each program has to decide how they contribute to those things we do well.
It was noted that grants not only require time and seed money; there is also a need to streamline the system once everything gets to Old Main. The President responded that we need to provide a great deal of technical assistance for grants. We need to help people know how to find them as well. There are different divisions of the University that have to sign off on grants. She hopes to identify those process issues and deal with them to simplify the process.
Another question was where the graduate school fits in and how do we make it competitive. The graduate school has a very bright future. We have to do the kind of planning to make sure programs will be relevant to the needs. Many schools have gone high tech in these programs. This is something that needs to be discussed. Liberal arts figure predominantly in everything we do, and she hopes we will continue to value it. Graduate students from liberal arts, too.
One niche (and a curse) is our ability to do more with less. Maybe we should choose one or two areas and do less with less to demonstrate our need–a strategically planned utter failure. The President responded that this was a brilliant argument but everyone in the University has to buy in and agree about how "less" will affect them. Some argue that higher education is a mature industry. It is a wonderful story of what Eastern has done but we are an exception.
Returning to the grant process, a Senator commented that after getting a grant, he began a terrible saga. Implementing a grant is very difficult at Eastern. Part of the problem is naiveté, but unfathomable institutional practices are also part of the problem.
Another Senator questioned our lack of screening procedures for research involving human subjects. Eastern does have a committee, and we should be able to survive any scrutiny. Stipulations that apply for federal grants should also apply for other grants as well.
The President was asked if she saw a consensus emerging from the departmental meetings she has attended. She responded that there was nothing incompatible. If you are equally poor over time, you develop a united front. Professional development was an issue that came up at every departmental meeting. Not to make resources available for professional development is very serious. The heart and soul of a University is its academic program. Faculty need to have the opportunity to stay current.
The President was asked where the VP for Institutional Advancement will fit into the organizational structure and if any organizational changes are planned. The VPIA should serve the University by articulating with the Foundation. That individual would also serve on the President’s Council and work a great deal in external relations as well. We have initiatives that are just waiting for that position to be filled. She does not see any other major organizational changes. If we had unlimited resources, there would be a much larger External Affairs office.
The individuals that are lobbying for us are really getting up to speed. It takes time to build relationships and ours are strong and building. She has asked them to be even more assertive.
In the area of diversity, we will do as much as we can to ensure a diversity of ideas and culture. We must do that at every level. This is difficult when there is very little turnover. We stand a better chance of creating a more diverse student body. Vacancies are an opportunity to ensure that there are people of all walks of life in the pool. We need to be sure they have an opportunity to be considered. This is one of the IBHE goals.
An audience member argued that there has been academic erosion in the recent past and there is more on the horizon. The University is not as strong as it was. One of the worst things we can do is avoid the truth. The President responded that it is important that we discuss these issues, but it is also important that we not define for the world a message of erosion. It won’t take long before the University falls off the lists. People believe what you tell them. If we think things are not going well, then we must find the resources to make sure they are. The media will pick up on positive stories if they are good enough, and we have strong positives. We are a University that has been under funded for a long time, but we have a wonderful story. We are second only to the highest funded University in the state.
A Senator asked about our international image (in addition to our state and national image). The President replied that it is a matter of resources. She is being pragmatic. She would very much like to heighten our international image, but it is a matter of prioritizing our goals. We want to serve the students we have well. We look toward the future to try to heighten that international reputation. We have some alums who might be interested in helping in this area. It is a matter of reconnecting with the people who can assist us.
In an attempt to develop a more integrative town/gown relationship, we are fostering very close relationships with Charleston surrounding cities. These cities are anxious to become a part of what we are doing. The University’s master plan and the city’s probably mesh a little better than most think. The important thing is to increase the esprit de corps between Charleston and the University so students feel welcome and respected here.

Chair Irwin thanked the President for coming to Senate and added that the Senate is more than happy to provide input whenever the President wants it. She added that the President is always welcome to attend Senate meetings. The President thanked the Senate for the input already provided in a number of forms. She also said that whenever it is possible to get faculty leadership on key committees she will always do that. Because of the time, other business was postponed until the following week.

Adjourn at 4:00 p.m. (Allison)

Respectfully submitted,

Nancy D. Marlow, Recorder