EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MINUTES

Present: Banerjee, Bryant, Fuller, King. Miller, Prochaska-Cue, Scheideler, Siekman, Spann, Whitt, Wolf

Absent: Logan-Peters

Date: Wednesday, August 22, 2001

Location: 201 Canfield Administration Building

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1.0 Call to Order (Bryant)

President Bryant called the meeting to order at 2:35 p.m.

2.0 Announcements

2.1 New Grading Policy

President Bryant reported that Dr. Hawkey, Director of Registration and Records, sent an email out to all faculty concerning the new grading policy. Bryant reported that the Graduate Council is working on incorporating the new system into graduate course standings.

2.2 Forthcoming Domestic Partner Report

President Bryant stated that the Executive Committee is looking forward to receiving the report on domestic partners from President Smith in the near future.

3.0 Chancellor Perlman

3.1 Budget

Chancellor Perlman stated that various sources are giving conflicting reports regarding the state budget and that more accurate information would not be available until the Revenue Forecasting Board meets in October. He reported that he has encouraged Deans and Directors to be cautious with their budgets. He stated that the worst case scenario would be a mid-year recission. He stated that the University is continuing to work with the Legislature regarding the budget.

3.2 Data on Salary Raises

Chancellor Perlman stated that he would make a full presentation on the distribution of salary raises to the Senate at the September 4^th meeting. He pointed out that there needs to be further discussion regarding the process that was used to determine the raises. Scheideler asked if the administrative pool was kept separate from the faculty pool of funds. Chancellor Perlman stated that the salary pools are kept separate from each other. Scheideler asked how the salary increases for chairs are done. SVCAA Edwards stated that there are major differences across the campus in how the salary increases for chairs are handled. He noted that a chair's appointment is approximately split as 50% faculty and 50% administrative; he reported chairs' increases always come out of whatever pool the chair is in. In Arts & Sciences, there is a separate pool made up exclusively of chairs and directors, and raises are paid out of this pool of funds set aside specifically for this purpose. Scheideler asked if the faculty pool was used for increases for chairs. SVCAA Edwards stated that the faculty pool in Arts & Sciences was for faculty use only. He pointed out that the process might be different for IANR and that VC Owens would need to give a report on how these increases were handled. Similarly, in other colleges, the process might be different, and the dean could explain exactly what was done. Bryant stated that the Executive Committee would like to meet early to discuss the process for next year.

3.3 Prioritization Process - The Next Step

Chancellor Perlman reported that administration is about to release a draft of a document which describes the two-step process for the designated programs to apply for funds. He pointed out that administration does not know how much money would be available for these programs. He stated that UNL will be applying for a portion of the $3 million being held by Central Administration for the academic priorities. Bryant asked if the application process would go through the Academic Planning Committee. Chancellor Perlman stated that he needs to develop a charge for the APC concerning the review of the document. He reported that he may invite other faculty to review the decisions made on the funding applications.

3.4 Update on the Antelope Valley Project

Chancellor Perlman reported that the monetary pieces of the project are coming together slowly but that the project hopes to break ground in the near future. Bryant asked if the University has any plans on helping with the resettlement issues. Chancellor Perlman stated that, to his knowledge, the people overseeing the project have delved into this area deeply.

3.5 Enrollment Management Committee

Chancellor Perlman noted that recruiting and admissions have become increasingly more important to the University. He stated that a consultant has been brought in to review our recruiting efforts. He noted that while we are doing some things well, there are other areas that need improvement. He pointed out that recruiting is becoming more crucial as the high school population decreases in the Great Plains. He stated that the campus will be purchasing software that will assist with the demographic aspects of recruiting. He pointed out that we currently do not have the technology in place to support strategic recruiting. He stated that financial aid will also need to be incorporated into the recruiting program. Specifically, how financial aid is offered needs to be improved. He stated that a consultant has been hired to work with the campus for the next 14 months on our recruiting strategy. He stated that the Enrollment Management Committee would look at strategies to determine if we could be more competitive.

Miller asked if the Honors Program recruited students. Chancellor Perlman reported that the program recruited 50 new students. He pointed out that we need to focus recruiting efforts on those students who just missed getting into the Honors Program. SVCAA Edwards stated that the University wants to offer attractive programs other than the Honors Program or the JD Edwards program. Bryant asked if the JD Edwards program was under new leadership. SVCAA Edwards stated that Associate Dean Karels is acting as interim director of the program and that a search is still being conducted for a permanent director.

3.6 Issues on the Horizon

Chancellor Perlman reported that the memorial on East Campus honoring the remains of Native Americans should be dedicated on October 3^rd. He stated that he is unaware of how the tribes feel about Randy Thomas, a Native American, bringing in a search dog to find evidence of Native American remains on East Campus. Wolf asked how the relationship is between the University and the various tribes. Chancellor Perlman stated that the university is working on a number of projects with the tribes and that three Native American women were just graduated from the teacher certification program associated with Teachers College.

4.0 Senior Vice Chancellor Edwards

4.1 Distribution of Vice Chancellor Funds

SVCAA Edwards reported that 219 faculty, out of 836, received salary adjustments from the Vice Chancellor's fund. He stated that adjustments ranged from $400 - $6689 with the average adjustment being $1975, or a 3.04% increase in addition to the college increase. Bryant asked if any particular themes, such as gender equity, were present in the adjustments. SVCAA Edwards stated that the adjustments were based on the Deans' recommendations and that a variety of elements figured into the decision. Wolf asked what information the decisions were based on once the Deans made their recommendations. SVCAA Edwards stated that they went primarily with the Deans' recommendation. He stated that Deans had to prioritize their requests. He noted that if additional information was needed, the Deans were contacted. He pointed out that they were not trying to make individual faculty evaluations.

Spann asked if the data were broken down by colleges. SVCAA Edwards stated that this information was not presently available. Siekman raised the question of why extra money was held back from the college level when the Vice Chancellors made their decisions based primarily on the recommendations of the Deans. He noted that the process needs to be examined further. Chancellor Perlman stated that he needs to discuss with the Deans how the process worked this year. He stated that he would be more comfortable in giving more funding to the colleges if the process was more consistent across the campus. He stated that retaining funds at the administrative level provides some check on the diversity of behavior that exists on the campus. He pointed out that there needs to be discussion on what constitutes good teaching and service and what merit is based upon.

Banerjee asked if SVCAA Edwards knew the records of the 215 faculty members selected. SVCAA Edwards stated that he knew the records of approximately 150-170 of these faculty. He pointed out that the administrators did not want to second guess the work done by the Deans. He noted that they wanted to rely on the departments' evaluations. He stated that other Vice Chancellors (Business, Research, etc.) were asked if there were any faculty members who provided a great deal of service who should be included in the list. He noted that the process caused Deans to be involved and to know the accomplishments of their faculty. Chancellor Perlman stated that while there has been some discomfort with the process, they have not received many complaints. Wolf pointed out that administrators would hear that more faculty are upset if they had greater interaction with the faculty. He noted that some faculty have already been contacted by union organizers. Chancellor Perlman stated that some faculty are opposed to merit increase and some faculty are upset because a full disclosure of the process and the outcome has not been made public. He pointed out that salary adjustments are one of the most effective ways in stimulating activity. Scheideler pointed out that there needs to be a clearer understanding of what is considered meritorious work. Wolf noted that the language used in describing the process needs to be worded carefully and needs to be clearer. Prochaska Cue stated that some senior faculty are concerned with the amount of time and resources that are being invested into the process. She stated that they question the definition of merit. The committee agreed that further discussions are needed to address this concern and to discuss the process used in determining increases.

4.2 Update on Searches

SVCAA Edwards stated that the Engineering search committee has been constituted and that they would be meeting within the next few weeks. He reported that Dean O'Hanlon is stepping down as Dean of the Teachers College and that a search committee would be formed soon. He reported that the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs search has been temporarily suspended. He noted that an Associate Vice Chancellor for Research position is open and that applicants are currently being sought. He stated that the search for a new Director of Admissions is going forward and that the search committee hopes to bring in several candidates soon for interviewing. He stated that an announcement would be made shortly regarding the interim Director of Admissions. SVCAA Edwards stated that several searches for Othmer matched chairs are currently in process.

5.0 Associate Vice Chancellor Hendrickson, Information Services; Sally Buchholz, Assistant Director of Public Relations; Meg Lauerman, Director of Public Relations

5.1 Email Policies

Associate VC Hendrickson reported that generic email sent to all users has become an issue because some people are tired of getting all of these messages and because sending them takes a large amount of computer resources. He stated that Information Services, along with Public Relations and the Computational Services and Facilities Committee, would like to move to a model of a compuserve whereby an index is sent listing the different messages. He pointed out that people could then access those messages that they are interested in reading. Buchholz stated that they are trying to create a more automated process. She noted that only university related messages could be posted to the index. King asked if the messages would be grouped according to subject matter. Buchholz stated that they are still working on the fine points of the program and that this has not yet been determined. She stated that the person sending the message would be accountable to answering questions about it. She noted they are trying to build a mechanism to allow communication between the senders and the receivers. Hendrickson pointed out that the messages would be archived for 18 months. He noted that they would like to get input from faculty on the new arrangement.

Bryant asked if there was a vehicle for external groups to send messages. Buchholz stated that the University address list is closely guarded and that at this time there are no plans to allow access to external groups. Bryant stated that he would announce the plan at the September 4^th Academic Senate meeting. Hendrickson stated that they hope to have the new system in place by October 1st.

6.0 Approval of 7/11/01 and 7/25/01 Minutes

Prochaska Cue moved and Fuller seconded approval of the 7/11/01 minutes as amended.

Miller moved and Siekman seconded approval of the 7/2/01 minutes as amended.

7.0 Unfinished Business

7.1 Executive Committee Retreat

Bryant stated that the retreat is a time during which the committee works on the strategic objectives and goals for the Senate. The committee agreed to meet on Wednesday, September 5^th at 3:00 for the executive retreat.

8.0 New Business

8.1 Budget Committee

Bryant stated that he would like to discuss the charge of this committee at an upcoming meeting to see if it could be made more effective and more helpful to the faculty salary process.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:50 p.m. The next meeting of the Executive Committee will be held on Wednesday, August 29^th at 3:00 p.m., 420 University Terrace. Respectfully submitted, Karen Griffin, Coordinator and Jim King, Secretary.