EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MINUTES
Present: Alexander, Fech, Fuller, Spann, Whitt, Wolf,
Wunder
Absent: Beck, Buck, Logan-Peters, Miller, Peterson,
Shea
Date:
Location: Academic Senate Office, 420 University
Terrace,
1.0 Call
to Order
Wunder
called the meeting to order at
2.0 Vice
Chancellor Jackson, Business and Finance
Vice Chancellor for Business and Finance Christine Jackson,
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Fiscal Affairs Kim Phelps, and Director of Business
Operations, University Services, Jim Vogel, presented an overview and
background of the travel contract with Travel and
Transport. Benefits, number of purchases, cost savings, and
changes to the Travel and Transport’s web site for 2003-04 were explained.
Clarification was made that the $25 reimbursement fee charged is assessed by
UNL not Travel and Transport. VC Jackson asked for suggestions on how to better
inform faculty of how to use travel procedures. VC Jackson suggested a web site
be created on how to use T&T travel, including step by step procedures for
faculty to follow, and that this web address be sent to all faculty. Jim Vogel stated that he is the point person
for faculty to contact at 472-3330 if there are problems with T&T. He noted
that the airfare situation report and approval to buy lower fare tickets for
reimbursement is only available during T&T business hours, not after
hours. The usual response time is 15
minutes to 1 hour. Faculty can then
print off the approval, buy the cheaper ticket, and enclose the approval when
applying for reimbursement. There is no
reimbursement fee with the approval from T&T. Alexander asked if UNL has stopped
reimbursement for mileage to
3.0 Approval
of
Minutes of the meeting of July 30 were moved approved by
Alexander, seconded by Whitt, and approved.
4.0 Report
on Regents Meeting
Wunder reported on the Regents meeting in
5.0 Meeting
with UNOPA and UAAD
Wunder reported that he and Petersen met with UNOPA and UAAD
representatives. The representatives
expressed concern that UNOPA and UAAD have no voice in budget reductions as
they previously did. Both organizations
have appointed representatives to the Senate ad hoc child care committee
chaired by Senator Gayle Buck. Both agreed to meet every other month with
Senate officers.
6.0 Executive
Committee Retreat
Wunder distributed a tentative Retreat agenda for August 29. Additions and corrections were made.
7.0 Programs
of Excellence Funding
Wunder reported that he will write a letter to SVCAA Edwards
requesting an accounting of how the $1 million dollars Priority Program funds
were spent last fiscal year after further Executive Committee discussion. A
brief discussion of the Priority programs history and procedures followed and
will be continued at the next Executive Committee meeting.
8.0 Competition
for Research Funds
Alexander raised the issue of internal faculty competition for
funds such as Research Council, Layman, Nebraska Research Initiative, EPSCOR,
and Priority Program funds, and many others and noted that the time faculty are
spending on these internal competitions are not healthy for the
University. The money should be used to
match faculty going after external funding.
Too many faculty are spending way too much time on internal competition
and not having time to apply for external funding.
The
meeting was adjourned at
*August 20
meeting canceled. The next meeting of
the Senate Executive Committee will be on Wednesday August 27 at