EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MINUTES

Present:          Alloway, Beck, Hoffman, Flowers, Moeller, Peterson, Rapkin, Stock

Absent:           Alexander, Bolin, Fech, Scholz, Shea

Date:               Wednesday, April 5, 2006

Location:        Academic Senate Office, 420 University Terrace

Note:   These are not verbatim minutes.  They are a summary of the discussions at the Executive Committee meeting as corrected by those participating.

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1.0       Call to Order

            Beck called the meeting to order at 3:02 p.m.   

2.0       Vice Chancellor Owens

            2.1       Extension Educator Task Force

Beck stated that the members of the task force are Richard (Otto) Hoffman, Kathy Prochaska-Cue, and Andy Christiansen.  She noted that Hoffman is chair. 

Hoffman reported that the task force has not met yet but will do so next week.  He stated that basically they have a plan of action which they will like to go over with VC Owens at some time. 

VC Owens stated that he mentioned the task force to Dean Dickey and suggested that Dickey might mention this to the Extension Advisory Committee. 

2.2       Implication of the Governor’s Veto on the Utilities Appropriation

Beck asked VC Owens if he knew of the implications of the Governor’s veto.  VC Owens pointed out that the utilities costs are very real costs and it is difficult to know precisely what the impacts will be.   He noted that next year the Legislature will be a very different one with a different chair for the Appropriations Committee.  He stated that the hard work done by President Milliken and others supporting the university will have to be repeated next year to educate the new Legislature.  He pointed out that the University could be faced with more budget cuts because of the increased cost of utilities if the next Legislature and Governor do not address that situation. 

Moeller asked if the efficiency measures with the heating systems made much of an impact.  VC Owens stated that they did not make as much of an impact as hoped for but have accounted for some savings. 

Peterson stated that he recently met Cecil Steward, former Dean of the College of Architecture.  Peterson noted that Steward is heading up an institute in Lincoln and Omaha that will work on sustainable design.  He noted that the idea is to make buildings and communities that would be sustainable and energy efficient.  Peterson stated that he has long thought that the University should be trying to make ourselves into a model that is sustainable and energy efficient.  He stated that it is frustrating to come into buildings on the weekends and find lights on all over the place.  He pointed out that the Legislature might be influenced if the University was more sustainable.  VC Owens stated that this is a good point and suggested that the College of Architecture could help with this idea.  He noted that there are renewable energy sources that the University should continue to look into.

Flowers pointed out that old, large computer monitors should be replaced with LCD flat screens because the old monitors use a lot more electricity.  He noted that all monitors and printers should be turned off at nights and over the weekends if they are not in use. 

VC Owens stated that replacing the old, leaky windows in buildings across campus can make a difference in cost over the long run.  He stated that replacing windows will be done with the buildings that are renovated if the University gets the LB 605 money.

VC Owens pointed out that the two research intensive campuses use a lot of power which explains why UNL and UNMC have the highest utility costs in the system.  VC Owens stated that buildings with animals have certain requirements that must be met thus increasing the cost of the utilities.  He stated that finding an ultimate permanent solution to the problem is very important to UNL. 

Hoffman noted that many graduate students are working on the nights and weekends here at UNL.  He pointed out that the same thing does not happen as much at UNK or UNO and many of the buildings on those campuses are shut down in the evenings and on the weekends.  He stated that he does not know if the Legislature is fully aware of how complex an institution the University is. 

Beck stated that she received an email message from the Chancellor’s office about finding speakers for the Speakers Bureau program.  She asked if anybody at UNL has a speech which addresses who we are and that is understandable and humorous and can be easily presented to the public.  She pointed out that this would be another way of advertising for the University.  She stated that Assistant VC Moeller of IANR suggested a format for slides shown during presentations that would have a uniform look.  She noted that the format could be downloaded from a website.

Moeller stated that former SVCAA Leitzel developed an algorithm on what the university means to the state in terms of economic impact.  She suggested that a team of university personnel could put this information together and it could be presented in a comprehensible way to the public. 

Hoffman stated that he recently saw figures on the impact of foreign students on the economy of Lincoln.  He noted that these students have a very positive effect on Lincoln’s economy and we should bring in as many international students as we can because it would help the state out financially.

Beck noted that in the publication The Voice, an educator’s newspaper, there are advertisements for other state colleges but UNL was noticeably absent.  Alloway stated that UNL is targeting some advertisements for national television. 

VC Owens stated that on East Campus most phones are set up to play an audio advertisement for CASNR academic programs while a person is on hold.  He noted that the most recent advertisement created caters to younger people.  He pointed out that this is an almost cost free way of advertising. 

Peterson suggested that Michelle Waite, Assistant to the Chancellor on Community Relations, and Meg Lauerman, Director of University Communications, be invited to meet with the Executive Committee to discuss some of these ideas. 

Hoffman pointed out that UNO appears to be advertising in Omaha more than UNL.  He stated that UNL seems to stay away from the Omaha market.  He noted that the figures in Engineering on students from Omaha are very low. 

VC Owens stated that Professor Jose’s television journal broadcasted on public television is very good.  VC Owens stated that he has asked Professor Baquet, Head of Agricultural Economics, whether the program can be expanded to include information on other majors as well as agriculture. 

Alloway stated that he has an independent study project for broadcasting students that is working on producing 30 second ads for each college.  He noted that these will be used on KRNU radio.  He stated that he can make them available for colleges to use.  VC Owens asked if the ads can be updated.  Alloway stated that for now the project is a one time deal but the ads can probably be changed. 

Hoffman asked how this kind of information can be put on podcast.  Alloway stated that a person would need to download it from the web.  Moeller stated that using the podcast can be used to assist international students as well.  She pointed out that they can obtain information about the University in their own language by listening to a podcast  broadcast.  Alloway noted that Duke University gave each of their incoming students a new Ipod so they could get information on their college and courses. 

2.3       Vet School Agreement with Iowa State

Beck noted that the agreement with Iowa State has been made.  She asked what will happen now in terms of the curriculum.  VC Owens stated that we will receive a formal proposal from Iowa State which the Board of Regents will need to approve.  He pointed out that the Coordinating Commission on Secondary Education will also need to approve it and they will not meet until June 1^st but indications are that the Commission will approve the contract. 

VC Owens stated that he has had close negotiations with Dr. David Hardin who is the person who may initially be the Head of the Veterinary & Biomedical Sciences department. He noted that Dr. Hardin is a little cautious because of the costs involved with the program but he wants to make sure that Dr. Hardin is involved in deciding which courses will be in the curriculum.  He stated that there will also be a site visit by a team from the American Medical Veterinary Association both at UNL and Iowa State. 

VC Owens stated that the full curriculum for the program is not in place yet but it is close.  He noted that UNL will not teach the first students until the fall of 2007.  He pointed out that there will be 25 students in the first class.  He stated that when the last class graduates from Kansas State and the last four-year class graduates from Iowa State and Nebraska students start studying veterinary medicine at UNL, the campus will get some money back but initially it has been difficult to have enough money available to begin the new program at UNL.  He reminded the Committee that IANR received a $1.4 million budget cut due to the loss of UNL tuition and as a result of that and the fact that IANR currently is paying the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition for Nebraska residents currently studying at both Kansas State and Iowa State, a lot of IANR faculty positions have not been filled.  He stated that the process of getting the contract finalized has been very complex but it will have very positive impacts for the University and for Nebraska.

Beck asked if the curriculum is already in place at Iowa State.  VC Owens stated that it is but UNL will be able to make some changes to the curriculum.  He noted that Dr. Hardin agrees with this and wants to discuss the surgery program. 

VC Owens noted that the contract with Kansas State only sent students and money to Kansas.  He pointed out that UNL will have more involvement with the Iowa State program.  He stated that a critical element of the program is using the U.S.D.A. Mean Animal Research Center and the UNL Great Plains Veterinary Education Center both of which are at Clay Center.  He noted that both Iowa State and UNL have agreed that having this component of the program will allow students to get experience with large animals.  He pointed out that large animal veterinarians have been declining, in part because large animals can be physically difficult to manipulate.  He noted that there will be an emphasis in large animal care but students will not be told what they should do with their careers. 

Moeller stated that the contract will be more reciprocal which will result in UNL getting some of the tuition from the program.  There will also be more opportunities to have experience with large animals, and greater research endeavors between the two universities.  VC Owens noted that the contract was made not for costs alone.  He pointed out that the department head of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences will become an Associate Dean here and will be a member of the Dean’s cabinet at Iowa State.  He noted that some people think we went into the contract to get more money and to pull students away from other schools.  He pointed out that 25 students in each of two classes is not a lot of students and the money from tuition will not be that significant.  He stated that it might be possible in the future to have more students. 

Hoffman asked if Iowa State will be the only school we have a contract with.  VC Owens stated that this is correct.  He noted that we had a contract with Kansas State for 19 years but before then it was with Iowa State. 

Hoffman asked if it is a four-year program.  VC Owens stated that it is, two years at UNL and two years at Iowa State.  He noted that the basic sciences portion of the curriculum will be done here and the clinical side will be done at Iowa State.  He pointed out that the clinical side generally is more expensive. 

2.4       IANR Open Forum Discussion

VC Owens stated that the changing demographics of Nebraska always strikes him.  He pointed out that the only growing part of Nebraska’s population is among Hispanics.  He stated that this community is not yet in a position to be fully embracing secondary and post secondary education and UNL needs to work in this area to assist more Hispanic students to study at the university.  He pointed out that he is happy that Dr. Franco was hired as Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs.  VC Owens noted that Dr. Franco will be a great role model for both Anglo and Hispanic students and he should have good access to Hispanic communities. 

Moeller noted that there are 15 schools in Nebraska where the minority students actually make up the majority of the students.  She stated that she has visited schools that have a dual language program and the dominantly Spanish speaking students are doing better in their English speaking skills than the English speaking students are doing in their Spanish speaking skills.  She stated that a 12 year study will be conducted in the schools.  She noted that there is a high drop out rate among Hispanic students and that it is difficult to show them the economic impact of dropping out. 

2.5       Procedures for Evaluating Dr. Owens

Beck stated that she just met with Associate to the Chancellor Howe to discuss VC Owens’ evaluation process.  She stated that Howe and she discussed what groups should be asked to provide input.  She noted that VC Owens will also be asked this question.  She stated that all IANR faculty members, including those on courtesy or adjunct positions will be given the opportunity to provide input.  She stated that some outside constituents administrators (head and above), and students in CASNR will be included in the process as well. 

Beck stated that the report VC Owens has written on his accomplishments and goals will be sent electronically to all those participating and the evaluation form will be at the end of the report.  She noted that to access the form people will need to read the report.  She stated that a number will be given to each evaluation form submitted to verify that it is a legitimate response but this number will be separated from the response once the verification is made.  She noted that the responses will be sent to an email address that only the Chancellor and his assistant will have access to. 

Beck reported that the committee that will review and summarize the responses will be composed of the IANR Liaison Committee members and five members of the Senate Executive Committee.  She stated that there will be a meeting next week to finalize the process and they hope to have a short turn around so that the information can be collected before the end of the academic year. 

VC Owens stated that he welcomes the evaluation.

2.6       Issues on the Horizon

VC Owens stated that one of the things he is happy about is the money that has been identified to assist in recruiting females to the areas of engineering and the physical sciences.  He stated that it is not enough money to solve the problem but it is better than none. 

VC Owens noted that this year he will be hosting the tenure and promotion reception along with Chancellor Perlman and SVCAA Couture which will be held on April 26^th at the Champions Club. 

Peterson stated that the Chancellor indicated several times earlier that departments will get feedback on their strategic plans.  He stated that there are many units that have not received this feedback.  Moeller and Flowers agreed.  Beck pointed out that it will be difficult for units to work on their new plans if they do not have feedback from their first plans.  VC Owens stated that there will be a meeting in April with the Senior Administrative Team and Deans and this topic will be discussed. 

            3.0       Announcements

            3.1       Master’s Week

Beck stated that she has been asked to find a volunteer for the Master’s Week.  She noted that the person would read over the applications for nominees and then meet with a committee to decide who should be invited.  She pointed out that it is a one-time meeting.  Rapkin volunteered to serve. 

3.2       Speaker’s Bureau

Beck stated that the Chancellor wants to revise the list of speakers and get new people involved.  She stated that she will send a message to the Senate asking them to consider either themselves or someone else to participate. 

3.3       Emeriti Association

Beck noted that the Emeriti Association has a liaison with the Senate but their meetings are at the same time as the Senate.  She stated that the Emeriti Association is considering conducting exit interviews with retiring faculty members.  She suggested having the Emeriti Association give a report to the Senate at some time during the academic year.  Griffin noted that the Executive Committee has met with members of the Emeriti Association in the past and this could also be done.

4.0       Approval of 3/29/06 Minutes

Moeller moved and Flowers seconded approval of the minutes as amended.  Motion approved.

5.0       Unfinished Business

            5.1       Committee Restructuring

Beck stated that it was suggested at the IANR luncheon that we might want to consider having the faculty on the Faculty Compensation Advisory Committee (FCAC) serve on the UNL Employee Benefits Committee.  She noted that this might provide some continuity. 

Peterson stated that the FCAC does have some responsibility for non-monetary benefits.  He noted that there have been suggestions in the past to eliminate the UNL Benefits Committee.  Beck pointed out that there are benefits at the campus level that the UNL Benefits Committee can work on. 

Beck proposed that the Committee continue looking at the committees over the summer to see if changes can be made. 

            5.2       Safe Assignment

Hoffman stated that he wants to call attention to the Safe Assignment program and suggests that faculty members use it.  Peterson pointed out that Information Services wants to get feedback on the program to see whether it should be purchased.  He stated that faculty members need to know who comments should be sent to.  [Comments on the Safe Assignment program should be sent to Professor Beth McNeil at mmcneil1@unl.edu].

6.0       New Business

6.1       Evaluation of Academic Senate Coordinator

Beck reported that it is expected that the President will evaluate the Coordinator of the Senate but this has not been done in several years.  She stated that she believes that it is a mistake not to do this because having a record of documentation would be beneficial.  She stated that having a record could assist in arguing for a higher salary for the Coordinator and could protect the Coordinator should there be problems with a President. 

Beck stated that the President would coordinate the evaluation process and would get feedback from all of the members of the Executive Committee. 

Flowers noted that the Computational Services and Facilities Committee conducts an evaluation process on the Associate Vice Chancellor for Information Services.  He stated that the Associate Vice Chancellor excuses himself from the meeting when the evaluation is done. 

6.2       Content Program

Hoffman reported that there is a program on Blackboard called Content that allows faculty and students to store their documents.  He noted that currently students are limited to 200 megabytes and faculty members are limited to 350 megabytes but these limits will be removed when the new servers are put in place. 

Peterson stated that it has been discussed in the General Education Revision Committee to have students store some of their work in a place where it can be retrieved as a portfolio of work when the student enters their senior year.  He noted that it sounds like the Content program could do this. 

Hoffman pointed out that this is particularly helpful for students who do not have their own computer.  Rapkin noted that it could put an end to students claiming that they couldn’t turn a paper or project in because their computer crashed.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:55 p.m.  The next meeting of the Executive Committee will be on Wednesday, April 12th at 3:00 pm.  The meeting will be held in 201 Canfield Administration Building.  The minutes are respectfully submitted by Karen Griffin, Coordinator and Pat Shea, Secretary.