EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MINUTES

 

Present:          Alloway, Bolin, Bradford, Flowers, Hachtmann, LaCost, Ledder, Prochaska-Cue, Zimmers

 

Absent:           Fech, Lindquist, Moeller, Rapkin    

           

Date:               Wednesday, July 25, 2007                

 

Location:        201 Canfield Administration Building

 

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

            Bradford called the meeting to order at 2:37 p.m.

 

2.0       Chancellor Perlman/VC Owens

            2.1       State of Nebraska/University Medical Insurance Coverage

Bradford stated that a faculty member raised the issue that the state is changing the rules regarding health care coverage for couples that have one spouse working for the state and the other for the university.  He pointed out that the new rules will not allow health care costs to be shared between the two spouses.  He noted that this could raise costs for the university health care system.  He asked if the Chancellor had any idea how many people would be affected by this change. 

 

Chancellor Perlman stated that he did not know offhand how many employees would be affected by the change.  He pointed out that bringing more people into the health care system would not necessarily be a detriment, depending on the status of their health. 

 

Flowers asked when the changes are to take effect.  Bradford stated that it will happen at the end of the university’s insurance year.  Flowers asked if the dental plan can be split or whether this is included under the new ruling.  Bradford stated that he thinks the employees will have to carry separate policies or one of the spouses would have to carry both in one plan.  He pointed out that the changes will be more costly to the employees than the current cost sharing arrangement. 

 

2.2       Plans for Dealing with Budget Deficits

Bradford stated that the last time the Committee met with the Chancellor he did not know what the exact allocation of funds will be for UNL.  Bradford asked if the Chancellor now knows the amount and how the raises will be covered for this year. 

 

Chancellor Perlman stated that there will not be any required cuts to get through this year but he is not certain about next year.  He pointed out that this does not mean that there may not be any cuts this year.  It may be prudent to make cuts this year so they could be fully implemented next year when the budget looks precarious.  He stated that we are in better shape due to enrollment.  He noted that we are looking at another enrollment gain for this fall which will certainly help with the budget.  He stated that he is exploring some ideas for next year and is talking with the other administrators about it but it is much too early to know what the bottom line will be for next year. 

 

Bradford asked if there is a possibility of cuts this year to help deal with next year’s budget and if so, how they would be accomplished.  Chancellor Perlman pointed out that not much can be done with making cuts for this year’s budget.  He stated that realistically any cuts would not take effect until next year. 

 

Bradford suggested dealing with budget cuts relatively soon if we are going to have to deal with them at some point for next year’s budget.  Chancellor Perlman stated that this depends on how the possibilities are assessed.  He stated that he is not sure at this time how to deal with the budget for next year. 

 

Bradford asked how fall enrollment is looking.  Chancellor Perlman reported that there are 400 more students this year than last year.  Ledder asked what the total enrollment is for freshmen.  Chancellor Perlman stated that last year the freshmen class was about 3600 and this year it is over 4000.  He noted that the total increase of new freshmen is 320 or 330 and the rest are transfer students.  He stated that he is pleased with what the faculty and campus admissions people have done over the past three years to increase our enrollment.  He pointed out that the faculty members have really pitched in on helping with recruiting students. 

 

Bradford asked if the number of available high school students for college in Nebraska is still increasing or whether we are now starting to see the decrease in the high school population.  VC Owens stated that he believes we are in the last year of the bulge in the number of students.  Chancellor Perlman stated that the number of high school students will trend down in the next few years.  He pointed out that the increase being seen in enrollment figures is from non-resident students. 

 

Ledder stated that he is very impressed with the non-resident students that we are getting.  Chancellor Perlman stated that he has received letters from people stating how well they are treated when they come to campus for a visit.  He noted that students and their parents say that they feel more welcomed here than any other university they have visited.  He noted that we need to sustain this but we also need to focus on retention.  He pointed out that we have a responsibility to students when they come here. 

 

Chancellor Perlman reported that most of the new students have been able to get the classes they want and this has been accomplished through the help of the deans and chairs who have helped to expand some of the classes that the new students need. 

 

Chancellor Perlman stated that he has heard that the academic credentials of the incoming students will be high and may even be increasing from previous classes.  He pointed out that this represents a challenge for us because it puts more pressure to have a diverse faculty.  He stated that we need to make better headway on diversity at UNL. 

 

Chancellor Perlman noted that the diversity plan is on the Senate’s plate and he is a bit perplexed about where it is going although he stated that the Senate will manage the process of proposing the plan.  He suggested that a question that needs to be addressed is whether the plan should be limited to pertaining to faculty or whether it should include staff and students as well.  He pointed out that issues facing the faculty on diversity are somewhat separate from students and staff.  He noted that in addition to a diversity action plan, the university has filed a separate affirmative action plan with the federal government. 

 

Alloway stated that the Executive Committee talked about the possibility of having a distinct diversity plan for the faculty.  Ledder noted that one of the reasons for disliking  the original draft diversity plan is that it was written as an affirmative action plan.  Bradford pointed out that the Executive Committee had the concern that there was no distinction between faculty, students, and staff with the original draft plan.  He noted that the students fit in with the faculty only on the academic side of things.  

 

Chancellor Perlman noted that there is some ambiguity regarding the plan but he thinks it would be better to cabin the plan into something that is attainable.  Ledder pointed out that one source of ambiguity is the different roles that faculty members play at different times.  He stated that the rules of the plan should depend on the role that the instructor is functioning in at the time.  Chancellor Perlman stated that he thinks this is an issue that should be addressed in the plan.

 

Chancellor Perlman stated that he did not want our minority faculty members to think efforts for diversity were stalled awaiting a new plan so the Senate should not be surprised if the administration moves forward on some initiatives prior to the plan being in place.  Alloway pointed out that the Executive Committee minutes from the fall semester reflect the Senate’s concerns on the original draft plan and whether there should be separate policies for faculty and staff and students. 

 

Bradford noted that the ad hoc committee working on the diversity plan now has a new chair because the previous chair retired from the university.  He stated that he will talk with the new chair to express the concerns raised in this meeting. 

 

Ledder asked if there is a significant minority membership on the ad hoc committee.  Bradford stated that with the addition of Professor Orey there is minority membership.  Ledder stated that it is important to members on the committee that have viewpoints to adequately address the diversity issue. 

 

Bradford stated that he hopes that the committee will get started when everyone gets back on campus for the fall semester.

 

 

2.3       Issues on the Horizon

2.1       2015 Announcement

Chancellor Perlman asked if there were any questions regarding the recent announcement on the 2015 plan.  Bradford asked what the new building is that was mentioned in the announcement.  Chancellor Perlman stated that it is a building for nano technology and possibly life sciences because there is such a demand for space in these disciplines. 

 

Bradford asked if the State Fair Board is still discussing the possibility of moving the State Fair.  Chancellor Perlman stated that the Board has had a lot of discussions about this and they are opposed to the move.  He noted that there is a legislative committee reviewing the issue and a consultant has been hired to look at the possibility of moving the State Fair.  He stated that a report on this should be completed in December. 

 

Bradford noted that the County Commissioners are proposing some building projects at 84th and Havelock.  He asked if this is consistent with what the State Fair Board is trying to do.  Chancellor Perlman stated that the Agricultural Society projects did not seem inconsistent and in fact they approved moving the state fair to their site and the County Board agrees with this as well. 

 

2.2       Sheldon Museum Director Search

Chancellor Perlman noted that the Bylaws are clear about appointing faculty members to academic searches but not clear on who should be on the search committee for director of the Sheldon Museum.  He stated that it is a difficult search committee to put together because of the scope of the people the position has to deal with.  He pointed out that the position does not have faculty assigned to him/her as a department chair or dean would.  He stated that he wants to establish the search committee soon and noted that suggestions or any concerns would be helpful. 

 

2.3       Board of Regents Policy on Endorsements

Bradford noted that the Board approved a policy regarding endorsements at their June meeting.  He stated that some faculty members have raised concerns about the policy.  Chancellor Perlman stated that there are some ambiguities with the policy that should be clarified. 

 

VC Owens noted that extension faculty members often recommend products to people in the field and whenever possible they use the generic or chemical names for those products.  He stated that the policy should not be that difficult to follow and that a disclaimer could be incorporated clearly stating that the university is not endorsing a particular product. 

 

Chancellor Perlman stated that the intent of the policy is to prohibit using the university to endorse a particular product.  He pointed out that employees of the university can endorse something as an individual citizen as long as they do not refer to themselves as an employee of the university. 

 

 

2.4       City Campus Dairy Store

Vice Chancellor Owens stated that a new dairy store will open in the city campus union.  He noted that ice cream from the dairy store will now be sold in the stands at Memorial Stadium as well as at the concession stands. 

 

2.5       East Campus Visitor’s Center

Vice Chancellor Owens reported that there is a satellite visitors’ center housed in the dairy store on east campus.  He stated that information about going to all of UNL, not just the ag campus, can be obtained at the center.  He stated that he is hoping that this center will help in the effort to recruit all UNL students.             

 

3.0       Announcements

            3.1       Professor Waskar Ari

Ledder reported that Professor Waskar Ari will finally be coming to campus for the fall semester.  Members of the Committee suggested having an emergency resolution presented at the September Senate meeting to welcome Professor Air.  Ledder stated that he will work on a draft of the resolution.

 

4.0       Approval of 6/27/07 Minutes

The minutes were approved as amended.

             

5.0       Unfinished Business

            5.1       ARRC Confidentiality (Professor Bryant)

Bradford reported that he is sending a letter to Professor Bryant, co-chair of the Academic Rights & Responsibilities Committee, addressing concern with confidentiality issues pertaining to ARRC investigations and hearings. 

 

Professor Bryant stated that the recent case reported by the press is not the first time that information has been revealed to the public regarding an ARRC case.  He pointed out that both he and co-chair Professor Diamond were zealous about telling the members of the hearing committee that confidentiality of the case should not be divulged.  He stated that it was pointed out to the committee that only the chair could speak about the case but he noted that it may not have been clear that the chair should not speak to the press. 

 

Professor Bryant suggested that the Faculty Senate and Executive Committee take a more active role in instructing the ARRC on various issues.  He stated that he would like to have a conversation about how to enhance the visibility of the ARRC.  He pointed out that the ARRC needs to be more important in the minds of the faculty given the business that the ARRC conducts. 

 

Bradford stated that the co-chairs will meet with the Executive Committee sometime in the fall.  He noted that it is a good idea to have a little more communication going on between the ARRC and the Executive Committee.  He pointed out that the ARRC is one of the most important things that a faculty committee does in terms of protecting tenure rights and academic freedom.  He stated that it would be a good idea to get the Senators more involved and more aware of what the ARRC does.  Griffin suggested providing more information on the Senate website as well about the committee. 

 

Bradford stated that there is a problem with the ARRC rules regarding the 30 day time limit.  He reported that he sent President Milliken an email about this concern.  He noted that the ARRC’s Academic Freedom and Tenure policies stated that a decision needs to be made by the Board in 30 days after the committee’s recommendations are presented to the President and the Board.  He noted that the policies state that a statement will be sent to the Faculty Senate President notifying him/her whether the committee recommendations have been accepted. 

 

Bradford stated that this rule has not been followed in the present case and it is not scheduled to be on the Board of Regents’ agenda until the September meeting.  When he pointed the inconsistency out to President Milliken, Bradford stated that he received a message from General Counsel Wood stating that the AFT rules are invalid because they are not consistent with the Regents Bylaws. 

 

Bradford stated that the current situation raises some serious questions.  He noted that, assuming that the rule is valid, what happens if the timeline is violated.  He stated that he believed the argument would be that a tenured faculty member could not be fired if the decision is not made within the 30 days.  He asked the Committee what the Senate could do given the position that Central Administration and the Board of Regents is taking on the matter.  He noted that the Board of Regents could invalidate the ARRC rules if they are not changed. 

 

Professor Bryant reported that the members of the ARRC are all in agreement that the Senate Executive Committee should bring a resolution to the Senate to propose fixing this problem.  He pointed out that 30 days is awkward for getting recommendations to the Board and having the item placed on the Board’s agenda.  He stated that there is a need to protect faculty members so they are not in limbo for a long time but there also needs to be appropriate time for the Board to act. 

 

Professor Bryant stated that the faculty members who served on the recent hearing committee took their responsibility seriously and if the Regents reject their recommendation there needs to be a very good reason because otherwise it is a pretty serious undermining of faculty governance.  He noted that he would be happy to come to a Senate meeting to discuss this issue.  Ledder stated that there is a big difference between respecting the recommendation and respecting the process.  He pointed out that the administration should be respecting the process. 

 

Bradford suggested that he send a letter to the Board discussing the importance of the tenure process and faculty governance. 

 

 

 

 

6.0       New Business

            6.1       Executive Committee Retreat

Bradford noted that the Executive Committee has a retreat every year to work out the priorities for the Senate for the coming year.  The Committee tentatively scheduled the retreat for August 29th.

 

6.2       Committee on Committees Election

Griffin pointed out that there is still an open position on the Committees on Committees that needs to be filled by a member of the Faculty Senate.  Bradford suggested that the Committee think of possible candidates and discuss it at the next meeting.

 

6.3       September Senate Meeting Guest

Prochaska Cue stated that she has been having discussions with Angie Frederick, Assistant Director for Fitness and Wellness at the Campus Recreation Center.  Prochaska Cue stated that Frederick would like to come to the Senate to talk about a possible wellness plan at the university.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 4:11 p.m.  The next meeting of the Executive Committee will be on Wednesday, August 8, at 2:30 pm.  The meeting will be held in Faculty Senate Office, 420 University Terrace.  The minutes are respectfully submitted by Karen Griffin, Coordinator and Rick Alloway, Secretary.