EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MINUTES

Present: Bender, Bryant, Humes, Latta, Mayo, Prochaska Cue, Zorn

Absent: Aguilar, Scheideler, Siekman, Whitt

Date: Wednesday, September 15, 1999

Location: 201 Canfield Administration Building

______________________________________________________________________________

1.0 Call to Order (Latta)

Latta called the meeting to order at 3:12 PM.

2.0 Announcements

No announcements were made.

3.0 Senior Vice Chancellor Edwards

3.1 NU Prioritization Commission

SVCAA Edwards stated that he believes the prioritization commission will consist of 12-18 people which will include the four academic senate presidents, administrators, and outside people. He noted that a charge has not been made for the commission at this time. He stated that he is in the process of drafting a letter to the proposed commission and asked the executive committee to provide input to him on the draft.

4.0 Approval of 9/1/99 Minutes

Due to the lack of a quorum, the approval of the minutes was postponed.

5.0 Vice Chancellor Torr

5.1 Research Council

Vice Chancellor Torr has been looking into the charge given by the University to the Research Council in administering the available foundation funds earmarked for research. She noted that this past year funds totaling $309,000 were available for research grants. She stated that the Research Council wants to preserve the two main important functions of the funds it oversees: to get new faculty into research and scholarship and to provide a source of research funding for areas which typically have little access to external funding. However, she noted that some faculty feel that the size of the awards available through the Research Council are not large enough to provide startup funds. She stated that there also is a need to simplify the information available to faculty on what funds are available. She pointed out that the Research Council should have more latitude in the size of the grants awarded. She suggested that after the $18,000 for visiting fellowships, the remaining $290,000 could be divided between support for new faculty and those faculty who do not have access to external research funds. She noted that this could be adjusted year by year if needed. VC Torr reported that she is working with the Research Council to see if the funds could be spent this way. She noted that there needs to be easier access to these funds. She pointed out that it would be helpful to have seasoned researchers on this committee to act as role models. Mayo stated that he supports funding for new faculty but that the Research Council funds have been used as seed money in the past for anyone who wanted to start working on a new research project. He asked if this has changed? VC Torr stated that this has not changed, and that start up funds would continue to be available for faculty who are starting work in a new area of specialization. VC Torr noted that currently not all of the funds are being awarded each year. Mayo commented that some faculty feel the awards are so small that it is not worth the effort to submit a proposal. Latta pointed out that the fact that not all of the research funds were being awarded may be indicative that a change is needed. She stated that faculty may not have a clear sense of what the purpose of the funds are and who can apply for them. She pointed out that we need to consider the impact any changes made to the Council may have on the culture of the campus. She noted that we need to consider those who might be excluded if changes were made and that it is important that we not overlook the essential functions of the Council. She asked how competitive do we want to make this process? VC Torr believes that 100% of the requests are currently funded. She felt that it should be more competitive which may in turn demonstrate to the foundation a need for increasing the funding to support research. Zorn stated that they need to inform faculty that these funds are available and that they need to increase the amount of the grants. Bryant pointed out that faculty never receive feedback on their proposals. VC Torr stated that faculty should get a review back on their proposal, particularly new faculty, so that they can learn how to write a better grant proposal. Zorn pointed out that someone outside of a particular field can not really judge the proposals. He stated that the Council needs to be composed of faculty that cover broad areas. Prochaska Cue suggested that a proposal review board in specific areas could help to review the proposals. Latta noted that she supports the Research Council's efforts to review possible changes and write a draft of a new committee syllabus for consideration by the Senate, however, it is important that the process of appointing people to the Council be respected. Bryant asked how much foundation money is given out to the colleges for travel? VC Torr stated that approximately $285,00 is divided up amongst the Deans to distribute to faculty for travel, although not all of the colleges use their allotted amount. Bryant pointed out that faculty need to be made aware of the travel funds that are given to each of their colleges. Latta stated that the committee can follow up with the Vice Chancellors on this issue. VC Torr reported that a $750 travel grant is given to those faculty who go through the research workshop given by her office.

6.0 AAUP Executive Committee

Mary Beck, Animal Science, Ann Mari May, Economics, Dave Lewis, Horticulture, Peg Bolick, Museums, and Jim McShane, English, from the AAUP Executive Committee met with the committee to discuss mutual concerns about reallocation and faculty governance. The committees agreed upon the need to move discussions beyond problem identification to solution-oriented strategies.

7.0 Unfinished Business

No unfinished business was discussed.

8.0 New Business

No new business was discussed.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:40 PM. The next Executive Committee meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 22^nd at 3:00 PM in the Academic Senate Office, 420 University Terrace, Room 203. Respectfully submitted, Miles Bryant, Secretary.