Faculty Senate | Minutes 20101109

Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Meeting held in Bryant 209

Senators in attendance:

Susan Allen, Michael Barnett, Sarah Blackwell, David Case, Judith Cassidy, Yunghee Chang, Jason Dewland, Robert Doerksen, Daneel Ferreira, Les Field, John Garner, Carol Gohm, John Lobur, Soumyajit Majumdar, Erwin Mina-Diaz., Mike Mossing, Charles Ross, Jeff Roux, Chris Sapp, Paul Scovazzo, Zia Shariat-Madar, Justin Sherman, Steven Skultety, Jason Solinger, Chung Song, Don Summers, Durant Thompson, Lollie Vaughan, Alex Watson, Donna West-Strum, Ethel Young Minor, Ahmet Yukleyen

Senators absent with prior notification:

Melissa Bass, Mark Bing, Bill Chappell, Amanda Johnston, Jason Kovari, Mustafa Matalgah, Ann Monroe, Stephanie Noble, Philip Rhodes, Ronald Schroeder, Debra Spurgeon, Mark Walker

Senators absent with replacements:

Brian Reithel, replaced by Milam Aiken

Senators absent without notification:

Adnan Aydin, Will Berry, Douglas Davis, Mark Dole, Brice Noonan, Bashir Salau, Lorri Williamson

Agenda

Senator Albritton opened the meeting at 7:00 p.m.
First order of business: Approve minutes of last meeting

- Motion by Senator Skultety
- Second by Senator Lobur
- Passed
Second order of business: Introduction of BSA Troop 45
- Mr. Ed Meek spoke on behalf of scouts
  - The scouts are studying labor and governance
  - Mr. Meek asked Chancellor Jones to touch on role of senate in university governance in his upcoming speech
Third order of business: Remarks by Chancellor Jones
- Chancellor Jones extended an invitation to a holiday buffet dinner to all senators
  - Dinner will be held Tuesday, December 14 at Carrier House
- Role of faculty senate in governance for BSA Troop 45
  - 12-member governor-appointed university board is guaranteed in the state constitution
    - Elected officials once interfered with academic freedom, which jeopardized scholarship and the school’s accreditation
    - Board is intended to prevent this
  - Concept of shared governance
    - Chancellor, board, and senate are mutually accountable to one another
    - This ensures that educational environment and administration decisions are amenable to scholarship
- Strategic planning process
  - US News & World Report issues annual college rankings based on measurement of enrollment rate vs. graduation rate
    - The University of Mississippi is tied for third out of 32 schools in our peer group by said US News metric
- Governing board update
  - A healthy relationship currently exists between the senate and the board
    - The board continues to offer strong support for the faculty senate
  - Board to undergo some changes
    - Currently board members serve 12-year terms, with 4 appointed per gubernatorial term
    - The system will move to 9-year terms with 2 appointments per term
      - The current law was written before gubernatorial term limits were removed
      - The revisions therefore preclude a governor from nominating a too-great share of the board if continuously reelected
- Allocation of funds
  - Some schools have allocation freezes; others are “reshaping” allocation
  - The University of Mississippi’s allocation has fallen significantly compared to other schools
  - No prospect for near future allocation increase
  - “Ayers” settlement is ending
    - It provided money over and above the state allocation to historically black schools for 20 years
    - Its end will leave a budget gap for many such schools; there will be political pressure to deal with this issue at the expense of other universities’ allocations
  - “Unnecessary duplications” within the state university system are to be examined
    - Priorities must be set to guarantee maximum university service to state
    - The University of Mississippi is in competition for state resources with
      - Other state universities
      - K-12 education
      - Health care
    - The more relevant we appear, the greater the share we get
- Alumni relations
  - Strong despite recent criticism
  - Alumni foundation, board relationships remain strong
  - Private giving down somewhat
    - Last fiscal year giving down from upper $50 million range to mid $50 million range
    - Giving mostly static compared to economy
- Enrollment
  - At present, falling enrollment would be concern
  - However, there is currently 8% enrollment growth across campuses
    - 20% larger freshman class
    - “Healthy” applications for 2011-2012 academic year
      - Exceed last year’s applications at this point in the year
  - Enrollment will either be too high or too low
    - “How large do we want to get” is the present question
    - 6% tuition hike approved for next year
  - 1-2% enrollment growth with no additional state cuts would be ideal for next year
- Finance
  - 15-16% cut anticipated
    - One third of state dollars are gone from the pre-recession high
      - Decreased from $90 million to $70 million over the last few years
    - 1% state revenue growth predicted next year
      - This growth will largely be swallowed by vanishing stimulus monies
  - 1-2% enrollment growth will cover cuts when coupled with tuition increase
- Faculty compensation
  - Chancellor Jones reiterated a commitment to increased faculty compensation
  - Most universities cutting compensation nationwide
  - If budget cuts do not deepen, mid-term compensation increases are plausible
  - However, it is a political issue
    - Increased compensation in times of hardship can be controversial with board
  - One-time monies paid to faculty are an option
    - Option has been discussed
    - Might be feasible in current budget framework
  - Some money from state-level pension changes shifted to employee paychecks
- Facilities
  - Growing population puts pressure on facilities, especially
    - Housing
    - Dining
    - Student Union
    - Turner Center
  - Student demand anticipated to increase with enrollment
  - 2 more residence halls up for board approval
    - 700 beds
    - Projected for fall 2012
- Research
  - Research is moving forward in a “healthy” way
  - External grant funding is satisfactory
  - There is a certificate of need issue at the health care campus
    - The UM medical center is now challenged by other hospitals for certificates of need
    - It was previously exempted due to its educational status
    - A court challenge is ongoing
- Athletics
  - Recent Daily Mississippian article decrying athletic spending is incorrect
  - Relationship between tuition dollars and athletics is “complicated”
  - Most universities have student athletic fee
    - All fees eliminated by board some time ago
      - Lumped into “tuition”
    - Nevertheless, athletic support continues with “tuition” label rather than “fees”
  - Some out of state tuition breaks given to some student athletes
  - Over $1 mil of ESPN money to athletics
    - Increasing to $1.5 as contract matures
  - Money still flows from academics to athletics overall
    - Amount is lower than other state schools
    - Few athletics programs bring in enough money to be self-sufficient
  - It is “bothersome” that so much money is spent on athletics
    - However, board, alumni, and student expectations demand competitiveness in our athletic conference
    - “Inflation” in sports is definite problem
      - e.g. average SEC coach salary increasing from $18.1 million to $31 million over last few years
    - Chancellor interested in bringing issue up when his clout increases
- Strategic planning
  - Strategic planning council and deans still driving force behind planning and implementation
- Closing statement
  - Chancellor “optimistic” on outlook
  - Believes continuing, managed enrollment growth will lead to stability
  - Sees an imperative for need-based scholarship increases to balance state needs with excellence
  - UM in good position vis-à-vis other universities
  - “We didn’t expect to like the University of Mississippi” quote from Hacker book cited as encouragement
    - UM lauded for
      - Progress since 1962
      - Student-centered nature
      - Being “most appealing” among peer universities
- Question from Senator Lobur
  - Appreciates chancellor’s stand on mascot
  - What is the chancellor’s position on the “Ole Miss” nickname
    - Some find it controversial
    - Can it be examined?
  - Jones: Yes it can be examined
    - Would need to calculate cost of doing so
    - Some say changes have been too slow and incremental
    - Chancellor wary of losing support from legislature, board, donors on going too fast with some changes
    - How bothersome is the issue, really?
      - Would it be worth 25% of your department if we lost favor with board and donors?
    - As such, no pressing need to examine “Ole Miss” or “Rebels” monikers at this time
      - Cost vs. opportunity
      - Conversation should be introduced by faculty or students
        
        Chancellor would prefer to focus on education rather than symbols for near future
  - His late mascot statement was in response to idea that there was a “conspiracy” to change university beyond recognition
  - All are tough issues
  - Analogy: Confederate statue to Vietnam war memorial
    - commemoration of deaths independent of rightness or wrongness of cause
- Question from Senator Case:
  - Rising health insurance costs amount to a small pay cut for faculty members; is there anyone who is focused on that issue?
    - Not just premiums but deductibles rising
  - Chancellor Jones: Commissioner makes those determinations
    - No relief in sight until fundamental health care reform
    - Current reforms may help
    - Different financing paradigm is needed
  - Short-term move: make sure commissioner is aware and move forward on compensation
- Question: Could fees for university facilities (e.g. the Turner Center) be lowered as a benefit improvement and indirect faculty compensation increase?
  - Chancellor Jones: The administration is open to such a conversation, but that money must come from somewhere
    - Taking money from fees “delays the day of increased benefits” for all faculty
    - A resource-constrained environment means heavy costs for small benefits
Fourth order of business: Executive Committee report on USM situation and presentation of mascot resolution
- Contacted USM faculty senate, specifically Dr. Anita Davis, chair of USM faculty senate
  - Dr. Davis: No faculty have been terminated yet
    - Letters have been sent warning of possibility
      - Terminations will be in context of program-wide eliminations and cuts
    - Economics as example:
      - Some faculty retired early with golden parachute
      - Others folded into other academic units
  - Dr. Davis: This pattern will be repeated with current cuts
    - No large-scale faculty terminations
    - Retrenchments, retirements, hiring freezes, etc. will be relied upon instead
  - Communications with USM administration have improved through crises
    - University had been “Katrina’d” and lost capital as such
    - USM Senate is satisfied that administration is doing all it can
    - The 29 lost positions will probably be phase-outs, early retirements
- Mascot resolution approved by Executive Committee
  - Resolution of support for chancellor in mascot case
  - Text presented for consideration before meeting
  - Motion to adopt by Senator Albritton
    - Seconded
  - Question from Senator Lobur: Was new mascot “essentially” a student-led effort?
    - Mascot eliminated unilaterally by coach
      - Previous replacement contest failed completely
    - Resolution as whole related to complete mascot imbroglio?
      - Focus only on new mascot through language change in resolution?
  - Friendly amendment: insert word “new” before mascot in first line and cross out word essentially
    - Accepted by motion author
    - Seconded
    - Action delayed by discussion
  - Comment by Senator Ross: Resolution does not apply and will not affect issue
    - Intense backlash will be omnipresent regardless of senate action
  - Question from Senator Mossing: Will a senate resolution help or hurt?
    - Might reinforce conspiracy “meme”
  - Comment: The more issue is on the table, the more attention it gets
    - Proper discussion is impact of resolution on process
    - Worries that faculty senate action will make issue bigger, worse
  - Comment: “unwarranted vituperation” is too extreme language
    - Should be scaled back
    - Comment from Senator Lobur: Resolution should step above and not acknowledge bitterness of debate
  - Question from Senator Aiken: Are there any examples of attacks on the chancellor?
    - Senator Albritton: Daily Mississippian letters to the editor
      - Accusations of destroying university, conspiracy, dishonesty flying fast and furious
    - Comment: Such attacks are not unwarranted and should be endured with a smile
      - Senator Albritton: issue at hand is faculty sharing burden
  - Comment from Senator Case: People who read resolution will interpret resolution as too harsh
    - Moderate critics will be enraged
      - “Faculty thinks I have no right to disagree with chancellor”
  - Question: Wasn’t there a resolution on this last year?
    - Prior resolution supported students in their endeavors to select a new mascot
  - Comment from Senator Ross: Institution has deep identity issues
    - Defending any aspect of controversial symbols is unfair
      - Rhetoric of tradition is dangerous
    - Strong stand may be needed for strong issue
      - Lack of strong stands in opposition is difficulty
      - People who support controversial symbols have not been made uncomfortable enough
      - No faculty senate resolution will hurt diehards
  - Comment from Senator Albritton: Personally “enraged and inflamed” by DM rhetoric
    - Short of genuine harm, faculty should stand with chancellor
  - Move previous question on altering resolution wording
    - Seconded
    - Question: How will statement be disseminated?
      - Senator Albritton: Will be sent to DM
    - Question: Shouldn’t we take it back to our departments?
      - Senator Albritton: Will delay action until December; we are duly elected representatives and may act
    - Add’l change: Dan Jones to Dr. Jones
      - Seconded
    - Vote:
      - Aye: unanimous
      - Passed
  - Comment by Senator Lobur: “Unwarranted” ought to be “uncivil”
    - Comment by Senator Ross: Some strong correspondence probably exists that we haven’t seen that warrants current language
    - Has seen threatening correspondence
  - Vote:
    - Aye: 26
    - Nay: 2
    - Abstain: 3
    - Passed
Fourth order of business continued: Other committee reports
- Academic affairs
  - Senator Case: Bachelor of General Studies degree approved at last IHL meeting
    - Will be housed in provost’s office
    - Advising still to be determined
    - Implementation timeline to be determined
  - Athletic attendance policies:
    - Committee is in communication with former senators who had proposed it
      - Former senators indicated willingness to get additional communication, feedback
      - Invited to attend academic affairs committee meeting
  - No need for presentation to senate at this early time
- Academic support
  - Sen. Albritton:
    - Health care costs
    - Separate pool for dependents proposed
      - Cannot opt out of system
      - Could dependents coverage be opted out?
      - Needed for recruitment
    - Plan may need to be solicited
  - Chair to be contacted on issue
- Finance
  - No report
- Governance
  - No report
- University services
  - No report
Fifth order of business: Old business
- - None
Sixth order of business: New business
- Sen. Lobur: Critical examination of “Ole Miss” nickname needed
  - History of term
  - Usage
    - “Not scholarly” to use
    - umiss.edu as alternative for “unscholarly” olemiss.edu
  - Senator Ross: Name comes from slave plantation moniker for wives and daughters
  - Senator Lobur offered chairmanship of committee to investigate
    - Declined due to sabbatical
  - Other candidates for positions solicited
    - No volunteers
  - Senators encouraged to think on issue for December
    - Tabled
Senator Albritton closed the meeting at 8:34 p.m.