Council of University System Faculty
CUSF Meeting of October 18, 2004
Council
of University System Faculty
Minutes
-- 18 October 2004
Hagerstown
Center
Present: SU Dave Parker; TU
Martha Siegel; UMB Steve Jacobs; FSU Kim
Rotruck; FSU John McMullen; TU Pat Alt; TU Jay Zimmerman; UMUC John Gustafson;
UMUC Adelaide Lagnese; UMBC Jonathan A. Peters; UMCP Martin Heisler; TU Doug
Pryor; USM Gertrude Eaton; USM Irv Goldstein; UMB Dave Hardcastle; SU Harry Womack
(alternate); UMCES Court Stevenson; UMCES Ray Morgan; UMCP Frank Alt; FSU Marci
McCLive; UMCP Bill Stuart; UMBI Rose Jagus; SU Mike Garner; UMBI John Collins;
UMCP Vincent Brannigan; UB Lee Richardson; UMES Emmanuel Onyeozili; CSU Alcott
Arthur; UMB Paul Thut
Shortly after 10:00 we were welcomed to the FSU Hagerstown Center by
JoEllen Barheart who introduced Dr. Dave Warner, the Executive Director of the
USM Hagerstown Center. This Center
is expected to open in January, and the FSU Center will move into it. Dr.
Warner presented a PowerPoint show illustrating the
design and construction of the new center. Third- and fourth-year undergraduates and graduate students will be
served here. Most will be adult
learners. Expectations are to
increase total enrollment by fifty to seventy-five which will be added to the
approximately three hundred and fifty currently students served at the FSU
Center.
The Agenda for this meeting was
approved.
A motion to approve the minutes of 20 September was made, seconded, and
passed. Dave Parker took minutes for this meeting.
Lee Richardson announced that the proposed changes to the ART document
were unanimously approved by the Educational Policies Committee on 28 September. If
approved at the 22 October meeting of the Board of Regents, they will
go into effect on 1 July 2005.
Irv Goldstein presented the USM report with support and comments from
Gertrude Eaton.
1. The E&E report is in final draft
form and will be made public on Friday at the BoR meeting.
Cliff Kendall chaired this committee of the Regents.
In it, there are questions about utilizing the facilities of four
institutions in a different or expanded manner.
The report notes that the USM can absorb about 20% of the expected baby
boom echo (about 700 each year). Part-time
vs full-time students is not an issue with the Regents.
Q. Are they included in the time-to-degree analysis?
Irv doesn’t think so.
1. Is raising the graduation rate a
USM goal? Irv answered that it’s
a good idea in general, but it’s an institutional
concern, not a System one.
2. The Sloan Foundation supports
professional degrees in the Sciences. The
AAAC will hear about this on the day
after this meeting.
3. The Distance Learning Committee
will begin meeting soon.
4. The budget remains in limbo.
The determination of tuition rates at the USM institutions will again be
postponed, this time until the December meeting of the Regents.
5. The State plan is going to public
hearing. Most concerns have
been addressed.
6. The Financial Aid Task Force
draft report is out. It states that
the State has obligations to a variety of different
types of students.
Merit vs need-based aid is an issue.
Vince announced that the meeting with Senate Chairs and the CUSF
executive committee would be on 5 November, rather than 15 November as appeared
in the agenda. It will be held in
Adelphi, and Brit Kirwan will attend.
The department chairs meeting will likely be in January on the same day
as the CUSF meeting.
Martha Siegel announced that the Ombudsman Committee proposal would be
worked on over lunch, and the resulting proposal handed out when we reconvened.
Martha Siegel expressed frustration that the System has been unable to
reserve a room and day for Student Research Day in Annapolis.
Vince Brannigan again remarked about the importance of the meeting with
Brit Kirwan and the Senate Chairs. The
situation is very unsettled in Annapolis, and we need to develop a capability to
react to developing situations.
Irv Goldstein noted that the Regents had two major roles last year:
1. Defending the USM to the
Legislature, and
2. Developing the E&E Report so
that we can show the Governor that we are doing our part.
Several institutions expressed surprise that the Regents’ Faculty
Awards Nominations were due on 1 November.
Apparently a later day had been announced and circulated.
The meeting adjourned for lunch and committee meetings.
Lee Richardson reconvened CUSF at 12:50.
Frank Alt reported for the Administration and Financial Affairs
Committee. On their agenda:
1.
Creating a sick bank for faculty. Is
it possible?
2.
Investigating the cost of healthcare plans.
3.
Comparing salary levels vs peers, campus by campus.
4.
Preparing a detailed explanation of the differences between retirement
plans. Can full disclosure
be provided to faculty at the time of their appointments?
5.
Reviewing campus budgetary processes.
Are there models for each campus?
Vince reported for Academic Affairs.
The following motion regarding the E&E report was made by Vince,
seconded, and passed unanimously:
“CUSF urges the Board of
Regents to express its commitment in the E & E Report both to shared
governance and to the utilization of the collective academic judgment of the
faculty in attempting to meet the institutional financial goals. The long-term academic reputation of the University must not
be sacrificed to short-term political or financial goals.”
Note from Dave Parker:: There were three paragraphs of preamble which I
don’t believe were part of the motion.
Martha Siegel reported that CUSF will be asked to create an Ombudsman
Committee to assist faculty across the System when they feel their institutions
have violated System or institutional policies.
Lee Richardson adjourned the meeting at 1:30, and most of the members
were taken on a tour of the new USM Hagerstown Center, conducted by Dr. Dave
Warner.