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Council of University System Faculty

General Body Meeting: Wednesday, March 25, 2009

A. Chairman Bill Chapin called the meeting of the Council of University System Faculty (CUSF) to order at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 25, 2009, at the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB), in the 14th floor conference room of the Saratoga Office Building.Those in attendance were (31): Chairman Bill Chapin (UMES), Vice Chairman Martha Siegel (TU), Secretary Joyce Shirazi (UMUC), At-Large Officers Bill Stuart (UMCP) and Joyce Tenney (UMBC), Past-Chairman John Collins (UMBI); other CUSF members Monika Gross (BSU), Alcott Arthur (CSU), Gerry Wojnar (FSU), Bobbi Adams (SU), Paul Flexner (SU), Dave Parker (SU), Jay Zimmerman (TU), Lee Richardson (UB), Stephanie Gibson (UB), Marcelo Cardarelli (UMB), Meg Johantgen (UMB), Linda Simoni-Wastila (UMB), Richard Zhao (UMB), Julie Zito (UMB), Zane Berge (UMBC), Frank Robb (UMBI), Rosemary Jagus (UMBI), Arthur Popper (UMCP), Sylvester James Gates Jr. (UMCP), William Montgomery (UMCP), Robert Johnson, Jr. (UMES), Sharon Fratta-Hill (UMUC), Deloris James (UMUC); Senior Vice Chancellor Irv Goldstein; UMB President David Ramsay.

B. Welcome from the University of Maryland Baltimore: Bill Chapin introduced UMB President David Ramsay, who welcomed CUSF to the campus, noting the extraordinary acoustics in the conference room. He invited CUSF members to visit the UMB BioPark, http://www.umbbiopark.com/ and noted that UMB has established a Center for Clinical Trials within the University's medical school, with many collaborations. President Ramsey added that the flat State budget and federal support are not helping the campus. However, a source of income is the 10-acre Biomedical Research Park.

C. Approval of Minutes: Joyce Shirazi moved for approval of the February 19, 2009 CUSF meeting minutes; seconded by Bill Stuart; approved unanimously.

D. Elections: Alcott Arthur, Chair of the Nominations and Rules Committee, asked each candidate for CUSF Chair to make a statement. Bill Stuart referred to the statement that he prepared and distributed at the meeting. He reiterated that he understands faculty needs, and that he will continue to improve relationships with other groups, i.e. CUSS. Bill Chapin stated that under his leadership CUSF attendance is back up because of better communication with the membership. Other issues that he noted were discussions about tuition remission, more CUSF members representing CUSF at various meetings, active membership committees, and a successful Senate Chairs meeting. The votes were tallied by the Membership Committee and Alcott Arthur announced that with the majority of the votes Bill Stuart was elected as the CUSF Chair-Elect.

E. Report from USM Senior Vice-Chancellor Irv Goldstein:
1. Budget; a) There are many political issues at play. At this time, it is hard to determine how it will come out. Up to last night, we knew what cuts were recommended - $56 million. Some was permanent - $40 million or so, with $16 million (furlough) and $14 million (base cut which was withdrawn due to the Stimulus Package). The House cut another $20 million, which was upsetting because it came from the general fund, and not from the $16 million for tuition. It is basically a base budget cut and we are $20 million shorter. The Chancellor noted to the Baltimore Sun that tuition is back on the table. On Sunday the Student Council met and added that they did not want the $20 million cut if it ruined the quality of their education. A $500,000 cut at Hagerstown is now proposed by Bohanan. The Senate started meeting yesterday and thus far they have drastically reduced the cuts, for example the $20 million went to $5 million and a fund balance cut. However there is a $250 million cut on the Southern MD facility. The word came that the Governor has a supplemental budget regarding the Stimulus Package and tuition. We do not know what it means regarding the cuts and we will have an emergency meeting today. The Senate is clearly on our side. The Governor wants to protect tuition without harming our budget. We are very fortunate to have PJ Hogan down there. We want to cooperate with the Governor. Tuition is the prerogative of the BOR. If taken out for the Stimulus Package, it is only for two years and it will have to be replaced somewhere down the line. Our campuses are working diligently on the Stimulus Package. Martha Siegel noted that we should be clear that the furloughs were temporary pay cuts; b) Irv Goldstein continued, adding that there are 2 USM Centers that are run by our faculty - Shady Grove and Hagerstown. Some of it is online and some of it is face-to-face. UMCP and UMBC utilize these facilities. There are other centers that do not belong to us and offer facilities, i.e. Southern Regional Center next to the Patuxent River and campuses from all over offer programs there. There is talk of the need for a center in Northern MD because of BRAC. We do not offer 1st and 2nd year of the education, i.e. TU offers the education degree at Shady Grove in the 3rd and 4th year. Smith Business School does the same at Shady Grove. The students have already made it through community college and the programs have large numbers of minorities and females. It is an amazing site. They are trying to meet the needs of regions that do not have Higher Education. Each center has a Director and our centers report to USM. The other centers work through MHEC and their programs can come from anywhere, out-of-state, as long as they are accredited. We are exploring trying to help the Southern Region with their nursing program.
2. Program Duplication Bill; It went down for the 3rd time.
3. Textbook Policy; There are hearings going on tonight. Bill Stuart noted that our email letter (capwiz) was not worded strongly enough in the beginning.
4. Unions; Joe Vivona gave a long history of unions at their meeting yesterday. AFT (American Federation of Teachers) is now in the driver’s seat. The Governor is pro-union and the Democratic party is pro-union. They will want to push a summer study with a Joint Chairman Report to be completed this summer. Graduate students and adjunct faculty are the 2 groups involved. It should be done fairly with good representation from each side. Clearly there will be a lot of union activity. Julie Zito stated that medical residents and post docs are very vulnerable and should be considered. Sylvester James Gates Jr. added that UMCP faculty have rejected being called employees which shows the problem with unionizing. Bill Stuart stated that the UMCP constituencies are split. The administrators are against the faculty and this explains the faculty sense of helplessness. Stephanie Gibson added that we worked with AFT long ago, but it stopped due to the Ehrlich administration. Bobbi Adams added that the State does collective bargaining with other employees and that we should do the same. Regarding Dave Parker’s question on the definition of an adjunct, Irv Goldstein responded that we will be advised by the committee on what is part or full time, and that the study will be about adjuncts and graduate students, only. Sharon Fratta-Hill added that the adjunct faculty at UMUC are poised for revolt, and she recommended that we steer the Joint Chair to allowing UMUC to have some representation on that committee. Martha Siegel commented that this is an instance where CUSF is an advisory board to the Chancellor, but we are also a part of USM. We need to make a case for doing better by our adjuncts because the injustices are many and nation-wide, which somewhat indicates the need for a union. Jay Zimmerman recommended that CUSF act separately and send a letter to the Joint Chairman.
5. Same Sex Partners Health Benefits; Included and should be signed by July 1.
6. UMBI and UMCES Relocation; The recommendation by legislative services was defeated. The President of UMBI resigned and now the BOR wants to know the most effective way to proceed. Cliff Kendall with Norm Augustine and others are on a committee working on the decision regarding UMBI. By mid-June 2009 they will have a recommendation for BOR. There is no pre-decision among the regents as to which way to proceed. There are hearings set up with past presidents, vice presidents, research presidents, people with innovative perspectives, etc. The decision will be made by July 1, 2009 and then there will be a long implementation phase. There will be some open hearings and online input as well.
7. UMUC- MHEC; We are still having problems with this. This is such an important issue that Chancellor Kirwan and Maryland Secretary of Higher Education James Lyons will help negotiations with President Susan Aldridge and MHEC. We will appeal if denied.
8. Questions; Regarding questions about where we stand on the budget and diversity issues in Shared Governance, Irv Goldstein noted that he thinks that we will have a minimal budget cut. The Governor wants us to continue with the base money that we have for our operations. UB and UMUC are the only campuses growing. Regarding diversity he added that we are working on many things, i.e. closing the achievement gap, etc.

F. UMBI: Rosemary Jagus asked CUSF to send a letter of support for UMBI to remain a separate campus. She noted that the Chancellor has stated that UMBI will continue to exist, but he does not know if it will be as a separate campus. Rosemary Jagus added that UMBI is the newest campus in the system, it is successful, and that not more than 1/3 of the funding for it is from the State. It is a non-teaching institution, but it is a training ground, i.e. Marine Technology for UMES. There is an abundance of educational training outreach, programs for middle and high school students, and it is also a place for spinning off companies. Rosemary Jagus made the following motion:

CUSF recognizes the great success that UMBI has had both in research and in community service under its present structure as an independent campus of the USM. We therefore urge the Chancellor, the Board of Regents, its committees, and all others currently considering the status of UMBI to work to ensure that this good work continue at UMBI as an independent USM campus.

The motion was seconded by John Collins. During the discussion Richard Zhao noted that he thinks that 1) research, 2) teaching, and 3) specialty are needed for an institution. He continued noting that one program went to UMBC from UMBI and they said it was a good move. There is a mirror image of UMBC and UMBI. He added that as an outsider, he thinks it will be more beneficial for UMBI to join other campuses, i.e. UMBC. He stressed that he neither supports it nor is against it or has any personal interest, but noted that we need more details and recognizes that UMBI folks do not want change. Rosemary Jagus noted that as a small campus, they can change and create programs very quickly. Arthur Popper asked how we could support the motion without the data and added that once we see the report we are in a better position to make this decision. Jay Zimmerman agreed that we needed the data. Bill Stuart noted that there are two issues, campuses and structures. John Collins stated that the Medical Biotech faculty do not want to go to the medical school and would prefer to not go to UMB, if any campus. Frank Robb added that the data will be on the thin side and the BOR will be making their decision soon. He continued, noting that UMBI is sterling regarding performance, with two BOR awards this year, even for community service. Over the years UMBI has been very reliable and productive. Sylvester James Gates Jr. stated that he admires UMBI, but added that we amateurs need the data so we can give UMBI the support. He motioned to table the motion. Arthur Popper seconded the motion to table the motion. More than 2/3 voted to table the motion. Bill Chapin added that as CUSF representatives we can voice our concerns on this issue. Martha Siegel suggested that during lunch we could at least look at issues concerning the faculty, etc., and maybe we could put a resolution together for that group. She added that we should discuss this more during lunch.

G. Elections Continued: The following nominations were made for CUSF Officers and Alcott Arthur made a motion for approval:

Vice Chair - Joyce Shirazi
Secretary - John Collins, Martha Siegel
At Large - Joyce Tenney, Jay Zimmerman, Lee Richardson, Bobbi Adams

Trickle down of candidates was explained by Bill Chapin. The slate was seconded and approved. Alcott Arthur requested that all candidates submit a brief statement for the next meeting.

H. Reports/Other Business:
1. Send articles immediately for the CUSF Newsletter to Deloris James. Deloris James noted that we need to include our relationships with the rest of the world, including the BOR Awards, Department Chairs Meeting, etc. Otherwise it will just be about us. She added that we want to make the newsletter representative of USM diversity wise.
2. Sylvester James Gates reported that Governor Martin O’Malley has nominated him for a seat on the Maryland State Board of Education, which is a 12-member body. He will serve a four-year term and may serve two full terms.
3. Bill Stuart stated that the UMCP University Senate voted for the new strategic plan, and it was approved by BOR approval, One implementation issue however is post-tenure review, an annual review for 5 years. One of the most attention getting aspects was getting the salaries reduced by as much as 5 to 10%. The University Senate spoke and Bill Stuart added that he spoke against it, and it was overwhelmingly defeated. Some forms of post-tenure review still remain in the plan however. William Popper stated that the problem is the way it was done. They mixed into one document post-tenure review, etc. They threw in bad reviews for 3 years and a 2% maximum salary reduction. It was only aimed at the 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. faculty, but faculty thought it would end tenure. Stephanie Gibson stated that at UB she is evaluated every year. Bill Stuart noted that they have merit committee reviews and the suggestion was to roll them in together. He added that when President Mote gave his presentation at CUSF he praised the University Senate, which is a very salutatory thing because you do not know where the faculty stands. Bill Stuart recommended constituency based voting. William Popper stated that the University Senate is really faculty controlled, with a higher percentage.

I. Lunch

J. Action on Motions: Martha Siegel made the following motion:

In support of UMBI: CUSF supports its colleagues at UMBI by urging that every effort be made to protect the tenure, salary, and benefits of all faculty as the resolution of the status of UMBI is being considered.

It was seconded and in the subsequent discussion Lee Richardson stated that this motion must not affect the tabled motion. Gerry Wojnar added that he hoped that this will not read as a subtext that we did not approve the initial motion. John Collins noted that this motion did not seem to include any more than what UMBI already had. The motion passed.

K. Report from Vice Chair:
1. Martha Siegel stated that AAAC met in Shady Grove and that Dr. Uri Treisman from the University of Texas is giving a Langenburg Lecture on April 22, 2009. He designed the UTeach program. His lecture is part of the Langenburg Lecture Program at UMUC. Anyone interested in attending, if not already invited, must go through Nancy Shapiro or their USM President to attend. Martha Siegel and Dave Parker have been invited.
2. Martha Siegel noted that the big issues are STEM, work force, and teacher education. The reports on those taskforces are now final.
3. Many USM campuses are involved in the MEES (Marine Estuarine Environmental Sciences) program which is housed at UMCP. Rita Colwell was previously in charge of the program. Martha Siegel suggested that we look at the list of people who participate, etc. It was started a long time ago to involve a lot of campuses. Many campuses want to have it as essentially graduate work. The problem is that it does not really have a home campus. Many campuses feel that this is not their program and do not want to make a commitment to it. USM needs to get its status resolved. Bill Stuart added that given the fiscal situation, it is doubly damning.
4. Regarding closing the achievement gap, Martha Siegel asked about the role of faculty and noted that a visitor to AAAC suggested that we should be looking at faculty that teach classes in which students are having a difficult time. We need to be vigilant. The Regents are very interested in this. Students should not be promised college success if they are not ready. Individually we may be subject to pressure. Dave Parker noted that in secondary schools, the more students you fail, the lower your teacher evaluations. Bobbi Adams acknowledged that there is a privacy issue in low-student classes. Bill Stuart commented that USM is more successful in recruiting minorities, but the success rate is not as good at some institutions. Bill Chapin added that disaggregating the data based on entrance SATs, GPAs, will help to understand where the successes were and were not. Too much remediation is the problem. He added that at UMES, they have 1100 in the incoming freshman class and only 19 placed out of remedial math.
5. Martha Siegel announced that the Department Chairs Workshop is April 17, 2009 at USM. CUSF pushed the initiation of this many years ago. It used to be two days and now it is one day. Paul Flexner added that it is really worth it. Martha Siegel ended noting that the Senate Chairs meeting is May 1, 2009 at USM.

L. The meeting adjourned at 1:50 p.m.

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