University of Southern Maine Faculty Senate 

Meeting of November 3, 2006 (2 - 4 p.m., 321 Bailey)

 

MINUTES

 

Present:

 

Officers: D. Lynn (chair), N. Bouzrara (secretary);

 

 Ex officio: B. Foster, D. Malhotra, R. Pattenaude, M. Rodgers, J. Wood

 

Voting members : H. Amoroso, Jr., N. Artz, G. Caffentzis,  R. Chen, S. Chinn, B. Clary, E. Collom, E. Eagan, B. Edmands, L. Elliott, D. Gilbert, M. Hamilton, C. Hammer,  J. Irish, P. Johnson, R. Kuesch,  D. Lambert, F. Pavri, C. Suscavage,  V. Tarbell, T. Wagner

 

Non-voting members & guests: H. Fred Walker

 

Absent:

 

Officers: T. Parchman (vice-chair)

 

Ex officio: P. Pitegoff, B. Shaffer, Z. VanZandt, B.L. Whitford,  J. Wright

 

Voting members : J. Andonian, K. Ashley, J. Brunette, L. Cole, V. Hart, M. Vazquez Jacobus, L. Miller, C. Ostis, W. Phillips, S. Pollock, E. Raimon,  R. Swartz, D. Thompson, L. Turesky, S. Waldrep, T. Ward, A. Whitmore, E. Wiley

 

Summary:

 

 

Present

Absent

Voting members

23 (54%)

19 (46%)

Ex officio

5 (50 %)

5 (50 %)

Non-voting/ guests

1

 

 

30

 

 

 

2:04                 1.  Call to order by Chair Dahlia Lynn.

 

2:06                 2.  Approval of minutes of 10/6/06

            Notes approved unanimously via voce.

 

2:06                 3.  Reports (23 minutes)

a. Provost Joseph Wood (15  minutes)

 

- budget - difficult problem, linked to enrollment, programs, loads, infrastructure, delivery, scheduling, engagement, advising.

 

- requests to consider allowing students to add on a “space available” basis in the 1st week.

 

- pilot courses - good retention, continued monitoring

 

- 5 years of budget reductions, can t continue in the same way, moving to across the board reductions in the base budget (-1 %)

 

- Maine Center for Economic Development moving to USM in the unfinished space of the Science Building (R & D bonds) using space temporarily, pending development of the space

 

- seeing USM from the outside as an economic engine; from inside preparing people to be effective citizens and leaders ..

 

- hiring freeze of non-faculty positions, E & G money

            - 2 objectives -(1) squeeze $ not being paid to salary, benefits

            (2) reduce the gross FTE of the institution by 50 positions.

            - collapsing of positions.. exemptions to this relate to compliance (about 1/4 positions = exempt)

           

            - faculty positions - requested & approved .. 14 faculty positions .. any to fill? dependent on College .. failed searches from last year are going forward

 

            - Dean Malhotra noted that in CAS they were building applicant pools... that 4 in CAS had been readvertised and later on they would see what would go forward .. money is not being swept from the lines

 

- Senator Eagan inquired about the likelihood of any realistic searches going forward.

 

b. Chair Dahlia Lynn (2 minutes)

 

- Chair Lynn thanked the Senate for their work and service to the Senate,  the faculty members involved in the Special Senate meeting on October 13th, George Caffentsiz and his work group, especially Bruce Clary, Eileen Eagan, Lucinda Cole, Michael Hamilton, and Henry Amoroso’s subcommittee on technology enhanced learning and those on the Research Council.

 

 

- November 17th  - town meeting on Distance Education

 

- Chair Lynn would like senators to urge their colleagues to get active in the Senate.             

 

c. Board of Trustees Representative Fred H. Walker (2 minutes)

 

 - No meetings but November 6-8, the BOT meets in Machias on financial reports and briefings.     

 

d.  No Student Body Report.

 

e. Classified Staff Representative Vernon Tarbell (2 minutes)

 

- The Classified Staff is organizing a food drive (non perishable items) for the Preble Street Shelter and the Ronald McDonald House.

 

f. Part-time  Staff Representative Dennis Gilbert (2 minutes)

           

- Representative Gilbert noted the participation of the part-time art faculty in the Faculty Art Show in Gorham.

 

- He commented on the terms of their contract settlement, specifically access to dental insurance for some and the raises.

 

g. Professional Staff Representative Mark Mendendez

 

- No report.

 

 

2:29                 4. Old Business. 

 

                        a. Research Council Update (39 minutes)

 

            Comments from Provost Wood and Judy Spross spoke to the following issues:

 

            - indirect cost recovery, infrastructure, buildings, laboratories, bioscience hazards, research boards..

 

            - involvement of governance, faculty in an ad hoc manner, which lead to the  Research Council who is working on recommendations, by-laws, action plan

 

            - role of William Harrison, Director, Office of Research Compliance.

 

            - time of constrained resources, need to move scholarship forward

 

            - information to be posted on web page soon

 

            - oral history & human subjects

 

            - regulations being moving targets because of changing mandates from the government.

 

            - orientation to get everyone on the same page

           

            - use of key words - Office of Sponsored Programs site

 

            - membership of the Research Council (24 members)

            - fewer members, more active?

            - need for broad representation given mandate

 

            - budget

 

            - The Research Council will deal with the quality of research in general but not individuals research

 

            - open forum meeting to discuss these issues, with the Research Council

 

3:08                 h. Report from President Pattenaude (22 minutes)

           

            President Pattenaude had been delayed from giving his report earlier due to an important meeting in Brunswick.  He mentioned the following items:

 

            - 20,000 alumni have been sent mailings about TABOR.

 

            - announcement about the Maine Center for Economic Development moving to USM

 

            - student presentation of Titanic

 

            - November 15th - sledge hammers to Pipe building breaking up

 

            - need to tell the USM story better with marketing.. 3 finalists to market the university, 1 in-state, 2 out-of-state firms

 

            - ME public broadcasting

           

            - Board of Visitors meeting .. focus groups in the community

 

            - hiring freeze.. 32 positions, 17 going through.. need to save about $2 million

 

            - filling the hole in enrollment

 

            President Pattenaude took questions or comments including the following:

 

            - the processes which guide decisions about bringing in external players to USM

            (question about the Maine Center for Economic Development being housed at USM) to which President Pattenaude explained that USM helped found it, it was an extension of USM and was a public entity

 

            - comment on the green-ness of the new building in Gorham

 

            - comment on high quality of the Sustainability Conference

 

            - availability of funding for development of technology, distance education, sustainability, EYE courses.

 

3:30     5.  New Business

                        a. Senator Clary explained the background and content  for the Special Meeting held on October 13, 2006 attended by 14 senators. (See notes for this meeting.)

 

            Discussion of the two motions from that meeting. Provost Wood commented that he would be open to the topic as a convocation theme.

 

            Senator Caffentzis moved that the motion from the Special Meeting be brought forth to the Faculty Senate for consideration. Travis Wagner seconded this motion which reads:

                       

            The Faculty Senate affirms freedom of expression and academic freedom as core values of a public university.  To that end, we recommend that the convocation theme for 2007/2008 attend to these issues and the manner in which the university addresses, has addressed and will continue to address them.

           

            After some discussion, the motion passed 21–0-0, with one person stretching.

 

            Senator Caffentzis moved that the motion from the Special Meeting be brought forth to the Faculty Senate for consideration. Brenda Edmands seconded this motion which reads:

 

            The Faculty Senate affirms that academic freedom and freedom of expression must be protected and nurtured.  As such, the Faculty Senate endorses the establishment of an ad-hoc committee on academic freedom and freedom of expression.  It is hoped that this committee will evolve into a standing committee of the Faculty Senate.

 

            After some discussion, the motion passed 21–0-0, with no one stretching.

 

4:00     Meeting adjourned.

           

Respectfully submitted,

 

Nancy Erickson Bouzrara,

Recording Secretary, Faculty Senate