The University of Southern Mississippi

Faculty Senate Meeting Draft Minutes

December 7, 2007

Union Hall of Honors

2:00 p.m.

Guest Speakers:

President Martha Saunders

President Saunders reported on the following items:

1. Administrative Affairs - possible budget cuts that the university was ordered to prepare budgets with a 5% cut for 2008 and a 2% cut for 2009. USM is complying but Dr. Saunders is hopeful that this is just an exercise. At present there are no plans for a hiring freeze with searches that are already underway for the university.
2. Athletics – concerning the search for the new football coach
3. Government Affairs – deferred to Chad Driskell
4. Office of the President – the search for the VP for Advancement is ongoing. Dr. Saunders is planning to put together a new group for university planning (to dismiss the standing UPC and have the new committee have a close relationship with the budget advisory committee. She also reported that the IHL wants to develop strategic plans for improving graduation rates, higher retention rates and other elements of student success.

Provost Bobby Middlebrooks

Dr. Middlebrooks reported on the following items:

1. Dean searches are on schedule, with interviews to occur just after the selection of the new provost.
2. The Provost search is on schedule with the expectation of conducting preliminary interviews in early January with campus interviews to be conducted in late January or early February and the selection of the new provost to occur by mid- to late February.
3. Some programs are having difficulty complying with the 124 hour degree restrictions. Expressed the belief that the problem may be in part due to the size of the General Education Curriculum.

Chad Driskell, Assistant to the President for External Affairs

Mr. Driskell reported that he was beginning more communication with state and local officials and with businesses. He expressed his concern that many state legislators have a limited understanding of what we do at USM. He is planning ways to help legislators get a better understanding of the many great programs at USM, not just polymer science.

1.0       Call to order: Judd called the meeting to order at 3:45 pm.

2.0       Approval of past minutes: Motion by Redalje to approve the minutes of the November meeting, second by Blackwell. Motion passed unanimously.

3.0       Approval of agenda: Motion by Rehner to approve the agenda, with second by Beckett. Motion passed unanimously.

4.0       Officers' Reports
4.1 President’ Report

4.1.1 Provost Search. Judd reported that he and the other search committee members were optimistic and that the entire search committee was to participate in the preliminary interviews.

4.1.2 Selection of the Grand Marshal. Judd reported the committee for the selection is up and running and the committee is expanded from last year.

            4.2 President-Elect’s Report

4.2.1 Teleconferencing for Faculty Senate meetings for GC members. Oshrin reported that iTech informed him that teleconferencing during FS meetings was impossible, that the rooms set up for such conferencing were too small to accommodate the entire senate.

4.3 Secretary’s Report – no report

4.3 Secretary-Elect’s report

4.3.1 President’s inauguration. Hauer reported that the inauguration was set for Friday, March 28 and included plans for a large party for everyone to attend in the quad.

5.0       Committee Reports
5.1       Academic and Governance – no report
5.2 Administration and Faculty Evaluations – no report
5.3 Awards:

Price reported that plans were underway to restore some of the awards that Faculty Senate oversaw but include others not in Faculty Senate. She indicated that the committee was working to better define the criteria and application process.

5.4 Budget – no report
5.5 Constitution and Bylaws – no report
5.6       Faculty Welfare – no report
5.7 Government Relations – no report
5.8 Technology – no report
5.9 Elections – no report
5.10 Other committee and liaison reports

5.10.2 AAUP – no report

5.10.3 Facility Management Planning Committee – no report

5.10.4 Alternative Learning Committee – no report

5.10.5 Distance Education Committee – no report

5.10.6 Faculty Handbook Committee:

Beckett reported that the handbook committee was reviewing the consequences of a department chair resigning from the personnel committee, the timing of the third-year review, with prior credit towards promotion based on the number of years of experience new faculty might have, and correcting the language to more clearly delineate the differences from departmental personnel committees and departmental promotion and tenure review committees.

5.10.8 Evaluation of Teaching – no report

5.10.9 Academic/Graduate Council

5.10.9 GCFC – Scurfield provided minutes of GCFC meeting.

6.0       New Business – Jeff Bower resolution

Bushardt moved that the senate set aside the rules regarding voting on a resolution at the same meeting the resolution was introduced. Second by Rehner. Motion passed unanimously. Press moved to approve the Jeff Bower resolution, second by Harbaugh. Motion passed by majority.

7.0 Old Business – Faculty Handbook

There were several proposed changes to the Faculty Handbook presented in the November meeting by Becket. Anderson moved that the changes be considered as a packet rather than voting on each change separately. Second by Tingstrom. Motion passed unanimously.

Motion to approve all proposed changes to the Faculty Handbook presented in the November meeting by Smith, second by Oshrin. Motion passed unanimously
8.0 Other - none
9.0       Adjournment – 4:25 pm

Senators present(represented by proxy)

Anderson, Patsy

Beckett, David

Blackwell, Ann

Bounds, Wendy

Brannock, Jennifer

Buchanan, Randy

Bushardt, Steve

Davis, Anita (Redalje, proxy)

Douglass, Kate

Evans, Jeff

Goggin, Cheryl

Gould, Trent

Griffith, Jerry

Hannon, John

Harbaugh, Bonnie

Hartsell, Taralynn (Blackwell, proxy)

Hauer, Stanley

Haynes, Elizabeth

Judd, Stephen

Kaul, Arthur

Klinedinst, Mark (Bushardt, proxy)

McCormick, Charles

Mead, Lawrence

Meyer, John

O’Brien, Greg

Oshrin, Stephen

Piazza, Barry

Press, Bob

Price, Catherine

Rachal, John

Rakocinski, Chet

Redalje, Donald

Rehner, Timothy

Smith, J. Pat

Smithka, Paula (Goggin, proxy)

Tingstrom, Daniel

Young, Amy

Liaison

Scurfield, Raymond

Guests

President Saunders

Dr. Middlebrooks

Chad Driskell

Dr. Powell

Homer Coffman

Kevin Sellers

Jeff May

Mandy Nace