The University of Southern Mississippi
Faculty Senate
Minutes for the Closing of the May Meeting on June 5, 2009
210 Thad Cochran Center
Members Present and Represented (by proxy): M. Anderson, H. Annulis (D. Lunsford), J. Bass (David Cochran), D. Beckett, A. Blackwell (D. Daves), J. Brannock, D. Bristol, R. Buchanan (D. Beckett), B. Burgess (D. Davis), J. Burnett, C. Campbell (J. Shin), D. Daves, A. Davis, J. Evans, D. Fisher, C. Goggin, T. Gould, K. Greene (D. Beckett), S. Hauer, S. Judd, M. Klinedinst, D. Lunsford, J. Meyer, S. Oshrin, R. Pandy (J. Evans), B. Piazza, C. Rakocinski (D. Redalje), D. Redalje, T. Rehner (T. Gould), K. Rushing (T. Gould), R. Scurfield, P. Smithka, J. B. Spencer, D. Tingstrom, A. Young,
Members Absent: E. Green, J. Hannon, B. Harbaugh, L. Kyriakoudes, C. McCormick, J. McGuire, J. Rachal
1.0 Call to order
According to the constitution the election of officers should take place at the May meeting; thus that meeting was not formally adjourned but recessed to be concluded in June. Then followed the June meeting itself, with newly-elected Senators seated.
Faculty Senate President Oshrin called the meeting to order at 2:03 pm.
2.0 Approval of the agenda
Pres. Oshrin requested adding a report on the Campus Planning Committee from Mary Beth Applin under item 11.10. Senator Young moved and Senator Smithka seconded approval of the agenda for the day as amended. Passed unanimously.
3.0 Approval of the minutes
Sen. Young moved approval of the previous month’s minutes pending completion of that meeting; the motion was seconded and approved.
4.0 Election of officers
Nominations were requested for President-elect. Sen. Rehner (through proxy T. Gould) nominated Anita Davis. Sen. Young nominated David Beckett. Sen. A. Davis chosen President-elect by secret ballot.
Nominations were requested for Secretary-elect. Sen. Spencer nominated Jennifer Brannock and the motion was seconded. After no further nominations, the floor was closed to nominations and senators gratefully acclaimed Sen. Brannock as Secretary-elect.
5.0 Remarks of the outgoing President
Pres. Oshrin addressed the Senate as follows:
Let me begin by recognizing those senators who will be completing their service to the Faculty Senate at the conclusion of this meeting:
We appreciate your wise counsel and sincerely hope that we might see many of you on the Faculty Senate again in the future.
In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens said, “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” As I look back on this past year I am pleased to say that, for USM, there was more of the former and less of the latter.
This was a year that saw the return of regular attendance to our meetings by the University Administration. This is the result of a solid, two-year relationship with Dr. Saunders that was initiated by Stephen Judd and Amy Young. Our relationship with the Provost, although in its infancy, promises to be open, honest and friendly. We are now partners with the administration rather than adversaries. We must, however, nurture this partnership and recognize that these relationships can be fragile and can exist only with mutual respect and cooperation.
This year began with a successful retreat at the camp of Dr. Phillips, made possible through the efforts of Bill Powell, and our move to the Thad Cochran Center. Our successful negotiations with Sid Gonsoulin allow us to enjoy this wonderful facility without charge, and for that we must express our deep gratitude. We have welcomed to our meetings members of the administration who, for many of us, were names rather than personalities. Kristi Motter, Virginia Crawford, Larry Lee, Bob Hopkins, Carole Kiehl, Homer Coffman, Russ Willis, Tom Lansford, Bryan Billings, Ann Billings and Pat Joachim have visited with us. Our discussions with them have brought us closer together and allowed us to share our viewpoints and opinions.
The Faculty Senate has been successful in increasing its visibility, both on-campus and off-campus. We have co-sponsored the Kaul Symposium, emphasizing our commitment to scholarship, and have co-sponsored the Faculty/Staff Appreciation Day, emphasizing our respect and appreciation for the staff that are an irreplaceable part of our university. With the Staff Council we sponsored our Legislative Forum in December, bringing six area legislators to campus to meet with faculty and staff. We represented the Faculty in discussions with State Senator Doug Davis, expressing our concern that a significant restructuring of the IHL Board would not be in the best interest of our university. We also met in Jackson with the faculty of Jackson State University, offering our support and advice in their efforts to work more effectively with their administration.
The Faculty Senate has supported the university’s commitment to a healthier community; we were an active participant in the President’s Heartwalk fund raiser and we worked with Dr. Crawford to make flu immunizations available at no cost and at convenient locations on campus. In light of the current concerns regarding influenza, I hope that we can continue this very important initiative. We are also working with Dr. Crawford to make clinic services more accessible and convenient for faculty and staff. Discussions continue regarding the provision of health services to the Gulf Coast Campus.
In recognition of the need to reduce our consumption of resources, the Faculty Senate has been working with the university library and Itech to implement an electronic archiving system that would allow for the efficient distribution of documents to governance bodies at the university as well as permit the electronic storage of important documents. This would allow easy document retrieval, save space and commodities and would address bandwidth limitations inherent in the email delivery of multiple documents to multiple recipients. The Faculty Welfare Committee conducted its annual survey electronically this year and next year we will move to online balloting for Faculty Senate elections. The Faculty Senate is committed to making USM an environmentally-friendly campus.
This year, the Faculty Senate has reviewed, revised and updated the awards process that had become unwieldy and cumbersome. We have also been a partner in revisions of the Faculty Handbook, a document that affects every aspect of the faculty’s professional life.
Through our redesigned website, we have made information more readily available to our constituents and colleagues. Audio recordings of our meetings have allowed faculty, staff and administrators to hear the presentations of the president and provost as well as the regular proceedings of the Senate. Our website now provides electronic versions of reports and resolutions and our electronic minutes have hotlinks to relevant sources of information. At this point I must stop and recognize the outstanding job that Secretary Stan Hauer has done over the past year. Stan and I have been friends and colleagues for many years; as associate dean he mentored me when I was a young and inexperienced chair and as Faculty Senate secretary he has kept me focused on the things that are important to faculty, staff and students at the university. In addition to providing us with spiffy nameplates and nutritious refreshments, his synopses of each meeting have been well received by the faculty and his minutes have been accurate, entertaining and humorous. Please join me in a round of applause to show our appreciation for his dedication to Faculty Senate.
In contrast to years in the past, this year has been one of collegiality and cooperation rather than rancor and conflict. There has, however, been some discord between faculty and administration on issues of faculty evaluations and tenure. The Faculty Senate has been an effective mediator and has helped guide all parties toward procedures that benefit the university while protecting the interests of the faculty.
Perhaps the most important activity over the past year has been our involvement in the budgetary discussions affecting the university. At your request, Dean Kiehl and I met with Vice President Burge and obtained his commitment to assist in improving library journal and textbook acquisitions. At the request of President Saunders, we are now engaged in developing a budgetary model that will significantly alter the way the university allocates its resources. The Strategic Budget Task Force, on which Jeff and I sit, will be making its recommendation to Dr. Saunders in July. Perhaps even more pressing are the current discussions taking place in the Academic Planning Group. This committee, with widespread representation from faculty, staff and administration, is currently reviewing budgetary information from every facet of the university in an a priori effort to plan for any budget reductions that may occur in the next several years. Jeff Evans and I will continue to serve on that committee.
Another of Charles Dickens works is Great Expectations. In a few minutes Jeff Evans will become our Faculty Senate President and John Meyer will become our Faculty Senate Secretary. Jeff and I have worked together on Academic Council as well as Faculty Senate, and I have always admired his understanding of the issues that affect our university and the leadership ability he demonstrated as chair of Academic Council. With Jeff and John, the Faculty Senate is indeed in capable hands and we can move confidently into the next academic year.
So, it is with great expectations and with great confidence that, I ask now for a motion to adjourn the May meeting of the Faculty Senate.
6.0 Adjournment of the May meeting
Moved and seconded, May meeting adjourned, 2:26 pm.
The University of Southern Mississippi
Faculty Senate
Minutes for the Meeting of June 5, 2009
210 Thad Cochran Center
Members Present and Represented (by proxy): H. Annulis (D. Lunsford), J. Bass (David Cochran), D. Beckett, A. Blackwell (D. Daves), J. Brannock, D. Bristol, B. Burgess (D. Davis), J. Burnett, D. Daves, A. Davis, D. Davis, J. Evans, D. Fisher, D. Fletcher, C. Goggin, T. Gould, A. Haley, S. Hauer, N. Howell, M. Klinedinst, T. Lipscomb, D. Lunsford, M. Lux (S. Oshrin), J. Meyer, S. Oshrin, R. Pandy (J. Evans), B. Piazza, C. Rakocinski (D. Redalje), D. Redalje, T. Rehner (T. Gould), S. Reischman, K. Rushing (T. Gould), R. Scurfield, J. Shin, J. B. Spencer, D. Tingstrom, A. Young,
Members Absent: B. George, C. McCormick, J. McGuire, J. Wolfe
7.0 Call to order of the 2009-2010 Senate
Pres. Evans called the meeting to order at 2:28 pm.
8.0 Recognition of Pres. Oshrin and Sec. Hauer
Pres. Evans thanked outgoing Pres. Oshrin for his fine work; University President Martha Saunders and University Provost Robert Lyman joined in presenting a plaque complete with displayed gavel in appreciation.
Sec. Meyer thanked outgoing Sec. Stan Hauer for his very hard work; since he had pronounced himself “plaqued out” he was presented with a Starbucks coffee gift bag and gift certificate by Sec. Meyer, Pres. Saunders, and Prov. Lyman in appreciation.
9.0 Remarks from the administration
9.1 President Saunders
Dr. Saunders reported the budget situation as still “uncertain,” yet we are preparing for a 4.5% cut for the ’10 budget.
The area of advancement has seen much activity recently, both good and bad. The university received a gift of $250,000 from the Madison Foundation in honor of Kristin Bower for an unrestricted academic scholarship. Annual giving has increased and has surpassed last year. A total of 435 of 739 university endowments are currently “underwater.” These will remain an issue until the economy resolves itself, but the Foundation staff has been working to inform and encourage those donors who created endowments to consider making “immediate use” gifts to directly benefit student scholarships. The number of USM Foundation scholarships actually awarded a year ago was 620, but for the upcoming year only 200 were awarded.
New License plates featuring Golden Eagle “head” logo will begin being offered by county tag offices beginning July 1st.
The Ogletree House is nearing completion and Alumni Affairs looks to move in over the summer.
The Centennial celebration is approaching fast with a slate of events and opportunities to showcase the university. Dr. Saunders suggested buying tickets now for the kickoff event of a concert with Renee Fleming taking place in Jackson.
Dr. Saunders noted several athletic events to praise: The baseball team was ranked 17th in the nation and playing in the NCAA Super Regional for the first time in Southern Miss history after hosting a very successful C-USA Tournament. [Your author cannot help adding that over the weekend the team followed this up by winning the Super Regional with a comeback second victory over the U. of Florida sending them to the College World Series for the first time ever.]
Kameron Brunty has been named Freshman Baseball All-America team.
In other sports, DeAndre Brown has been named to a pre-season All-America team as well as 11 were placed on the C-USA team. Three members of our track team have qualified for the NCAA Nationals. The tennis Courts are nearing completion; however they have not been released to the University by the contractor yet.
Dr. Saunders reported that Dr. Burge, Vice President for Research & Economic Development, is working to get omnibus budget money obligated. About $18 million is authorized, but not obligated. That process may need to be pushed into the first quarter of the next fiscal year. She said with appreciation that all of that grant writing is working.
Student affairs reported good news, though we should not “count our chickens” until we “get ‘em in the barn.” Admissions for freshmen are up 2% for this fall at this time. Honors College applications are overflowing at more than 170 with average ACT of 30. Transfer applications are also up; graduate student applications are up 35%; so if the early retention efforts yield an increase there, next year’s enrollment should be robust – although we will not celebrate prematurely.
The president noted a very useful meeting with the Chairs Council had taken place, showing administration and chairs “need to talk more.” A retreat is planned for fall with the chairs to talk about initiatives. Such a retreat may be needed twice a year as she “learned a ton” from the chairs.
Preferred candidate for IHL commissioner, Hank Bounds, will be interviewed June 17 at the IHL office in Jackson.
Finally, big changes are planned for the office of Marketing and Public Relations in the wake of conversations about improving university communication and web presence. Its name will be changed to the Office of University Communications to more accurately reflect the overall scope of services provided to the university community in support of strategic initiatives. The new Director of Web Services, Geoff LoCicero, will start July 1. She and Homer Coffman, Itech Director, have already been talking about all that he has to do. The department will also hire a reporter to assist in news and media relations operations.
Sen. Young asked about preparations for the 4.5% cut for next year; were these done? Yes, Dr. Saunders noted, the deans had already prepared the cuts.
Sen. Bristol asked about an insurance plan in the works for all the campuses. Dr. Saunders said the campuses (including the coast) currently have insurance but not 100% coverage. The new plan, in effect statewide, will have 100% coverage with an overall savings in premium payments statewide.
Sen. Redalje noted that traffic flow on the Hattiesburg campus seemed like a nightmare after major campus events. What effect would the closing of 31st St. have on that? He suggested a traffic flow study for the main campus. Dr. Saunders said that would be a good idea. The closing of 31st St. occurred at the recommendation of Campus Police Chief Bob Hopkins, but a traffic flow study is a good idea. The closing is part of a long-term plan to end traffic passing through the center areas of campus. Sen. Klinedinst noted that as one who taught in the area of the 31st St. closing the reduced traffic noise and congestion was much appreciated.
Sen Beckett asked about the tennis courts, noting that they look basically finished but nobody is playing on them. It would be nice if students, faculty, and staff could use them when the team or a class is not. Dr. Saunders noted that the building contractor had not released the site to the university yet; but she agreed that once the open all in the campus community should get to use them.
Stephen Judd asked about concerns regarding IHL commissioner candidate Bounds. A secondary school system is a different model than higher education . . . will universities be treated as extensions of high schools? Did the president have any reassurance? Dr. Saunders responded that she believed it was a genuine, thorough, search—“we gave them good candidates.” As far as the choice, she noted, “I was not there either,” but she believed he will listen to the university presidents. We already “assess the fire out of stuff around here,” and she said she would be paying attention.
Sen. Young noted the ideal of having a commissioner with deep experience in higher education to guide a lay board. The commissioner evaluates each president. Dr. Saunders noted that such concerns could be brought up at the candidate’s interview.
9.2 Provost Lyman
Provost Lyman noted that the Academic Planning Committee, broadly representative of the campus, met regularly all spring semester gathering data on programs. It has split into two subcommittees, one tackling the academic side, the other nonacademic divisions. They are almost finished gathering data on ways to “effect budget efficiencies.” This will not be short-term, and will take a year or two, but could provide some useful streamlining. Committee deliberations are available on the web (http://www.usm.edu/provost/budget_planning/).
As of June 4, the 4.5 % cut scenario has been implemented. Some may ask, what about the stimulus bill? It will likely restore core E & G funding to close to beginning 2009 levels, but the state Educational Enhancement Fund is grossly down, 1% to 2% for the next year, and some areas routinely exceed their budgets. Scholarships and graduate tuition waivers are two of these. Other money sources are also way down, to preparing for a 4.5% cut is called for.
Ann Blackwell has agreed to serve as interim dean of the College of Education and Psychology. She is very qualified and has agreed to serve for two years while we assess that college and the process for selecting a dean. Searching has gone on for two years without a viable candidate. Can one candidate ever satisfy all? This will give time to ponder a different process or structure for the college.
For tenure and promotion decisions, 46 faculty were applying for tenure, all were granted except 3. A total of 44 were applying for promotion (for a total of 64 individuals, so many were up for both) with 6 refused for the latter. In no case did the provost disagree with the University Advisory Council; one case is still under deliberation having been sent back to the UAC.
There has been considerable discussion of the governance structure and style with the library faculty. The provost met with them and this fall they will update their governance structure to one more agreeable to all.
August will see a new annual training workshop for new chairs of departments.
The School of Nursing petitioned to be separated from the College of Health and form their own college once again. The provost appointed a committee including members both in and out of the proposed new college. After several months deliberation, that committee recommended no separation right now. In a larger context, the issue will be revisited along with possible restructuring of the overall academic structure over the next several years.
Summer school enrollment was reported up 1.8%, showing some growth.
Discussions of providing Health Services on the Coast have revolved around three issues:
1. Since 2001, fees have disappeared as discrete fees charged to students. On all campuses, the health clinic fee, the Payne Center fee, and the athletic fee are all charged as part of tuition.
2. Students on the coast do receive other services for free—notably wireless internet access. Sister institutions, including Univ. of MS and MS State, charge up to $82 per semester but only on the main campus where there is a clinic. Community colleges generally charge no such fees but have no clinics (except for Jones County Junior College that charges $20 per semester for a small clinic with a nurse).
3. A survey of Gulf Coast students showed that health care was not a highly expressed concern. Jobs, careers, counseling, and parking were much higher issues of concern. Since the coast campuses are non-residential, and 70% of the students have private health insurance, providing a full clinic would not likely be viable.
Money for out-of-state tuition waivers for graduate students has been reduced due to budget cuts. Some have been cut in an equitable fashion. No graduate student has been denied an out-of-state waiver, with 825 in-state and 469 out-of-state. Cuts are planned, taking into account historical percentages of each type of assistantships. Alternatives being discussed include paying from other budgets including grants. Clearly, all graduate assistants will not automatically have out-of-state tuition waivers, as each is a cost item that must be accounted for.
Sen. Tingstrom asked about the rigidity of summer class size policy—without 16 in an undergraduate class or 10 in a graduate class, would many cancellations at the last minute really help university image and publicity? Prov. Lyman noted that the policy was very non-rigid. Assessments of how necessary the class is, how small the numbers are, and whether there are larger numbers in other courses to balance them have all factored in. Most have gone forward this summer.
Sen. Scurfield asked how many campuses studied related to health care had a dual-campus structure rather than branch campuses. None were a dual campus, noted the provost. Sen. Scurfield pointed out that access to health care and counseling on the coast were needed at the very least for the 30% still without health insurance, and recommended provision for access [see resolutions below]. Prov. Lyman noted the ideal would be to direct students to services available on the coast but he worries about the costs. An attempt to provide such a service could quickly run out of money. In a zero-sum game, something else would have to be cut. A nurse with referral service might be viable. Counseling services seemed more in demand than medical services by the student population.
Sen. Bristol asked about the provision of flood insurance for the coast campus. Dr. Lyman noted that we are still insured, and Pat Joachim, Assoc. Provost for the Gulf Coast, noted that the new policy of $2.5 million for the whole Gulf Coast will be much better for us, and we can be granted a waiver allowing FEMA to come in to help also. With premiums much higher on the coast now, we will have quite affordable coverage.
Sen. Beckett asked about phased retirement after being surprised by some who plan to retire. Is there a university policy on this? Dr. Lyman noted that the deans recommended against such a policy, as having someone teach part time for three years could tie up a position for three years, and some colleges or departments would not want to do that. Thus, phased retirements are planned on a case-by-case basis and there is room for negotiation. Dr. Beckett noted that the tenure and promotion situation deserves praise. The provost added that the University Advisory Council worked long hours and gave well-considered recommendations.
Sen. Brannock asked about the status of new hires post the hiring freeze of the spring. Prov. Lyman noted that we are going to fill essential positions. A total of 50 searches were suspended last year, but it would not be fair to re-start all since we may have more cuts next year. We must be cautious and evaluate each position, but we have been hiring for positions since the freeze. He believes it essential to work with deans and colleges on “some unfreezing.”
10.0 Officers' reports
10.1 President
President Evans asked to move Old Business for the resolutions to right after officer reports due to coast faculty needing to return. No objections. He expressed appreciation to departing senators and welcomed those newly seated, thanking all for their willingness to serve.
The issues he wants attention to in the upcoming year include:
1. How do we provide the best education for students in a time of low or retreating budgets?
2. How do we increase lines of communication within the university?
3. We have several relatively new Deans or Interim Deans (Nail in Business, Blackwell in Education and Psychology, Forster in Health, Whitehead in Science and Technology. We will need to help “break in the new deans”) and USM will be searching for a new Dean of the College of Science and Technology – that’s always a challenge.
4. How do we approach improvements in instruction? Assessment? Technology? Rewards? Workshops? Class size? Classroom itself?
5. Many faculty share in the personal challenges of too few years of raises and many years of salary compression.
These are just a few of the challenges, Pres. Evans noted, and he encouraged all to share challenges with the executive committee. We plan to have a Faculty Senate retreat in August at a time and place to be announced. We will be working then on committee assignments and look to what particular challenges to tackle this year.
Pres. Evans noted that he still has the notes from his first faculty meeting three decades and two years ago, and they refer to budget cuts, program elimination, and cuts in graduate assistantships. We have gone through these cycles before, and we will weather this one, too. We came through those times and we will come through this. It’s our challenge not just to survive but to make USM “The” place for an education and a place we all want to be.
10.2 President-Elect -- No report
10.3 Secretary
Sen. Meyer noted the importance of noting one’s attendance at meetings and making proxies held clear (no more than two may be held by one senator). Also, senators should consider what committees they would like to serve on or continue to serve on. Sign-up sheets will be available at the retreat in August.
10.4 Secretary-Elect – No report
12.0 Old Business
12.1 Two resolutions had been brought forward last month regarding provision of Health care on the Gulf Coast.
Sen. Scurfield spoke on behalf of the first resolution, “a more modest proposal.” He had been a counselor for the Gulf course for the cost of a course buyout. A health clinic presence could be had perhaps by exploring an arrangement with the School of Nursing. If 30% of the students do not have health insurance, there is clearly a need. A dual campus ought to have counseling and health care presence on both. Sen. Bristol added that the needs on the coast remain extraordinary. Students at times break down in tears, and there are mental health issues from living in difficult conditions for years, including substance abuse problems. “Our students have many challenges,” and Sen. Bristol suggested help to honor the commitment we make to students. Sen. Redalje noted that driving from another coast campus to Gulf Park, if needed for health care, would be much preferable than the drive to Hattiesburg.
Following discussion of which resolution to adopt, the following was adopted resoundingly:
Whereas geographically-accessible medical clinic and mental health counseling services should be available to all USM students, not just those in Hattiesburg, Faculty Senate resolves that the USM administration should undertake necessary steps to provide such medical clinic and mental health counseling services (whether part-time or full-time) at the Gulf Coast no later than January 2010 for students from the Gulf Coast campus and all teaching sites. Availability of such Gulf Coast based services to Gulf Coast faculty and staff also should be equivalent to those provided at the Hattiesburg campus.
The following resolution was defeated by a 3 to 7 vote (with many abstentions):
Whereas geographically-accessible medical services and mental health counseling services equivalent to those offered at the Hattiesburg campus should be available to all USM students whether matriculated as part-time or full time students and to faculty and staff, at all USM campuses or teaching sites;
The Faculty Senate therefore, resolves that the USM administration should provide medical and mental health services at all USM campuses and teaching sites no later than January 2010. Availability of such Gulf Coast based services to Gulf Coast faculty and staff should be equivalent to what is provided at the Hattiesburg campus.
Pres. Evans said the passed resolution will be presented to the Provost and the President to move forward on providing health access for Gulf Coast students, faculty and staff.
11.0 Committee Reports
11.1 Academic and Governance (Redalje)
Sen. Redalje reported that discussions had occurred about what is meant by “collegialty” especially in relation to tenure decisions. He suggested this committee work on that issue. Pres. Evans also noted planed for legal expert Mary Anne Connell to return and talk about that issue at a session early fall semester.
11.2 Administration and Faculty Evaluations (Oshrin) –No report.
11.3 Awards (Beckett)
Sen. Beckett reported the committee had worked to streamline the award this year. The awards are in better shape thanks in part to harmony between administrators and faculty. Upcoming tasks include designating selection committees and dates by which awards should be selected and made. Plans to honor long-term senator Bill Scarborough on the event of his retirement are in the works.
Sen. Goggin suggested more organization is needed for awards at the college level. Sen. Beckett agreed that college awards are “completely chaotic” and that some have not even given awards in recent years. Those are up to the college deans, and the faculty senate is really not involved. We have done away with the need to win at the college level to be considered for a university award. Colleges are encouraged to send everyone interested, including college winners, forward to the university committee. This has enhanced nominations and submissions for university awards, Sen. Beckett noted. He mentioned perhaps the committee could look at college awards next year and possibly make suggestions. Sen. Bristol wondered if recognizing faculty excellence was not “on the radar” of some of the current deans.
11.4 Constitution and Bylaws (chair vacant) – No report.
11.5 Elections (Goggin)
A test run in the fall will be conducted in preparation for electronic voting in the Spring. At the beginning of the Fall semester, ballots for one incomplete race on the coast will be sent.
11.6 Faculty Welfare (Davis)
Discussions will continue on issues of compensation, as Pres. Evans mentioned, as well as over how research support is handled. These were main concerns expressed by faculty on the spring’s online faculty welfare survey.
11.7 Government Relations (Beckett) – No report.
11.8 Research and Grants (McCormick)
Sen. Redalje reported that Vice President for Research and Economic Development seemed willing to explore ways to assist in bringing our library expenditures more in line with other research-intensive universities. The faculty senate should support increasing the journal holdings for the research capacity of the university. Electronic journals for research could be supported with a portion of grant funding. A senate resolution on this topic is likely for the fall.
11.9 Technology (Spencer) – No report.
11.10 Other committee and liaison reports
11.10.1 Master Campus Facility Planning Committee
Mary Beth Applin, Faculty Senate representative on the committee, reported that the committee has been meeting for over a year, and members were asked to stay on another year. Prof. Dick Conville chairs the committee, and Mary Beth Applin is secretary. All changes in construction plans for campus go through this committee. Information may be found on the web at
http://projects.sasaki.com/usm/.
The April and May meetings involved proposals only. If grants are accepted, the College of Science and Technology plans to build a Biomedical Research Center in the parking lot next to the Polymer Science Research Center. Also possible is a new Criminal Justice Building, possibly on newly bought property behind Raising Cane’s Chicken across from the new Tennis Courts.
An Environmental Education Center is being constructed on land donated by a faculty member along the Trace exercise route about 5 miles from the main campus. Sen. Beckett noted that land nearly became condominiums, as it was about to be sold by the USM Foundation, but the faculty member, Prof. Eubanks, wished it to remain parkland and the current plan will provide for that. There is administrative and departmental commitment to the spot and it should have a deck and boats on a small lake as well.
Applin reported that other changes will be happening soon, including the old J. B. George Commons building to be torn down this year. That space had been designated for an academic classroom building, but since no funds for construction would be forthcoming anytime soon Pres. Saunders asked that it be designated green space, as Centennial Park. Efforts will be made to designate another space for an academic building in the fall. Sen. Beckett pointed out that as a central spot on campus it made the most sense to place an academic building there. Green space already exists next to Walker Science Building. A large, multi-story classroom building is needed. An academic building out in the hinterlands misses the point, he said. “I’ll be in the old folks home and we still will not have a classroom building on campus.”
Applin noted that the old Textbook Center building will become the new Math Zone, and Assoc. Provost Bill Powell noted the old bookstore in the union building will become a new area for Student Activity Offices after remodeling this summer.
Applin said the new parking garage had become the new number one on the university building list, to go in next to Bond Hall near 4th St. A bond issue was thought to be needed, but a private company proposed to build it and recoup costs from university fees starting this fall. Questions were raised about who owns the parking garage, and Sen. Fletcher pointed out that it would be a leaseback agreement, where the university would own the property but the company would lease the facility to earn back expenses and income under a contract.
Money is awaited to finish the upper floors of the Trent Lott Center, Applin noted. Discussion followed about the uncertainty of who would move in there. “I’ll go over there,” Sen. Fisher noted. Powell suggested that in October or so the plan was for moving in to begin. The Foundation and Economic Development are units that already plan to be housed there.
The new business building is now number two on the building construction list, as private dollars are coming in. This is planned for the corner across from the Liberal Arts Building now housing temporary buildings. Space will have to be found for the people housed there.
11.10.2 Faculty Handbook Committee
Sen. Beckett reported that this committee had four changes approved by the committee, Faculty Senate, and the Council of Chairs, and await signature by the university president to become effective. The University Advisory Council was enlarged so that more than one person represents each college, the role of College Advisory Council members was clarified so that their vote may not be withheld at the department level to vote at the CAC level, eligibility for the department personnel committees was clarified, and sabbatical policy was clarified.
11.10.3 Gulf Coast Faculty Council
Heather Annulis is the new President, and Marlene Naquin was chosen the new Secretary for the upcoming year.
11.10.3 Academic/Graduate Council – No report.
11.10.4 AAUP
The local USM chapter met in April, to discuss upcoming activities. On Jun 6 members from around the state are meeting on the Delta State campus. In August a meeting is planned to reactivate AAUP meetings and activity on the USM campus.
12.0 Old Business – completed earlier.
13.0 New Business – None.
14.0 Adjournment
Moved and Seconded, Faculty Senate adjourned at 4:45 pm.
_____________________ ________________________
Respectfully Submitted, Approved by
John Meyer Jeff Evans