Thursday
February 23, 2012
MA 211K
2:00 p.m.

MINUTES

PRESENT
Julie Buck, Patti Cost, Shelly Costley, Colleen Garside, Ed Hahn, Stephen Hill, Colin Inglefield, Michelle Paustenbaugh, Brian Rague, Mike Vaughan, Kay Brown, Secretary

EXCUSED
Ann Millner

MINUTES
Shelly Costley: Moved to approve the minutes from the February 9, 2012 meeting.
Second: Ed Hahn
Outcome: The minutes were approved.

ADJUNCT PAY
Information - A faculty member came to the Salary, Benefits, Budget & Fiscal Planning Committee meeting and requested that the Salary, Benefits, Budget & Fiscal Planning Committee discuss restoring adjunct pay to its previous level of $973. Current pay is $900 a credit hour.

OMBUDSMAN
Executive Committee members reported their discussion with faculty in their college regarding the role of an ombudsman.

Discussion

• Concern - How do we relearn who to contact for information?

• Would the ombudsman deal with issues between faculty and staff, and staff and staff, and faculty and faculty?

• The ombudsman could clarify documents for tenure and promotion. Should this be the role of the chair of the department?

• The ombudsman would be an information source.

• How would this person differ from the Due Process Officer? The Due Process Officer deals with student issues. Barry Gomberg, Executive Director of Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action, deals with discrimination or hostile environment issues.

• Faculty would like someone that could help with promotion and tenure.

• Is there a need? Some said yes, and some said no.

• If this person is a faculty member, how impartial would they be?

• How do you insure confidentiality?

• This person would need to work with Barry Gomberg, and the University Counsel, Student Affairs, etc.

• How will this person be educated? There is an organization that provides training and mediation skills.

SABBATICAL LEAVE
Executive Committee members reported on their discussion with faculty in their college regarding sabbatical leave reports.

Discussion

• The Executive Committee previously discussed public reporting of what was done, were sabbatical reports should be kept, and who should oversee the report following the sabbatical.

• The Dean of Arts & Humanities requires a written report and the faculty member has to give some kind of a public presentation. It is up to the faculty member how they do that. It can be to a class, at a department meeting or a special program. The Dean has to be invited.

• College of Science - No public report required. Some do and some don’t.

• TLA could be charged to advertise to have sabbatical reports presented at a forum. Deans could be informed that this is available for sabbatical reports.

DEAN’S SURVEY
Brian Rague reporting on the Dean’s Survey Ad Hoc Committee

The Ad Hoc Committee is meeting next week to define the charge so that the committee is focused on the survey instrument. Committee members: Eric Amsel, Ken Johnson, Julie McCulley, Louise Moulding, Leah Murray, Cliff Nowell, Eric Stern, Jim Wilson, Dean Harold, with Brian Rague as Liaison. Leah Murray will serve as chair.

Charge: Determine what the instrument is suppose to measure, refine or revise the questions on the survey to address that metric. Brian Rague would like to have the committee include procedure and maybe evaluation of the survey. The committee hoped to have something by the end of spring term.

FACULTY GOVERNANCE AWARD
The call for nominations for the Faculty Governance Award was discussed and some changes to the flier were made. The flier will be mailed to all faculty tomorrow, February 24. Deadline for submissions is March 7, 2012.

TLA Greg Anderson has been selected to chair the Teaching, Learning & Assessment Committee beginning July 1, 2012. His term of office is for three years.

CATALOG
Kirk Hagen, Chair of the Engineering Department, is requesting that the University Catalog give the academic discipline for the degree that a faculty member holds in addition to the information currently provided.

Executive Committee members felt that departments could give the additional information on the department web page. Departments are aware of degree changes for their faculty and could easily update their department web page.

APAFT
Kirk Hagen would like the title of Professor of Engineering. PPM 8-6 prevents that as Engineering is not included in the list of departments and programs for the College of Applied Science & Technology.

Charge Appointment, Promotion, Academic Freedom & Tenure to review faculty titles and add Engineering to the departments and programs listed in the College of Applied Science & Technology (PPM 8-6 Faculty Appointments, III, V Affiliations).

CONSTITUTION CHANGE
The proposed change to the Faculty Senate Constitution, PPM 1-13 stated below was approved by faculty. 279 ballots were cast which equates to 59% of the faculty participating in the vote. 270 were in favor of the amendment, eight were against and there was one abstention.

ARTICLE C-III. AMENDMENTS
Amendments shall be proposed to the general faculty by a majority of the total voting membership of the Faculty Senate. The Senate shall not take its final action on an amendment during the first meeting at which it is introduced. This Constitution of the Weber State University Faculty Senate may be amended only by an affirmative vote of three-fifths of the general faculty as determined by mail ballot, conducted electronic ballot, overseen by the secretary of the Senate and by three tellers faculty members appointed by the chair of the Senate. A ballot shall be valid only if returned in two envelopes provided by the secretary, with the outer envelope signed, and if  received by the secretary of the Faculty Senate within 15(fifteen) days after the date on which ballots were provided to the general faculty. A faculty member who wishes to abstain from voting shall submit a blank ballot in envelopes sealed and signed in the prescribed manner be provided that opportunity on the ballot. At the end of ten (10) days, the secretary shall send a second ballot, plainly marked, reminder to all members of the faculty who have not yet submitted ballots. At the end of the  days after the date on which ballots were mailed to the general faculty. 15- (fifteen-) day period, the ballots shall be counted and results of the ballots will be announced to all faculty. (For amendments to the Bylaws see Article B-XIII Amendments.)