Faculty Assembly
University of North Carolina
Minutes of the Ninety-second Meeting
February 3, 1995
The ninety-second meeting of the Faculty Assembly of the University of North Carolina was held in the Board Room of the General Administration Building in Chapel Hill on February 3, 1995. The meeting was called to order by the Chair, William Kane at 1:08 PM with 46 delegates in attendance.
Kane introduced the faculty senate chairs from the various campuses. He then introduced President Spangler.
President Spangler's Report.
Mr. Spangler began by welcoming the visiting faculty senate chairs. In the light of the "bottom line" vocabulary of the current General Assembly, he pointed out the fact that the University and its Faculty represent enormous state assets, and expressed the hope that the University will share in the benefits of these good economic times just as it sacrificed during the recent troubled periods. He announced that Bill McCoy has been appointed Interim Vice President for Finance and that Earl Danieley will be working with the General Assembly as Assistant to the President. Donna Benson is Interim Chancellor at FSU, Patricia Sullivan has been appointed Chancellor at UNCG, and Patsy Reed has been named Chancellor at UNCA. Chancellor searches are underway at WCU, UNCCH, and WSSU. Procedures for the Board of Governors Teaching Awards are under development. Awards will be made at the April 21 BOG meeting.
Mr. Spangler introduced Vice President William Little, who reported on the Legislative Study Commission. Dr. Little pointed out that the Commission was late in beginning its work due to other pressures in the Legislature. The Commission has begun discussion on the following issues, and is scheduled to meet again on February 13.
1. Should the Commission continue? It was originally intended to be finished by February 15, 1995;
2. Quality assessment of undergraduate education;
3. Budget practices;
4. Implementing change; and
5. Teaching and learning.
Vice President Roy Carroll also reported on the work of the Planning Committee of the BOG. As a result of the Performance Audit, the BOG has been asked to review programs for redundancy by December, 1995. The Committee discussed criteria for identifying programs for review. Core undergraduate programs in Arts and Sciences, Business, and Education will be exempt from review. Other programs will be studied if they have had less than ten graduates per year for the past two years. Dr. Carroll emphasized the fact that no one has suggested eliminating any programs at this time.
Questions and Answers.
Q. D. Olson (UNCG). What are the origins of these studies?
A. Little. There are many origins, including the Legislature and questions raised in the Press.
Carroll. The Performance Audit suggested a review of programs.
Spangler. The University also has a responsibility to examine its practices.
Q. G. Wilson (NCCU). Will smaller campuses be at a disadvantage when compared with large campuses in the review process?
A. Carroll. Criteria will be applied uniformly.
Q. E. Galligan (UNCCH). Does the composition of the Legislative Study Commission reflect the current nature of the General Assembly?
A. Little. No.
Q. D. Caton (ASU). Will quality be taken into consideration in the program reviews?
A. Carroll. Yes.
Chair's Report.
Kane announced that faculty senate and council chairs will be invited to the BOG teaching awards luncheon. He pointed out that universities are under continuing pressure to provide realistic curricula and to justify their use of resources, and that the faculty must act responsibly and take a leadership role.
The session was adjourned to committees at 2:30 PM.
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After the usual meeting of the standing committees, the Assembly was served a box supper at 5:00 PM, followed by a special presentation by Mr. Travis Porter, Chair of the Board of Governors. Mr. Porter presided over a lively discussion of grievance procedures and other University issues.
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EVENING PLENARY SESSION
The second session was called to order at 7:20 PM by Chairman Kane with 43 delegates in attendance. Pamela Hunter (NCA&T), Chair of the Assembly's Nominating Committee, presented its slate of nominees for the 1994-95 year. There were no additional nominees from the floor, and one candidate for secretary (Samuel Garren (NCA&T)) withdrew his name. With that one change, the slate was accepted by the Assembly. Nominees are:
Officers
Chair:
Vice-Chair:
Secretary:
Committee Chairs
Academic Freedom and Tenure:
Budget:
Faculty Governance:
Faculty Welfare:
Planning and Programs:
Professional Development:
Elections will be held at the April 28, 1995 meeting.
STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS
Faculty Welfare (Larry Hough - ECU)
Ms. Kitty McCollum, the University Benefits Officer, presented information on health care benefits in regards to coverage in case of:
1. Transfer of an employ from one state entity to another;
2. Transfer of an employ from one university campus to another;
3. Change from one carrier to another, State plan to HMO, change of HMO;
4. Employees moving in and out of the system; and
5. Various options in regard to lapses in coverage.
She has agreed to provide information on the common problems faced by University faculty and staff for the Committee to present to the Assembly.
Ms. McCullom further discussed the disability plans available to employees.
The discussion devolved to state contributions toward employee and dependent health care. The Committee presented a resolution (94-3) on State Contributions to Health Care Costs. The resolution was approved by the Assembly.
Faculty morale surveys will be discussed at the April meeting.
Planning and Programs (Peter Petschauer - ASU)
The Committee presented its annual survey of schedule data for the various campuses. The data indicates that the number of meeting days is increasing.
The Committee presented a resolution (94-4) on Appropriate Land Use. After some discussion the resolution passed.
The Committee also presented a resolution regarding emphasis on lower division students. After much discussion regarding the wording of the resolution, it was sent back to the Committee for rewriting.
Professional Development (Harmon Watson - FSU)
The Committee discussed the status of the teaching evaluation and enhancement procedures on campuses, formulating questions for the faculty senate chairs, and discussed the many variables affecting student evaluations.
The Committee also met with the senate chairs and the Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee to assess the campuses' progress toward the evaluation and enhancement of teaching and faculty involvement in the process. The results were encouraging.
Budget (William Keech - UNCCH)
The Committee is
1. Preparing a document regarding the general budget procedures of the University.
2. Preparing a resolution asking for President Spangler's assistance in obtaining budget information concerning the various campuses.
3. Preparing a draft of a letter to the chairs of the faculty senates requesting information concerning faculty participation in the budget process on the various campuses.
4. Preparing a resolution endorsing the University's budget request for the 1995-97 biennium.
Academic Freedom and Tenure (Thad Dankel - UNCW)
The Committee discussed grievance issues and plans to follow up on some of the topics discussed by Mr. Porter. It also discussed academic freedom issues related to computer use, and plan to continue that discussion.
The Committee also met with the Professional Development Committee and the faculty senate chairs.
Faculty Governance (George Bailey - ECU)
The Committee met with the faculty senate chairs and proposed questions for Mr. Porter. During supper, Mr. Porter addressed the body and questions were raised as to how to improve University grievance procedures. Mr. Porter noted that the BOG is willing to consider binding mediation, the possibility of having legal professionals chair hearings, and other reasonable suggestions from the Assembly. The Governance Committee will contact Mr. Porter to establish liaison with relevant Board members, with the intention of forwarding the Assembly's recommendations to the Board.
There was no further business, and the meeting was adjourned at 8:50 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Paul Duvall, Secretary