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Faculty Senate Minutes

University of North Carolina at Wilmington

President Richard Veit called the meeting to order at 2:30.

Roll Call

Absent were: Applefield (Curricular Studies), Appleton (Accounting & Business Law) Bartl (Biology), Combs (Univ. Curriculum Comm.), Earney (Accounting & Business Law), Evans (Sociology & Anthropology), Galbraith (Management & Marketing), Howell (Economics & Finance), Kasala (Mathematics), Macie (Library Comm.),  Moore (Public Service Comm.), Rockness (Dean, Business Admin.) Sayigh (Research Comm.), Seaton (Chemistry), Thomas (Bookstore Comm.), Walker (Admissions Comm.), Wray (Production & Design).

Approval of Minutes:  The April minutes were approved.

Special Order of the day

Bruce McKinney was reelected as Vice President.  Raymond Burt was reelected as Secretary.  Other members of the Steering Committee are Ann Crawford, Ken Gurganus, Steve McNamee, and John Williams.

Individual Reports:

1. Chancellor's Report
• Hurricane Bonnie caused $700,000 damage to the university, including roof damage and leaks in some buildings.  Forty trees were lost.  The university is covered by insurance and is also seeking repair monies from General Administration.   Provost Moss has issued a schedule to make up lost days, including small alterations to the exam schedule.  Exams will end at the same date.
• The Provost Search Committee will be headed by Jim McNab, Director of International Programs. This committee should meet as quickly as possible. The ad will include a statement about sensitivity to use of technology. This will be a national search and on-campus candidates are welcome as well.  We hope to bring candidates on campus by late January.  We expect 100-120 applicants.  If we do not find an acceptable candidate, the Chancellor will ask Provost Moss to continue until we do. Of the 14 members, approximately half will come from faculty ranks.  Others will include the student body president and representatives from the staff, alumni, Student Affairs, Business Affairs, Public Service, and Trustees.
• He called on Denis Carter, Associate Provost for Enrollment Affairs, who
  reported that a record number of new first-year students, 1,716, and 894 new transfer
  students enrolled this fall. The number of first-year students enrolling was higher
  than the trend analysis projected due to a higher than expected “show
  rate.” In spite of the increased enrollment the quality indicators
  continued to rise – average high school GPA and average SAT’s were higher
  by about .02 and 2 points, respectively. UNCW’s total enrollment is now
  about 9,600 students (headcount) or approximately 3% above budgeted FTE.
  While there were improvements in most areas, fewer African American
  first-year students enrolled this fall. Total African American enrollment declined
  from 559 a year ago to 521 this fall. At the same time, African American
  first-year student retention rose to an all-time high of about 86%. Chancellor Leutze
  mentioned that President Broad had shown concern for the impact that
  legislation and court action in California, Texas and Maryland may have on
  the enrollment of African Americans at UNC institutions.
• The report from the Chancellor's Steering Committee on Information Technology is almost complete.  They have seven major recommendations. It will call for some reorganization of  the way we handle technology and in the role of the Technology College.
• Currently there are 332 students in 70 Technology College Courses and distance courses on the Web.
• We have finalized our agreement with the Japanese and will be offering a course in Nursing.  We may also be offering courses in France, Germany, and Israel.
• Schwartz Hall has opened a 24-hour computer lab.
• Patton McDowell has been asked to serve as interim Vice Chancellor for Development. The Chancellor has appointed fund-raising officers for each college and school.  Please identify possible donors to your dean. We had a record year in our fund raising last year and closed out our $25 million campaign last year.  The sale of a water system owned by the Dobo brothers will include a significant trust-fund gift to the university.
• The legislature is still in session, and the salary increase is in limbo.   This may delay the starting date of the salary raises.  Both houses have agreed to help fund the new Education Building, although nothing is official yet.
• The 1898 Symposium hosted by UNCW will be held October 23-24.  The Website is drawing national attention:  http://www.uncwil.edu/dpsee/1898/
• A Board of Visitors has been appointed as a way of identifying prospective students and donors. Names of board members will soon be public.
• He seeks responses to a new five-year plan.  The web site is: http://www.uncwil.edu/oir/Planning_Folder/General_public_comments.html.
2. President of the Senate Richard Veit announced that motions approved by the Senate in April have been approved.  He also gave a brief orientation to Senate procedures.

Committee Reports: None

Old Business

1. The following motion by the ad hoc Committee on Evaluation of Faculty carried:

   That no change be made to Section IV.D.4. of Appendix A of the Faculty Handbook, which reads:

   When circumstances warrant, an evaluation may be initiated by the department chairperson, the appropriate dean, the provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs, or the chancellor.

   but that a separate appendix, entitled "Policy on Implementation of Appendix A, Section IV.D.4" be added to the Handbook (see Attachment A below).  (Motion 98-8-32, carried)

2. The following motion by Chris Halkides of the Chemistry Department was defeated:

           Whereas, the faculty and staff of UNCW have the right to a civil and professional working environment,
           Whereas, students who use the SPOT forum to engage in personal attacks or to indulge in boorish or otherwise unacceptable behavior, by violating the codes of civil behavior, have forfeited the privilege of taking part in the evaluation of the faculty and staff,
           Be it resolved by the Faculty Senate that SPOT forms be screened for their content prior to their use in numerical evaluation. Those that are judged vulgar, obscene, or which contain personal attacks as opposed to constructive criticism will not be used in evaluating instructors, nor will the instructors be given these forms, unless they so choose.  (Motion 98-8-34, defeated)

New Business

1. The following motion by Lindsay Aegerter and Barbara Waxman of the English Department carried as amended:

           Whereas, the UNCW faculty includes numerous highly productive scholars who are deserving of recognition, and
           Whereas, the forms of scholarship produced in different academic disciplines vary widely and cannot easily be compared, and
           Whereas, UNCW offers many awards to faculty to recognize teaching but only one award to recognize scholarship; therefore,
           The Faculty Senate proposes that at least three awards for faculty scholarship/artistic achievement be presented each academic year.  (Motion 99-1-1, carried)

Announcements

• Richard Veit and Melton Maclaurin will hold a presentation to the faculty on the Post Tenure Review policy on September 9th at 3:00 p.m.
• The Fall Faculty meeting will be in Cameron Hall on Thursday at 4:00 p.m.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:10 p.m.

Submitted by: Raymond L. Burt

Attachment A : "Policy on Implementation of Appendix A, Section IV.D.4"

(Amendments are shown as follows: additions, deletions)

An evaluation of a faculty member may be initiated by the department chairperson^*, the academic dean, the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, or the chancellor, when three conditions are met:

1. the administrator believes that compelling circumstances exist to justify the evaluation, and
2. neither the next scheduled annual evaluation nor the next scheduled post-tenure review is sufficiently timely or sufficiently comprehensive to address the circumstances, and no other provision exists to deal with the situation.

The procedures for conducting such an evaluation are as follows.

1. The administrator shall notify the faculty member to be evaluated, in writing, of the reasons for initiating the evaluation and of the scope of the intended evaluation.  Copies of this notification shall be sent to the provost, the dean, and the department chairperson.
2. The faculty member is guaranteed due process and the right of appeal as specified in the Code and the Faculty Handbook.
3. In all cases The provost shall appoint a committee of at least three tenured faculty members who are to conduct the evaluation.  If the provost initiates the review, the chancellor shall appoint the committee.
4. The administrator who initiated the evaluation shall assemble the appointed committee in person, charge the committee with its duties, and lay out a timetable for the completion of its task.  The written notification to the faculty member being evaluated shall be made available to the committee.
5. The committee members shall be explicitly authorized to have access to confidential records of the evaluated faculty member, access ordinarily confined to those directly involved in evaluation for the purpose of reappointment, promotion, tenure, or annual departmental review.  This shall include access to annual reviews and to student and peer evaluations of teaching.
6. The faculty member being evaluated shall have the right to review all evidence presented to the committee and to meet with meet with the evaluating committee for the purpose of presenting information relevant to the evaluation.
7. The evaluating committee shall report its recommendations in writing to the administrator who initiated it, with copies to the provost, the dean, the department chairperson, and to the faculty member being evaluated.
8. Within sixty (60) calendar days from the date of assembly of the committee, the faculty member being evaluated and the evaluating committee shall be notified in writing of the outcome of the evaluation, with copies to the provost, the dean, and the department chairperson.

*For the purposes of this policy, "chairperson" shall include the University Librarian.