MSU-BOZEMAN FACULTY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES September 24, 2003 Members Present: Weaver, McDermott, Kommers, Schlotzhauer, Monaco, Leech, Taylor, Christopher, Yoo, Becker, Conant, Ashley, Lansverk, Levy, Cherry, Kevane, Idzerda, Pratt, Neeley, Lynes-Hayes, Coon. Members Absent: Ag Econ, Gipp, Giroux, Schmidt, Jackson, Howard, Seymour, Jones, Cell Biol, Chem, Taper, Bond, Lynch, Prawdzienski, Knight, Hoffman. Others Present: Bandyopadhyay. The meeting was called to order by Chair Elect Shannon Taylor. A quorum was present. The minutes of the September 17, 2003, meeting were approved as distributed. Chair's report - Shannon Taylor. - Items discussed by University Governance Council Steering Committee so far this fall include changes to the sabbatical application, brought up by Faculty Council last semester, and additional compensation for teaching overloads. - President Gamble has formed a small committee to consider the latter. Faculty Council Chair Jones is a member. One of the first tasks of the group is to define teaching loads. Please contact Chair Jones or Chair Elect Taylor with input. - The University Planning, Budget and Analysis Committee (UPBAC) met September 22 to discuss their vision of MSU five years in the future. There was considerable consensus among faculty and administrators that desired outcomes include a student body of 12-13,000, a reputation as a premier institution, higher college exam scores for entering students, increased endowments, increased funding for endowed chairs, and adequate compensation for employees. UPBAC will meet again October 14. - Discussion by Faculty Council followed regarding some of the issues important to Faculty Council members - addressing salary inequities across campus or at least acknowledging the reasons they exist, developing and sticking to a sustainable pay plan for employees, and the issue of whether MSU can be all things to all people. - The Board of Regents is meeting in Billings this week. Topics on the agenda include discussion of tiered tuition and an economic road map. University Governance Council Nominating Committee report. - Nominees for the Chair of the Committee on Grievance Hearings are Greg Keeler, Department of English, and Bill Brown, College of Business. - As there were no further nominations, discussion of the responsibilities of the Chair and of the two nominees followed, and written ballots were cast. - Greg Keeler was elected chair of the committee. Faculty Affairs Committee report - Marvin Lansverk. - The sabbatical application currently requires three letters of recommendation, only one of which may come from a MSU colleague, attesting to the significance of the project. - The Faculty Affairs Committee recommends the phrase, "only one of which may come from a MSU colleague" be removed from the requirement. It is also recommended that a note be added that in previous years, only one letter from a MSU colleague was permitted; this restriction has been removed; and, the applicant may solicit external letters but it is not required. - Marvin Lansverk moved the change be approved. The motion was seconded and carried. - Discussion for and against the motion offered several viewpoints: - The motion appears to make a change in the philosophy of a sabbatical. - Are sabbaticals a type of grant proposal or a time for renewal and study? - Because the number of sabbaticals is limited , what makes the best sense in helping the review committee in the selection process? - One of the Faculty Handbook criteria for sabbaticals is length of service at MSU. Length of service should be more of a consideration during the review of the applications. - Sabbaticals must demonstrate some relevance to the university and to the people of Montana. - Do external letters help? It's difficult to determine if external letters are true indicators of the merit of an individual or proposal. - MSU-Bozeman not only ranks very low in the ratio of sabbaticals given to faculty when peer institutions are considered, but MSU-Bozeman is the Montana University System school with the lowest ratio of sabbaticals to faculty. - Other opportunities, such as BEST, are not true sabbaticals. - As there was no further discussion, a voice vote was taken. The motion carried, but not unanimously. As there was no further business, the meeting adjourned at 5:00 PM. Joann Amend, Secretary Shannon Taylor, Chair Elect