Minutes from March 23, 2022

1. Welcome and announcements
2. Approval of minutes from 2/23/2022 – approved
3. Discussion
   1. Environmental factors affecting employees and students
      
      1. CHRO Jeanette Grey Gilbert spoke about the skyrocketing cost of living in Bozeman and the surrounding areas, including increasing rents and housing prices, the lack of childcare options, employee turnover and vacancy rates at MSU, small applicant pools, and the steps UHR is taking to address these challenges. MSU has invested in salary adjustments for most of our classified employees by multiple mechanisms, including multi-position and group strategic pay increases. The average pay increase for classified staff has also increased this current fiscal year. MUS contracted employee salary adjustment options are more limited (professional and faculty).
      2. Provost Bob Mokwa spoke about MUS contracted faculty salaries and the mechanisms by which MSU has control to adjust those salaries. The size of the pool for Market, Merit, and Equity adjustments has increased from $650,000 in FY14 to $1,652,000 for FY23. OCHE approved an increase in the adjustment rate for faculty promotions from 6.5% to 10% for promotion to Associate and from 10% to 20% for promotion to Professor. He spoke of other routes for increasing faculty pay, like summer session and the Incentive Program for Researchers.
   2. Retention, equity, high impact practices, financial aid and other student success topics
      
      1. Vice Provost Durward Sobek shared information gathered by the Retention Action Task Force to support strategic plan goal 1.1. They gathered information for five questions, and Council discussion included the following:
         1. Who gets to graduate? Non-academic factors play a larger role than academic preparation. Interventions aimed at mindsets.
         2. Are there differences in academic units? Yes, some units have lower retention rates than others, expected and unexpected. Units can work to build a sense of community, care, and develop academic skills as well as mental health.
         3. How is DFW related to Time to Degree (TTD)? Positive correlation (if a student gets a D,F, or Ws, they take half a term longer to graduate).
         4. What courses/subjects do non-persisting students struggle with? Large, 0- and 100-level courses have the most DFWs by non-retainers. Absenteeism is the biggest culprit for DFWs, proper placement is essential in writing and math. Students do not take advantage of available resources and there is a lack of a feedback loop to instructors. Efforts underway to increase pay for NTTs who teach first-year seminar courses.
         5. Who is stopping out? There is a bimodal distribution of who is stopping out by GPA, the first group having very low GPAs and the next group centering around GPAs from 3.00-3.49.
      2. Vice President Chris Kearns spoke about efforts underway in the Division of Student Success and across campus.
         1. The new NavMSU is a tool to help improve tailored communication and interventions.
         2. In a discussion regarding equity and identity of students, Kearns introduced a new scholarship for first generation Montana resident students, the Indian Country Relationship Task Force, and the Chosen Name project.
         3. Student Success and Academic Affairs are increasing High Impact Practices (goal 1.3.) like clear degree pathways, assessment, and e-portfolios.
   3. Priortization next steps
      1. Chris Fastnow gave homework to the Council: At the next meeting, we will work toward prioritizing three goals in the plan for emphasis in 2023-2024. Review minutes and your notes from the meetings, check our progress on the Plan’s metrics and actions, and gather input of your stakeholders.  What do your colleagues in the units you represent on Council want to prioritize as a University?  Where do we need to focus our attention, build programs and projects, and prioritize funding for a short time? 
      2. Once we gather and understand that information, we set aside departmental, college, or division distinctions and consider what is best for the University in its pursuit of the vision the plan promotes. The priorities do not mean we ignore the other seven goals, but they should weigh in the balance of those choices between two good things.
4. Other business - none 
5. Public comment - none

Next meeting:  April 27, 10:30 am -12 noon, MT Room

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