MSU-BOZEMAN FACULTY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
March 22, 2000
PRESENT: Hatfield, Sherwood, McDermott, Burgess, Kommers, Neff,
Leech, Benham, Howard, Larsen, Harkin, Nehrir, Mooney,
Weaver, Amend, Locke, Lansverk, Levy, Bogar, Bond, Jelinski,
McKinsey, Lynch, Butterfield, Scott, Griffith.
ABSENT: Ag Econ, O'Neill, Anderson, Peed, Duncan, Jost, Francis,
Fisher, Prawdzienski, Carlstrom.
The meeting was called to order by Chair John Amend at 4:10 PM. A
quorum was present. The minutes of the March 1, 2000, Faculty Council
were approved with the following correction: Add the word "million" to
the first sentence of Report from SPBC and budget issues so it reads,
"It is anticipated there will be an increase in funding of about $1.8
million next year (FY 01) ..."
Chair's report - John Amend.
- John and Chair Elect Ron Larsen met with President Roark
Wednesday during spring break. The President is thinking in the
same terms as Faculty Council, in regard to first preparing some
general guidelines for making budget decisions.
Faculty Affairs Committee report - Jack Jelinski.
- The addition to the Conflict of Interest Policy (Faculty
Handbook Section 441.01 B) which limits faculty profiting as a
result of making recommendations of specific vendors for the
purchase of texts or course materials by students (on-line or
from other sources) was approved by the administration.
- Changes to the Compensation in Excess of Contracted Salary
Policy (Faculty Handbook Section 1100) are still under advisement
from the University Legal Counsel.
- A post-tenure review policy and recommendations for a
conciliation process will be brought to the next Faculty Council
meeting for discussion.
- Each faculty member who applied for a sabbatical will receive a
letter from the Provost's Office as notification of whether the
sabbatical request was funded. Pat Chansley, Provost's Office,
is responding to questions about sabbaticals. The $200,000 + set
aside for sabbaticals suggests eight or nine of them will be
funded.
University budget discussion.
- Faculty workload came up during last Wednesday's discussion
with President Roark. It appears he will constitute a task force
to discuss the issue, because workload does affect the university
budget.
- Today Council members will discuss general guidelines for
making budget decisions (draft attached for members absent) and
vote next week to endorse them. There will then be opportunity to
make more specific recommendations. A memo from Dean Jerry
Bancroft to President Roark regarding budget guidelines; a
November 30, 1999, memo regarding the charge to the workload task
force (to President Malone from Faculty Council Chair John
Amend); and comments from the UGC budget discussion (March 8,
2000) were distributed and are attached for members absent.
- Members present formed three discussion groups: Faculty
Workload; Program Enhancement; and Salary, Professional
Development, Tenure-Track Positions.
- Comments from the three work groups follow.
Faculty Workload:
- Laying off adjuncts to save money is self-defeating,
because it is a very-short term solution. Tenure-track
faculty have to teach more so have less time for research
and service.
- Replacing tenure-track faculty with adjuncts is also
self-defeating and a short-term solution. Tenure-track
faculty do most of the research, and IDC's help support the
university.
- There needs to be balance and flexibility in teaching
loads. All tenure-track faculty should have some teaching
responsibility and some research responsibility, although
the proportion will vary from faculty member to faculty
member and from unit to unit.
- If faculty choose to do so and it contributes to the
overall mission of the university, "professional practice"
designation may be used for some faculty's responsibilities.
There would be less scholarship expected in these positions,
but the faculty are still to be recognized for their
contribution to the university's mission.
Program Enhancement:
- It was recommended the Tenure-track Position Guideline be
rewritten, "Faculty Council acknowledges that tenure-track
positions are the currency of state funding to academic
departments. Recognizing that enrollment patterns change
over time and that these changes may require the
reallocation of tenure-track positions, Faculty Council
recommends that, all reallocation of faculty tenure-track
positions be done according to clearly stated criteria and
with open visibility to the campus community. Council
further recommends that academic departments where vacancies
occur have the first priority in maintaining vacant
positions and that the Provost's office base reallocation
decisions upon programmatic review of the departments
involved. Finally, Council recommends that the Provost
include the Deans' Council in all reallocation decisions."
Salary, Professional Development, Tenure-track Positions:
- Salary increases are merited.
- The legislature funded them.
- Delaying salaries hasn't changed behavior in managing the
university budget.
- The work group wants Faculty Council to consider a motion
next week to endorse the memo from Dean Jerry Bancroft to
President Roark. During brief discussion, the point was
made that attention should not be diverted from the
recommendations Faculty Council will forward. There will be
more discussion of an endorsement next week.
- After the guidelines have been rewritten to include comments
from today's discussion, they will be e-mailed to Faculty Council
members to share with their departments. Final comment will be
taken at next week's Faculty Council meeting before calling for
endorsement of the guidelines.
As there was no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:05
PM.
Joann Amend, Secretary