President Eichberg called the 2002 Spring Faculty Assembly and March 27 Faculty Senate Meeting to order in the Farish Hall Kiva at 12:00 Noon.

MEMBERS PRESENT:  [33]     
   BUS: W. Chin, S. Khumawala, D. Rude
   CLASS: B. Breitmeyer, B. Johnsen, D. Judkins, J. Kotarba, J. Middents, R. Murray, T. Tillery
   EDU: M. Connell, J. Freiberg, S. McNeil, A. Warner, C. White
   ENGR: O. Ghazzaly, S. Kleis, R. Metcalfe, G. Paskusz, D. Shattuck
   LAW: S. Huber
   LIB: M. Jones, J. Myers
   NSM: G. Auchmuty, P. Copeland, J. Eichberg, G. Etgen, E. Leiss, D. Wells
   OPT: R. Manny
   PHA: C. Pedemeonte
   TECH: K. Greenwood
   GSSW: H. Karger   

MEMBERS ABSENT:  [19]   
   ARCH:    B. Bollinger
   BUS:       M. Parks
   CLASS:  J. Antel, V. Brady, K. Brown, S. Craig, P. Gingiss, D. Jacobs,  A. Jacobson, G. Jowett, B. Lange, G. San Miguel
   ENGR:    T. Cleveland
   LAW:    P. Linzer
   NSM:    D. Blecher, A. Ignatiev, K. Kadish
   OPT:     S. Quintero
   TECH:  C. Goodson

MEMBERS AWAITING REPLACEMENT:  [1]   
  HRM: J. Abbott  [Note:  HRM was represented at this meeting by Karl Titz]

VISITORS:  Edward Sheridan (UHS Senior Vice Chancellor and UH Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs/Provost), Art Vailas (UHS Vice Chancellor and UH Vice President for Research and Intellectual Property Management); Wendy Adair (UH System Associate Vice Chancellor and UH Associate Vice President for University Relations), Marco Mariotto (Dean of Graduate & Professional Studies), Lawrence Curry (Grand Marshal, 2002 UH Commencement, and Professor of History Emeritus), Gayle Mongan (Director of Special Events), Ken Fountain (Reporter, Daily Cougar)

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES:  The February 20, 2002, minutes were approved.

KUDOS:
     The Faculty Senate offers kudos to Fazle Hussain, Cullen Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering, for receiving the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Fluid Dynamics Award for 2002 for his contributions to the understanding of turbulence.  This award establishes Dr. Hussain as the world's most highly decorated scholar within the field of fluid dynamics.
     Kudos go to Edward Hirsch, John and Rebecca Moores University Scholar and Professor of English, who is now writing a weekly column on poetry for the Washington Post.
     Finally kudos to Andrea Smesny, Clinical Assistant Professor in the College of Pharmacy, for receiving the Health Care Pathfinder Award from the Texas Pharmacy Foundation.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
     The next Faculty Senate meeting will be Wednesday, April 24, at 12:15 p.m. in the Kiva of Farish Hall.  Please note on Wednesday, May 8, at 12:15 p.m. the Faculty Senate meeting will be held in room 634 of Science & Research I building.  The new UH Athletic Director, Dave Maggard, will be present to meet with the Senate.
     April 5 is the annual UH Research and Scholarship Day with activities from 8:45 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.   There will be displays and demonstrations of current research and scholarly activity and an address by the 2001 Esther Farfel Award Recipient, Michael Olivas.  The William B. Bates Professor of Law and Director of the Institute for Higher Education Law and Governance will answer the question,  "Why Do Faculty Do the Things They Do?"   For more information, please visit the Research website at: http:// www.research.uh.edu

REPORT ON FACULTY SENATE ACTIVITIES:
     The Faculty Senate held four regular meetings since the Fall Faculty Assembly on October 17, 2001.  In addition, the Senate hosted its second welcome and orientation luncheon for new Senators and held its third retreat to identify and prioritize issues that it plans to address during this calendar year.
     In the past few months, there are several issues with which the Senate has been particularly concerned.  One of these is the status of PeopleSoft, the satisfactory implementation of which is an equal concern of administration, faculty and staff.  The Senate has persistently conveyed the difficulties and frustrations with the system experienced by faculty.   We have met several times with Chuck Shomper, UH System Vice Chancellor and UH Vice President for Information Technology, who also provided the Senate with an update.  It is gratifying that this matter is now receiving sustained and serious attention.
     A second issue is the evolution of a document intended to define the role of the department chair.  This document, which was crafted by Provost Sheridan, has gone through several iterations and input is continuing from Senators, particularly from the Faculty Affairs Committee.  It is hoped to bring this policy to the Faculty Senate for debate and discussion in the near future.
     The Senate is also completing a Climate Survey, which is intended to evaluate how faculty views the functions of the University, and the overall working environment experienced by faculty.  The Survey will be composed of several short sections, which will be distributed at intervals.  The initial survey will provide baseline data that can be compared to the outcome of future surveys, to be carried out every three years.
     At its retreat last month, the Senate decided that a high priority this year is to draft a statement outlining the principles of shared faculty governance, as they should be pursued on this campus.   Accordingly, I have appointed an ad hoc committee that is beginning this process.  In addition, the Executive Committee has recommended a half day symposium on shared governance be planned to take place next fall to provide a forum for faculty and administrators to discuss these concepts.
     The Senate is also represented by its president on the new Science, Engineering and Classroom Building Planning Committee.  The architects for the building have been chosen and it is anticipated that they will be working closely with potential faculty users and administrators over the next several months.
     Good communication exists between the Senate and the upper administration.  Efforts are continuing to expand communication with other campus constituencies.  The Senate President is continuing to meet with the Council of Deans on an occasional basis.  Also, the Senate has recently begun to disseminate a brief "one-screen" message that summarizes the activities at each Senate meeting to the faculty, via the University's Faculty List-serv.
     The Senate or its standing committees also heard and discussed reports from:

1) Marco Mariotto, Dean of Professional and Graduate Studies, on graduate student financial support and the impact of the legislatively mandated changes in the admissions process (HB 1641).

2) Barbara Kemp and Joanna Truitt, respectively, Faculty Representative to the Transportation and Parking Committee and Executive Director of Procurement and Auxiliary Services, on the status of parking and parking services;

3) Elwyn Lee, Vice-President UHS Vice Chancellor and UH Vice President for Student Affairs, on the activities of his areas, particularly on enrollment management.

4) Dana Rooks, Dean of Libraries, on progress on the library addition and on the University-wide fundraising effort, about which you will hear more shortly.

PRESENTATION OF GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE SLATE AND CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FROM THE FLOOR:
     Sen. Freiberg said the Faculty Senate Committee on Committees met on March 15 for its first round of deliberations to fill vacancies on the University's standing committees.  Currently, COC members are in the process of contacting faculty to serve.  To date the Committee has nominated 46 faculty to 42 positions on 12 of the 32 standing committees.
     The first committee discussed was the Grievance Committee.  As mandated by the Senate Constitution, colleges that currently lack representation on this committee were considered first.  The Grievance Committee is the only committee elected by the faculty on a university-wide basis.   Currently there are six positions open for election in 2002, five carry full three-year terms and one carries a term of one year.  Terms are decided by the final vote count.  The following are candidates for election to the University of Houston Faculty Grievance Committee.  The faculty are listed in alphabetical order:  Michael Benedik, Natural Science and Mathematics; Bruno Breitmeyer, Liberal Arts and Social Sciences; Gay Goodman, Education; Irma Guadarrama, Education; Howard Karger, Social Work; Robert Keller, Business; Ruth Manny, Optometry; and Bruce Webb, Architecture.
     Before he opened the floor for nominations, Sen. Freiberg reminded everyone that a nominee must be a full-time tenured faculty with the rank of associate professor or higher or senior associate librarians or higher.  Members of the administration, including deans or directors, assistant or associate deans or directors, and department chairs, are not eligible to be members of this committee.  Also, currently no more than two members shall be from the same college when said college has fewer than 200 full-time, tenured or tenure-track faculty and no more than three members from the same college when said college has 200 or more full-time, tenured or tenure-track faculty.  Also, nominees must also agree to stand for election.  Bearing all that in mind, Senator Freiberg asked for further nominations for the Grievance Committee.  No nominations were made from the floor.  The ballots will be mailed to eligible faculty on April 1 with a deadline of return to the Faculty Senate Office set for April 12.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS:  Arthur C. Vailas, UH System Vice Chancellor and UH Vice President for Research
     Dr. Vailas said the national research mission began in the 1800s growing out of the philosophy of the land grant  universities that took on priorities of agriculture, the state of the economy and the development of the economic base of the country.  Those priorities continue and are joined by other missions like space grant institutions and the urban mission.  This resonates a very strong signal and challenges all of us to advance scholarship in the rigor that is germane to our disciplines and at the same time provides the added value to enhance the urban mission.
     Dr. Vailas said he is proud of the way UH has evolved during the six and half years he has been here.  There is still a long way to go, but considerable improvement has taken place.  The urban mission context has in no way impeded UH from being nationally competitive in the normal arenas of research, from recruiting and retaining great scholars, from doing the outreach that is important in promoting the University and from becoming a global University.
     UH is a very young university, having granted its first Ph.D. in 1969.  Programs that compete in the federal arena for getting grants through the peer review process know it is a tough game.  One out of twelve grants is funded.  In research, an individual who doesn't get federal funding can be penalized in merit ratings.  There is a culture within the University that continues to reward and/or punish researchers.   There are two reasons to go after this money.  One is the University doesn't get enough assistance from the state.  The other reason is the peer review process which is key in recognizing aspects of the intellectual environment at arm’s length from the institution.
     Obviously not every academic program has the opportunity to apply for grants, but those that do are in a tough game.  Dr. Vailas said when he started UH had federal funding of about $8 million a year.  Today it is at about $17 million a year.
     In the early years agencies like the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) dominated research.  Today, the primary agency is the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with an increase of 222% in its funding.  It is a tough competitive peer review process for the NIH.  Dr. Vailas said he is very proud of the entire faculty who try to compete in the federal arena.  This argument helped UH with the Tier I Excellence Funding in the legislature.  It was an expectation.  And despite all of the challenges, storms, financial operations, etc., UH is climbing with an overall increase of 42% in total research funding during his tenure.
 Dr. Vailas said one of the things he has noticed over time is that departments are paying very close attention to the standards germane to their disciplines to always improve themselves.  He added that, when dealing with start-up packages for new faculty, he is impressed with the hires overall.  Faculty hires are outstanding.  It sends a message that UH is not afraid of change.  It is willing to bring in better people to improve the future.  That says a great thing about this University -- that it wants the future to be better.  There are tough decisions being made to bring in stellar individuals.  UH has also gravitated towards an interesting research model.  Instead of the individual scholar, the scholarship process has gravitated toward the sharing of scholars, i.e., multidisciplinary activity has increased tremendously in our university over this time period.  UH has more centers and more institutes.  It has found ways to share across colleges, whether it be a scientist or a Pulitzer prize winner.
     Dr. Vailas said a colleague of his who just became president at an institution similar to UH, told him that he would like to have a National Academy member or a Pulitzer prize winner on his faculty..  Looking at this University, young as it is, one might be happily shocked to hear that there are 13 or 14 faculty members, including alumni, who have that kind of recognition.  That is incredible.  That speaks well of the institution.  Other institutions may have better resources, but UH has promoted the intellectual capacity of this institution in many areas like bilingual education, the new Educational Context, the teaching of science, math, engineering and technological conferences and in medical research --  fundamental medical research, research that goes right to the individual patient, and behavioral research that goes on. Much of this is seen in the centers and institutes where people write major proposals or put in major ideas and are winning in a very competitive environment.  People are getting recognition.  It is that intellectual capability that is going to enhance many of the standards of UH's teaching, research and outreach missions.
     The way UH does business has changed over that time period.  Recognition has changed.  From a political standpoint the support for the University, especially from the state, has improved tremendously in the areas of scholarship, research, Excellence Funding.  Six years ago, these things were a real problem.  UH was dealing with hold-harmless and yet the institution survived.  Dr. Vailas said UH needs to continue on that path.  It needs to enhance the rigor.  It needs to be as objective as it can.  There are some initiatives from the Research Council in terms of benchmarks and scholarship.  As a community, faculty are making more and more efforts to try to understand and appreciate what the rigor model is that will hold up to any national standard.  Dr. Vailas said he is very hopeful the opportunity to continue recruiting and to retain the best people will be strong.  The trends that Dr. Vailas has seen over the past six years are very positive.  UH still needs to improve its facilities, operations and responsiveness, but it will meet those as well.
     Pres. Eichberg asked, what are some strategies that UH ought to be considering to improve funding and also what are some of the challenges UH will have to face as well?  Dr. Vailas said UH has been investing primarily in strengths in the last few years and it has paid off in certain areas, like the complete flip-flop in the NIH arena, which was pretty impressive.  Now why did that happen?  That is because medicine has changed.  It is the most funded area of the government.  One of the reasons why UH became attractive, in spite of not having a lot of clinical programs, is that it brought in a new culture to medical research.  UH in the past has been very strong.  The real basic sciences like physics, materials, mathematics, computational-computer science, etc., have all received support from defense, NASA and other agencies.  Now it is genomics and proteomics and the tools for behavioral research and diagnostic research, etc., that are going to take these disciplines, the physics, the chemistries, the mathematics, the computer sciences to work with the clinical programs and the medical objectives to brave the next breakthroughs of opportunities.  More than ever the medical center is trying to find ways to work with UH.  The sensitivity to education in all respects, whether it is to improve the scientific literacy of people, competencies of young people K through life, education is a high priority.  Not only the College of Education, but all elements that deal with educational opportunities are stepping up to the plate.  Colleges are working out proposals with other colleges and bringing the rigor of their disciplines, and bringing industry in with education, so they are all part of the education process.  UH has formed a very  sophisticated intellectual property program which gets numerous trademarks now.  Programs are  nationally ranked.  People from all over the world come here.  The Law Center attracts students from Japan, etc., in intellectual property.  UH has faculty who have become somewhat entrepreneurial and bring back resources into the University.  More funding is coming out of industry.  These are the kinds of things that will continue to grow.  Strategies that gravitate towards national investment and are not inconsistent with the needs of the urban mission will grow.  Environmental research has made huge steps, dealing with all kinds of elements from Law all the way to basic research in the laboratory.  UH has made some significant breakthroughs in education, environment and even in the area of energy.  And of course medical research is always in UH's backyard.  These are the things that will continue to grow.
     UH will continue to rank highly in arts and music.  Houston is always going to be a vibrant place for culture.  UH needs to continue to invest in these areas.
     The threats and challenges involve how intense UH System institutions are going to work together.  There are incentives, but there is always the struggle for resources.  Tier I Excellence Funding will be revisited in three years.  It is very important for everyone to continue to garner as much support as possible for Excellence Funding for the betterment of the state and the country.  More comprehensive research universities are needed and excellence in research means excellence in teaching.  The other challenge is the recruitment of high quality students who are prepared to do research.
     Sen. Tillery asked if UH had thought of joining with other urban universities to deal with the problem of how we are evaluated, in particular the problems with the US News and World Report rankings.  Sen. Tillery said looking at the criteria of publishing and scholars, UH compares favorably to any of the schools in the top rankings, but the other criteria push UH down.  Has anyone suggested US News and World Report set up a separate category to evaluate urban schools?  Dr. Vailas said the Great Cities Universities Coalition is trying to do that.  It is trying to say there are some dynamics that are very unique to urban research universities.  There are other universities, like in Florida, that are coming up with surveys that really reflect more of the scholarship productivity and the dynamics of urban schools.  They look at how many of your faculty receive awards.  Now that is not to say that everything in US News and World Report is bad.  UH has to look at how it deals with the number of students given the number of its faculty.  UH constantly struggles with trying to make the case that it has 850-plus  tenured or tenure-track faculty and that 34, 000 students really tax the system.  UH has to pay attention to that and to the requirements of its programs, etc.
     Sen. Copeland asked what are Stanford, UCLA, Kansas and Arizona doing well in terms of faculty recruiting and making it easy for the faculty to get research grants that UH is not?  Dr. Vailas said part of the problem is UH's infrastructure.  It has gone a long way without fixing a lot of things.  Faculty still struggle in their laboratories with ventilation that needs to be improved.  UH doesn't have core facilities like these other institutions, which can reduce the burden on faculty.  The University is trying to create more and more core resources in the new building.  Also UH doesn't get 100% of its indirect cost.  If it did, the University could take some of that indirect cost and invest it in people who could help UH specialize in the right programs and projects.
     Pres. Eichberg said in his 27 years on campus he thinks the change in the number of research activities and the research environment has been measurably improved.  There is a real buzz on campus collectively about the kinds of activity that go on..  When he first came on campus something as mundane as purchasing was a major obstacle.  For the most part these kinds of problems are now routinely handled.  Pres. Eichberg said he has also observed that UH’s diverse student body presents a tremendous opportunity. UH has many students who haven't been exposed at all to research and who don't know what research is all about, particularly undergraduates.  These students have a prime opportunity to attain educational goals in the finest sense.

REPORT ON UH'S 75TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION:  Wendy Adair, UH System Associate Vice Chancellor and UH Associate Vice President for University Relations
     Ms. Adair said Sen. Freiberg is the Senate representative on the 75th Anniversary Committee and has been working with faculty, staff, students and administrators to put together a full week of activities for April 7-13.  Ms. Adair said the biggest event will be April 10 from11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Cullen Family Plaza.  Everyone is asked to wear red and the new UH buttons to celebrate the UH  anniversary. There will be DJs, bands, the Jazz group and the UH Good News Gospel Choir.  There will be plenty of food and photo exhibits of the University through the decades.  Gayle Mongan, Director of Special Events, has arranged to have two photo booths so people can have their picture taken with the cougar.  It should be a great deal of fun.  The Provost has sent out a notice to the faculty, particularly those in the buildings surrounding the Cullen Family Plaza, that it is going to be loud that day during those three hours and it might not be the best day to schedule tests.
     Sen. Freiberg said the Executive Committee has met and talked about the 75th anniversary and about the staff/faculty fund raising campaign for the Library.  The plan is to come to the Senate with a proposal in terms of this activity.  When he first came to UH, Sen. Freiberg said the Library was ranked 50th in the nation; now it is 95th.  A lot has to be done with the development of the Library.  This campaign is a good opportunity for faculty to step forward, which could lead to the Library qualifying for matching funds from a large foundation.
     As 75th anniversary luggage tags were handed out to the audience, Ms. Adair said the President's Report to the Community will be on Wednesday, April 17, at the Hyatt Regency from 11:30 a.m. -1:30 p.m.  Individual tickets for the meal are $25, but some of the corporations buying tables are inviting a faculty member or student to sit at their table.  Faculty who would like to be a corporate guest should contact University Relations.

REPORT ON COMMENCEMENT:   Lawrence Curry, 2002 UH Commencement Grand Marshal and Professor of History Emeritus, and Gayle Mongan, Director of Special Events
     Dr. Curry thanked the Senate for allowing him to talk about this year's University Commencement exercise, which will take place at 9 o'clock on Saturday morning, May 11th, in Hofheinz Pavilion.  Dr. Curry appealed to the senators, as the elected leaders of the faculty, to participate in this important ceremony.  He also urged senators to use their influence with their faculty colleagues to persuade them to attend Commencement as well.  Dr. Curry pointed out that the general Commencement exercise is the only academic activity at the University of Houston to which all faculty members are invited to take part as active participants.
     Dr. Curry challenged the senators to help start a new tradition at UH that all faculty attend Commencement.  This year's exercise will honor students who earned their degrees last August, last December and the candidates for degrees this May.
     For those thousand or so graduates who choose to attend each year, Commencement is an extremely important event in their lives.  For most, receiving a college degree is a once-in-a-lifetime event, like birth and death.   For many, Commencement is a celebration of the first time any member of their family has ever received a college degree.  And because it's so important to so many of UH's students and their families and their friends, faculty ought to make it a very important event in their professional lives as well.  This year's Commencement exercise will focus entirely on the graduates and be over in less than two hours.
     The commencement speaker is one of the University's most distinguished and successful alumni,  Jack Valenti, President and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America and a 1946 graduate.  But if an outstanding speaker and a comparatively brief ceremony are not enough incentive for faculty to attend, there'll be free food.  Yes, free food.  Faculty who attend Commencement this year will get two free meals:  a sumptuous breakfast buffet (the most important meal of the day) before the ceremony and a box lunch immediately afterwards, so those who are going to their college convocations that afternoon will have something to eat and drink between the two ceremonies.
     Free food may be a good reason to attend, but, for most, free food is not a sufficient reason.  The sufficient reason for all of the faculty to be there is that the presence of the faculty demonstrates its support for and allows faculty to celebrate with the hundreds of students who have earned their academic credentials under its tutelage.  To support and celebrate.
 Faculty members say one of the main reasons to be here is to teach .. . and that's the truth.  By attending Commencement, faculty can show that they are also here to celebrate the academic achievements of those graduates whom they have taught.
      Make this 75th anniversary year Commencement a great, University-wide, faculty supported celebration of students' academic successes.  Be there for the graduates at a ceremony that is really important to them.
 Dr. Curry said he would be there as one of the commencement marshals.  So will Paul Raffoul, Ross Lence, and senators Jerry Freiberg, Anne Jacobson, and Joe Eichberg.  As president of the Faculty Senate, Prof. Eichberg is THE commencement marshal this year and, as such, even has a speaking part -- another incentive for faculty to attend.
     It's not at all unreasonable to expect at least one-third of the full time faculty (275) to attend.  Please work to make it happen.  If each of the 53 senators were to attend and recruit four others to come with him/her that would almost make the 275.  Bring five colleagues and exceed the goal.
     Please help.  Please don't let the students - UH's graduates - down.  Be there with them.  Be there for them.  Dr. Curry closed with a paraphrase of familiar words:

"I have a dream that one day inside the confines of Hofheinz Pavilion the faculty of this great university and the students whom they have taught will sit down together at a commencement exercise and celebrate all that they have accomplished together.  I have a dream."

REPORT FROM UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON SYSTEM SENIOR VICE CHANCELLOR & UH SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS/PROVOST:  Edward P. Sheridan
     Dr. Sheridan said Arthur Warga, Professor of Finance, has been named to be the Dean of the C. T. Bauer College of Business Administration. This has been met with very positive response in the college.
     Yesterday, Andy Achenbaum, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, indicated that he will be stepping down on June 30.  John Antel, the current chair of Department of Economics, will become the interim dean in CLASS.
     What is going to happen with faculty salaries this coming year?  The President has sent out a letter that goes to the President of the Faculty Senate, Deans, Vice Presidents and Chairs explaining the raises for next year.  A year ago the administration proposed that to give 5% raises for the first year of the biennium (this year) and 4% increases in the second year for faculty and staff.  Public education is not doing well in the state legislatures around the country.  Many colleagues at other universities are taking 8% or 10% cuts.  UH is doing better but it can't come up with the 4% raises this year.  A 3% pool will be made available for raises for the coming year.
     Dr. Sheridan said the tricky issue is with staff raises.  The legislature has said that staff raises will be across the board giving 3% or $65 a month, whichever is higher dependent upon whether the Comptroller would certify the availability of funds to support these raises.  When the legislature mandated such increases, they didn't actually give the universities 3%.  In fact, they gave about half, or 1.5%.  The University must generate the rest.  So if the Comptroller will certify the money, the plan is to give 3% raises to staff across the board.  If the Comptroller certifies before September 1 raises will go into effect on September 1.  If the Comptroller waits, and it has been known in election years for the Comptroller to issue this opportunity a week or two before election, and not certify before September 1,  then staff will initially get a 1.5%  raise.  When the Comptroller certifies, staff will get the rest of it.  Faculty raises are quite different.  For faculty raises, it is 100% merit and the legislature expects the University to generate 100% of that money.  The plan is to give the deans 2% of that 3% and the deans then allocate it out to the departments to work out how raises will occur.  The Provost will keep back 0.84%, which amounts to somewhat over $600,000, and deans can put forward candidates for equity increases.  Last year the rules were that an associate professor who got at least a 6% raise from their department and/or college, could then be recommended for up to a $3,000 additional raise from the Provost's equity fund.  Full professors had to get at least a 5% raise from their department and/or college to be recommended for up to a $5,000 additional salary increase.  Something similar will be done this year with lower percentages.  These raises have to be targeted.  In the past the primary targets were undercompensated women and members of minority groups, but also for people departments are in danger of losing, taking into consideration the individual’s performance, salary and the market.  UH is aggressively trying not to lose its very best people.  The remaining 0.16%.  is for people who are promoted to associate professor ($3,000 raise) or full professor ($6,000).  Promotion raises are in addition to any other raises for which the individual may be eligible, including merit and equity.   The Provost pointed out that UH does make counter offers to keep top faculty.  He added that other universities try to raid UH's faculty, recognizing the excellence here.  As Dr. Vailas said UH has a lot of stars.  Ron Douglas, Provost at Texas A&M, recently told Dr. Sheridan that he feels they have finally caught UH.  They had been working for years to try to get Texas A&M salaries up to where UH salaries are.  The only one in the state who does better than UH is UT-Austin.  UH is very competitive with most of the top places nationally.  The Provost re-emphasized that UH departments recruiting faculty should have a terrific year.  Many of the universities with which UH usually competes are not hiring people this year.   Graduates of some of the very best graduate programs in the country are   eager to interview here.
      Sen. Huber asked if the staff raises of 3%  are independent of, or dependent on, the Comptroller's agenda.  Dr. Sheridan said the legislature mandated 3% to be given across the board if the Comptroller certifies.  Dr. Sheridan said if the Comptroller doesn't certify, then there is no obligation to the University.  Sen. Huber said, so it is 1.5% or zero.  Dr. Sheridan said it's 1.5%, and if the Comptroller certifies the money, it's 3%.
     Sen. Huber asked if the Comptroller could certify  1% instead of 1.5%.  Dr. Sheridan said no.  The legislation is written as 3% certified.  If she can't certify the money for 3%, it's nothing.  Sen. Huber asked if the Comptroller doesn't certify the money is  the minimum raise still $65.  Dr. Sheridan said no; it will be $32.50.
     Mr. Fountain asked, if the Comptroller doesn't certify until after September 1, will UH give staff the 1.5% raise?  Dr. Sheridan said if she certifies after September 1 and comes up with the money, then he assumes UH will make the difference retroactive.  Departments will be given 2% for faculty.  Dr. Sheridan added that the administration has been aggressively saying the University has to keep increasing the pay for TAs/TFs.  The Provost said he will make it very clear to chairs that all TAs/TFs salaries must be increased by 2% for the coming year.  It may not seem like a lot but if UH doesn't give 2% or 3% or 4% raises, over a period of five years the TAs will fall way behind.
     Dr. Sheridan noted that he was talking about Ledger 1 funds.  For people paid from a different ledger, like research budgets, etc., the same rules should apply.
     Sen. Myers asked about budget projections for the next biennium.  Are national problems expected to hit Texas or will things start getting better?  Dr. Sheridan said that is a tough question.  Look around the country; it is frightening.  Dr. Sheridan said many states are having a terrible time meeting their budgets and they are cutting heavily in the public universities.  Texas is not yet having that experience. The Governor asked universities to look at their budgets to see how budgets could be spent more wisely but he didn't say it in a way that indicated he would take funds back.  Texas seems to have done a good job of being diversified so the State is not getting hit the way it did with the oil issue back in the 1980s.  Dr. Sheridan said there is some reason to be optimistic, but it is possible that the legislative session starting in January will be looking at a $4-$5 billion deficit.  Dr. Sheridan said on the other hand, if UH can hold its own while others have to take very unfortunate hits this University should continue to thrive.

BUDGET & FACILITIES COMMITTEE REPORT - John Antel, Chair
      February 2002 Budget and Facilities Committee meeting report to the Senate.  Subject:  Library expansion.  Guests:  Dean Dana Rooks and Judy Myers of the Library.
     Executive Summary:  Significant expansion and remodeling of the Anderson Library will be completed in three years.  Financing is nearly complete.  Architectural planning is in the final stages.  The project will include new space for collections, meeting and study areas, a 300 person meeting room, an electronic cafe, and office and classroom space for the Honors College.
     Architectural Details:  Four drawings are available in the Senate office.  The south side of the new space will extend nearly to the drive, which currently circles in front of Ezekiel Cullen Performance Hall.  Drawing 1 is an elevation of the new library facing Hoffman Hall.  Drawings 1 and 2 are draft plans for the fist floor.  Drawing 2 is a partial enlargement of Drawing 1 with a focus on the new entry hall and public areas.  Drawings 3 and 4 are similar, but refer to the second floor.  Note the second floor space for the Honors College in the southwest corner facing Ezekiel Cullen, and the large conference room spanning the front of the new building, also on the second floor.
     The new entry area and the large main hall with two areas (atriums) open to the second floor are notable architectural touches.  The electronic cafe will occupy the first floor in the very front of the building.  Eventually, special collections, now housed on the upper floors of the current library, will move to the new second floor.  Some space for TSS staff will also be included on the east side facing the bookstore. The floor plan also allows for separate access to the electronic cafe, the Honors College, and the large second floor conference room after usual library hours.  Acquisition of new collections and materials are not funded as part of this project.
     The total space will be expanded from 357,000 square feet to 526,532 square feet.  Book capacity will expand from 1.6 million volumes to 4.0 million volumes.  Student study spaces will increase from 800 to 2630.  Computer workstations will increase from 154 to 350.
     Construction and Finance:  Construction will begin in June 2002 and will be completed in roughly two years.  Every effort will be made to minimize disruption.  Noisy operations will be limited to certain hours.  The Honors College will move to temporary quarters at another as yet undetermined campus location.
     The sequence of construction will be in two phases.  First will be completion of the building shell, the main public use areas, and the Honors College.  Second, as fund raising continues, the other interior portions of the building will be finished and then furnished with shelving and other equipment.
     Most of the funding is in place.  A very rough budget summary is included below,

  Total Required                         $45,000,000
  Allocated by Administration     $25,000,000
  Committed by Donors             $16,500,000
  Remaining Required Funds       $ 3,500,000

 There are very good prospects for the remaining amounts, and thus, construction will move forward in June.

EDUCATIONAL POLICIES & STUDENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE REPORT:  Katy Greenwood, Chair
     The Educational Policy and Student Affairs Committee held its first meeting on March 11.    The Committee identified a theme for committee work this year focusing on policy implications of the drive toward Tier One Research status.  Members will consider drafting a white paper on alternative policy implications based on various research, teaching and service scenarios appropriate for the University of Houston.
     Members identified other interests for focus this year, including:  House Bill 1641 -- Graduate Factors Bill; Current initiatives in Higher Education, (i.e. Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board emphasis "Closing the Gaps"); Coordination with Student Organizations and Student Senate; Review of current policies on Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions; and traditional concerns of the committee (i.e. quality of core curriculum, shared decision-making, stated policies of the University or the need for such).
     The next planned meetings of the Committee are April 8 and April 29 at 12:15 in the Senate Conference Room, Cullen Performance Hall.

FACULTY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE REPORT - Giles Auchmuty, Chair
     The Faculty Affairs Committee met on February 27, 2002.  The main item of discussion was the Climate Survey of UH faculty.  This is a survey of faculty perception of the UH senior administration and is intended to provide a benchmark for future reference and surveys.
     An initial draft was made by senators Chin and Rude last semester and was reviewed by a number of Faculty Senate groups.  The meeting concentrated on the format and questions to be included and a consensus was reached on what further changes were needed.  These have since been implemented and it is hoped that the Senate will be able to conduct the survey early next month.
     There was some discussion of the way department chairs are selected and reviewed.  At present this differs considerably from college to college and is governed by college bylaws.  At the next meeting of the committee on April 9, at 4:00 p.m. in room 220 of Ezekiel Cullen, Dr. Sheridan will attend and the agenda will focus on his revised guidelines for departmental chairs at UH.

LEGISLATIVE & COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE REPORT:  Tyrone Tillery
     Pres. Eichberg said he was happy to announce that Sen. Tillery has agreed to be chair of the Legislative and Community Relations Committee.  Sen. Tillery said there would be an organizational meeting to discuss the committee's mission and plan its agenda for the rest of the year on April 2 at 11:00 a.m.

NEW BUSINESS:  None
 
The meeting adjourned at 2:00 p.m.