UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON FACULTY SENATE MINUTES – August 30, 2006   

President Craig called the August 30 Faculty Senate meeting to order in the East Media Room of Oberholtzer Hall at 12:20 p.m. 

MEMBERS PRESENT:  [38]                                                                                       
ARCH:        D. Kacmar
BUS:           W. Chin, R. DeFrank       
CLASS:      V. Brady, E. Brown-Guillory, B. Byrnes, S. Craig, W. Herendeen, G. Jowett, D. Mazella, J. Middents, D. Papell, F. Schiff, G. Trail
EDU:           M. Clarke, J. Freiberg, S. McNeil, A. Warner
ENGR:        J. Richardson, W. Rixey, J. Williams, R. Willson
HRM:          K. Titz
LAW:          S. Huber
LIB:             D. Camille, S. Ferimer, N. Linden
NSM:          D. Blecher, P. Copeland, J. Eichberg, G. Johnson, T.R. Lee, J. Subhlok, D. Wells
OPT:           R. Manny
PHA:           C. Pedemonte
TECH:         K. Greenwood
GCSW:       A. Achenbaum
                                                              
MEMBERS ABSENT:  [13]                                                                                                                      
BUS:           S. Kadipasaoglu, C. Pirrong
CLASS:      M. Haun, N. Houston (w/Notice), T. Karner, J. Kotarba (w/Notice),   
ENGR:        D. Zimmerman (w/Notice)
LAW:          M. Duncan (w/Notice), P. Linzer                                               
NSM:          T. Albright (w/Notice), D. Graur, A. Ignatiev
OPT:           S. Quintero

VACANT SEAT:  [1]
CLASS:                                                          

VISITORS:   
Jay Gogue (UHS Chancellor and UH President), Don Foss (UHS Senior Vice Chancellor and UH Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs/Provost), John Rudley (UHS Vice Chancellor and UH Vice President for Administration & Finance), Dona Hamilton (UHS Vice Chancellor and UH Vice President for Legal Affairs/General Counsel), Elwyn Lee (UHS Vice Chancellor and UH Vice President for Student Affairs), Elaine Charlson (UHS Executive Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and UH Executive Associate Vice President for Academic and Faculty Affairs), Marco Mariotto (Dean of Graduate & Professional Studies), Ed Hugetz (UHS Assistant Vice Chancellor and UH Assistant Vice President for Planning & University Outreach), Karl Sparks (UHS Assistant Vice Chancellor and UH Assistant Vice President for Human Relations), Agnes DeFranco (Interim Assistant Vice President for Undergraduate Education), Diane Murphy (UH Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Administration), David Small (UH Assistant Vice President for Student Services), Andy Blank (Executive Director, Residential Life & Housing), John Powell (Assistant to the Chancellor/President, Communications), William Kimble (Benefits Manager, Human Resources), Liz Frederick (Assistant Dean of Students), Michelangelo Sabatino (Assistant Professor, Architecture), Mike Emery (Writer/Editor2, Internal Communications)

            Elwyn Lee, UHS Vice Chancellor and UH Vice President for Student Affairs, welcomed the Senate to East Media Room.    Liz Frederick, Assistant Dean of Students, invited faculty and staff to become mentors to UH students by joining the Excel Program (information available on-line at: http://www.uh.edu/dos/new/excel.html).  William Kimble, UH Benefits Manager, gave a brief introduction to the new Employee Assistance Plan (available on-line at:  http://www.uthouston.edu/worklife/EAP/index.html) which provides a variety of counseling, including financial, legal, wellness and work-life issues like child or elder care.  Mr. Kimble thanked John Rudley and Administration & Finance for funding the program for UH employees.

MINUTES:  The minutes for the April 19, 2006 and May 10, 2006 Senate meetings were approved.

REPORT FROM AND DISCUSSION WITH THE FACULTY SENATE PRESIDENT:  Steven Craig
            Pres. Craig reported on issues that he and the Executive Committee had worked on since the May 10 Senate meeting, including:  (1) The proposed Branch Campus.  Pres. Craig expressed concern that there should be financial rewards for those departments at UH that will have the managerial burden for programs.  (2) The Texas Medical Center initiatives for which he has suggested that an administrator be hired to head these efforts.  (3) Textbook Orders need to be done in a timelier manner so that students can receive 30% more on selling textbooks back that will be reused in the next semester.  Sen. Warner suggested from the floor that Pres. Craig send a note to UH faculty about this at the appropriate time. (4) Climate Survey.  The Executive Committee is working with two UH consultants to prepare the next edition of the survey.  (5) The Scholarship Report data is being assembled.  (6) Expenditure Reports are being worked on to show how much money from all sources is being spent on various aspects of the University (what is spent university-wide on graduate students or tenure-track faculty).  (7) Developing communication between the regents and the faculty.  Pres. Craig and a faculty representative had lunch with two of the regents.  (8) Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is a part of the SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and School) accreditation review.  As this could tie into UH’s efforts to transform itself, the Senate will discuss possible QEPs at its September 22 Retreat.  (9) The Scholarship & Community Committee is working on revising UH’s Mission Statement.  (10) The Educational Policies & Student Affairs Committee is reviewing the latest draft of the Textbook and Educational Materials Policy.  (10) Teri Elkins, the new Ombudsperson will have an office in the Library.  (11) Pres. Craig has requested the Facilities Master Plan be put into a spreadsheet format.

            Sen. Huber said one way for UH to be excellent is to have multiple locations.  Distance Education can be used for live and interactive classes.

            Sen. Freiberg announced that Charles Miller, Chair of the U.S. Commission on the Future of Higher Education for the Secretary of Education, will be on campus Tuesday, October 31, from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. in the Farish Hall Kiva to discuss the “Spellings Report.”

REPORT FROM AND DISCUSSION WITH THE UH SYSTEM CHANCELLOR AND UH PRESIDENT: Jay Gogue           
            Dr. Gogue reported on (1) Having the UH Faculty Senate President give a regular report at each regular meeting of the Board of Regents.  (2) In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, UH had 1,800 faculty, staff and students on campus.  He noted that many faculty shared labs and offices.  (3) Dr. Gogue said Dr. Rudley and the Emergency Preparedness Committee worked hard and in the event of an emergency, faculty and staff can stay on campus.  In response to Sen. Copeland’s question, Dr. Gogue said only people who need access to different buildings will need badges.  (4) Barton Smith’s Economic Analysis of the University shows that UH provides an impact of $3.1 Billion with 26,000 directly related jobs attributable to UH.  Additionally, faculty, staff, and students volunteer over 1,100,000 hours each year to the community.  The President pointed out that 82% of UH students work 32 hours or more a week and they still volunteer their time.  (5) Donald Birx, the new UHS Vice Chancellor and UH Vice President for Research will start September 1, 2006.  (6) The President noted the passing of Ross Lence.  (7) The SACS review is really a reaffirmation of the University’s accreditation.  Dr. Gogue encouraged the Senate to discuss the QEP and contribute to the self-study.

REPORT FROM AND DISCUSSION WITH THE UH SYSTEM SENIOR VICE CHANCELLOR AND UH SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT:  Don Foss
            The Provost wished everyone a Happy New Year and said he looked forward to new beginnings.  Dr. Foss reported on:  (1) Teri Elkins Longacre is the new Ombudsperson.  (2) Stuart Long is the new Associate Dean of Undergraduate Research. Dr. Foss said he would ask Dr. Long to find out how many one-on-one learning opportunities there are at UH.  (3) Dr. Foss asked Dr. Rudley about the new Parking Garage; he replied that the 1,000 spaces reserved for students had been sold, but only 50 of the 500 spaces for faculty had been sold.  Sonic has taken space in the garage and the offices for Admissions and Scholarship & Financial Aid should open before the end of the semester.  (4) Dr. Foss urged faculty to think about and participate in emergency planning to provide for classes.  (5) The Provost called on Marco Mariotto, Dean of Graduate & Professional Studies who said that the National Research Council (NRC) was collecting data to assess programs.  Calling the NRC the “gold standard” of research, Dr. Mariotto said that UH was faced with tight deadlines for faculty and departments to provide the comprehensive information required.  He added that 27 doctoral programs were involved.  Dr. Foss emphasized the importance of this process, recommending UH count everything it can possibly can. (6) The Provost said is working on the Scholarship Report and Expenditure data.  (7) Dr. Foss said he would like to underscore the importance of cooperation on textbook orders.  (8) The idea for a Northwest Campus came from citizens of the area.  The Provost said the administration met with Drs. Craig and Kotarba, a number of the Deans and held town hall meetings with Associate Deans and Chairs.  The UHS Board of Regents has approved a plan for 40 upper level programs that would be done in two phases.  The Coordinating Board met on Monday, but as the meeting was not properly posted, no vote could be taken.  The Coordinating Board will meet again on September 28.  Pres. Craig requested the Provost make available to the Senate the financial plan information for the branch campus.

BUDGET AND FACILITIES COMMITTEE, CHAIR – Karl Titz
            Sen. Titz reported that Peter Copeland will chair a new subcommittee for the BFC to look at the processes for renovations, especially labs.

SCHOLARSHIP AND COMMUNITY COMMITTEE, CHAIR – Suzanne Ferimer
            Sen. Ferimer announced that Saturday, September 16, will be Athletics’ Faculty Recognition Day as UH plays Grambling at Robertson Stadium.  President and Mrs. Gogue will host a free tailgate party prior to the game.  [Note:  Faculty should RSVP to Special Events at 713-743-2255.  Tickets are half-price when purchased in advance through the Athletics Ticket Office at 713-462-6647.]
            Sen. Ferimer reported that the Faculty Appreciation Dinner will be held Tuesday, November 7, at 6:00 p.m. in the River Oaks Country Club.  Faculty celebrating 20, 25, 30 or 35+ years at UH will receive an invitation.  Emeriti and VMOE faculty will also be invited.

            Pres. Craig announced that the UCC, the University Coordinating Commission, was in business.

NEW BUSINESS:  None

 
The meeting adjourned at 1:50 p.m.