UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON FACULTY SENATE MINUTES – September 20, 2006

President Craig called the September 20 Fall Faculty Assembly and Faculty Senate meeting to order in the Rockwell Pavilion of the M. D. Anderson Library at 12:15 p.m. 

MEMBERS PRESENT:  [31]                                       
ARCH:     D. Kacmar                                                                                                              
BUS:        R. DeFrank, S. Kadipasaoglu                                                                                
CLASS:   V. Brady, E. Brown-Guillory, S. Craig, M. Haun,  W. Herendeen, N. Houston, J. Kotarba, D. Mazella, J. Middents, D. Papell, F. Schiff, G. Trail                           
EDU:        J. Freiberg, S. McNeil, A. Warner
ENGR:      J. T.  Richardson, J. Williams, R. Willson
HRM:        K. Titz
LAW:       M. Duncan
LIB:          D. Camille, N. Linden
NSM:        P. Copeland, J. Eichberg, G. Johnson, D. Wells
OPT:        R. Manny
TECH:      K. Greenwood

MEMBERS ABSENT:  [19]
BUS:        W. Chin (Note: M. Parks attended in Sen. Chin's place), C. Pirrong                              
CLASS:   B. Byrnes, G. Jowett, T. Karner (w/ notice)          
EDU:        M. Clarke                                                                
ENGR:      W. Rixey (w/ notice), D. Zimmerman                                     
LAW:      S. Huber, P. Linzer                              
LIB:          S. Ferimer (w/ notice)                                            
OPT:        S. Quintero                                                             
PHA:        C. Pedemonte
NSM:        T. Albright, D. Blecher,  A. Ignatiev, T. R. Lee, J. Subhlok     
GCSW:    A. Achenbaum (w/ notice)

VACANT SEAT:  [2]
CLASS:   R. Lence                     
NSM:        D. Graur                 

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), Grover Campbell (UHS Vice Chancellor and UH Vice President for Governmental Relations), Michael Rierson (UHS Vice Chancellor and UH Vice President for University Advancement), James Anderson (Executive Associate to the UHS Chancellor/UH President), Elaine Charlson (UHS Executive Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and UH Executive Associate Vice President for Academic and Faculty Affairs), Wendy Adair (UHS Associate Vice Chancellor and UH Associate Vice President for Public Affairs), Ed Hugetz (UHS Associate Vice Chancellor and UH Associate 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), Stuart Long (Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and the Honors College), Oscar Gutierrez (Assistant to the UHS Vice Chancellor/UH Vice President for University Advancement), Joan Sigler (Executive Director, Human Resources), Elizabeth Brock (Director, State and Federal Relations), Lisa Holdeman (Director, Corporate Relations), Rhonda Thompson (Director, Foundation Relations), Judy Myers (Librarian and Professor), Pat Bozeman (Librarian), Evelyn Brass (Associate Librarian), Maria C. González (Associate Professor, ENGL), Derral Parkin (Associate Librarian), Michael Parks (Associate Professor, DISC), Ellen Stevens-Roseman (Associate Professor, GCSW), Linda Thompson (Associate Librarian), Miranda Bennett (Assistant Librarian), Sara Ranger (Assistant Librarian), Mike Emery (Writer/Editor2, Internal Communications)

MINUTES:  The minutes for the August 30, 2006 Senate meeting were approved.

            Dr. Craig introduced Amy Tucker as the Faculty Senate’s new Office Coordinator.  

REPORT FROM AND DISCUSSION WITH THE FACULTY SENATE PRESIDENT:  Steven Craig
      Pres. Craig praised the Provost’s rebuttal to a Daily Cougar article about UH being a Tier 4 institution due to its students.  He reported that the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) and the SACS review would be discussed at the Sept. 22 Retreat.  He encouraged senators to bring forth their ideas for a QEP.  Dr. Craig gave an example of a QEP; a 5 year program in which a student can receive a bachelor’s and master’s degree.  He would like the QEP to be in effect by the end of the spring semester. 

REPORT FROM AND DISCUSSION WITH THE UH SYSTEM CHANCELLOR AND UH PRESIDENT: Jay Gogue 
            Dr. Gogue reported:  (1) one year ago UH helped administrators, faculty and students who came to UH due to Hurricane Katrina.  Around $4.5 million was spent in this effort.  UH has received about half of cost back to date.  (2) UH Admissions has received about 16,000 applications for incoming freshmen this year.  This is by far the largest number UH has ever seen and the highest SAT scores.  (3) Graduation rates are expected to improve with the Student Incentive Plan.  If a student completes 30 hours in the first year then, he/she would receive $500 off of their next year’s tuition.  At the end of their second year, they would receive $1,000 toward the following year’s tuition and at the end of their third year, they would receive $1,500 toward the next year.  (4) The Regents approved the Provost’s request for 30 new faculty.  (5) Michael Rierson, the VP for University Advancement is making a tremendous effort to reach all UH alumni.  (6) The President has high expectations for the new VP for Research, Donald Birx.  (7) The legislature has approved $60 million in Tuition Revenue Bonds so work on three science buildings can progress.  (8) Federal funding is up.  For 10 year prior to 2003, UH received around $2 million per year, but that amount has been increasing each year:  This year, UH will receive $7-8 million.  (9) In the new Parking Garage, the student spaces are sold out, visitors are pleased and there have been compliments on the new Sonic.  (10) Campus security has been improved with 250 cameras covering 80% of the campus.  (11) The Physical Plant has helped UH save on its $6 million utilities bill. (11) The Campus Master Plan will go to the Board of Regents for approval at its November meeting.  Comments on the plan should be sent to John Rudley, the VP for Administration & Finance.  (12)  Barton Smith’s Economic Analysis of the University shows that UH provides an impact of $3.1 Billion with 26,000 directly related job and faculty, staff, and students who volunteer over 1,100,000 hours each year.
      The President praised a number of different programs including the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture’s extension service to create mid- and low-income housing, the College of Education having the Best Student Teacher in the U.S. and its new Obesity Center, the College of Optometry’s new Mobile Eye Clinic and permanent Eye Clinic in North Houston, the College of Technology’s new Abramson Family Center for the Future of Health, the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management’s 300% increase in First Time in College Freshmen, and the C.T. Bauer College of Business and the Cullen College of Engineering working with the Greater Houston Partnership have come up an Executive Master’s of Business Engineering.  Dr. Gogue also noted the appointment of Martin Golubitsky, Professor of Mathematics, to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the induction of Roland Glowinski, Professor of Mathematics, into the French National Academy.
      Dr. Gogue also stated that there were areas on which UH needed to improve.  He said that hiring 30 new faculty this year was the first step in a multi-year plan to recruit more faculty.  He added that everyone needs to work on recruiting and retaining high quality students.  Annual giving needs to improve to $50 million annually.  Efficiencies need to improve.  He said he hoped that progress is made every year in shared governance.
      Dr. González asked about enrollment and faculty:student ratio.  Dr. Foss said enrollment was 34,329.  He noted that it was important to retain UH’s current students as it saves the cost of recruiting new ones.  He added that as the economy improves it is hard to keep students in school even though a degree will earn them more money during their lifetime.
      In response to a question from Pres. Craig, Dr. Gogue said the Plan is a framework for planning, not an exact formula.  Dr. Gogue said the plan is to increase residential housing, which should bring about a fundamental change in students.  It also calls for a mix of residential, teaching and commercial buildings.  The plan is based on preserving green space, increasing parking garages and increasing student enrollment to 41,000.

REPORT FROM AND DISCUSSION WITH THE UH SYSTEM SENIOR VICE CHANCELLOR AND UH SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT:  Don Foss
      Dr. Foss said the university is making progress.  Recruiters have exceeded the targets for First Time in College students and have met the targets for Transfer students.  UH needs to continue to enhance the quality of students.  The keys to do this are retention and getting the right mix of students, especially given the formula funding.  The Provost said that students are not moving quickly enough through the system.  Everyone needs to help students keep on track to graduation.  Faculty should be thinking about how UH can do a better job with the Undergraduate Experience, such as mentoring and articulation from Undergraduate Research to Graduate Research.  The Provost added that he has asked Stuart Long, the new Associate Dean for Undergraduate Research, to do a survey of undergraduate research opportunities on campus.  Dr. Foss stated that as a young professor, he would write to the top three students in his class, praising them for their good work and offering them additional credit if they would work in his lab.  He said faculty at UH should consider doing such a letter for their top students or to other student who merit notice.  He added that UH needs to do 100 such things and he asked the faculty to help create these ideas.
      Dr. Foss pointed out that students have complained about Textbook Orders not being made in a timely manner.  This costs students 30% on selling books back.  It only takes about ten minutes, so he urged faculty return their textbook orders for next semester now. 
      Dr. González asked about how UH could grow to 42,000 students, especially with 900 tenured or tenure-track faculty.  Dr. Foss replied that UH cannot grow students without growing the faculty.  He added that the right mix of faculty, like the right mix of students, was important, too.  UH should consider a five year BA/BS to MA/MS program. 
      Dr. González asked who would be in charge of increasing MA numbers.  She added that the Dean of Graduate and Professional Studies doesn’t have a lot of staff.  The Provost responded that graduate degrees and programs are de-centralized.  He added that UH’s fate is tied to its creativity.
      Dr. Foss said that the Coordinating Board would vote on the Northwest Campus on September 28.  He said that Ed Hugetz had met with community and state leaders about the plan.

BUDGET & FACILITIES COMMITTEE, Chair:  Karl Titz
      Dr. Titz said the Committee would met on September 27 with Libby Barlow, Executive Director for Institutional Research, about salary data; and with David Irvin, UH Associate Vice President for Plant Operations, about classroom and facility utilization.  Dr. Copeland said he is chairing a BFC subcommittee on Renovation, particularly labs.  He added that Dr. Rudley has created a Lab Renovation Advisory Committee, which had a good meeting to discuss procedures.

EDUCATIONAL POLICIES & STUDENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, Chair:  Dan Wells
      The Committee will meet on September 21 to  discuss issues about the bookstore, legislation to watch and what to address this semester.

FACULTY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, Chair:  David Papell
      The Committee will meet with Paul Janicke, a member of the Intellectual Property Committee, to discuss the proposed Copyrights in Works of Authorship Policy.

NEW BUSINESS:  None

The meeting adjourned at 1:35 p.m.