President Wells called the October 2, 2009 Fall Faculty Assembly and Faculty Senate meeting to order in the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Pavilion of the M. D. Anderson Library at 12:05 p.m.

MEMBERS PRESENT:  [26]

MEMBERS ABSENT:  [27]

BUS:      W. Chin (w/notice), R. Keller, K. Newberry, C. Pirrong    
CLASS:  M. Haun (w/notice), M. Hernandez, J. Hutchison, A. Kugler, D. Montoya, J. Sposato, S. Wallace
EDU:      C. Craig, A. Warner
ENGR:    S. Chellam, A. Kamrani, Y.L. Mo
GCSW:   A. Achenbaum
LAW:     M. Duncan
LIB:       S. Ferimer (w/notice)
NSM:     E. Carrasquillo-Molina, A. Ignatiev, G. Johnson, K. Kadish, M. Rea, M. Ru, J. Subhlok
PHA:      T. Hussain

SPECIAL GUESTS:

Bill White (Mayor, City of Houston) and William P. Hobby, Jr. (Former Lt. Governor of Texas and former UH System Regent and Chancellor)

 VISITORS: 

Welcome W. Wilson (University of Houston System Board of Regents Chair), Renu Khator (UHS Chancellor and UH President), Carl Carlucci (UHS Executive Vice Chancellor and UH Executive Vice President for Administration and Finance), Elaine Charlson (UHS Executive Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and UH Executive Associate Vice President for Academic and Faculty Affairs), Barbara Stanley (Assistant Vice Chancellor for Local Governmental Relations), Marco Mariotto (Dean, Graduate & Professional Studies), Oscar Gutierrez (Assistant to the Chancellor/President, Communications), Lawrence R. Williams  (Instructional Associate Professor of Biology-Biochemistry and Chair of the Undergraduate Council ), Ann McFarland (Director, Office of Community Projects and President, Staff Council), Joe Papick (Director of the Child Welfare Education Project), Kenneth Fomunung (President, Student Government Association), Prince Wilson (Vice President, Student Government Association), Mariam Zakaria (Director of External Affairs, Student Government Association), Stuart Long (Professor, Engineering), Lynn Maher (Professor, Communication), Steven Pei (Professor, Engineering), Yali Zou (Professor, Psychology), Farouk Attia (Associate Professor, TECH), Peter Bishop (Associate Professor, Human Development & Consumer Science), Margaret Blake (Associate Professor, Communications), Evelyn Brass (Associate Librarian, University Libraries), Maria C. Gonzalez (Associate Professor, English), Julie Grob (Associate Librarian, University Libraries), Richard Guajardo (Associate Librarian, University Libraries), Donna Stokes (Associate Professor, Physics), Linda Thompson (Associate Librarian, University Libraries),Rosalind Alexander (Assistant Librarian, University Libraries), Mingyu Chen  (Assistant Librarian, University Libraries), Kerry Creelman (Assistant Librarian, University Libraries), Nora Dethloff  (Assistant Librarian, University Libraries), Kelli Getz  (Assistant Librarian, University Libraries), Lan Ni (Assistant Professor, Communications), Paul Sharpe (Assistant Librarian, University Libraries), J. Michael Thompson (Assistant Librarian, University Libraries), Shawn Vaillancourt (Assistant Librarian, University Libraries), Loretta Wallace  (Assistant Librarian, University Libraries), Annie Wu (Assistant Librarian, University Libraries), Kamel Salama (Research Professor, Mechanical Engineering), Tejendra Gill (Instructional Associate Professor, Biology-Biochemistry), Martha Dunkelberger (Clinical Assistant Professor, Communications),  Aymara Boggiano (Instructional Assistant Professor, Hispanic Studies), Rebecca Forrest (Instructional Assistant Professor, Physics), Maya Panchang (Instructional Assistant Professor, Modern & Classical Languages), Abate T. Wolde-Kirkos  (Lecturer)

REPORT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON SYSTEM BOARD OF REGENTS CHAIR:  Welcome Wilson

Noting that he was in his third term as Chairman of the UH System Board of Regents, Welcome Wilson said that his three top priorities were the same as when he first addressed the Faculty Senate during his first term:  (1)  Tier 1 Status for UH; (2) Tier 1 Status for UH; and (3) Tier 1 Status for UH.  He added that since then a great deal of progress has been made toward this goal.  This year marked the single best legislative session for the University.  The Texas Legislators and especially, the Gulf Coast Delegation, came together to support more Tier 1 universities for Texas.  The result is a proposed Constitutional Amendment that will be voted on during the November 3 elections.

Chair Wilson stated that UH also has a Tier 1 Football Team.  The Cougars win over Texas Tech and their subsequent ranking as twelfth in the nation has proven beneficial for the University.  Friends of UH are making donations to the school and not just to Athletics. 

Chair Wilson pointed out that he and UH are both eighty-two this year.  He added that he might be slowing down a bit, but UH has more energy than ever.  He mentioned that in 1953 he was the Assistant to the Mayor of Houston.  Since that time he has been a close observer of mayors.  He introduced the keynote speaker, Bill White, as the most intelligent mayor and most effective leader in getting people to work together and an unrelenting supporter of UH.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS:  Bill White, Mayor of the City of Houston

Mayor White thanked Chair Wilson for his introduction.  He then joked that it was a mistake for him to be at this meeting;  the original invitation asked him if he wanted to go to the Senate. 

Mayor White praised the outstanding leadership that the UH System has had over the years, including his friend, William P. Hobby, Jr.   He added that Chairman Wilson and Chancellor Khator may seem like an odd couple, but the combination packs a punch.  The Mayor noted that he has been a frequent guest at UH, speaking at the Chancellor's Investiture and the Honors College Convocation, and he didn't want to repeat himself, but one of  the most indispensable elements to the continued growth of the City of Houston is the strength and growth of its most important institution of higher education.  Yesterday, at a leadership meeting in Bellaire with members of Vietnamese American community, the discussion centered on the future of the City.  It was agreed that the key to the City would be in enhancing the progress of public higher education in Houston and the University of Houston in particular.

Mayor White said the University of Houston is in a great position.  It is in the fastest growing City in the United States.  The United States plays a very special role in the world, especially in higher education.  By many measures, Houston is the leading city of opportunity:  it is an international city with a diverse population;  it has a lot of great jobs; and it has the second largest number of Fortune 500 companies.    Within fifteen years, Houston will overtake Chicago to become the third largest city in the country.  Mayor White stated that if all the metropolitan cities in America were ranked by per capita income of citizens and standard cost of living, Houston would rank number one.  Houston has careers with a future, lots of low wage jobs and lots of high wage jobs.  The City has the largest number of small businesses and a low cost of living.

Mayor White said as a young man he attended a college with great undergraduate education and he would have liked to spend another year just sampling the menu of diverse offerings. He stated that he would like to spend a little time on a topic intended to provoke thought.  He asked who would have suspected at the turn of the century, that this nation would be the unparalleled leader in higher education.  It would have been even more surprising in the years before the Civil War and immediately thereafter.  At that time the ideas of culture and education were not applied to America.  People came to America looking for opportunities.  The history of the U.S. is that of tough people, who came from all over the world, to build a new life. They created this nation out of a wilderness.  There were some intellectual lights, but intellectuals were viewed as an anomaly.  At that time, mayors were concerned about how to attract more females to their communities. 

Certain circumstances contributed to the rise of education in America.  The horror of World War that decimated Europe, took its toll on faculty and students, and ruined the economies of so many countries.  Education in America has a history of struggle.  At one Texas Constitutional Convention there was a big debate over whether it was practical to provide universal public education.  Today there are school districts still fighting for financial equality.  Fortunately, Texas has had leaders, like Lt. Gov. Hobby and his father, who understood the importance of education in a competitive world.   Today, students come from all over the world to attend American institutions of higher education.

There are challenges for higher education.  There is a tendency in democracies to try to balance short run and long run investments.  Higher education is a long run investment.  Its yields last a lifetime.  Mayor White said he supports the case for higher education, but very little is free.  There have to be concrete plans and there has to be accountability with some performance measures. 

REPORT ON PROPOSITION FOUR, CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO ASSIST EMERGING RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES:  William P. Hobby, Jr.

The former Lt. Governor of Texas and a former Regent and Chancellor of the UH System, Mr. Hobby noted how important higher education is to the future of the State and the City of Houston.  He stated how can the largest city in Texas and the fourth largest city in the United States be without a Tier 1 University?

The Legislature in its recent session passed a joint resolution to create a National Research University Fund (NRUF).  The bill, which requires a Constitutional Amendment, is on the ballot for the November 3, 2009 election as Proposition Four.  The NRUF will provide funding for emerging research universities based on an individual university meeting five of the seven criteria for each fiscal year of the biennium preceding allocation, including (1) expending $45 million in restricted research funds; (2) maintaining a value of $400 million or more in its endowment; and (3) awarding at least 200 doctorates.  Other criteria that is to be defined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board concerns (1) high academic achievement by the Entering Freshman Class; (2) achievement of research capabilities and scholarly attainment such as being a member of the Association of Research Libraries or having a Phi Beta Kappa chapter; (3) high quality faculty based on professional achievement and faculty recognition such as number of members in national academies, and (4) a commitment to high quality graduate education.

The seven universities competing for NRUF money are UH, Texas Tech, UT-Arlington, UT-Dallas , UT-San Antonio, UT-El Paso and the University of North Texas.  The earliest the NRUF would payout is 2013.

REPORT FROM AND DISCUSSION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON SYSTEM CHANCELLOR AND UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON PRESIDENT:  Renu Khator

Dr. Khator thanked Mr. Hobby for Chairing the Committee to Adopt Proposition Four.  She expressed the University’s appreciation for his continuing support of higher education and UH.

Dr. Khator reported that UH’s enrollment for the Fall semester was 36,999.  The UH System has a total of 61,063 students.

Dr. Khator congratulated the Cougar football team for being 12^th  in the national rankings.  She also congratulated the student athletes on the team as their six-year graduate rate is higher than the average UH student percentage.  Several U.S. Congressmen and State legislators were the Chancellor’s guests at the game. 

Barbara Stanley, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Local Governmental Relations, pointed out that there is a broad based effort by faculty, staff, students and alumni to encourage voting in the upcoming State Elections.  There is a voter registration drive that ends on October 5.  Dr. Stanley noted that Karen Clarke, Associate Vice Chancellor and Associate Vice President for University Relations, and Simon Bott, Instructional Professor and Undergraduate Chair for Chemistry, were leading social networking efforts to encourage people to vote.   Dr. Stanley stated that state employees can not advocate for a particular position, but they can educate and inform the public and encourage participation in the election process.  Early voting begins on October 19.  

MINUTES:  The minutes for the August 26, 2009 Senate meeting were approved.

REPORT FROM AND DISCUSSION WITH THE FACULTY SENATE PRESIDENT:  Dan Wells

Pres. Wells announced:  (1) the annual Walk in the Dark would take place Wednesday, October 14, at 9 p.m.  He stated that the group would meet in front of the University Center (UC).  The walk is open to faculty, staff and students who walk across campus with members of the UHPD and Physical Plant to identify areas that need safety improvements. (2) The Election is Tuesday, November 3.  Voter registration ends Monday, October 5.  (3)  Dr. Khator will deliver the State of the University on Wednesday, November 4, at 10:00 a.m. in the Moores Opera House.  (4) At the October 21 Faculty Senate meeting there should be reports from the Child Care Task Force and the Safety Task Force.  Sam Dike will report on UC renovations.

Pres. Wells stated that two Faculty Senate Committees have reviewed the Report from the Joint Task Force on Graduate Faculty.  The recommendations in the report seek to establish a mechanism to include non-tenure track faculty in graduate education.  The report recommends the creation of a Senior Affiliate Faculty , who would be able to:  

 The second designation is as an Affiliate Faculty, who would be able to:

• Serve on graduate admissions committees, graduate curriculum committees and graduate advisory committees
• Teach graduate courses
• Serve on thesis and dissertation committees
• Chair master’s thesis committees
• Contribute to the professional development of the department’s graduate students

Sen. Freiberg, Chair of the Faculty Affairs Committee, said the proposal was reviewed independently by two committees.  The Faculty Affairs Committee voted 1 in Favor of and 6 Opposed to the recommendations.  Reasons for the vote included:

• the proposal would dilute doctoral education,
• the document didn’t  differentiate between graduate education and professional education,
• it would go against the rules of some departments,
• it was felt that non-tenure track faculty don’t stay as long as tenure track faculty, and
• more data was needed to support the proposals.

Sen. Freiberg made the motion that “the Faculty Senate moves to reject the proposal (the Joint Task Force on Graduate Faculty Report) in its present form.”

Sen. Lee, Vice Chair of the Faculty Governance Committee, stated that the FGC also discussed the report and arrived at similar conclusions.  FGC members felt there are very talented non-tenure track faculty and while they should be rewarded, research faculty don’t through the rigorous review that tenure track faculty do.  The FGC voted 5 Opposed with 1 Abstention.

The Faculty Senate voted unanimously to adopt the resolution.

NEW BUSINESS:  None.

The meeting adjourned at 1:35 p.m.