UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON FACULTY SENATE MINUTES – November 15, 2006

President Craig called the November 15, 2006 Faculty Senate meeting to order in the Rockwell Pavilion of the MD Anderson Library at 12:15 p.m.  

MEMBERS PRESENT:  [36]
ARCH:    D. Kacmar            
BUS:       W. Chin, R. DeFrank, C. Pirrong      
CLASS:  V. Brady, E. Brown-Guillory, S. Craig, W. Herendeen, T. Karner, J. Kotarba, 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, D. Zimmerman                
HRM:      K. Titz
LAW:       S. Huber
LIB:         D. Camille, N. Linden, S. Ferimer
NSM:      P. Copeland, J. Eichberg, G. Johnson, J. Subhlok, D. Wells
OPT:       R. Manny
PHA:       C. Pedemonte
TECH:    K. Greenwood

MEMBERS ABSENT:  [14]
BUS:       S. Kadipasaoglu                
CLASS:  B. Byrnes (w/ notice), M. Haun (w/ notice), N. Houston (w/ notice), G. Jowett                    
ENGR:   R. Willson (w/ notice)
GCSW:   A. Achenbaum (w/ notice)
LAW:       M. Duncan, (w/ notice) P. Linzer
NSM:      T. Albright, D. Blecher (w/ notice), A. Ignatiev, T. R. Lee (w/ notice)  
OPT:       S. Quintero

VACANT SEAT:  [2]
CLASS:                                                                                 
NSM:         

 VISITORS:   
Jay Gogue (UHS Chancellor and UH President), Don Foss (UHS Senior Vice Chancellor and UH Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs/Provost), Elwyn Lee (UHS Vice Chancellor and UH Vice President for Student Affairs), Teri Longacre (UH Ombudsperson and Associate Professor, Management), Ed Hugetz (UHS Assistant Vice Chancellor and UH Assistant Vice President for Planning & University Outreach), Oscar Gutierrez (Assistant to the Vice Chancellor/Vice President for University Advancement), Miranda Bennett (Assistant Librarian, University Libraries), Diane Bruxvoort (Associate Librarian, University Libraries), Xin Chen (Research Assistant Professor, Center for Advanced Materials and Physics), Christopher Chung (Associate Professor, Industrial Engineering), Charles Donaghey (Professor Emeritus, Industrial Engineering), Laura Koltutsky (Assistant Librarian, University Libraries), Y.L. Mo (Civil & Environmental Engineering) , Blanca Snyder (Teaching Assistant, Educational Leadership & Cultural Studies), Mike Emery (Writer/Editor2, Internal Communications), Stephanie Harman (Daily Cougar)

MINUTES:  The minutes for the October 18, 2006 Senate meeting were approved.

REPORT FROM UH OMBUDSPERSON:  Teri Longacre
        Dr. Longacre discussed her background and gave an overview of the new Ombuds Office.  The main objective of her work is to provide an informal mechanism for faculty and staff to resolve workplace conflicts and address employment related questions and concerns.  There have been about a dozen cases since September 1, 2006 when the office opened.

REPORT FROM AND DISCUSSION WITH THE FACULTY SENATE PRESIDENT:  Steven Craig
        Pres. Craig reported that (1) he is a member of the Farfel Award committee.  He encouraged faculty to nominate their colleagues.  (2) The November 7 Faculty Recognition Dinner was a success.  This year faculty on Voluntary Modification of Employment (VMOEs) and Emeriti were also invited.  (3) The Scholarship Report was released as part of President Gogue’s address at Homecoming.  (4) He plans to give a response to Charles Miller’s Oct. 31 presentation on the Spellings’ Report at the next meeting of the Board of Regents.  (5) A committee is still meeting on Quality Enhancement Plans (QEPs).  Suggestions for QEPs can still be sent to the committee.  Elaine Charlson, the Chair of the QEP Committee, said the final QEP would be turned in early in 2008, just prior to the campus visit.  (6) Nominations for External Faculty Members for Deans Review Committees have been sent to the Provost.  (7) There have been two lunches with Board of Regents Chair, Leroy Hermes, and Vice Chair, Michael Cemo.  Pres. Craig attended both, bringing Monte Pettitt from Chemistry to the first and Elizabeth Brown-Guillory from English to the second.  (8) Pres. Craig is urging Elwyn Lee, Vice President for Student Affairs, to set up a faculty advisory committee to provide academic input into the Graduate and Professional Housing that is being planned.  The building will have over 900 beds and be 10 stories.  This is the opportunity to incorporate one of the QEPs suggested at the Fall Senate Retreat.  The idea involves themed housing.  (9) The 2006 Faculty Climate Survey is close to being release.  The Executive Committee has been working with Patrick Leung from Social Work and Jon Lorence from Sociology to design the instrument.  An external platform, Survey Monkey, will be used to ensure anonymity for participants.

REPORT FROM AND DISCUSSION WITH THE UH SYSTEM CHANCELLOR AND UH PRESIDENT: Jay Gogue 
        Dr. Gogue reported that Homecoming week was a great success, involving a lot of alumni and encouraging students to become more involved with campus activities.  The President expressed his appreciation for the Senate’s leadership in starting the Faculty Recognition Dinners.  He noted that there a number of complaints about the weather related closing of the University.  Dr. Gogue said UH is looking at a new software package that would help with more timely notification. 
        Dr. Gogue shared some of the highlights of the recent meeting of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges, including (1) a discussion of the Spellings’ Report, in particular Assessments and Accountability, which it was suggested would probably be absorbed into the reaccreditation process in the future; (2) Tremendous growth in electronic education, noting that Texas is third in the nation for enrollment in this area; (3) Ways to emphasize Science, Engineering and Math Education; (3) How to encourage International Study; and (4) Urban Universities and Outreach and Service to communities.

REPORT FROM AND DISCUSSION WITH THE UH SYSTEM SENIOR VICE CHANCELLOR AND UH SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT:  Don Foss
        Dr. Foss reported that (1) the Scholarship Report would be distributed to faculty; (2) Future meetings to determine if the campus should be closed due to the weather will be held an hour earlier; (3) Deans have been asked to prepare budget plans for the next Fiscal Year.  It is hoped to have some new faculty lines, so Deans should submit idea for hiring faculty in a cohort or cluster to drive research.  It won’t be the determinate factor, but will be viewed favorably. The Provost would like to see UH grow additional degree programs to meet workforce needs.  The deadline is December 18. (4) Along with Drs. Donald Birx, Vice President for Research, and John Rudley, Vice President for Administration & Finance, Dr. Foss said the administration has hiring a consulting group to maximize opportunities for Tuition Revenue Bonds (TRBs) renovation projects and filling out the Science-Engineering-Research (S-E-R) building; (5) The University budget is still challenged with shortfalls affecting the 2006 fiscal year close-out.  All Vice Presidents have had to give up carry forward funds.  Shortfalls are due to utility prices and not meeting enrollment targets.  The Provost encourage faculty to talk with their students about not stopping out as it often leads to dropping out. 

REPORTS FROM THE FACULTY SENATE COMMITTEES are available on the web at:  http://www.uh.edu/fs/FS_Committees_Reports_111506.html

PRESENTATION OF SLATE OF CANDIDATES:  Allen Warner, Chair of the Committee on Committees
        Sen. Warner announced the slate of candidates for the 2007 Faculty Senate officers and the Committee on Committees and the Delegate and Alternate to the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics as:

   President-elect:  Wynne Chin, BUS, and Karl Titz, HRM
   Secretary:  David Mazella, CLASS, and Dan Wells, NSM
   Members-at-large:  Randall Lee, NSM, Sara McNeil, EDU, Fred Schiff, CLASS, and Allen Warner, EDU                  
   Committee on Committees:  David Blecher, NSM, Jerome Freiberg, EDU, Katy Greenwood, TECH, Stephen Huber, LAW, Donna Kacmar, ARCH,
                                                Sukran Kadipasaoglu, BUS, Howard Karger, GCSW, Nancy Linden, LIB, and David Zimmerman, ENGR       
   Delegate to the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics:  Joseph Kotarba, CLASS
   Alternate to the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics:  Fred Schiff, CLASS

No nominations were made from the floor.  The election will take place at the December 6 Senate meeting.

SPEECHES BY THE PRESIDENT-ELECT CANDIDATES are available on the web at:  http://www.uh.edu/fs/2007_President_elect_Candidates.html

PROPOSED TEXTBOOK AND EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS POLICY
        Sen. Warner moved that the Faculty Senate support the proposed Textbook and Educational Materials Policy including paragraphs A through D.  Sen. Titz provided a second for the motion.
        Sen. Kotarba proposed an amendment to restate the motion as the “Faculty Senate supports the proposed Textbook and Educational Materials Policy, including paragraphs A through C.  Sen. Wells provided a second.
        The Senate adopted the amendment by a majority vote, followed by a unanimous vote to adopt the motion as amended.

REPORT FROM THE UNIVERSITY COORDINATING COMMISSION, Chair:  Joseph Kotarba
        Sen. Kotarba said the UCC has decided to continue to use the current form to review MAPPs (Manual of Policies and Procedures) and SAMs (System Administrative Memoranda), but ask reviewers to flag any concerns that they feel should be circulated by the UCC.  At the next meeting, the UCC will review the Senate approved Mission Statement revision.
        Sen. Freiberg noted that Sen. Eichberg and he met with faculty from the College of Technology to discuss the College and Department Bylaws.  Sen. Kotarba said he was scheduling visits with Councils to discuss the UCC.

NEW BUSINESS: 
        By majority vote, the Senate declined to adopt a Sense of the Senate motion to prohibit discussion of any Textbook Policy for at least 10 years.

The meeting adjourned at 1:45 p.m.