UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON FACULTY SENATE MINUTES – December 8, 2004

President Auchmuty called the December 8 Faculty Senate meeting to order in the Farish Hall Kiva at 12:15 p.m.   

MEMBERS PRESENT:  [33]                                           
ARCH:     D. Kacmar
BUS:       S. Khumawala, M. Parks, D. Rude
CLASS:   S. Craig, P. Gingiss, W. Herendeen, A. Jacobson, J. Kotarba, D. Papell, J. Rushing, F. Schiff, G. Trail
EDU:       M. Connell, S. McNeil, A. Warner
ENGR:    O. Ghazzaly, S. Kleis, G. Paskusz
HRM:      K. Titz
LAW:      M. Duncan, S. Huber     
LIB:        S. Ferimer, M. Thomson
NSM:      G. Auchmuty, G. Etgen, A. Ignatiev, K. Kadish, E. Leiss, D. Wells           
PHA:       C. Pedemonte                          
TECH:    K. Greenwood
GSSW:   H. Karger         

MEMBERS ABSENT:  [18]                                                                                                                     
BUS:        W. Chin (w/E)   
CLASS:    K. Brown, B. Byrnes, B. Lange, J. Middents, R. Murray, G. San Miguel, R. Weldon           
EDU:        C. White
ENGR:     T. Cleveland, T. Helwig, D. Zimmerman               
NSM:       D. Blecher, P. Copeland (w/E), J. Eichberg (w/E) 
OPT:       R. Manny (w/E), S. Quintero                                          
TECH:     C. Goodson (w/E)   

ON LEAVE:  [1]                                                                                                                         
CLASS:   V. Brady (w/E)

VISITORS:   
Jay Gogue (University of Houston System Chancellor and University of Houston President), Jerry Strickland (Interim 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 VP for Governmental Relations), Dona Hamilton (UHS Vice Chancellor and UH Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel), Elwyn Lee (UHS Vice Chancellor and UH Vice President for Student Affairs), Spencer Yantis (UHS Vice Chancellor and UH VP for University Advancement), 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), David Bell (UHS Assistant Vice Chancellor and UH Assistant Vice President for Academic and Faculty Affairs), Steve Hall (President, UH Alumni Association), John Powell (Executive Speechwriter)

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES:  The November 17, 2004, minutes were approved.

 ANNOUNCEMENTS:
         The deadline for nominations for Teaching Excellence in Distance Education Award is January 25, 2005.  The award honors an outstanding faculty member who has taught an officially scheduled distance course during 2004, fifty percent or more of which was delivered by a distance-learning technology.  The prize is $5,000.  Faculty, students, staff, and alumni may make nominations.  Guidelines are available from deans and chairs, Dr. Marilu McGregor at x39187, or the Provost website at http://www.uh.edu/provost/awards/awards_process.html.

         Nominations for Excellence in Research and Scholarship Awards are due to Division of Research on January 31, 2005.  There will be one award for each faculty rank of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor.  Only University of Houston faculty members may make nominations.  Guidelines and nomination forms are available on the Web at http://www.research.uh.edu/downloads/Word_format/reagui2004-2005.doc.            

          To keep up-to-date with the Faculty Senate, check out its Web page at:  http://www.uh.edu/fs/.

 KUDOS:
          The Faculty Senate offers kudos to two UH Law Center Professors for having their work cited by the United States Supreme Court:  Jordan Paust, whose Judicial Power to Determine the Status and Rights of Persons Detained Without Trial, 44 Harvard International Law Journal (Int'l L.J.) 503 (2003) was cited in the majority opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, 124 S.Ct. 2633 (2004), and Lonny Hoffman, whose Removal Jurisdiction and the All Writs Act, 148 U. PA. L. REV. 401 (1999), was cited in the majority opinion in Sygenta Crop Protection, Inc. v. Henson, 123 S. Ct. 366 (2004).
         The Senate also gives kudos to another UH Law Professor, David Dow, for his work with the Innocence Project.  Prof. Dow’s work has resulted in a one hundred twenty day stay of execution for a Texas Death Row inmate so that evidence can be re-investigated. 

IN MEMORIAM

        Edward O. Bennett, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus Biology Dept, Univ. of Houston, died December 3, 2003 at the age of 77. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri on March 16, 1926, attended the Kemper Military (High) School in Boonville Missouri, graduating in 1944.  His wife Dorothy (nee McDonald), whom he married in 1947, preceded him in death by eight months.  Both Ed and Dorothy had lived in their retirement home in La Grange, Texas and are survived by two sons, James David and Robert Paul.  In the mid 1940’s, Ed entered the military service, serving in the Air Force Medical Corps.  In 1947, Ed obtained an Associates Degree from Lamar College in Beaumont, TX.  He then earned his B.S. Degree in 1949 from UH, serving in his last year as a teaching assistant in microbiology.  In 1951, he received his M.S. Degree from Iowa State Medical School, and then he returned to Houston to continue his doctoral studies in microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Medical Center. While working for his doctorate, Ed served as a UH faculty member being appointed an Assistant Professor in 1951.  In 1958, he was promoted to Associate Professor and then to full Professor in 1963.  Ed served two terms as Chairman of the Biology Department from 1964-67 and 1979-80.  He also served as Associate Dean of the former College of Arts and Sciences from 1967-73, under the late Dean Alfred R. Newman.  During his long academic tenure of forty years, Ed taught a variety of microbiology courses to undergraduates and trained a total of 33 doctoral and master’s students, and was the author of 170 papers, publications and 17 patents.  Ed Bennett elected to go on modified service in 1986 and he retired from the Biology Department in 1991.   Ed’s work on the microbiology of cutting oils and other petroleum and synthetic based lubricants brought him international recognition.  A recent article entitled, “Tribute to Dr. Ed O. Bennett”, appeared in the October 2004 issue of Tribiology & Lubrication Technology, hailing him as the father of lubricant and metalworking fluid microbiology.

        John “Juan” Oro, University of Houston Professor Emeritus of Biochemical and Biophysical Sciences, died during the past year in his native Catalonia.  Professor Oro taught at UH for 39 years, from 1955 when he first joined the Chemistry Department, until his retirement in 1994. During that time, he had a tremendous and sustained impact on UH through both his research and teaching activities. In the 1960’s, he co-founded the Department of Biophysical Sciences, which continues today as the Biochemistry Division of the Department of Biology and Biochemistry. In April 1986, he was the eighth recipient of the Esther Farfel Award, the university’s highest faculty honor. In 1998, UH awarded Dr. Oro an honorary degree.
        Dr. Oro was a pioneer in research in the origin of life field. During the 1960s, he conducted some of the earliest experiments investigating the origins of life on Earth and the composition of the cosmos.  His contribu-tions and insights established him as a world leader in these fields. He was the principal investigator on numerous research projects funded by NASA and his laboratory at UH received some of the first lunar samples that were released by NASA for analysis. During the 1970s, he helped design experiments and build equipment used during the Viking mission that investigated the existence of life on Mars.  Among his numerous awards was the 1986 Oparin Award of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life, which is given every six years "to the scientist deemed to have had the best sustained scientific research program in the origin of life field."
        In addition to his active career as a scientist and educator, Professor Oro sought to promote the scientific enterprise in his native Catalonia. To this end, he served in the Catalonian Parliament from 1980-1981 and subsequently served as a scientific advisor to the president of the Majority of Catalonia. He received numerous Catalonian awards for his contributions to the advancement of science and science education in that region of Spain.

        D. Reginald (“Reg”) Traylor died on November 14, 2002.  Reg Traylor joined the University of Houston Mathematics faculty in 1963.  He rose through the ranks to Professor in 1969.  He served the department as Chair from 1965 to 1969 during which time he oversaw a rapid expansion of the mathematics faculty and departmental graduate programs that followed the University’s entrance into the State of Texas System of Higher Education.  He devoted the period 1969 – 72 to researching and writing Creative Teaching: The Heritage of R. L. Moore.  This is a definitive work on the life and legacy of Robert Lee Moore, a distinguished mathematician and educator at the University of Texas – Austin.  Reg was selected as a Fellow of the American Council on Education Intern Program in 1971.  In 1972 he became the first Director of the newly organized University of Houston Victoria Center.  He served as Director until 1975, and then as Chancellor of UHVC until 1977.  This completed his service to the University of Houston System. Reg then went into private business as President of Traylor Products and Services, a company specializing in the development and marketing of products for the blind.  His love of teaching and academic administration brought him back to academia at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio.  Reg’s service at Incarnate Word included membership on the mathematics faculty, Dean – School of Graduate Studies and Research, and Vice President of Extended Academic Programs.  He is survived by his wife Jacqueline (“Jackie”) and his two sons, Chapman and Kirby.

        Shiing-Shen Chern, a Distinguished Visiting Professor Emeritus at the University of Houston, died in Tianjin, China on December 3, 2004. Dr. Chern was 93. Dr. Chern was considered the greatest differential geometer of the 20th century, and his creation - Chern Classes - is considered a fundamental principle of mathematical physics.
            Dr. Chern graduated from Nankai University in 1930. After further study at Beijing’s Tsinghua University and in Europe, Chern taught during World War II both in China and at the Institute for Advanced Study in the United States.
            Dr. Chern eventually went to the University of Chicago and became a naturalized U.S. citizen. In 1960, he moved to the University of California at Berkeley.  In 1980, he became founding director of the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI).
            His association with the University of Houston’s department of mathematics involved yearly visits and lectures that began in 1988.  From 1992 to 2000, he served as an editor of the Houston Journal of Mathematics (published by UH’s math department). Two years ago, an entire issue of HJM was dedicated to Chern.
            The inaugural Shaw Prize in Mathematics (with a $1 million award) was given to Chern in September to recognize his singular contributions to, and influence on, the world of mathematics. He donated the prize to several institutes for the development of mathematics and physics.

2005 SENATE OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES MEMBERS ELECTION:  Anne Jacobson
        The results of the election of 2005 Faculty Senate officers are:

There were six absentee ballots cast.  Pres. Auchmuty thanked the senators who agreed to stand for office.

 REPORT FROM AND DISCUSISON WITH UH SYSTEM CHANCELLOR AND UH PRESIDENT: Dr. Jay Gogue
         Dr. Gogue reported on: (1) The Provost Search.  Dr.  Gogue said there are 45 candidates in the pool.  They are in the process of narrowing that number to 15.  Airport interviews are anticipated to take place early in January with campus interviews occurring in late January or the first of February.  (2) Search Committee for VP for University Advancement.  Dr. Strickland is chairing this committee.  The Provost said the committee is still seeking applications for the position.   The group will review files in early January and will start airport interviews approximately 30 days later.  (3) The Tier 1 Funding.  Dr.  Gogue said UH has the money in hand for Tier 1 funds.  The Research Council is scheduled to make a recommendation soon.  The President said there are two issues that they are particularly interested in funding: small grants program and the other is the GEAR program.  Dr. Gogue added that he understands there are resources to increase those programs by 50%. (4) Housing on Campus was discussed at the Executive Committee meeting.  Dr. Gogue said this is the first campus he has been on in which faculty had an interest in campus housing.  Elwyn Lee, has developed a plan that identifies a dozen or so sites for potential expansion of residential housing on the campus.  There is interest in graduate housing; a host of different arrangements exist in terms of housing.  Dr. Gogue said he has asked and the Vice President for Student Affairs has agreed to make himself available to the Senate to go over the housing plan in detail.  Per bed cost for housing if it is done privately is about $44,000 a bed.  If it is done by the institution, it is about $50,000 a bed.  A little over 11% of UH students live on campus.  The administration is looking at a plan that would make sense for some expansion and to make sure that the kind of housing built here meets the greatest demand. (5)  Dr. Gogue closed his comments by saying, “It is wonderful to be at UH.”  He wished everyone a Happy Holiday season.

           Sen. Jacobson said the Research Council is very interested in monies that help people get grants and that is very important, but the administration is looking at how to allocate the excellence, so it should also be looking at other areas that make a difference to UH’s national and international reputation.  For example, most of the faculty in CLASS don’t get much support to go to conferences. There is very little money to put on big conferences that could make a tremendous difference with a department’s national standing.  Some excellence funding could be put into these areas.  Dr. Gogue said those are valid comments.  Dr. Gogue said when one thinks about how to market a university, each constituent’s market is really other academic institutions.  Dr. Gogue said UH needs to look at segmented markets for an institution if its want to be successful.  Dr. Gogue said it was his understanding that the Research Council wants to use some of this resource to help the Science, Engineering and Research building’s goal.  That is a high priority.  They obviously are going to put funds into some focus areas.  UH is being cautious against using the money for on-going lines for faculty as one can never be completely sure that this type of appropriation will continue.  Dr. Gogue said that conferences, workshops and special travel opportunities would be an important use of research money.
          Sen. Papell said he is part of the Research Council and that he didn’t think the Council was particularly committed to using the GEAR money to leverage outside advantages.   There is a lot of interest on the Research Council to fund research, not just to leverage funds.
          Sen. Jacobson said there are small grants, but they are not enough.  An international conference is a huge expense for faculty, but it is very good for UH for its faculty to visible be at these conferences.
          Pres. Auchmuty said one of the items that the Executive Committee has discussed with the Administration recently has been the fact that measurements of excellence tend to concentrate on research funding.  The Senate has pointed out that, perhaps equally important for many colleges, is the production of graduate and professional students and doctorates.  The Senate also pointed out that the most successful educational programs are not necessarily the same ones that are the most heavily funded.  The graduate programs that produce the most graduates are not the same as the ones who receive the most funding.  The Executive Committee encouraged the Administration to look at other measurements beside just research dollars generated.  Apparently, in the old Carnegie 1 classifications UH always had plenty of doctoral programs and doctoral graduates but was short of research funding, so the emphasis was on getting the research funds.  These days for the UH Texas Tier 1 criteria not only research funding is counted, but also research doctoral programs and doctoral graduates.  UH does very well on all of those accounts.  It would help if there were more attention paid to graduate production because the departments that have the successful educational programs are not always the same as the ones that get the most dollars.

REPORT FROM AND DISCUSSION WITH UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON SYSTEM INTERIM SENIOR VICE CHANCELLOR AND UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS AND PROVOST:  Jerald Strickland
          Dr. Strickland reported on several points:  (1) Every four years the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board asks all of the State higher education institutions to review their mission statements and their goals.  This year is the year.  The administration has recently sent to each of the faculty governance bodies along with the Staff Council and Student Government the current mission statements and the current goals, how they are described and some tweaking of that based upon the Strategic Planning process that was entered into by the Board of Regents and everyone last spring/summer.  The Faculty Senate President has received his copy and the council chairs will be receiving theirs shortly.  The administration is seeking input to this document revision.  (2) Dr. Strickland said graduation season is here again.  UHCL will hold graduation ceremonies on December 13 at Minute Maid Park.  The Cullen College of Engineering’s graduation will be December 16.  Dr. Strickland urged all the faculty to attend.  He added that many of the UH Administration and Regents will be there. It is an important event. UH does this twice a year.  (3) The freshman admission policy.  The enrollment task force has made recommendations to the Undergraduate Council regarding admissions.  The Undergraduate Council sent the recommendations to its Academic Policies and Procedures Committee and that group has now submitted their report to the Undergraduate Council.  As soon as the Undergraduate Council addresses the document, it will come back to the Provost Office for distribution to a broader constituency for their advice.  The Provost added that he hoped the wider discussion would begin in January.  (4) UH is planning for a comprehensive campaign.  Spencer Yantis, Interim UHS Vice Chancellor and UH VP for University Advancement and Ed Hugetz, UHS Assistant Vice Chancellor and UH Assistant Vice President for Planning & University Outreach, have been meeting with the deans regarding their plans to develop cases.  The needs of the campaign are to focus on the needs of the colleges and the needs of the departments.  This is a bottom up process.  The administration is encouraging the deans to involve faculty.  Mr. Yantis said the Campaign Council has developed a two-page document which it is considering giving to the deans, department chairs and faculty.  This initial document is looking for gift ideas that are $500,000 or above category.  The form will have four basic components: (a) Describe the proposal objective in two-three sentences.  (b) How does this fit within the college mission and the university strategic plan?  (c) Who is the key academic leader of this proposal?  (d) Who is the fund raising constituent?  Mr. Yantis said he is asking for actual individuals or corporations to be identified.  The deans are working with department chairs and the faculty.  An academic council will be formed in January, 2005 to review, strengthen and approve this initial test document.  Then the consultant will take this out in the spring and test the major ideas with the philanthropic community to see how it works.  A couple of key points to remember is during the silent phase of the campaign, which will start shortly after the feasibility study, UH will be seeking about 150 major gifts of $500,000 or greater.  At least 40% of these gifts will be raised before the public phase is even announced.  These 150 gifts will account for 90% of the dollars raised.  During the public phase UH will be seeking gifts from approximately 60,000 donors to fill out the rest of the campaign.  In the Creative Partners Campaign 62,000 gifts were given during the public phase.

          Sen. Jacobson suggested that one resource on campus is Paul Chu.  He has raised millions and millions for Hong Kong University. She said she didn’t know what sort of background he has but he is full of ideas. She suggested the administration talk to him about some of the things he put together. Mr. Yantis said he is a strong asset.
          Sen. Jacobson asked who is going to be on the academic council that decides about the $500,000 gifts?  Can they come forward with a faculty list?  How is that going to be done?  Dr. Strickland said the process is through the department to the dean then to the administration.  Dr. Strickland said the dean is going to be presenting the college’s ideas to the administration.  Dr. Strickland urged the faculty to talk to their department chair, dean or both, especially about large gifts. Dr. Strickland said that there will be opportunities for smaller ideas later.  Dr. Strickland promised that the administration will talk to Dr. Chu.  
          Sen. Rushing asked if chairs and directors have been advised to disseminate this information?  Dr. Strickland said they have not been advised yet.  The administration is meeting with the last dean, Dr. Bear, today.  Shortly thereafter the information will be given to department chairs and so to the faculty itself.  Dr. Strickland said the deans have good ideas; they need advice and counsel from the smaller constituents.
          Dr. Strickland said, "Happy holidays!"

REPORT FROM AND DISCUSSION WITH UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON SYSTEM VICE CHANCELLOR AND UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON VICE PRESIDENT FOR GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS:  Grover Campbell
        Mr. Campbell said it is good to be back and he appreciates the invitation.  He said that this past weekend he was trying to prepare his wife for how difficult this legislative session is going to be.  She reminded him that she has been through twelve legislative sessions with him before and before each one he has said that it would be the most difficult legislative session.  He added that he reminded his wife that in each, he was right.  Mr. Campbell said this is going to be a very interesting year.
         The UH System is on the verge of having its most successful federal agenda ever in the University.  UHS is one presidential signature short of having the most direct appropriations or federal earmarks for projects include:

Special thanks to Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Congressmen Tom DeLay and John Culberson.  Mr. Campbell said this was a very good year for UHS, even with all presidential politics that dominated this session of congress.  He added that the administration is working on next year’s agenda when the federal deficit is likely to be the main concern.  He said federal appropriations are going to be very, very difficult next year.
        Mr. Campbell said the last state legislative session was the most difficult UHS had ever gone through as it was dominated by a $10 billion deficit.  None-the-less, the System was able to successfully resolve many contentious issues that had been facing it for many years:  (1) Tier 1 money.  The session before the last there had been legislation passed that set up two separate funds.  The legislature combined those two funds into one with one set of criteria and the Governor signed it on a Sunday, then the following Tuesday the Governor vetoed the appropriations.  Trying to recoup those funds dominated the interim activities.  This past August the second appropriation of the biennium was released, which the University is working on how to allocate.  It also sets up the base for future allocations.  (2) Tuition deregulation was contentious but it allowed the University to cobble together a really successful budget.  This will continue to be an issue in the future.  (3) Retention of indirect cost has been an issue since Mr. Campbell came to UH.  The biggest problem was that it is new money going to a relatively small number of universities with far and away the largest amount money going to one university.  Still UH is a huge beneficiary of this change.  Mr. Campbell said that is an issue that is now off the table.  It is now a recurring appropriation, base funded.  He said he didn’t think that would be a problem again.  (4) $25 million for damage from Tropical Storm Allison was given by the legislature in spite of the $10 billion shortfall. 
       Mr. Campbell said the next legislative session begins on the second Tuesday in January.  It will be one of the most difficult sessions UHS has seen.  Even though there won’t be a $10 billion shortfall this time, every state-wide officer will be up for re-election after this session.  That will be the issue that dominates this session.  Issues include public school finance, which is really about property tax; worker’s comp reform, which involves trial lawyers and business. 
      The economy is re-bounding or recovering.  It is better than it was two years ago.  How much?  No one knows until State Comptroller Strayhorn issues her first revenue estimate around the end of January.  Regardless, the monthly sales tax shows that revenue are up.  They had been growing around 4.3%.  Last month they were down to 3.5%.  It’s going to be very tough to see new money; there will be huge competition.  Albert Hawkins, Director of Health and Human Services, testified before the Senate Finance Committee that it will cost between $3.4 – 3.7 billion to fully fund Health and Human Services and CHIPS, the health insurance for children, for the next session.  Lt. Gov. Dewhurst recently came out with his back of the envelope estimates that to fund current services just for growth issues, the legislature would be facing a $2 billion shortfall. 
       Houston-Harris County will have to get used to a new chair of the House Appropriations Committee.  Rep. Talmadge Heflin, who was the chair, lost his bid for re-election by 33 votes.  He is contesting it before the House, but regardless he won’t be the chair of Appropriations for this session.  Jim Pitts of Waxahachie will chair Appropriations.  He is a good friend of universities and a good friend of UH, but this isn’t his district so it will be difficult for UHS. 
       There has been a huge turn-over in staff in the Governor’s Office, the Speaker’s Office, and for key committees, but most important for UHS, a lot of turn-over of the Legislative Budget Board staff.
        Anybody who picks up a paper should be aware that there will an on-going grand jury investigation during this legislative session.  This will have a big impact for higher education.
        The Chancellor presented the legislative agenda at the last Senate meeting, so Mr. Campbell said he wouldn’t spend a lot of time on that.  It includes:  (1) Base funding is always the most important issue.  It is a bread and butter issue.  According to the instructions sent by the Legislative Budget Board, the Legislative Appropriations Request (LAR) had to be reduced by 5%.  That’s not just a straight reduction of the budget because there were other instructions included.  For UH it’s a $7.1 million reduction.  So the first priority is to get the 5% restored, then get growth restored or fully funded.  UH and higher education has been growing all across the state, except Austin.  (2) Tuition Revenue Bond Debt Service was not fully funded last time.  Getting that restored is a major priority for UH as it is over $3 million annually.  (3) Another issue is the Coordinating Board recommended formula rates which will reduce funding for a number of campuses, including a loss of $6.5 million for UH.  There was some traction at a meeting in Austin last week, but with any change in the matrix, some schools win and others lose.  UHS is concentrating on the impact the change will have on public policy.  A number of areas that are important to Texas will lose funding including Teacher Education, Engineering, Business, Nursing and Allied Health.  (4) Special Item funding.  UH receives more special item funding than any other school, but with the emphasis on base funding, special items will be difficult to get funded. (5) Capital Construction requests across the state are totaling over $3 billion.  While the legislature generally funds Tuition Revenue Bonds (TRBs) every other session, it appears this is going to be difficult to get this time.  (6) Redistribution of the Higher Education Assistance Fund (HEAF).  Every ten years the Constitutional Construction Fund is redistributed.  Ten years ago, the legislature took $100 million and increased it to $175 million per year.  Currently, there are two proposals on the table.  (a) If they increase HEAF by the same growth rate that the Permanent University Fund (PUF) has had over the past ten years, then $82 million should be added per year.  (b) If they increase it based on the Construction Inflation rate, then $50 million should be added per year.  This will be a major issue for UHS.  This System receives more HEAF than any other system in the State at about $36 million per year.  An increase here would help offset the $1.5 million loss due to enrollment losses.  UHS has grown, but not as much as other systems in the state.  (7) Work on nomenclature.  Tier 1 is now the Research Development Fund.  UHS will be looking for opportunities to expand this base.  This issue is now a part of the legislature’s consciousness and a part of the Houston-Harris County Delegation’s consciousness.  They have been very supportive and UHS will be working with them to see if funding can be increased in that area.  (8) Tuition flexibility.  There is certain to be legislation introduced to remove that authority.  Mr. Campbell said he didn’t think it would pass, but it will be an issue.  (9) Financial Aid will be an issue.  Dr. Gogue has some rather significant statistics that he has been sharing about the increase in graduation rates for students who have grants rather than loans in the way of financial aid.  The Lt. Governor and the Chair of House Appropriations are very interested in looking at all the state programs in financial aid to simplify and combine them into a comprehensive program of financial aid. (10)  Accountability.  There is an increased interest in accountability issues and performance standards.  The rest of state government is funded by performance standards.  There will be a new review of higher education’s accountability standards.  Everyone needs to be mindful of what kind of funding is kind to that.  (11) Sunset Process.  Of special interest to one of the colleges is the sunset process.  The Optometry Board is going through the sunset process.  This is already gearing up to be an extraordinarily contentious issue.  The first session that the legislature had sunset authority, they sunsetted for two weeks the Optometry Board and the Board for Medical Examiners.  It was an issue between the two of them and Texas was on the verge of having no licensing requirements to practice medicine or optometry in the State.  Mr. Campbell said he didn’t think there would be a special session over this, but it would contentious and UHS needs to be mindful of its role and responsibilities in that process.
       Mr. Campbell said it has been an interesting year.  There have been a lot of folks working on getting the Research Development funds restored.  UHS has been working with the Houston-Harris County Delegation, bringing to campus as much as possible.  The regents have been engaged in the process more than ever before.  Mr. Campbell invited the faculty to participate as much as possible.  The students are participating.  Steve Hall has the alumni re-energized and ready to kick-off Cougar Advocates for Texas (CATs).  UH System is scheduled for February 8, 2005.  It would be great to have as a large contingency as possible.  There are several advisory committees being set up to work with Mr. Campbell; both for the UH System and UH.  He will work with them as much as possible.

       Sen. Warner said one of the things that has come up often in past sessions is playing off K-12 (kindergarten through twelfth grade) against higher education or human resources.  It is one of the reasons for looking at P-16 (pre-kindergarten through college) types of initiatives.  Sen. Warner asked if Mr. Campbell sees that same game being played, especially with the pressure by the legislature to redo the whole tax structure with schools getting less money from property taxes?  Mr. Campbell said he always tries to talk about P-16 as much as possible.  UH has the unique advantage that one of the major problems facing public education is the availability of qualified teachers so the legislature is coordinating with UH.  Mr. Campbell said unfortunately this debate right now is dominated by property tax relief, not public school finance and public school reform.  What higher education needs to be watching very, very carefully is the revenue measures that are adopted to reduce that property tax.  Higher education needs to make certain that this money is not dedicated to a single element but put within that P-16 concept.  In past years UH has had better success with some of the public education associations as they very much wanted to link up with this University.  Right now, they have become just so focused on their own issues, there is not as much reaching out from them as there is from UH to them, saying don’t forget the impact on higher education.
        Sen. Jacobson asked about new line items.  Mr. Campbell said he did not bring the list with him but UHS does have new special item requests to address the medical center outreach, Optometry’s Eye Clinic, and Asian American Studies.  Mr. Campbell said there are about four new requests for this campus.
        Sen. Huber asked if the tuition concerns Mr. Campbell mentioned were about undergraduate education and that the graduate and professional schools have more flexibility.  Mr. Campbell said the legislature is primarily concerned about undergraduate tuition rates as opposed to those for graduate schools.  There is no concern about the professional schools.

         Pres. Auchmuty said that Sen. Warner and he are looking at the statistics of UH graduation rates for graduate and professional students as compared to the other universities in Texas.  He added that UH has the highest percentage of graduate and professional graduates.  UH should emphasize the fact that it is very much an upper level institution.
        Pres. Auchmuty said in connection with what Mr. Campbell was talking about, the COC did select members for each of the advisory committees the other day.  The Senate Scholarship and Community Committee, chaired by Sen. Kotarba, will continue to work with Mr. Campbell on behalf of this campus.

UH SYSTEM DAY IN AUSTIN – February 8, 2005 (Tuesday)
        Steve Hall, President and Chief Executive Officer of the UH Houston Alumni Association, said UHS Day in Austin is February 8.  He urged the senators to put the date on their calendars for two important reasons:  (1) UH has always had good faculty participation in this event.  Attendees go as constituents and tax payers in the State of Texas to participate, not as representatives of UH faculty/staff.  The legislature responds very differently to tax payers and constituents and students than they do to those they think work for the State of Texas.  The purpose of Cougar Advocates for Texas is to put a face of a constituent on the legislative agenda for the UH.  (2) UH is making a very strong push this year to emphasize student participation.  The Alumni Organization has been working with Mr. Campbell and his office and the tentative theme of the day is “Meet the Future.”  UH wants to be able to show the legislature the future. 
       Mr. Hall said very shortly after the beginning of the new semester everyone will be hearing from the HAO about this topic.  Alumni will be encouraging student participation on February 8 to meet with members of the legislature.  Mr. Hall asked for the faculty’s indulgence in allowing students who to be excused from class that day to participate.  In talking with Pres. Auchmuty, Sen. Warner and Sen. Kotarba HAO promises to provide some sort of documentation that students can bring back to show that they did participate.  This program has done tremendously well over the years.  The first time Mr. Hall worked with Mr. Campbell on taking alumni up for UH Day there were 50-60 participants.  For the past two sessions, there have been a little over 400 alumni and friends participating in UHS Day in Austin.
       There is a sign up sheet available and a tentative schedule of activities for that day.  Mr. Hall said he hoped the senators will join him in putting a face on that UHS legislative agenda.
       The UH Alumni Association Web page is being updated daily at: www.houstonalumni.com/.  Mr. Hall said the other disclaimer is that any activities for Cougar Advocates for Texas need to be on an individual’s personal time.  UH resources cannot be used.  Anyone going to Austin that day needs to take a day of vacation.  UH is not lobbying; individuals are advocating for higher education. 

BUDGET & FACILITIES COMMITTEE, CHAIR – Saleha Khumawala
     Topic: Faculty Rebuilding Plan

          As announced at the Faculty Senate meeting in September, the BFC was able to get the faculty data it requested from 1990-2003 from the Office of Institutional Research.  The committee appreciates the help it has received from Dr. Libby Barlow and her staff.
         Sen. Craig did the initial analysis of the faculty data.  Three committee members, Sens. Craig, Leiss and Khumawala a members of the Task Force on Compensation & Retention which has been meeting regularly and is in the process of getting additional data that will help the BFC in doing additional analysis. The Budget & Facilities Committee plans to have a joint meeting with the Faculty Affairs Committee and hopes to present a report to the Faculty Senate next year.
         Sen. Jacobson asked what kind of things the Task Force was considering.  Is it looking at how UH faculty salaries compare nationally?  Sen. Khumawala replied the initial analysis that the Task Force is doing right now is focusing on compression and inversion, how UH is benchmarked, how faculty salaries are nationally benchmarked, and within departments was is the average with in the rank by college by department.
        Sen. Jacobson asked if the Task Force is looking at other questions like minority issues?  Sen. Khumawala said by gender.  We are looking at the data every possibly way we can.
        Sen. Jacobson asked is there a suggestion that somebody is going to try to correct some of these problems and if so what?  Sen. Khumawala said the group is hoping that the problem will be corrected.  Sen. Less said the Task Force will make some suggestions.  The question is whether they will be accepted, but there certainly will be suggestions.  Sen. Khumawala said the group is hoping that some of the new money from possible increases in designated tuition will be allocated to correct this problem.
        Sen. Jacobson asked is that going to be merit based equity or not?  Sen. Khumawala said the Task Force hasn’t gotten that far.  Sen. Leiss said obviously the Task Force is not going to propose a university-wide policy.  He suggested that departmental criteria be established that can be applied equitably to all members in a department.  There is no intent of making everybody equally as far as rules and regulations are concerned; that would be a foolish thing.  He added that there has been far too much rewarding friends and punishing enemies.
        Pres. Auchmuty said Dr. Strickland has asked the Faculty Senate to nominate four people to serve on a committee with students and others to allocate the designated tuition funds.  Last year Sens. Khumawala and Warner served.  This year Dr. Strickland asked for four names.  Sens. Khumawala and Warner agreed to serve again.  Sens. Craig and Greenwood have also agreed to also serve on that committee. 

COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES, CHAIR – Anne Jacobson
        The COC conducted two main items of business at its last meeting on November 29, 2004:

1. Recommending members of the new standing committees, both university and system ones.
2. Meeting with Karl Sparks, the new Executive Director of Human Resources, to discuss the new human resources committee.

        The Committee was also asked to consider changes to the charge for the Information Technology and Computing Committee.  The COC has said that it will want to discuss some of the proposed charges further and suggest alternatives before any final approval.
        In regards to today’s election, a number of senators used the absentee ballot option, which provides an important alternative for those who have to be out of town when the December meeting is held.

 EDUCATIONAL POLICIES & STUDENT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, CHAIR – Dan Wells
       The last committee meeting was held December 3.  At this meeting the Committee continued its discussion of the new freshman admission standards.   The proposed admission standards are as follows:

Automatic Admission:  Freshman applicants who graduate in the top 20 percent of their high school class. 

Regular Admission:  Applicants will be admitted if they

A. Rank in the next 30 percent and have a minimum of 1000 SAT I /ACT 21.

B. Rank in the third quarter and have a minimum of 1100 SAT I or ACT 24.

         Comparative review suggests that the new standards will not significantly impact diversity.  Some concern was expressed about how the automatic admission of the top 20% of high school graduating classes may be taken as a lowering of admission standards (given most Texas schools have automatic admission for only the top 10%).  It was pointed out however that currently only one third of UH’s First Time in College (FTIC) admissions are in the top 20%, even though the University currently has “virtually” automatic admissions for the top 25% of high school graduating classes (since every one in the top 25% with a GPA of 2.5 is admitted).  The new standards will, however, simplify the admission process, by eliminating the time consuming task of GPA calculation and by eliminating the current multi-tiered regular admission system.  Some concern was also expressed as to whether or not UH should be offering regular admission to anyone in the third quartile of their graduating class.
         Although the committee could find no real objection to the new proposal, it was pointed out that as long as the same number of FTIC students are admitted each year, that an increased effort in recruitment will be required to make a significant difference in incoming freshman class.

FACULTY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, CHAIR – Howard Karger
        The FAC held a meeting with Provost Strickland on the ombuds proposal and the wording for the primary leave policy. The FAC is forming a subcommittee with the Staff Council to develop the ombuds proposal.

SCHOLARSHIP & COMMUNITY COMMITTEE, CHAIR – Joseph Kotarba
        The Scholarship and Community Committee has not met since the last Faculty Senate meeting.  The Committee chair met with Steve Hall, President of the Houston Alumni Organization, on December 7 to discuss the upcoming “University of Houston Day” in Austin.  This trip is scheduled for February 8. 
         Pres. Auchmuty said he would like to mention that Sen. Kotarba is the representative to the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics (CoIA).  This is a coalition of faculty to represent faculty opinions on Division 1 athletics.  He will be attending the forthcoming annual meeting of that organization.  He has had some input on  questions of academic standards for scholarship athletes.  Faculty interested in this topic should contact Sen. Kotarba.

         Sen. Pedemonte raised a point about the allocation of the excellence funds.  He said he thought that it would be a committee of the Senate to look at that, so all senators could participate in the discussion on the use of these funds and not leave it all to the Research Council.  Pres. Auchmuty said in some ways this is a Budget and Facilities Committee topic.  He added that the Faculty Senate Executive Committee has kept asking questions about it and the Senate has been presenting boarder faculty perspectives on how this money should be allocated.  As Mr. Campbell mentioned, Tier 1 money is actually called research development funds.  Pres. Auchmuty said the Faculty Senate Executive has been trying to represent broader faculty opinion on how this should be done.  That was the context of discussion for which he brought up the fact that UH should be paying attention to research degrees as well as other measurements.  The Senate is trying to do that.

        Pres. Auchmuty thanked all the committee chairs for their work during the year.

SECOND READING:  Constitutional Amendments   
       The motion was made, seconded, and the following constitutional amendments passed by unanimous voice vote.

  Explanation of notations: 

Strikethroughs are for deletions
Underlines are for additions

Constitution of the Faculty Senate

The members of the faculty at the University of Houston established this constitution to provide an instrument for cooperative action in attaining such ends as the members may select.

Preamble

       Principles.   Shared governance is the collective commitment of the faculty and administration at the University of Houston to work cooperatively, together with other University constituencies, to achieve a common vision of excellence for the University.  Successful shared governance requires an active partnership at all levels of the enterprise, from individual programs to the overall University, to provide a basis for joint participation in setting priorities and formulating policy.  Effective implementation of shared governance depends on mutual trust, shared confidence, and frequent on-going communication among between faculty and administrators, informed by an appreciation of their interdependent roles and responsibilities.

       Faculty Role in Shared Governance.  The faculty provides the excellence in teaching and research that determines the quality and reputation of the University.  The faculty has a major role in devising academic policies, establishing performance standards, and in protecting academic freedom.  Therefore, the faculty has the primary responsibility for curricular matters and degree programs.  Recommendations about appointments, retention, and post-tenure review are a central faculty responsibility.  The faculty has significant input in the formulation of budget priorities, including compensation policies.  The faculty has a major role in the selection and review of administrators at all levels of the University.  The faculty assists in setting goals to improve the quality of campus life, the surrounding community and the national academic standing of the institution.

Article One--Membership
 
    Section One--The Faculty Senate shall consist of 52 permanent members elected by the faculty in the manner provided below. In any year, if the president's or the immediate past president's term as senator shall have expired, that person shall be designated senator-at-large and the total membership shall be 53 or 54, during which time the apportionment of senators by college shall not be affected.
 
    Section Two--Full-time Eligible  faculty members at the University of Houston faculty members who meet the eligibility criteria described in the bylaws may serve as members of the Faculty Senate, except those with the administrative rank of assistant dean or above, shall be eligible for membership in the Faculty Senate. Department chairs are eligible to serve in the Faculty Senate.

    Section Three--The unit by which representation shall be determined is the college, and not subdivisions thereof. For this purpose the following units are deemed to be colleges, with the current number of senators indicated in parentheses: Architecture (one), Business Administration (four), Education (four), Engineering (six five ), Graduate School of Social Work (one), Hotel and Restaurant Management (one), Law Center (two three), Liberal Arts and Social Sciences (seventeen sixteen), Library (two three), Natural Sciences and Mathematics (nine ten), Optometry (two), Pharmacy (one), and Technology (two one).

    All regular voting members of a college are eligible to vote in elections for senatorial positions. Elections must be by secret ballot.
 
    Section Four--The Senate shall reapportion itself immediately before the 1980 election, and each fourth year thereafter. Reapportionment shall be made in the proportion which the number of full-time eligible faculty in the said colleges bears to the total number of the full-time eligible faculty in the said colleges, but each college shall be entitled to at least one member. Librarians are counted in the same manner as other faculty.

    If a new college is established, the Senate shall make provision for its representation at the next following election by one senator. If a college is discontinued, it shall cease to be represented. If a college is divided, its representatives shall be divided among the newly created colleges. If two colleges are merged, the successor college shall have the same representation as was previously held by the two separate entities. The apportionment of senators shall not be affected by the creation, division, merger, or termination of colleges until the next apportionment provided for in this article.
 
    Section Five--Elections to the Senate shall be for a term of three years, beginning on January 1. In the event of a vacancy, a special election shall be held to fill the unexpired term.
 
    Section Six--Regular elections shall be held in the fall semester prior to October 31 of each year for the terms then expiring. The dean or other officer in charge of each college shall certify the results of such elections to the secretary of the Faculty Senate.

    Special elections to fill unexpired Senate terms shall be held within 60 days after a senator has resigned. The months of May, June, July, and August shall not be used in computing the 60-day period. Unexpired terms exceeding three months may be filled only by election. Unexpired terms of less than three months may be filled temporarily by an individual appointed by either the dean of the college or a college governance organization, at the end of which time a successor will be elected.

    So as to avoid prolonged lapses in representation, a senator who goes on leave and is absent from academic duties, or is for any other reason away from the university, for a period exceeding the summer plus one long (i.e. Fall or Spring) semester shall relinquish his/her senatorial position and a special election shall be held to select a replacement. When the absence does not exceed the summer plus one long semester, the senatorial position may, and for periods of more than two months should, be filled temporarily by an individual appointed by either the dean of the college or a college governance organization.
 
    Section Seven--Members of the Senate shall be eligible for reelection.
 
    Section Eight--In the event that a college fails to fill a senatorial position within the time periods provided in this article, the Senate shall conduct an election in accordance with the election rules and procedures normally utilized by that college.
 
    Section Nine--The Senate shall be the final judge in the conduct and validation of the elections, returns, and the qualifications of its members.
 
    Section Ten--If a college loses a seat due to reapportionment, it shall be the one with the shortest term of office still remaining. In order that one-third of the Senate seats, or the nearest fraction thereto, are subject to election each year, terms of less than three years may be utilized as part of a reapportionment.

Article Two--Officers
 
    Section One--The Senate shall have a president, a president-elect, and a secretary. These officers shall be members of the Senate and shall be elected by the Senate for a term of one year, provided that their terms of office shall not end sooner than the election of their successors. The duties of these officers may be provided for in the bylaws. The bylaws may provide for other officers.
 
    Section Two--One or more deputies may be appointed by the secretary of the Faculty Senate to assist in the discharge of the duties as secretary of the Senate. Such deputies need not be members of the Senate or the faculty.
 
    Section Three--If the Office of the President becomes vacant, the president-elect shall become president. If the office of president-elect or secretary becomes vacant, a new election shall be held to determine the successor.

Article Three--Executive Committee
 
    Section One--The Executive Committee shall consist of the president-elect, the president, the immediate past-president, and the secretary of the Faculty Senate, two members elected by the Senate, and the chairs of Senate standing committees. The president of the Faculty Senate shall act as presiding officer of the Executive Committee, and the secretary of the Faculty Senate shall act as the secretary of the Executive Committee. Members of the Executive Committee shall serve one-year terms, provided that their terms shall not end sooner than the selection of their successors.

    To coordinate the efforts of the shared governance structure and increase its effectiveness, the Executive Committee shall invite the chairs of the Graduate and Professional Studies Council, the Research Council, the Undergraduate Council, and the Staff Council to serve on it as non-voting ex-officio members.
 
    Section Two--The Executive Committee shall direct the activities of the Faculty Senate. The president of the Senate shall appoint committees with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall prepare the agenda for the meeting of the Senate and shall propose to the Senate appropriate committee structure and other devices to carry out the business of the Senate.
 
    Section Three--The Faculty Senate may at its discretion, by a majority of those present and voting, empower the Executive Committee or any other committee of the Senate, to act for it in any particular matter, or any well-defined class of matters. Such power may be rescinded at any time.
 
    Section Four--The president of the Faculty Senate shall be responsible for communicating the actions of the Senate to the appropriate administrative authorities of the university. Prior to such communication, however, the Executive Committee shall be empowered to refer back to the Senate any action for further consideration at the next or subsequent meeting as the Senate may determine provided, however, that the same matter shall not be referred back hereunder a second time.
 
    Section Five--If an at-large member of the Senate Executive Committee resigns, the Executive Committee may fill the vacancy by the appointment of a member of the Faculty Senate.

Article Four--Committee on Committees
 
    Section One--The Committee on Committees shall consist of the president of the Senate, the immediate past-president of the Senate, and six members elected by the Senate. No more than one member of the committee, excluding the ex officio members, shall come from any one college. The immediate past-president will serve as chair of the committee. If the immediate past-president is unwilling or unable to serve, the Senate shall elect an additional member to the committee, and the committee members will select their own chair from among the elected members of the committee. If a member of the committee resigns, the Senate Executive Committee may fill the vacancy by appointment of a member of the Faculty Senate.
    Section Two--No later than June 1 of each year, the committee Senate  shall nominate to the president, the senior vice president for academic affairs, or other appointing officials have completed the appointment of faculty members to standing committees and shall forward the names of appointees to the appropriate administrators persons to serve on campus standing committees during the next academic year.
 
    Section Three--The committee shall notify the Senate of nominations of faculty members to serve on committees or similar groups other than standing committees. The committee shall nominate to the spring Assembly of the Faculty names for positions to be filled on the Faculty Grievance Committee. (For composition of membership, see Bylaw Seven.) Additional nominations may be made from the floor at the spring assembly. The committee shall promptly proceed to conduct a campus-wide election, and then to publicize the results. If a vacancy occurs on the Grievance Committee, the Committee on Committees shall appoint a replacement for the portion of the term remaining until the next scheduled election.
 
    Section Four--At the last regular meeting of the Senate in November, the committee shall present two nominations for the positions of president-elect and secretary, and four nominations for the two elective positions on the executive committee. The committee shall also present eight nominees to fill the six elective positions on the Committee on Committees. Additional nominations may be made from the floor. Senators whose term of office is about to expire are eligible for election to the Committee on Committees, but not the other positions. The election shall take place at the first regular meeting of the Senate in December.

Article Five--Assembly of the Faculty
 
    Section One--All full-time eligible faculty members at the University of Houston shall be eligible to attend the Assembly of the Faculty.
 
    Section Two--Assemblies of the Faculty shall be held at least once each fall and spring semester at the call of the president of the Faculty Senate.  Additional meetings shall be called by the president of the Senate upon petition by five members of the Senate or 25 faculty members, or by action of the Executive Committee.
 
    Section Three--One of the purposes of the Assemblies of the Faculty shall be to report to the faculty the actions of the Senate since the last Assembly of the Faculty. The Executive Committee of the Senate shall prepare the agenda for the Assembly of the Faculty. The agenda shall provide for the introduction of business at the meeting by any faculty member. The president of the Faculty Senate or the person discharging the duties of the president shall act as the chair of the Assembly of the Faculty. The secretary of the Faculty Senate shall act as secretary of the Assembly of the Faculty.
 
    Section Four--The quorum for meetings of the Assembly of the Faculty shall consist of forty one-quarter of the membership of that body eligible faculty.

Article Six--Meetings and Voting
 
    Section One--The Senate shall meet at least once a month during the regular nine-month school year.
 
    Section Two--The first regular meeting will be held in January, after the beginning of the spring semester.
 
    Section Three--Prior to the February meeting, the Executive Committee shall present a calendar of regular meetings for the remainder of the calendar year. The Executive Committee, with due notice, may either alter the calendar of regular meetings or call special meetings. Upon the written petition of at least 10 senators, a special meeting must be called.
 
    Section Four--One-half of the members of the Senate shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
 
    Section Five--All meetings shall be conducted according to parliamentary laws as set forth in the latest edition of Roberts' Rules of Order, except where a contrary rule is provided by this constitution, or by the bylaws, or by any standing rules.
 
    Section Six--Any faculty member may petition the Executive Committee to be permitted to address the Faculty Senate in regard to any matter within the Senate's competence. Such appearance shall be subject to limitations of time as provided by the Senate, but permission hereunder shall be granted as freely as the due conduct of the Senate's business shall permit.
 
    Section Seven--Except where the constitution or bylaws provide otherwise, all elections and matters voted upon shall be determined by a majority of those voting.
 
    Section Eight--Written ballots shall be used for elections. Other matters will be determined by a show of hands unless written ballots are requested by at least three members of the Senate.

Article Seven--Bylaws
 
    Section One--The Senate may adopt or amend bylaws as follows:
 
    (1) At a regular meeting of the Faculty Senate by a majority vote provided, however, that notice of such bylaw or amendment to a bylaw must have been given a reading in the exact form in which it is finally adopted at the previous regular meeting or
 
    (2) If the proposed bylaw, having been read at the previous meeting, is amended by a majority vote of the Senate subsequent to its reading, it may be adopted by a two-thirds vote of those present.

Article Eight--Amending Process
 
    Section One--This constitution may be amended only as follows:
 
    (1) At a regular meeting of the Faculty Senate by a two-thirds vote of the members present provided, however, that notice of such amendment must have been given by a reading of the amendment, in the exact form in which it is finally adopted, at the previous regular meetings,
 
    (2) By a written three-fourths vote of the total membership of the Senate, or
 
    (3) By a three-fourths vote of those members present at an Assembly of the Faculty provided, however, that notice of such amendment must have been given by a reading of the amendment, in the exact form in which it is finally adopted, at a meeting of the Assembly of the Faculty at least 30 days previously.

Bylaws
 
    ONE --An eligible full-time faculty member is a full-time, tenured or tenure-track faculty member or a full-time  Library faculty member an individual who has been accorded instructional faculty rank by the Office of the President of the University of Houston.

    TWO --Duties of officers shall be as follows:

Duties of President:

• Preside over all meetings of the Faculty Senate and the Assembly of the Faculty.
• Be an ex officio member of all standing and ad hoc committees of the Faculty Senate.
• Call special meetings when appropriate.
• Transmit to the appropriate administrative authorities of the University of Houston the recommendations and resolutions passed by the Faculty Senate.
• Advise the president and the senior vice president for academic affairs of the University of Houston on matters of general interest to the faculty.
• Transmit from the president and senior vice president information on matters of general interest to the faculty.
• Appoint the chairs of senate standing committees.

• Preside over all meetings of the Faculty Senate and the Assembly of the Faculty in the absence of the president.
• Be a member of all standing and ad hoc committees of the Faculty Senate, and act as liaison between these committees and the president.
• Further assist the president as the president may deem advisable.
• Coordinate with the secretary the communications of the Senate.

• Keep a complete set of minutes for each meeting and prepare summary minutes of each regular or special meeting.
• Carry on correspondence.
• Act as treasurer when necessary.
• Keep a roll of members present.

• Serve as chair of the Committee on Committees.
• Work with the new president in transferring effectively the responsibilities of the office.
• Further assist the president as the president may deem advisable. 
  

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ENDORSEMENT OF STAFF COUNCIL RESOLUTION ON THE UH CHILD CARE CENTER

         Sen. Warner said senators should have this attached to their materials for this meeting.  The Staff Council has passed a resolution asking that administrator and utility charges be waived at the Child Care Center.  This becomes very involved.  What it breaks down to is that there are three different operations at UH dealing with children: the Lab School, Charter School, and Child Care Center.  Of those three, only the CCC restricts its membership to children of UH faculty, staff and students.  The parallel resolution has been introduced and may have already been passed in the Student Government Association.  The students and staff support and the Executive Committee is proposing that the Faculty Senate also vote to support this resolution.
         Sen. Warner said the Executive Committee is in general agreement that UH needs more child care, not less and that it needs more opportunities to provide a more family friendly environment.  How that is handled has to be worked out.  Right now there are administrative charges that are assessed on the CCC but not on the other two.  The intent of this proposal is to say that UH needs to work these inequities out.
         Sen. Craig said he thinks this resolution is misdirected because it will benefit the current recipients of the CCC services, not the unrepresented groups which are all the people in the queue who don’t have access to it. He added that putting the CCC on the same footing as the Lab School makes sense in lots of ways, so this is not is a terrible proposal, but it is insufficient for what UH needs.  Sen. Craig said he would rather see the funds go into meeting on that need (expanding the facility).
         Sen. Warner said he doesn’t disagree.  That is why he keeps saying UH needs more, not less, child care.  The immediate problem is getting some degree of equity among the current operation.  The longer range problem is to look at the whole issue and figure out how to come up with the resources to provide the child care that is desperately needed.  Sen. Warner said, to his knowledge, at the current moment there is no University support for child care services on an operational basis with the exception of student fees in the amount of about $25,000 a year that are available for student scholarships to have their children enrolled in the CCC. 
         Sen. Ferimer asked how much money is involved?  Sen. Warner said in the neighborhood of $100,000.
         Sen. Ferimer asked if that money would that reduce the fees?  Sen. Craig said, of course, it will reduce the fees.  Dr. Ann Christensen, Chair of the UH CCC Advisory Board, said the Child Care Center tuition rates, the fees the parents pay, cannot be reduced.  The fees increased $10 per child per week last spring; $20 per child per week this spring.  The fees to be reduced are the fees that the CCC pays to the University.  There is no profit.  The CCC is in the red.  The (administrative/utilities) fees are being paid by the Student Government right now, so there is never any kind of profit.
         Sen. Craig asked aren’t the parents paying all the cost of the CCC?
         Dr. Christensen said no.  There is a deficit of $100,000.  Their support may be reduced.  The burden should be shouldered equally by all the constituents besides the students.  They have been covering $25,000 for utilities use and then about $75,000 for administrative fee which is what other auxiliary units pay. That is the deficit.
         Sen. Greenwood asked how UH could put the CCC into the capital campaign?  Is a bigger building needed?  What is needed?  The process for capital campaign is coming through the deans right now and it is doubtful if a dean would recommend the CCC.
         In a point of information, Sen. Ignatiev said that has nothing to do with this discussion.  The Senate is talking about whether it will approve this motion supporting the Staff Council resolution or not.
         Sen. Rushing disagreed, saying he thinks this is an appropriate time to hear that comment.
         Sen. Greenwood said the question was how does something like the CCC, as the Senate is talking about finances, get into the pot for the capital campaign if no dean is in charge of it?  Pres. Auchmuty said the fact is the capital campaign is further down the road and this is something that has to be dealt with in the coming year.   The CCC as an item in the capital campaign is certainly something that should be looked at, but perhaps not right now.
         Sen. Rushing said that collectively, he has eight years experience with the CCC and they do remarkable work and they do with chewing gum and bailing wire.  It is a remarkable place and they are not getting a lot of money.  Whereas clauses number seven and number eight get to the heart of the matter.  Number eight compares UH’s CCC with those at other Urban Thirteen institutions that are not required to cover these charges.  He added that he had children in the CCC at University of Missouri-St. Louis which went through a struggle on this very issue about having to kick back money to the administration to pay the light bill and pay the heating bill.  Sen. Rushing said he is very much in favor of this resolution.
         Sen. Jacobson said she is slightly concerned about the wording of number seven because it says the CCC is billed for administrative and utility charges.  Technically it’s true, but the CCC isn’t paying those charges; students are paying those charges.  It looks like the Senate is asked to ask the administration to support the CCC but in fact what is being asked is slightly more complicated.  She added that she is not sure whether this is to reimburse the students or to pick up the tab that the students have been paying.
         Sen. Gingiss said since this resolution already exists from the Staff Council and it has already been passed by another council, he doesn’t think it behooves the Senate to tinker with the wording.  The Senate is not originating it.
         Sen. Huber said with regard to the dollar question, in principle anything that comes to this body involving money should be sent to the senators in advance.  Secondly, Sen. Huber said he took the liberty of asking the Chancellor and the Provost whether the administration had any problems with this.  They said no, it is a good idea.  They favor it.  So the resolution will not get pushed back from them.   Sen. Huber said that everyone has alternatives to the charter school, which are grade schools.  He added that in the Law Center everyone sees all the faculty candidates each year and child care frequently comes up.  Child Care is a central part in UH’s future in hiring faculty.  The university needs to do something so that in recruiting faculty, colleges and departments will be able to tell prospective faculty that, yes UH has a CCC and yes, there will be a place for that person’s kids.
         Sen. Leiss asked why doesn’t the Charter School or the Human Development Lab pay the administrative charge, but the CCC does?  Pres. Auchmuty said that has been discussed with the administration.  The first two are under the Provost’s Office while the CCC is under the VP for Students Affairs.
         Sen. Leiss asked is there an administrative way of moving the CCC?  Sen. McNeil said it is classified as an auxiliary unit rather than an administrative unit.  Sen. Leiss said so UH should reclassify it.  Sen. McNeil said the Provost and the President says that would be an easy switch, so all the Senate needs to do today is endorse the Staff Council’s resolution.  It is not up to the Senate to find the funding.
         Sen. Ignatiev called the question.
         The resolution passed unanimously.

NEW BUSINESS: 
        Sen. Huber said the calendar of Senate meetings says that in August there will be a meeting if called.  He said he would like the Senate to vote to call a meeting in August.  Texas will have just come off a legislative session and there will be a lot of stuff to discuss. 
        Pres. Auchmuty said there was a Faculty Senate meeting this year on September 1.   Since classes don’t start until August 22 for the fall, there is little bit of a problem with saying it has got to be in August.  Sen. Huber said UH contracts provide that faculty are to be on campus and available the week before classes start.  He added that he would be perfectly willing to have the meeting a week before classes start as most faculty are incredibly busy the first week or two of classes.
Sen. Warner said he would arrange it. 

        Pres. Auchmuty wished everyone happy holidays and a pleasant vacation.  He added that he would see everyone next year.  

 
The meeting adjourned at 1:55 p.m.