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USF Faculty Senate Archives
FS Minutes

25 Mar 1998

FACULTY SENATE MEETING

March 25, 1998

MINUTES

The meeting was called to order at 3:10 p.m. The minutes from the January 21, 1998 meeting were approved as corrected.

PRESIDENT'S REPORT AND ANNOUNCEMENTS (J. Moore)

President Moore made the following announcements:

1. Dr. James D'Emilio, Chair of the Faculty Committee on Student Admissions (FCSA), met with the Senate Executive Committee (SEC) on March 18, 1998. The FCSA is recommending major changes to the process of determining alternative admits for first time in college students (FTIC). The issues that were outlined by Dr. D'Emilio are being investigated further. The SEC recommended to the FCSA that it meet with the Steering Committee on Enrollment Planning to try and obtain additional information before the recommendations go forward.

2. The University Honors Program Committee and the Sub-Committee of the Athletics Council have submitted reports. These reports are available in the Faculty Senate Office.

3. Dr. Harrison Covington, Professor Emeritus and Dean Emeritus of the College of Fine Arts, has been commissioned to design a new mace for the university.

4. The SEC reviewed a new policy from the Office of the General Counsel on the disposal of surplus property. Comments from the SEC have been sent to that office.

5. Senators were encouraged to apply for membership on the University-Wide Committees and Councils.

6. Senators were encouraged to accept the Provost's invitation to serve on focal area task forces which are being created for the Strategic Planning Process.

7. Dr. Donna Dickerson, Special Assistant to the Provost, attended the meeting of the SEC on February 25, 1998, to discuss the new Faculty Handbook. A draft version of the handbook is available for review and comment on the web at http://acad.usf.edu.

8. The last Faculty Senate meeting for the Spring 1998 Semester will be April 22, 1998.

   PRESIDENT CASTOR

   President Castor presented an overview of the proposed properties in the University Technology Center Research and Development Park (UTCRDP) to be purchased by USF. The buildings that house the University Technology Centers I and II (UTC) need to be purchased as separate entities from the land. Plans for these purchases should be finalized within the next 60 days. Because all the zoning and groundwork has been done, the land is ready for development. USF will receive the revenue from the two UTC's to use toward the purchase of the property.

   USF and Tampa General Health Care (TGHC) have submitted a $100 million plus joint proposal on aging to federal agencies. In addition, USF is working with two Florida Senators to pursue a larger agenda on aging for the university. All existing USF entities on aging will be placed under this umbrella.

   A Director of USF's Physical Therapy Program is in the process of being hired. The program will be under the administration of Dr. Martin Silbiger, Vice President of the Health Sciences Center. He has determined that this program will become the School of Physical Therapy and will be located in the psychiatric hospital where there is space for classrooms and faculty offices.

   USF is working with Moffitt Cancer Center to convince this year's Legislature to set aside a small portion of cigarette tax money to build a new Moffitt research tower. The initial plan calls for a $100 million building.

   President Castor will participate in the ground breaking for the Tampa Port Authority's new International Trade Building in downtown Tampa near the Ice Palace. USF will utilize the first floor of this building in the form of classrooms and offices. In addition, the Small Business Development Center will be moved to this building.

   In most areas on the legislative front, USF is doing well. However, work is still on-going in the area of salaries. At this time the salary provisions look similar to the way they were last year, except in the Senate, there is a provision to provide $10 million to be divided between the Teaching Incentive Program (TIP) and Professorial Excellence Program (PEP), and merit raises. If funding is granted, it would garner approximately 140 supplemental salary awards.

   On the facility side of the legislative front, USF will receive the remaining funds necessary to construct the Psychology and Communication Science Building and purchase equipment. In exchange for space on the Tampa campus for the State of Florida Department of Health Laboratory, USF will request additional laboratory space in the College of Public Health, as well as for the Maternal and Child Health Care Unit.

   USF has received nonrecurring funding to equip classrooms and facilitate distance learning for the new site in Pasco County at the Pasco/Hernando Community College.

   President Castor assured the Senators that over the last two years, USF has fully cooperated in all aspects of dealing with the authorities on the accusation that this university is harboring terrorists.

   The renovation of the Science Center is almost complete at a cost of 13 million dollars. The Center will provide new laboratory and office space which is now being occupied.

   Faculty Senate President Janet Moore welcomed the new Senators for 1998-1999.

   PROVOST TIGHE

   Provost Tighe announced that April 2, 1998, is the deadline for faculty, staff and students to notify his office if they are interested in participating on a task force for the Strategic Planning Process. To date, 100 faculty have responded. He reiterated that an effort will be made to use the existing committees and councils whenever possible in constructing these task forces. The composition of the task forces and the basic charges for each group will be available at the next Senate meeting.

   Seven finalists have been identified as candidates for the position of Dean and Warden of New College. These individuals will be invited to interview on the Tampa campus within the next month.

   The Dean search for the College of Fine Arts has 14 qualified candidates which will be narrowed to three or four individuals.

   Progress is being made toward the opening of the University Charter School. This school will serve kindergarten through second grade children whose complex circumstances place them at some disadvantage for favorable education. USF is negotiating with the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) to house the Charter School in their facility in the fall of 1998.

   UNITED FACULTY OF FLORIDA (UFF) (S. Singh)

   Senator Singh announced that at the national level, the National Education Association (NEA), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and American Association of University Professors (AAUP) are engaged in the cooperation of a national merger. All of these organizations have signed a no raid agreement. The NEA has published a document showing faculty salaries at the national and regional levels. A copy is available in the UFF office.

   At the state level, on the advice of the faculty negotiating team, the NEA has prepared articles on faculty evaluations. Faculty may vote by mail or on April 15, 1998, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. in person

   At the local level, the UFF has been providing consultation to the Administration on tenure and promotion. The UFF is recommending: (1) to retain the preface statements regarding tenure in the 1992/93 guidelines, (2) that the first, second and third year reviews during the tenure and promotion period should be internal reviews, and that there should be a provision for a person who is considered for tenure and promotion to file a self-evaluation, and (3) there should be a faculty review board.

   Dr. Singh further indicated that talks are continuing on how to strengthen the due process of academic freedom. Also, the UFF is looking into the faculty mediation process for conflict resolution.

   REPORTS FROM OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE CHAIRS

   Senate Election Report

   Secretary Julian Dwornik announced the 1998/1999 Faculty Senate officer nominations as follows: President, Janet Moore; Vice President, Julian Dwornik; Secretary, James Vastine; Sergeant-at-Arms, Christy Ponticelli; and Member-at-Large, Suresh Khator. No additional nominations were offered from the floor. The motion was made and seconded to accept the Faculty Senate officer nominations as presented. The motion was unanimously passed.

   SPECIAL REPORT

   Dr. Charles Lindsey, Faculty Senate President at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), presented an update on the faculty governance structure at FGCU. Last spring, the faculty of the USF Fort Meyers campus and the faculty of FGCU drafted two documents: (1) a provisional faculty governance structure, and (2) a process document for annual review, tenure and promotion, and contract renewal evaluation. These were made transitional documents because not all faculty required for FGCU had been hired at the time they were written. Both documents are being put to the test. The governance document has been revised and is ready to be voted on; whereas, the evaluation process will be revisited in the near future. The FGCU Faculty Senate has four standing committees: Faculty Affairs, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and Institutional Affairs. Dr. Lindsey indicated that FGCU has tried not to create a two-class system of faculty. Attempts are being made to treat both the multi-year contract and tenured faculty as equals where possible. A question and answer period followed Dr. Lindsey's presentation. Dr. Lindsey provided President Moore with a copy of a document titled "Multi-Year Contracts: Some Early Perspectives" which will be on file in the Faculty Senate Office.

   OLD BUSINESS

   President Moore indicated that the SEC reviewed the revisions of the proposed changes to tenure and promotion at its meeting on March 18, 1998. The SEC established that this document was greatly improved. The floor was opened for comments and discussion. Concern was expressed about the Tenure and Promotion Committee membership, especially the one person/one vote rule as it pertains to the department chair. Mr. Phil Smith, Director of Collective Bargaining, said that this document does not indicate how departments mandate this condition. Therefore, although there is not a statement about the one person/one rule in this document, it does not mean that it could not be added. Another concern was the use of the last five words of (f) on page 3 "... to the greatest extent possible." After some discussion, President Moore asked for a show of hands of Senators who wanted these words deleted. The majority of the remaining Senators raised their hands in support of this change. A second vote was taken in favor of the one person/one vote rule as it pertains to department chairs.

   Provost Tighe indicated that he would like to bring this to conclusion by the end of this semester. However, it does depend on the responses from the UFF. Mr. Phil Smith reported that when the guidelines are in final form, the UFF has the option to suggest to USF to either accept them or to table the guidelines for one year before they become operational. In addition, an individual who is being considered for tenure would be considered for tenure under the guidelines under which that individual had the majority of tenure earning time. However, that individual could request to be evaluated under the new guidelines.

   Provost Tighe will reflect upon the comments that have been made at this meeting and bring a final set of proposed changes to the last Faculty Senate meeting. It was decided to have the Senators submit via e-mail written amendments to the latest version of the tenure and promotion guidelines. These will be incorporated into a written document to be voted on by the Senators and then forwarded to Provost Tighe for his consideration before the April 22nd Faculty Senate meeting. At the April 22nd Faculty Senate meeting, the Senate will vote whether to support or not support the final document in toto.

   ISSUES FROM THE FLOOR

   President Moore announced that the issue of graduate credentialing will be on the April agenda.

   The meeting was adjourned at 5 p.m.

   

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