MSU-BOZEMAN FACULTY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES April 3, 2002 PRESENT: Young, Sherwood, White, Peed, Linker, Leech, Benham, Howard, Jones, Ross, Nehrir, Bradley for Lefcort, Weaver, McClure, Locke, Lansverk, Levy/Bandyopadhyay, Bogar, Jelinski, Idzerda, McKinsey for Pratt, Lynch, Fisher, Kempcke, Griffith. ABSENT: Hatfield, Morrill, Engel, Anderson, Kommers, Stewart, Chem Engr, Mooney, Henson, Lynes-Hayes, Butterfield, Carlstrom. The meeting was called to order by Chair John Sherwood at 4:10 PM. A quorum was present. The minutes of the April 27, 2002, meeting were approved as distributed. Chair's report - John Sherwood. - There have been some responses to the resolution regarding extending benefits to same-sex domestic partners. - In a memo to the Chair, President Gamble stated he is supportive of the resolution. He attached information from Washington State University regarding adding same-sex partners to insurance coverage. - Commissioner Crofts responded by memo to a query by a faculty member which explained the Board of Regents' reasoning for not extending benefits when the issue came up in May, 2000. According to Commissioner Crofts, the Montana Legislature in 1997 made it illegal to be in same-sex relationships. The Regents did not extend benefits to people in illegal relationships, and insurance coverage for same-sex domestic partners was not approved. - Nominees for two new committees are requested. Charges for the committees will be e-mailed to Faculty Council representatives. Faculty interested in either of the committees are encouraged to submit their names to Chair Sherwood. - The Debt Planning and Management Committee has one faculty position. Craig Roloff will chair the committee. - The Information Technology Advisory Committee has four faculty positions. - Faculty nominations are also being accepted for a sub-committee of the MSU Web Advisory Committee. This sub-committee will aid in the design of a new MSU web site. - If there are topics to be discussed by Faculty Council before the end of the academic year, please contact the Chair. Faculty Affairs Committee report - Marvin Lansverk. - The Ombudsman proposal was discussed at Monday's Faculty Affairs meeting. - Some concern was expressed for the proposed change in reporting authority from the President to the Provost. - Marvin will call the ombudsmans' organization to find out how other universities handle the issue. UPBAC report - John Sherwood and Rich Howard. - Discussion at yesterday's meeting centered around Information Technology funding issues and a plan to work out this year's IT budget shortfall. - The committee voted not to use some of the student computer fees to pay for additional help in the computer labs. - ITC is to determine where it can increase costs for services to help cover the shortfall. - The larger issue is how to fund ITC in the future, since the demands upon the Center are increasing dramatically. - Other Lawful Purpose (OLP) funds were explained. They amount to about $7 million/year and are generated principally by Auxiliary Services. - UPBAC members prioritized all budget amendments from 1 to 3. The academic side of the university was a priority for most committee members. Amendments receiving high priority include additional class sections, increased stipends for GTA's, ITC, and some new faculty lines. The faculty pay plan was ranked twelfth. - During brief discussion by Faculty Council concerning data gathered pertaining to student fees, it was asked that care be given to the way in which comparisons are made and that what is being compared is clear. It was also suggested that MSU total the cost of tuition, lodging, meals, and across-the-board fees when the cost for a semester or year of education is being discussed. Strategic Planning Committee report - Jon Wraith. - The committee has been meeting since late last fall. Faculty members of the committee are Bill Brown, John Carlsten, Kay Chafey, and Jon Wraith. Bruce Morton, Dean of the Libraries, chairs the committee. - SPC is advisory to UPBAC. It is charged to: - Develop implementation strategies and timelines for achieving strategic priorities developed or approved by UPBAC. - Recommend to UPBAC, based on planning and analysis by SPC, beneficial strategic goals, priorities, or objectives. - Continually monitor and evaluate the strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats facing MSU-Bozeman. Recommend to UPBAC actions or strategies to address issues or opportunities that emerge. - The committee delivered a preliminary SWOT analysis to the Provost and UPBAC yesterday. The topics will be addressed in greater detail during the next year. The SWOT analysis will be made available to anyone interested in it. - The committee has met or will meet with various individuals to develop a common knowledge base. These include representatives from Facilities Services, Enrollment Management, the College of Graduate Studies, and ITC. SPC will also meet with the Provost and the President. The intent is to learn as much as possible about MSU in order to make the best informed recommendations possible. - During discussion, it was asked what process will be used to determine MSU's priorities. It was suggested possible measures might include efficiency measures, relevance, and competitive advantage. - Input will probably be solicited from outside MSU at some point. As there was no further business, the meeting adjourned at 5:00 PM. Joann Amend, Secretary John Sherwood, Chair