Sangamon Sun

At a recent meeting, the University of Illinois Springfield's Campus Senate received a report on what happened at the University Senates Conference.

Below are the minutes from this meeting, as provided by the Senate.

University of Illinois-Springfield is located at One University Plaza, Springfield.

University of Illinois Springfield

CAMPUS SENATE MEETING

AY 2016/2017

Friday, August 26, 2016

10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.

PAC G

Senators Present: D. Anthony, R. Barnett, M. Buxton, H. Chen, S. Cordell, B. Goulet, E. Hadley-Ives, A. Hanson, N. Hoffman, J. Laubersheimer , X. Li, A. Mehmet, J. Monack, F. Nation, R. Neginsky, T. Nielson, K. Novak, K. Piskin, K. Smith, A. Strahle, L. Vazquez, J. Villegas, T. Wang and R. Karri presiding.

Senators Absent: S. Antoun, E. Sahebkarkhorasani, C. Vemagiri.

Ex-Officio: J. Ermatinger.

Guests: S. Koch, B. Moore, C. Cornell, G. Joseph, D. Ruez, R. Croke, J. Bruce, J. Pickel, B. Clevenger, L. Fisher, J. Sarra, J. Gilliam, D. Brown, H. Bapat, F. Planas.

Chair Karri called the meeting to order at 10:00 A.M.

Approval of the Agenda

Mehmet moved to approve the agenda; Villegas seconded. The agenda was approved.

Karri introduced Eric Hadley-Ives, who will be serving as Parliamentarian, and Ann Strahle, who will serve as Secretary. Karri thanked Jorge Villegas for agreeing to will fill a recently vacated CBM seat. Laurel Newman (CBM) was not present, but has been appointed to an at-large vacancy. Villegas and Newman are both appointed to one-year replacement terms. Karri said the senate was fortunate to have two former Senate Chairs serving as senators in the persons of Kathy Novak and Jorge Villegas. He then introduced Chancellor Susan Koch.

Opening Remarks – Chancellor Susan Koch

Koch said that she has made it a practice to address the senate at least once each semester, but she is available and willing to meet with the senate at any time. The recently held welcome week Chancellor’s picnic was well-attended, and she thanked those members of campus leadership who were in attendance.

The Chancellor offered remarks about events occurring at the national, state, and university level that may impact UIS. At the national level, sexual assault on college campuses continues to be an area of major concern. Studies have shown that one in five women will become a victim of rape or attempted rape while they are in college, and UIS is not immune. There has been an increase in the focus of Title IX legislation on sexual assault prevention and response, and UIS has new policies and practices in place that are reflective of the new Title IX regulations. There is also a new state law titled “Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education.” Koch acknowledged Deanie Brown, Associate Chancellor for Compliance, for taking the lead on implementation and awareness of the efforts to prevent sexual assault on campus. 

Degree completion rates continue to be an important topic of discussion at the national level. There has been some discussion among policy makers about tax credits related to degree completion, as well as new innovative student support ideas, and here at UIS we continue to work on developing new ways of encouraging and enabling students to complete their degrees. College affordability remains a concern at all levels. The Chancellor said UIS has received an increase in federal work study funding this year by  about $14,000, for a total allocation of $195,664.

The overwhelming topic at the state level is the budget. The stop gap measure has provided stability through the end of the calendar year. The University of Illinois governmental relations team, along with our alumni advocates and a legislative caucus consisting of UI graduates from all three campuses, have

 been working to secure adequate funding for the University of Illinois and to create some stability for MAP funding. UIS has told over 700 MAP eligible students that they will be covered for the fall even though the MAP funding has not arrived. UIS, being located in the state capitol, has an opportunity to be a forum for issues relating to the upcoming elections.

At the University level, the BOT has approved the Strategic Framework, and it is available on the UIS website. UIS Faculty members Jorge Villegas and Megan Styles, as well as Associate Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs Ryan Croke and BOT student trustee Dominique Wilson all served on the strategic planning committee. The Strategic Framework includes areas of opportunity for UIS, and the Chancellor encouraged all to read the document and take advantage of those opportunities. The Chancellor’s search at UIUC has successfully concluded and new Chancellor Robert Jones will start on October 1. UI Vice President for Academic Affairs Christophe Pierre has resigned to take a new position elsewhere, and there is currently a search underway for an interim replacement. Jorge Villegas and James Ermatinger from UIS are serving on the VPAA search committee.

At the campus level, initial enrollment numbers are good. The official count will not be taken for another week, but it appears that UIS will be up in both graduate and undergraduate enrollments. This is especially encouraging given the enrollment struggles at other public universities in Illinois. Construction of the new Student Union is well underway and on schedule. Nearly six million dollars in private contributions has been raised, with two million to go. Alumni Relations and Development were merged last year to create a new Office of Advancement, and it is working very well. Fundraising is the major activity of that unit, but they are also working closely with the Chancellor in planning the next capital campaign for the University of Illinois. This is a system-wide effort, but each campus has its own campaign. UIS Campaign co-chairs are Hy Bunn, CEO of Bunn-O-Matic Corporation, and Saul Morse, a distinguished Springfield attorney. Renovations to on-campus housing were completed before the start of the semester. The Chancellor said she had recently toured campus housing and it was amazing. A ribbon cutting was recently held for the Bluffstone project, a privately funded seventy-nine unit apartment complex in downtown Springfield. While UIS is not financially invested in this project, we have worked very closely to help the project become a reality. This will be a great location for our graduate students who work in state government, and will be a boost to the downtown economy. The Library has a new  Dean in Pattie Piotrowski, and the new UIS Athletic Director is Jim Sarra. The search committee for the new Provost will be finalized soon. The Chancellor said a new Shakespeare Garden is under construction in Patton Park. The new garden is made possible by a gift to UIS from the UI Chester Fund, the purpose of which is to beautify the campuses of the University of Illinois. The garden will include a seated, life-sized sculpture of Shakespeare. A dedication and unveiling is planned for September 29.

The Chancellor thanked senators for their leadership. Koch said she recently accepted a second five year term and she considered it a great privilege to serve as Chancellor. The Chancellor said she will continue to reach out to academic departments and units for input.

Karri thanked the Chancellor for her remarks and said that the Senate Executive Committee has resolved to be more engaged, more accountable, and more responsible. Karri challenged all senators to be more involved and take active leadership roles in the senate and on committees.

Approval of Minutes

Barnett moved to approve the minutes from the meeting of May 8, 2016; Wang seconded. Novak noted one typo on line 70. The error being corrected, the minutes were approved.

New Business

Resolution 46-1 Dual Credit Transfer Policy [1st reading]

Harsh Bapat, Chair of the Undergraduate Council, moved to approve the removal of the dual credit requirement that is currently in place; Villegas seconded. Brian Clevenger, UIS Registrar, said that the  resolution before the senate was not exactly what was approved by the Undergraduate Council. Clevenger explained that the current policy limiting dual credit transfers to thirty hours is not an academic policy, but rather an administrative policy that was put in place when UIS first started accepting dual credit a few years ago. There was also an administrative policy that limited the number of hours that could be transferred as military credits. UIS administration, beginning with 2016/17, no longer caps the number of military or test-based and dual credit hours. Academic policy allows for transfer credit of up to 72 hours at the lower division level and up to 90 combined hours for upper division. Clevenger also addressed the last line of the resolution, which deals with the minimum grade acceptable for transfer of dual credit. Current policy only accepts grades of B or better. When this was discussed in Undergraduate Council, it was agreed the minimum grade requirement should be waived. The resolution as presented requires a grade of C or better for transfer credits. Clevenger offered some scenarios that demonstrated how keeping the minimum grade requirement could result in an inaccurate picture of a student’s academic history. He asked that the minimum grade requirement be removed. Karri said he added the last line of the resolution after reading the memo from the Director of Admissions and Karen Moranski, and apologized for the misunderstanding. There was some discussion about how Resolution 46-1 should be amended. Villegas then moved to delete lines 29 and 30 from the resolution, and lines 26-27 be amended to read “Therefore be it resolved that the current restrictions on the number of hours of dual credit students can transfer and grade requirements be removed.” Hadley-Ives seconded. There was no opposition. The resolution as  amended will be presented at the second reading.

Resolution 46-2 Proposed Revisions to the Statutes, Article IX, Sections 3a and 4b, to Implement the  Recommendations of the Hiring Policies and Review Committee [1st reading] Karri said this is the first of several modifications of the Statutes that will come to Senate this year. This particular revision deals with the delays that occur when the BOT is the ultimate authority for appointing all academic staff. This particular resolution says that the BOT shall delegate authority for hiring, promotion, tenure, and setting of salaries to the President, who may further delegate authority over these matters to the respective campuses. Wang moved to approve the Resolution, which opened a brief  discussion. Smith moved to postpone a vote until the second reading; Laubersheimer seconded. There was no opposition.

Program Reviews

Criminal Justice B.A. Jay Gilliam, Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice, said he did not have anything to add to what was included in the memo from the Undergraduate Council, but he would take any questions. There was no discussion.

Sociology/Anthropology B.A.

Lynn Fisher, Associate Professor from Sociology/Anthropology, represented the department as Department Chair Jennifer Manthei was unable to attend. Fisher said the College Curriculum Committee memo noted the department had robust enrollments, while the UGC memo referenced fluctuating enrollments, and the difference was due to the time frames involved. The previous review showed the  number of majors to range from 25 – 28, while the current review period saw the number of majors fluctuate from 29 – 42. UGC did recommend adding some concentrations as a way of attracting new majors, and the department is considering that option. UGC also recommended that the department consider requiring introductory classes. The classes are currently available and the department is considering making the classes mandatory for majors. There was no additional discussion.

Reports

Karri encouraged the submission of written reports when practical to increase efficiency.

Interim Provost – J. Ermatinger

Ermatinger said the search for a new Dean of the College of Public Affairs and Administration will begin this fall. Karen Moranski recently resigned as Associate Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education, and an interim replacement will be named soon. A search for a permanent replacement will be launched this fall. Speaking to the budget, Ermatinger said UIS had a direct state appropriation in FY15 of $15.6 million, while in FY 16 we received $4.4 million, which was just 28% of the amount received in FY 15.  For FY17, the appropriation so far is $10.1 million, or 54% of what we received in FY15. The current appropriation of $10.1 million is for this calendar year, and it is hoped that additional funding will be awarded beginning in January.

Karri encouraged senators to participate in the administrative searches, and to encourage their constituents to participate as well.

USC Report – K. Novak

Novak said the University Senates Conference met most recently in June. The USC met with President Killeen, who discussed the vacancy in the office of the UI Vice President for Academic Affairs, as well as a new opening for a Vice President of Research. The USC can make suggestions and advise the President on the make-up of the search committees for those positions, and Killeen is receptive to USC input. The VPAA search is internal, while the search for VPR is external. Both positions are currently filled with interim appointments. Budgetary considerations led to a decision to conduct the VPR search without the use of an outside hiring firm. There was also discussion at the USC meeting of the UI 2021 initiative, which is a framework for working toward reduced reliance on state budget allocations. The Strategic Plan was also on the agenda. Novak said she is serving as Chair of the USC this year, and Jorge Villegas and Ranjan Karri also represent UIS on the USC.

Student Government Association - A. Mehmet Austin Mehmet said the first meeting of the SGA will be September 11. Once a full senate is in place,  student representatives to senate committees will be appointed. Mehmet offered some updates from SGA since the last Campus Senate meeting. The petition against Friday classes garnered 692 signatures. The results were forwarded to Interim Provost Ermatinger, who said he would take the results into consideration as the issue moves forward. The SGA is also in the process of reformulating the student employment committee. The office of Financial Assistance will be represented on the committee, and there are plans to also include representatives from the Career Development Center. There is an SGA  Town Hall Meeting scheduled for August 26 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. in the LRH Great Room.

Remarks from the Chair Karri said the SEC has decided that the Senate should strive to be more engaged, more accountable, and more responsible, meaning they were asking senators to lend their ear – EAR. For example, Karri said he would like to see increased participation by senators on the various senate committees. The Senate Constitution says that the senate is responsible for education policy, but education policy involves more  than academics. While the faculty has a direct responsibility for academic instruction, there is also an  opportunity to indirectly affect academics through the various committees. As for accountability, Karri said he would like to have a page on the senate website where committees can post schedules, agendas, and minutes of committee meetings. Lastly, responsibility means being proactive and vigilant about the shared governance processes across campus. Karri said he has also been fielding questions about the roles of the senate and the new faculty union. Karri said there should be a clear distinction of what the union responsibilities are, and the responsibilities of the senate. This topic has been discussed at the USC level, where they are working to form as much clarification as possible. Karri said for UIS, as he understands it, the role of the union is solely to focus on wages and working conditions. Everything else stands on the shoulders of the senate.

Announcements

 Villegas said a fundraiser would be held at Applebee’s on Saturday, August 27 to raise funds for the SIU School of Medicine and UIS Interprofessional Hotspotters Team. The announcement was linked to the agenda.

Lynn Fisher, President of the Faculty Union, said the union will host a fall social on September 7, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at Lake Pointe Grille. Fisher also thanked Karri for his comments on the distinct but complimentary roles of the faculty, senate, and the faculty union in shared governance. Fisher said the name of the union is Faculty United, and it represents tenured and tenure track faculty at UIS. The union negotiates with the university on wages and working conditions. Fisher said sometimes the working conditions on campus are affected by changes to educational policy, so there may be occasions when the faculty union and shared governance bodies have overlapping or shared concerns and interests. Because of this, a best practice is to have active communication between shared governance and the faculty union. Fisher identified the other members of the union executive board as Kristi Barnwell, Heather Bailey, and Donna Bussell. Senator Deborah Anthony serves as ex-officio on the union board.

Laubersheimer asked senators to be aware that invitations for the Library open house will be out soon, and there will be an opportunity to meet with new Library Dean Pattie Piotrowski.

Barnett said the Academic Professionals Advisory Committee will finalize APAC appointments to senate committees on September 8.

Adjournment

Piskin moved to adjourn; Smith seconded. The meeting adjourned at 11:22 a.m.