To:             Fort Wayne Senate

From:         Downs
                  Speaker of the Indiana University Faculty

Subject:     BAS 1997-98 End-of-Year Recommendations to Chancellor Wartell

Date:         August 31, 1998

DISPOSITION: To the Presiding Officer for implementation

WHEREAS, at the last Senate meeting in April the Budgetary Affairs Subcommittee submitted its report for information only and no vote was taken;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, That the Senate accepts and approves the report and its recommendations.

From: George W. M. Bullion, Chairperson,
          IPFW Budgetary Affairs Subcommittee

Subject: BAS 1997-98 End-of-Year Recommendations to Chancellor Wartell - for information only

Date: March 30, 1998

Attached is a copy of the 1997-98 End-of-Year recommendations that BAS provided to Chancellor Wartell. The recommendations are being transmitted to you for information purposes only.

From: George W. M. Bullion, Chairperson,
          IPFW Budgetary Affairs Subcommittee

Subject: BAS End-of-the Year recommendations

Date: March 30, 1998

As the Budgetary Affairs Subcommittee draws its 1997-98 activities to a close, it is pleased to provide you with a list of recommendations that are mostly self-explanatory. If you have questions about any of the recommendations, either I or other members of BAS will provide the needed answers. Also, to the extent that BAS can be helpful to the IPFW administration in implementing any of the recommendations, you have our fullest cooperation.

On behalf of the 1997-98 BAS I thank you and the other members of your administration for the cooperation which we received in the discharge of our responsibilities. This year's BAS worked very hard to represent the interests of the IPFW faculty and I believe we were able to do that in large part due to the cooperation of both you and your staff. The level of cooperation that the BAS received from the administration made its job much easier and more satisfying.

The members of BAS look forward to continuing a positive working relationship with the IPFW administration during the 1998-99 academic year.

• In accord with Senate Document SD 97-18, the IPFW administration, in cooperation with the Purdue University West Lafayette administration, should continue working diligently to improve IPFW's per FTE operating appropriation to at least the average of its peers. Furthermore, this effort should be continued indefinitely until the above-mentioned goal has been met.

• Initiate a formal study to determine the costs and benefits associated with continued affiliation with Indiana University and Purdue University. BAS is willing to work with the administration to develop the methodology for such a study and to do a portion of the work. If IPFW's fiscal agent is either unwilling or is ineffective in bringing IPFW's funding at least up to the average level of appropriation per FTE, then independence ought to be considered.

• Faculty/staff salary increases should remain the highest priority and the amount of increase should be at least the amount allocated by the state for that purpose. In light of the analysis done relative to campus equity funding it was found, from several different sources, that IPFW faculty salaries are significantly below the salaries (by as much as approximately $10,000 per year for all faculty at IUPUI) at the other similar Indiana institutions. 

• The Chancellor should provide a summary statement annually giving the numbers of each of: administrators, faculty, and staff on "hard money" along with the methods for counting each group and the average percent increments received by continuing members of each group. There should be no increase in the number of positions or level of funding for administrative positions on "hard money." However, if there is a disproportionate change in the above numbers, an explanation should be provided.

• All new initiatives involving the commitment of significant recurring funds (suggested level $50,000) should be presented, early in the formative stages, to the BAS for analysis of financial impact.

• Establish a teaching/research development center. The center should provide for faculty the additional tools and staffing (in a development center) (e.g.: Web, multimedia, and advanced technologies). The two desirable outcomes from the establishment of the center will be improved teaching utilizing the latest technologies and additional publishable research. This will allow IPFW to compete favorably in the education marketplace.

• Funding for the Library, including facilities, should continue to remain a high priority.

• Whenever IPFW receives a substantial amount of "windfall" money, the policy described in Senate Document SD 97-20 should be followed.

• Upgrade technology used by the faculty. Even without the windfall moneys from successful renegotiation of the IU service fee, a much greater emphasis is needed on bringing individual faculty "up the technology curve" with both hardware and software.

• Efforts should be continued to reduce the dependence on associate faculty, in favor of full-time, tenure-track positions.

• The Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs should implement the Chair Emolument Plan in accord with the principles described in the final recommendation of the BAS on this topic.

• The Chancellor should use an ad hoc advisory group (predominantly faculty) to develop criteria for the scholarships funded by the Wilbur-Smith scholarship endowment. The criteria developed should be incorporated into the agreement with the Indiana University Foundation. Further, the criteria should ensure that the Wilbur-Smith scholarships are an integral part of IPFW's overall scholarship program.

• All future development of the McKay Farm should be brought before the BAS, for input, early in the development phase.