November 12
October 29
October 15
October 1
September 7

Present: M. Codispoti, B. Fife, S. Hannah, D. Marshall, K. McDonald, D.

Oberstar, Y. Zubovic

The first item of business was a friendly amendment to the DPEA document passed at the 10-29-99 meeting. The change was accepted.

S. Hannah brought a proposal to change the Senate Bylaws regarding Professional Development Subcommittee membership such that the VCAA would be able to name a designee. It was moved, seconded (Hannah/McDonald) and passed unanimously. The bold wording represents the amendment.

5.3.2.1 Professional Development Subcommittee. This Subcommittee shall consist of the Chief Academic Officer [or a designee], nonvoting, and seven members of the faculty elected at large by the Voting Faculty subject to the restriction that no more than three shall come from the same school.

Upward feedback will be the next topic for the committee and to that end it was agreed that Jack Dahl be invited to the next meeting to talk about the process.

Next meeting: 1-14-00 12:00-1:00 CM208

Submitted by: David Oberstar

Present: M. Codispoti, B. Fife, S. Hannah, D. Marshall, K. McDonald, D. Oberstar, Y. Zubovic

The first item of business was a proposed document on promotion and tenure procedures for the Division of Public and Environmental Affairs (DPEA). This document was put together in order for DPEA to comply with the letter and spirit of SD 97-22. After a period of discussion, and clarification by B. Fife, it was moved and seconded (Hannah/McDonald) to approve the document. The motion passed with a unanimous vote.

The second item taken up by the committee was an amendment to SD 97-8. The issue in question is the way merit increments are distributed unevenly across the university in the case of faculty members promoted or on leave or sabbatical during the increment period. The committee felt it was a policy issue that needed to be addressed in order to eliminate an obvious inequity of treatment. It was proposed that the following wording be added to the end of the last paragraph of the EVALUATION section of SD 97-8:

Promotions, leaves and/or sabbaticals shall

not prevent an individual from receiving merit consideration for work accomplished during a review period.

This wording was moved and seconded (Fife/Marshall) and passed by unanimous vote.

Both of these items will be forwarded to the Agenda Committee for inclusion in the business of the December Senate meeting.

Next meeting: 11-12-99 12:00-1:00 CM 208

Submitted by: David Oberstar

Present: M. Codispoti, B. Fife, S. Hannah, D. Marshall, K. McDonald, D. Oberstar

Absent: Y. Zubovic

The discussion dealt with S. Hannah's increment guidelines draft. As agreed last time, we tried to isolate issues which we felt deal with policy. All the members of the committee felt that the inconsistent way in which departments/schools treated faculty members who were on sabbatical leave for all or part of the period being evaluated for merit increments, and the practice of some units of giving no merit increment to faculty promoted during the increment period were policy issues. We will attempt to address these issues through an amendment to SD 97-8. At our next meeting everyone will bring suggested wording to amend SD 97-8 and we will try to settle on an appropriate statement.

B. Fife will also forward to us before the next meeting a SPEA promotion and tenure procedures document for consideration.

Next meeting: 10-29-99 12:00-1:00 CM 208

Submitted by: David Oberstar

Present: M. Codispoti, B. Fife, S. Hannah, D. Marshall, D. Oberstar, Y. Zubovic

Absent: K. McDonald

Dennis Marshall of CAET was introduced as the replacement for Mary Helen Thuente.

S. Hannah distributed copies of a draft document dealing with guidelines for the administration of the merit increment process. She indicated that there was a group of issues which arose as she went through the process last spring and she has tried to address those concerns in this draft. She explained her reasoning on each of the points included and the committee commented on each as well. This will be the first agenda item for our next meeting. Our task is to determine whether these guidelines are purely administrative or deal with policy.

B. Fife indicated that he would be bringing a SPEA promotion and tenure procedures document to the committee for its consideration, comment and recommendation.

Next meeting: 10-15-99 12:00-1:30 CM 208

Submitted by: David Oberstar

After a spirited nomination and election process which lasted 37 seconds,

David Oberstar was elected (and I use the term loosely) chair.

VCAA Hannah distributed copies of the Academic Affairs agenda for 1999-2000 as well as a list of possible issues which she would like the FAC to consider and make recommendations on during this academic year. There was a brief period of discussion on some of those issues, but the deciding of agenda priorities was left to the next meeting.

Submitted by:

David Oberstar