UNH Faculty Senate

Summary Minutes from 23 November 1998

I.  Roll - The following Faculty Senate members were absent:  Morris and 
Naumes.  Excused were Bogle, Carr, Crepeau, Draper, Farrell, and Sherman.

II.  Communications with the President - President Leitzel said that she 
has reviewed the decentralized budgeting model and feels that it is 
fairly well structured at the institutional level, although there is 
still some detail work to be done.  The college-level plan needs to be 
developed and fit into the institutional level.  The deans will work with 
the faculty and the chairs on this model; and the senate's Academic 
Affairs Committee and Financial Affairs Committee will also meet with 
Vice President Corvey to discuss this matter.  President Leitzel said 
that we need to test formulas and weights for the decentralized budgeting 
model, so that we can make informed decisions.  The name of the plan has 
been changed from responsibility-centered management to decentralized 
budgeting, because UNH is constructing the plan and not borrowing it from 
another university.  The new budget plan would put decisions on a more 
local level.

A professor suggested that the burden of proof should be on those who are 
proposing the new plan, and she asked what would prevent the president 
from deciding to implement this plan.  The president replied that the 
colleges saying they could not implement the plan would be a significant 
problem.  The colleges will decide if the units will be the college or 
the departments.  A professor commented that initiatives that increase 
revenue often reduce quality or remove revenue from other departments; 
and the president responded that we can work together on that within the 
model.

Recently the president met with the black student union over one extended 
day.  In 1993/94, the university had a plan for more diversity, and the 
president is working within that plan.  There is a presidential 
commission in place to address these issues.  Sensitivity training 
workshops will be made available but will not be mandatory.  It is 
difficult for the university to attract highly-qualified minority 
faculty, and so they may have to be hired off scale or at unusual times.  
To that end, the president's office will pay half of the first two-years'
salary for minority faculty and half of the cost of visits for minority 
candidates.

III. Communications from the Chair - The chair said that Faculty Senate 
motion III-M1 has been sent to the designated people, and he handed out 
copies of the cover letter and motion which were sent to the governor.  
The chair also distributed copies of a letter from the president on the 
progress of the new decentralized budget model.  Pedro de Alba will be a 
member of the responsibility-centered management steering committee.  The 
responsibility-centered management web site can be reviewed at 
www.unh.edu/rcm; and the Faculty Senate web site can be seen at 
www.unh.edu/fac-senate.  Please send input to Deb Winslow and Lee Zia.

The president has appointed a new Master Planning Committee.  Members 
will include Professors Dolan, Connors and Pokoski.  In March, the 
Faculty Senate's Academic Affairs Committee will recommend a structure 
for the new Academic Oversight Committee.  A professor has proposed a 
motion regarding a possible computer purchase for the system office, and 
this motion has been sent to the senate's Finance and Administration 
Committee.  The president has announced that a formal Programmatic Review 
Committee for the Engineering Technology Program is being set up.  Three 
members of that committee will be nominated by the senate's Agenda 
Committee and three elected by the college.

IV.  Minutes - The minutes of the October 26 and the November 2 Faculty 
Senate meetings were unanimously approved.  The minutes of the November 9 
Faculty Senate meeting were unanimously approved, with an amendment 
adding that item II is a summary of John Crosier's comments.

V.  Motion from the Academic Affairs Committee - Deborah Winslow moved 
and Rosemary Wang seconded two motions on the funding increase for the 
system administration offices.  The motion contrasted the continuing cuts 
to academic programs at the university with the regular increases to the 
system administration.  The committee noted that from 1995 to 1998 the 
average annual increase in the Higher Education Price Index has been 
3.1%.  During this same period of time, the General Fund revenues for UNH 
have not kept pace, increasing at the lower average rate of 2.7%.  In 
contrast, increases in UNH payments to the System during this same period 
averaged 4.7%, substantially above the average annual increase in the 
Higher Education Price Index.  Thus the average increase in UNH payments 
to the System is 74% greater than the average increase experienced by UNH 
itself in the General Fund.  After discussion, today's first motion, 
which is designated motion III-M2 and is a redraft of  the motion III-M2 
proposed at the November 2 senate meeting, passed with one nay.

The second motion, which is designated motion III-M3, states that the 
redrafted motion III-M2 and supporting introductory remarks will be sent 
to Governor Jean Shaheen, USNH Chancellor Farrell, UNH President Joan 
Leitzel, and the New Hampshire press (including the Campus Journal and 
The New Hampshire).  A friendly amendment was accepted to add to the list 
of recipients the Speaker of the House, the President of the New 
Hampshire Senate, the members of the Legislative Oversight Committee and 
the Chair of the Board of Trustees.  The amended motion passed with one 
abstention.

A professor recommended that, in addition to this motion, individual 
voters should contact members of the Legislative Oversight Committee.  
Another professor commented that the system's distribution formula of UNH 
versus Keene, Plymouth and the College of Life-long Learning is also 
crucial.  A faculty member asked if the legislature votes for a lump sum 
for the entire university system and also the percentage which will go to 
each institution.  The chair said that he would report back with this 
information.

VI.  Reports from Senate Committee Chairs -  At the beginning of next 
semester, the Academic Affairs Committee will bring to the senate a 
recommendation on general education.  The committee will also review the 
decentralized budgeting model and will bring to the senate in March a 
proposal for structuring the new Academic Oversight Committee.

The Campus Planning Committee is reviewing the assumptions of the campus 
master plan.  In a few weeks, the committee will distribute information 
to the senate, for its input on this issue.  The faculty representative 
to the Space Allocation, Repair and Renovation Committee is Todd Gross.

The Finance and Administration Committee is working on the decentralized 
budgeting model.  Please review the responsibility-centered management 
web site to see questions and responses which show the flux of the model.
 
Also please check the distribution formulas, which are crucial and 
variable.

The Library Committee has toured the Dimond Library renovations several 
times and is looking at ways to enhance the library's revenues from the 
university bookstore.  When faculty place textbook orders through the 
university bookstore, the library receives a percentage.  Faculty input 
is requested.

The Research and Public Service Committee has been reviewing and 
providing feedback on the draft of a policy on ownership and retention of 
research data.  A later draft may be presented to the senate next 
semester.  The committee is also exploring the expansion of funding for 
start-up research and difficult-to-fund research.  One of the Research 
and Public Service Committee members is on the search committee for a new 
vice president for research and public service, and another is involved 
in the responsibility-centered management discussions to see how that 
plan will affect research.

The Student Affairs Committee was charged to enhance faculty cooperation 
with students.  This Faculty Senate committee has made many overtures to 
the students but has gotten no response from the student leadership.

The Professional Standards Committee is considering post-tenure review, 
which varies greatly across the university.  The committee will bring 
this matter to the senate next semester.

VII.  Academic Computing and Advising - A summary of last year's report 
had been distributed to the Faculty Senate.  Jeff Diefendorf, who is the 
chair of this committee, said that the president wants the committee to 
discuss priorities.  She hopes that the legislature will provide funding 
for academic computing; but if not, a student fee may be necessary.  A 
proposal has been made to require a basic computer competency test for 
faculty, staff and students, because the university spends a lot of money 
to answer basic questions.  The committee is distributing a survey on 
academic computing and would like a response from each academic 
department.  The committee also will work on an electronic mail privacy 
policy, as soon as the committee can get a response from the university 
attorney or permission to proceed without it.  A professor said that 
advanced software support is needed; and the chair of the Academic 
Computing Advisory Committee replied that some site licenses have been 
purchased.

VIII.  Open Mike - A professor asked what proof is there that the present 
budgeting system is worse than the others being considered.  The chair of 
the senate's Academic Affairs Committee will take this question to the 
vice president for finance and administration.  Concerns were expressed 
that the new plan is economically based and does not sufficiently 
consider academic values.  Emphasis seems to be placed on market model 
incentives, but we must not lose sight of the need for continued academic 
quality.

IX.  Adjournment - Today's meeting was adjourned.