UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE FACULTY SENATE 27 APRIL 1998 MINUTES SUMMARY I. Roll - The following Faculty Senate members were absent: Balling, Barkey, Burger, Calculator, Greenlaw, Herold, Lugalla, and Morgan. Excused were Bozak, Crepeau, Farrell, Gross, Guidry, Henke, McMahon, Roh, Straussfogel and Walsh. II. Communications from the President - When we look at the universityıs teaching mission in relationship to its public service mission, we see that university outreach includes Cooperative Extension which works with the marine program and rural and urban youth, families and communities; the Small Business Development Center; the Family Business Forum and the CEO Forum; and the New Hampshire Industrial Research Center which now receives half a million dollars per year from the legislature and will have larger funding when the entrepreneurial campus is developed. The president added that the university has a highly developed mission in public service, which we will continue to seek to expand. The new director of Alumni Affairs, Ernie Gale, will start work on July 1 and intends to build an advocacy network throughout the state. He is enthused about the Faculty Senateıs alumni recognition initiative. The president said that repairs to Thompson Hall include resealing the foundation and repairing the floor and that the fence will be removed in a week or so. Repairs for Petty and Murkland Halls are our top two requests for future state capital funding, and the university has a good probability of getting funding for the repairs of those two buildings. Underpasses under the railroad are also needed, as is repair for Kingsbury Hall. The library construction is on schedule and on budget. Workers will start moving the books back to the main library in May and will complete the process in August. The building, which will have new furniture in all public areas, will be dedicated in October. The chancellor has agreed that UNH will receive two thirds of the system capital budget instead of the half it has received in the recent past. A professor asked if the chancellor will also agree that UNH contribute only two thirds of the university system's budget. The chancellor has agreed that his salary will not increase faster than the UNH president's, in contrast to the past. III. Communications from the Chair - The chair said that she has sent a letter to the department chairs inviting them to nominate alumni for the distinguished alumni recognition initiative. Lee Zia wrote a note of thanks to the Faculty Senate for its careful reading of and suggestions on the scholarly misconduct policy. The Faculty Senate also received a plaque from the President's Task Force on Transgendered, Bisexual, Lesbian and Gay Issues, in recognition of the senate's support of partner benefits,. McIntosh College contacted the senate chair because McIntoshıs course credits will no longer be transferable to UNH, since McIntosh College is not accredited. The senate chair replied that McIntosh should contact Todd DeMitchell, the chair of the senateıs Academic Affairs Committee. A letter was handed out to the Faculty Senate inviting the senators and others to meet in May with the candidates for vice provost for enrollment management. In mid-April, the Agenda Committee met with Trustee Joe Murdoch and brainstormed with him on global issues that faculty and trustees could meet to talk about next year, including responsibility centered management. The Faculty Senate chair invites senators to bring up concerns or suggestions today on reports presented at today's or previous senate meetings, for possible consideration by next year's senate. Two reports were distributed with the Faculty Senate agenda, prior to the April 13 senate meeting, from the Academic Standards and Advising Committee and from the Distance Education Committee. The chair of the Academic Standards and Advising Committee said that his committee is charged to implement Faculty Senate motions. Senators are invited to bring up comments on either report, in the open mike segment of this meeting. Next year the Faculty Senate could take up the part-time faculty issue. A slate of nominees for Faculty Senate officers has been sent to the 1998-99 faculty senators. IV. Minutes - The minutes of the previous senate meeting were approved unanimously, with an amendment to change John to Jim Farrell in the last paragraph on the first page. V. Handicapped Access Law - The chair of the Academic Affairs Committee said that in September the committee would like to give a presentation to the senate on the meaning of regulation 504 and what our responsibilities are regarding it. VI. Research and Public Service Committee Report - Jeffrey Sohl, the chair of that committee, said that it has met with the Board of Trusteesı Agricultural Affairs Committee. The Research and Public Service Committee has concerns about the cost ascribed to course release from grants, especially regarding the replacement costs of faculty, since this seems to vary widely. Also the number of course releases permitted ranges from unlimited to one per year. In addition, there should be a consistent or clearly articulated policy on grant income and external supplementary pay for faculty and on the amount graduate students may earn from a grant. There should be work on media outreach so that New Hampshire citizens, legislators and UNH trustees understand that faculty spend many hours a week on research and public service in addition to teaching responsibilities. Faculty should have a role in the capital campaign and in the decisions on how to spend the resulting funds. VII. Commission on the Status of People of Color - Senator John Ernest reported that during this, the commissionıs first year, it has set up bylaws and subcommittees and is looking at making the most effective use of university resources regarding diversity. The group's mission is to propose recommendations and evaluate programs on diversity. New minors are being developed. Any requests for information on diversity may be sent to Jane Stapleton. A professor suggested that members of this commission should sit in on meetings to review the candidates for the position of vice provost for enrollment management and should make an effort to get the commissionıs issues considered when the new person is chosen. VIII. Report from the Professional Standards Committee - John Seavey, the chair of this committee, handed out the committeeıs report. The committee worked on a motion on scholarly misconduct, which was passed by this year's Faculty Senate. Next year's Professional Standards Committee could set up internal rules and procedures for dealing with issues which could be sent to the committee under Article 14 of the AAUP contract, and the committee could also work to develop a compendium of faculty responsibilities. IX. Report from the General Education Committee - Any transfer course equivalent to English 401 will be accepted as one of the four required writing-intensive courses. The Writing Committee reviews courses and makes recommendations to the General Education Committee, and all the recommendations of the Writing Committee have been accepted by the General Education Committee. This committee now intends to review the difference between core and distributional requirements. Originally the general education program was intended to focus on beginning-level courses, but courses were approved on a course-by-course basis and now form quite a long list. The appropriateness of 600-level courses will be reviewed, as will the issue of how the program differs from its original conception. Concern was expressed that general education courses may be deleted by departments which need to save money. Departments might decide to retain the larger courses; but smaller honors courses might be vulnerable; and care must be taken to have a reasonable mix of courses. X. Student Designed Major Committee - Each year this committee receives proposals from about six to eight students who want to design their own majors. It would be good to make this program better known among the students. However, proposals will only be accepted if a similar major does not already exist. XI. University Honors Committee - The report of this committee was enclosed with the senate agenda, and the senate received the report with no discussion. XII. New Student Orientation and Advising Committee - This committee deals with new student orientation, advising and registration and also works to allocate enough seats in key classes for new students. The Connect Program is a three-day pre-orientation for entering students of color. This program is for American minority students, and there is separate program for foreign students. XIII. Open Mike - An announcement was made about an up-coming theatrical play. Compliments were expressed on the accuracy of the senate minutes. A professor said that there are now 250 to 300 fewer admissions applications to UNH than last year. This is a concern, but how serious it is depends on the number of accepted students who actually come to UNH and on the number of transfer students. XIV. Adjournment - The meeting was adjourned.