WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

FACULTY SENATE MINUTES

Regular Meeting

January 12, 2004

James Loucky, Senate President, called the Senate meeting to order at 4:04 pm.  Thirty-four (34) people were present including twenty-six (26) Senators, one (1) recorder, and four (4) guests.  (See attached roster). 

Approval of Senate Minutes

§       The Senate approved the minutes of November 24, 2003 as written.  

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Items from the Administration

à       University President Karen Morse University President Karen Morse shared her presentation before the Higher Education Performance Contracts Work Group, noting that if Western is selected to devise a pilot program it would be designed to help guarantee State funding while preserving our liberal arts mission.

à       Morse continued that Western’s funding has surpassed legislative and HEC Board requirements that proposals be linked to the strategic plan, citing Western’s link to enrollment in capital budget planning.

à       Governor Locke’s current proposal is for a pilot program involving one research university and one comprehensive university. Provost Bodman suggested that a contract might provide a framework for our relationship with the State and noted that one stop point included approval by the 2005 legislature.  Bodman added that he felt we run more of a risk under the current system than we do under a compact, since we control neither our budget, nor our tuition levels, nor our enrollment levels.  Bodman suggested that locking the state into a guarantee would remove certain vulnerabilities we now have and place us in a more predictable environment.  The State must reinvest in education and currently pays less and less each year.

à       Morse suggested that since the governor’s proposal will be in negotiation next fall we have a window of opportunity to increase the number of dollars we get from the State and in exchange do some things we would want to do anyway to be a stronger institution.  Some thought might be given to what legislators can take to their constituents.  Morse added that the League of Education voters are seeking citizens’ involvement to keep higher education on the radar screen.

à       Senators urged caution, in the face of pressure to move quickly, noting that the goal of greater autonomy might be jeopardized by potentially greater state oversight and insisting that a compact must exclude tinkering with academic content.  One stated that there is an art to this we need to be very careful about, and allowing the State a foothold in talking about individual faculty or departmental productivity is much less safe than talking about institutional productivity, and we ought to stay on safe ground in any discussion. 

à       Senators recommended serious investigation of the pros and cons of a compact prototype, insisting that the University does not exist for job training, but for the greater task of educating people.  Senators asserted that the Senate has responsibility for selection of faculty members across campus for a task force chaired by Bodman which will examine the issues surrounding a potential mockup of a performance contract.  The Senate would like to see at least half of such a committee comprised of faculty with relevant expertise. 

à       Morse reported that a timeline of stages for consideration of the 2005/07 budget proposal will be made public by the end of the week. The process will allow the Salary & Welfare Committee, the Senate Executive Council and other constituent groups to meet with the University Budget Advisory Committee.

Items from the Chair

Ø     President Loucky asked for faculty nominations by Friday for the committee on compacts.  The Gardner-Evans bill was cited as an example of long-term commitment from the State in response to a question on legislative accountability in a proposed compact model.

Ø     Loucky announced that Vice President George Pierce would attend the next Senate to respond to questions.

Ø     Loucky asked Senators to provide feedback on how the Senate could be more effective.

Ø     Loucky moved constituent concerns to the end of the agenda in order to review motions on limited term faculty.

Reading of Standing Committee Minutes

The following Standing Committee minutes were accepted.

Academic Technology Committee, 11/19/03

Senate Library Committee, 10/24/02

University Planning Council, 11/12/03

ACTION ITEMS:

Appointments and Elections, Kristen Parris, Officer

Parris announced the following vacancies: 

Faculty Senate: one representative to replace Victor Nolet, Woodring,  Winter Quarter

University Planning Council:  Senate representative requested

Motions from the Executive Council

Senators reviewed three motions which proposed language changes to pages 4, 6 and 8 of the 2003-05 Faculty Handbook, specifically related to evaluation and expectations for both non-tenured and/or limited term faculty. Senators pointed out several inconsistencies and a general lack of clarity in these sections and suggested further review.  Senators nominated Michael Meehan, Janice Lapsansky and Thomas Read to revise the language and reorder the sections for clarity and bring material back to the next Senate meeting. 

Reports from Chairs of Standing Committees

Senate Legislative Committee – Jeff Newcomer, Chair.  Todd Donovan, Senate Legislative Liaison

Todd Donovan reported that Monday, January 19^th, the Martin Luther King Holiday, was also Higher Education presence day in Olympia, and Donovan requested Senators or faculty to contact him if they could join him on either Sunday, the first day of the legislative session, or Monday, the holiday, in visiting the legislature.  President Morse reported that Western’s campus is the only one that has had discussions and been informed about the Campus Compact.

Academic Coordinating Commission – Thomas Downing, Chair

Tom Downing reported that the Academic Coordinating Commission is progressing on its GUR recommendations and will review the science GURs next.  Downing added that the Commission was moving quickly in its recommendations, although review of the FIGs and first-year seminars may require some additional time.  Downing expects to be able to bring final recommendations to the faculty in the next several weeks.  All meetings are public.

Constituents’ Concerns

Senators brought the following concerns:

q      Shortage of class manuals is due to undercounting by copy duplicating

q      Elevator outage and other maintenance problems – who does one contact (see facilities in directory)

q      For the information of faculty, Jim Korski is the clearing house for classroom problems.

q      Faculty please tell students to buy their books by the end of the first week of class (this week).  Western will have a new bookstore manager on board by February 1^st, and the Senate may consider constituting a bookstore advisory committee.

Adjournment

§       Senators adjourned at 5:53 pm.

Written by Rose Marie Norton-Nader, Recorder, 1/12/04

                      _______________________________

                                                                                                                          Thomas Read, Secretary

Faculty Senate Roster 2003-2004

_______________________________

Article III.  Faculty Senate

The Faculty Senate is empowered to speak and act for the Faculty in University affairs with particular responsibility in the areas of curriculum, academic programs, Faculty salary, Faculty status, scholarly activities, and all matters relating to the welfare of Faculty, the education of students, and the academic mission of the University.

The Faculty Senate is limited to 30 voting members elected by the Faculty, and the President of the University, the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs of the University, and a college dean appointed by the Provost serving as Provost's Council representative as ex officio non-voting members.    (Faculty Handbook, page 55)