UNF Faculty Association Minutes of Meeting April 5, 2001

Faculty Association	Spring 2001

FACULTY ASSOCIATION MEETING MINUTES
June 7, 2001

I.		Call to Order
		Vice President Cheryl Frohlich called the meeting to order at 12:47. This meeting proceeded in the absence of a quorum.

II.		Approval of Minutes
		The minutes of the May 3, 2001 meeting were approved as distributed on the Web.

III.		Announcements
		Dr. Kline announced that Tom Serwatka has been appointed Special Assistant to the President but will continue as Graduate Dean for the time being. A search will be started to fill the Graduate Dean position. Every faculty member will get a description of the job. Dr. Kline asked that everyone please tell those not present. He will ask department chairs to do the same. Affirmative action approval should be completed by the beginning of next week. Sharon Futch of the Bookstore asked that faculty please order graduate regalia in a more timely manner. She would like to place the order for summer graduation as soon as possible. She asked that people please call, email or stop by the bookstore.

IV.		Standing Committee Reports
		Academic Programs Committee - Randall Russac
		The Committee met May 18. There are two items on today's agenda. The Committee will meet again June 15 at 10:00 a.m. in FAMA for the last meeting of the year.
		Academic Standards Committee - Pali Sen
		The Committee met May 15. No more meetings are scheduled this summer.
		Academic Technology and Support Services Committee - Geraldine Collins
		The Committee met May 9 in a joint meeting with new and outgoing members. Kathy Brown and Bruce Kavan will be co-chairs. Kathy Brown will attend Academic Technology meetings and Bruce Kavan will be the Executive Committee representative. No meetings are scheduled for the rest of the summer. Questions representing faculty concerns about various support services were sent to Vice President Fagin's office. Responses to the questions from Assistant Vice President David Wesse will be posted on the Faculty Association website.
		Adjunct Affairs Committee - Sheila Mangum
		The Committee met by email to select new officers. Ted Stumm, Political Science and Public Administration, will be the chair. Kristine Web, Special Education, is the secretary.
		Budget Advisory Committee - Paul Mason
		No report
		Faculty Affairs Committee - Judy Solano
		The Committee has two items on today's agenda. The Committee was scheduled to meet June 14 with President Hopkins. The meeting has been rescheduled for Monday, June 18 at 3:00 p.m. in FAMA. The main topic of discussion will be how faculty can have input at the Board of Trustee's level. Everyone is welcome to attend.
		Faculty Enhancement Committee - Cynthia Scott
		No report.
		Governmental Relations Committee - Terry Bowen
		No report. Cheryl Frohlich reported that Dan Whitehead will be the new committee chair.
		Nominations and Elections Committee - Diane Tanner
		No report.
		Promotion and Tenure Committee - Pat Plumlee
		No report.
		Research Committee - Cheryl Van Deusen
		The Committee met by email to elect new officers. Cheryl Van Deusen will remain chair. Don Jenson is vice chair. Members are still looking for a secretary.
		Strategic Planning Committee - Donna Mohr
		No report. The Committee has an information item in today's agenda regarding faculty representation on the new local Board of Trustees.
		Executive Committee - Cheryl Frohlich
		The Committee met May 22 to set the agenda for today's meeting. The next meeting is scheduled for June 19 at 12:15. The UNF student ombudsman position was discussed and letters were sent asking for information about the position and how it functions.
V.		Special Reports
		President - Anne Hopkins
		Dr. Hopkins introduced Jim Van Vleck, Special Assistant to the President. She noted his long business background and abundant qualifications. Dr. Hopkins said she knew there was a lot of concern throughout the campus about the evolution of tuition waivers. She noted that the appropriations bill removed the authority to offer the waivers for one year. She has been working hard to devise a substitute plan. She did note that people can still register for summer B as the waivers are in effect until July 1. She said that in a couple of weeks, she will have some kind of plan to discuss with the constituent groups that will stay in effect for one year. She hopes that the legislature will then reinstate authority to give waivers. She thinks there is a solution in sight that will apply to most people. The cost for waivers for UNF employees was $136,000 last year. Net new money for the next year is $400,000. She is serious about doing something but recognizes that it will cost something and she must be careful. Dr. Hopkins is hopeful that the 7.5% tuition increase will not be vetoed. If it is, the budget will have to be cut. The budget is finally at the governor's office, but he has a specific time period (she thinks 14 days) before he has to sign it. Dr. Hopkins wanted to say a couple of things about the education transition and reorganization. She was quoted in the paper saying that she did not submit a list of people to serve on the local board. She does not want faculty to think she has done nothing. She has been working constantly, encouraging people, etc., and has had significant input. The next big thing is when the Board is named and she will know who we will be dealing with. She noted that we must know who we are dealing with before we can begin to get faculty input. Dr. Hopkins said she has stopped the budget process because she does not know what she will have until the Governor decides on the tuition increase. That means the budget will not be completed in June. She wants to do it once and do it right. She reported that she and Janet Owen went to see Senator Horne, the new Secretary of Education. She said they had a great visit. She has had good access to him in the past and she expects to continue to have good access.
		Legislative Liaison Report - Janet Owen
		Janet Owen announced that Governor Bush appointed Senator Jim Horne of Orange Park as Secretary of Education effective July 1, 2001. He also appointed the seven member Florida Board of Education. These include Mr. Philip Handy, Dr. Linda Eads, Mr. Talmadge W. Fair, Mr. Charles Garcia, Ms. Julia Johnson, Dr. William "Bill" Proctor, and Ms. Carolyn Roberts. Ms. Owen had press releases available that included a short biography about each appointee. She held up a paper that she said was the example of the new seamless system. She noted that the next time the Faculty Association meets, we will know the members of the local board. She also noted that UNF will continue to be a state agency for the rest of the year. People are working hard to write the new school code. She hopes and plans to be very much a part of the process. She said it is important to have faculty senates and faculty associations give ideas and get involved. She said she has "a dog and pony show" she can do for meetings, departments etc.
		United Faculty of Florida - Elinor Scheirer
		Dr. Scheirer said that the contract that was approved in January will be delivered in two weeks. UNF will get copies shortly; they will be immediately distributed. She discussed the fee waiver issue, noting that she was not sure what is happening. Dr. Hopkins interjected that Ellie is right, that information is sketchy, but she is trying to work out something regarding fee waivers. Dr. Scheirer said that University of Florida faculty task forces are working in groups to prepare for contract negotiations; emails are flying - it is not a boring time in higher education.

VI.		Question and Answer Period
		Bill Wilson said he noticed that the list of super board members had no representative from the Board of Regents. It was noted that Ms. Carolyn Roberts did have experience as a member of the BOR from 1989 - 1994.
VII.		Legislative Items
		Item #1 - FA 01-16: Submitted by the Academic Programs Committee. College of Arts and Sciences Randy Russac moved the item. The item passed. Item #2 - FA 01-17: Submitted by the Academic Programs Committee. College of Health Randy Russac moved the item. The item passed. Item #3 - FA 01-18: Submitted by the Faculty Affairs Committee. Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Awards Judy Solano moved the item. The item passed. Item #4 - FA 01-19: Submitted by the Faculty Affairs Committee. Sabbatical Selection Committee Judy Solano moved the item. She indicated that the Sabbatical Selection Committee is a creature of the UFF contract. She has already discussed the item with the local president of UFF who sees no problem with the language. The item passed
VIII.		Adjournment
		The meeting adjourned at 1:12. Respectfully submitted, _______________________ Barbara Tuck Secretary