WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

FACULTY SENATE MINUTES

Regular Meeting – September 28, 2009

Call to Order

Daniel Larner, Faculty Senate President, called the 2009-2010 Senate to order at 4:02 pm.  Larner welcomed

twenty-six (26) Senators, three (3) ex officio members, seven (7) guests and the recorder (1) for a total of thirty-seven (37) people.  (See attached roster). 

• Faculty volunteers are sought to test use of faculty evaluation instruments in upgrades to Blackboard.

• Ideas regarding enrollment planning are welcomed in consideration of future university plans.  Faculty may wish to develop ideas about what course we want to take to attract students.

• Last year the Senate charged the Exec Council to investigate academic freedom issues which rapidly became moot.  However, there may be new issues regarding developments in the Ward Churchill case.

• Steven VanderStaay,Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, is seeking faculty volunteers to assist in the review of accreditation standards and to assist in the draft of Western’s accreditation response.

Items from the Administration

President Shepard welcomed Senators and thanked those who participated in his 360 evaluation.

§  Shepard reported that the university has to advise the legislature on strategies for an additional 2% cut to the university budget which will hit in the 2^nd year of the biennium.  Faculty will be hearing more feedback from many groups involved in the process which is more complicated than at first appearance..

§  Shepard hopes that a new capital planning process involving UPRC will be web accessible and enable people to view their position in a queue.  The UPRC is a faculty committee that also involves the vice presidents and other employee groups in order to make good decisions.  We also have to tell the legislature how we are going to take an additional $995,000 cut in the second year of the biennium.  We have to tell them in October but we plan to take our time in the implementation.  We also have to inform OFM in about five weeks what we need in terms of capital projects.  Despite the tenuous nature of current funding we must still focus on the future.

§  Shepard noted that Riordan’s leadership had directed conversation at the HEC Board to the existent capacity in the baccalaureates as an alternative to building new campuses.

§  Shepard seeks feedback on the establishment of additional faculty and staff awards during convocation.

Provost Riordan welcomed Senators and expressed the intention to help clarify issues and to be a facilitator in her role as Provost.  Presently she plans to roll out quarter by quarter the complex issues the university wants to consider, and will ask the Senate the best way to weigh in on these issues.  Riordan presented a timeline for university-wide discussion of the White Papers on Graduate Education at Western this quarter, Allied Health this winter, and International Education, and Extended Education in the following quarters.  Faculty are encouraged to view related information on the Provost’s website. 

Items from Associated Students Vice President, Academics 

Ramon Rinonos-Diaz, ASVP, requested faculty to encourage students in their classes to register to vote in the general elections and to use their Bellingham addresses.

Items from UFWW President

Vicki Hamblin, UFWW Vice President sat in for President Steve Garfinkle and reported on successful bargaining outcomes.  Hamblin announced times for faculty to vote to ratify the new contract which can be found on the UFWW website along with the exact language of the contract.  Hamblin, who was a member of the UFWW’s bargaining team,  acknowledged the cooperative attitude and productive atmosphere maintained by the administrative bargaining team, and was acknowledged by Dean Roger Gilman, a member of that team, for bargaining procedures that were full of mutual respect, candor and positive results. 

Constituent Concerns included a request as to whether carpool parking spaces are still available in 14G, and a comment that Stop signs near the Communications facility could be hazardous.  Another concern asked what services were actually cut due to the personnel cuts in ITUS and ATUS. 

Agenda Items: 

Standing Committee Minutes – Reading and Acceptance (Exhibit B)

APPOINTMENTS AND ELECTIONS – Chuck Lambert, Appointments Officer

Karen Stout filled in for Lambert and Senators appointed faculty to the following: 

Academic Coordinating Commission:  Peter Smith for Sylvia Tag, Library, thru 2010;  Niall O Murchu, Fairhaven for Midori Takagi Fall and Spring quarter.  University Planning and Resources Council: Keith Hyatt, Woodring.  Paul Stangl, Huxley, for Jean Melious thru 2010.  Academic Technology Committee: Senator  Chris Suczek, Geology.

Faculty appointments to Other University Committees:

Branding Leadership Committee:  Dan Purdy, MBA Program; Johann Neem, History; LeaAnn Martin, PEHR

Search Committee for Director Institutional Research: Takela Seda, Physics; John Krieg, Economics; Gerry Prody, Chemistry.  Student Technology Fee Committee:  Bob Thomas from Academic Technology Committee 2009-2011.

Cold Beverage Committee: Kathryn Anderson, Fairhaven, 2009-2011. Central Health and Safety:  Brandi Row, PEHR, thru 2013.  Campus Dining Committee:  Nancy Johnson, English; Executive Dining Committee: Victor Nolet, Woodring, thru 2011.

Senators heard a report from Steve Sulkin, Chair of the Graduate Education Advisory Committee.

·         Sulkin emphasized that the university should develop a set of strategic principles governing the expansion or addition of any graduate program, including Professional Science Master’s Degrees and clinical/professional doctorates in selected fields.

·         Sulkin reported that the Graduate Advisory Committee which he chaired focused on a strategic analysis and perceived a key issue to be lack of attention to graduation education (hereinafter referred to as “Grad Ed”).  A statement about centrality to the university mission is what is required even though present funding does not support this.  It is hoped that eventual plans to implement changes in Grad Ed will be informed by the strategic vision.  It is important to note that there is a distinction between recognizing the centrality of Grad Ed and the prominence of Grad Ed.  At this institution the undergraduate enterprise will always predominate.

·         It became obvious early on in the discussions that it would be essential to articulate the ways in which Grad Ed was consistent with and promotes the WWU academic mission.  The unanimous view among committee members grew from a perceived historic lack of attention to Grad Ed in both public pronouncements and documents produced by the institution, including the Strategic Action Plan (SAP).  Accordingly, the first substantive section of the report summarized the contributions made by Grad Ed to the institutional mission.

·         Other recommendations included creating a standing Graduate Strategic Advisory Committee to assess continually the status and vitality of Graduate Education at WWU, to identify problems that need resolution, and plan for growth in appropriate areas.  The university should also create a Graduate Student Association to address the specific needs of graduate students, either as an independent association or as a special interest group of AS.  The University should also review its policies for funding graduate students, including coverage of TA tuition outside of the tuition waiver system, setting reasonable non-resident tuition rates, providing pathways to residency for out-of-state students, increasing the number of TA’s and aggressively promoting external funding initiatives.

·         Sulkin is suggesting that the graduate program will never reach its full potential to contribute what it can to the academic life of the university unless the numbers of graduate students are sufficient to make an impact and until there is recognition on the part of the university of its significance.

·         Matthew Liao-Troth commented that there is inconsistency on how graduate students are counted.  Under some systems we could actually get to 10%  of the student body if we counted them all on campus.  We would have to dedicate recruiting and admissions resources.  General enrollment itself is difficult to count and may depend on which office is responding to which inquiries from the State.

·         Sulkin reported that the goal of 10% was reached by looking at the present situation, the potential for growth given a modest investment of resources and finally decided that 10% is just as good a number as any other.   A number like 25% for example would dramatically change the institution.

·         The current level of funding for graduate support involves salaries, benefits and tuitions.  About 115 graduate students of approximately 900 are fully covered right now by this.  62-65% of non residents are receiving some help.  Graduate assistants may be supported on research grants, assistantships provide salary and tuition waivers, and some are supported on an hourly basis.  There were reductions this year. As far as State constraints the number 10% arose from the HEC Board many years ago when public funding was much higher. 

·         We could probably increase tuition waivers by about 20% by charging everybody the same.  Whether graduate assistants are residents or non-residents, they are providing the same service for compensation and this should be looked at.  Also we should ask if we are spending our money in the most efficient way.

·         Bruce Shepard suggested we should still think through and anticipate when funding will improve.  While we increased undergraduate tuition this year by 14%, and next year too, there are no graduate increases.

·         Provost Riordan will provide statistics on the kinds of graduate programs we currently have, how many students, etc., and will link the information to her website.

·         Matthew Liao-Troth reminded Senators that the Graduate Council is a subcommittee of the ACC, and deals mainly with curricular issues.  Ideas and recommendations could be forwarded to it and also to the UPRC.  We might appoint additional faculty to the Graduate Advisory Committee or form an Ad Hoc group that would take some scenarios and help define how terms are used.

Filling last two seats on the University Planning Council (UPRC)

Motion:  Senators approved the appointment of one additional faculty member to be appointed by  the Graduate Council and one additional faculty member to be appointed by  the College of Humanities and Social Sciences to sit on the UPRC as provided in the charge.  (moved by Spencer Anthony-Cahill, seconded by Kristen Denham, passed by the Senate).  Faculty are chosen from areas that may receive additional attention in the coming year because of the topics and timeline provided by Provost Riordan.

Faculty Awards

Senators discussed recommendations for new faculty and staff awards proposed by Human Resources. 

Karen Stout volunteered to sit on an awards committee.

Faculty Caucus

Following a short break Senators moved to a faculty caucus at 5:39 pm.

Adjournment: 

President Larner reported the end of the caucus and Senators voted to adjourn at 5:39 pm.

Rose Marie Norton-Nader, Recorder, 9-28-09

                                                                                                __________________________

                                                                                                Karen Stout, Secretary 2009-10

FACULTY SENATE ROSTER 2009-2011