University of North Texas

Meeting: Faculty Senate Meeting, Octber 10, 2001, Wooten Hall, Room 322

Absent: Jim Albright, Jeff Allen, Azzedine Boukerche, Yvonne Chandler, Steve Craig, Roy Decarvallo, Henry Harris, Andrew Herbert, Ann Jordan, Tammy Kinley, Melinda Levin, Donald Little, Pat Moseley, Jane Pemberton, Mitty Plummer, Linda Schamber, David Tam, Margie Tieslau, Robert Wallace, Gay Woods

Guests: Chancellor Hurley, President Pohl, Vice President Diebel, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs LaBrecque; Special Assistant to the Vice President for Academic Affairs Todd

Opening: Juliet Getty, Chair of the Faculty Senate, called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. She invited Chancellor Hurley to address the Senate.

Report from Chancellor Hurley: Chancellor Hurley reported on progress regarding the North Texas System Center (NTSC). The Center offices will be based at the Gateway Center in the spring. A staff convocation is occurring there today. The Gateway Center has been open since January 01, 2001, with 11 persons in leadership roles there. Of those, three are full time at the Denton campus with part-time responsibilities at the Center. The UNT System Center is the only such in the region. The objective is to support UNT in reaching Tier I status. The Dallas center reports to the provost, then to the president at the Denton campus. Virginia Wheeless is the new Vice Chair for Planning and is moving forward to obtain land three miles from Dallas with over 1 ½ million dollars in private donations. Two brainstorming sessions have occurred to discuss what the new university should look like. More sessions will be held in the south Dallas area.

Chancellor Hurley explained that his role is now more in the political arena. He stated that the political scene is relatively quiet at this time regarding public higher education, as redistricting is the main issue presently. He noted that according to "Wanda’s Notes" an interim committee has been appointed, which leads to more time in Austin for Chancellor Hurley. Efforts will be made for equity from excellence funding, as Chancellor Hurley words with leadership in our region. Dr. Hurley is the only higher education member on Dallas Citizens Council Board from the Dallas area, as a result of our System Center in South Dallas. As part of the North Texas System, the new president of the UNT Health Science Center has made significant progress.

Chancellor Hurley noted that faculty participation is essential to the success of the NTSC, where UNT offers 14 academic programs and 7 certificate programs, and has 1024 head count at present, equating to approximately 350 students. The projection by this time was to have 750 head count, thus the Center is moving forward more successfully than predicted. The NTSC must have 2500 full time enrollment by 2007 to become a separate entity. Fifty percent of the enrollees are pursuing masters’ degrees. The University of Texas at Arlington will offer a nursing program at the NTSC. A Pre-K through 16 Council for the region is in the development phase. The Dallas district has already signed on for this council.

Chair Getty asked how the presence of the NTSC has affected the economic development of the area. Chancellor Hurley reported a one billion dollar impact by the main campus on the Denton area, thus there will be an obvious economic impact for Dallas.

Senator Fisher asked if we are close to announcing a permanent site for the NTSC. Chancellor Hurley responded that if all goes well, the announcement is to be made by December 2001.

Report from President Pohl: Chair Getty welcomed President Pohl at 2:15. President Pohl made the following comments.

The staff convocation at 3:00 today at the Gateway Center will be held to address staff issues and concerns. President Pohl then commended Senate Chair Getty for laying out this year’s Senate agenda, and reported on meeting with the University Committee. He reminded senators that the ODA report is ready to be distributed and that UNT had an ODA expert in this summer, noting that we need to spend more time in addressing issues regarding Americans with Disabilities Act concerns. The President has authorized a workshop for deans and vice presidents. President Pohl noted that we have had several incidences, primarily with students, who sometimes were adamant in stating that the university is not meeting their disability needs. UNT has 1069 registered ODA students, which is a number much larger than Texas Tech, the University of Houston, or Texas A&M University.

President Pohl reported on the proposed UNT engineering program. Two committees are working and their reports should be out the end of October. The Coordinating Board granted authority for a planning phase for an engineering program. A request to the CB for program authority is tentatively set for the January CB meeting, due to the length of the required advanced report. The planning authority includes programs at the bachelor’s and master’s levels, using a current doctoral program for the advanced level. The CB is determining the fit with a current UNT doctoral program. The CB will bring in consultants to review the UNT program request. All CB agenda items require a 60-day advance report prior to the CB meeting. If our report is not ready for the January meeting, the next CB meeting is scheduled for April 2002. A current concern is space needs for the program. We do not currently have adequate space for classes during high demand times from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., to accommodate large classrooms of up to 150 students, plus required studio space. The CB is meeting today regarding the "Closing the Gaps" initiative. They will not release proposals by individual campuses as they earlier said they would; they will only release system-wide statistics. Many colleges submitted proposals late and were very conservative in their requests. President Pohl senses that the CB is working on all four targets of the initiate, with a focus on access and graduation, with less emphasis at the present on research. Our report will address all four targets.

One task of the graduating seniors who work in President Pohl’s office this year was to work on homecoming. These students interviewed other students regarding homecoming. President Pohl will use the results of these interviews in making recommendations to a new ad hoc committee that will be formed to consider homecoming events. The preliminary analysis of the interviews revealed that we now have some activities to attract alumni, but not many for current students.

President Pohl is meeting with various groups across campus and has found that most groups do not have knowledge of what other groups do. This includes faculty, staff, and students.

The parking problem at UNT is an unexpected favorable outcome, due to the increased number of students enrolled at the Denton campus. There are over 500 parking spaces at the University Courtyard facility. Eagle Transportation riders leave their cars at the apartment complex and ride the Eagle to campus. In addition, 500 parking spaces have been added. With the Denton Link System public transportation, the ridership number is looking good; this shuttle service may be extended to the Jefferson Commons area.

Report from Vice President Diebel: Vice President Diebel presented a thorough overhead transparency review of all components of this year’s budget, giving a comparison of budgeted expenditures. He addressed the budget in relationship to President Pohl’s six broad themes, which include salaries, research, distributed learning, diversity, enrollment, and intercollegiate, plus other such as a new music facility. There is a four percent average merit raise, with faculty promotions equating to $192,000. Staff pay raises equate to four percent or $100 per month. This is a state mandate but with only 50% state funding, with no funding for faculty raises.

Senator Mills asked, in regard to various new faculty positions, what does new mean? VP Diebel responded that new means newly authorized faculty lines, not replacements.

Approval of September 12, 2001 Minutes: Minutes were approved as written. One correction was made to note that Senators Rohwer and Pelton were in attendance at the September Senate meeting.

Old Business: None

New Business: None

Committee on Committees, Senator Luce. Senator Luce provided a written report identifying persons nominated for the following faculty Senate Committees: Charter & Bylaws, Benefits, Status of Women, Curriculum, Faculty Awards, Faculty Research, and Budget. Also listed were persons nominated for the following Administrative Committees: Honors day, International Education, Student Code of Conduct Appeals, and Traffic Appeals. All nominations were approved.

Fine Arts Committee, Linsay Keffer. This committee report was provided in written format. Chair Getty called for discussion. Senator Fisher noted that paragraph four has an editorial comment that is not appropriate. He offered a motion to remove paragraph four from the report. Senator Benjamin seconded the motion. The motion to remove paragraph four was approved by the Senate. The report was then approved as edited.

Academic Affairs Committee, Emile Sahliyeh. Senator Sahliyeh presented a written report entitled Proposed Revision for UNT Transfer Admission Policy and Minor Change to New-from-High-School Students with Transfer Work. The committee is seeking change for the academic status of transfer students to make the requirements the same as for non-transfer students. The proposed revision for transfer admission is as follows:

"Maintain the current transfer hours and GPA requirements for admission purposed but admit students using the provision of Individual Review without penalty of academic probation unless the student’s transfer GPA is below a 2.0. All transfer students admitted by Individual Review would also be required to enroll for PSYC 1000 during their first semester and continue enrollment until credit for PSCY 1000 is earned. PSYC 1000 can be waived if the student has previously taken an equivalent course at another institution."

The proposed revision for New-From-High-School Student Admission Policy is as follows:

"New from high school students with less than 30 credit hours in transfer and a cumulative GPA of less than 2.0 are admitted on Academic Alert."

Discussion followed. The question was asked how this is a substantive change. The report was approved as presented.

Information Items: Dr. LaBrecque reported that Vice President Kesterson did not send a report. She offered clarification regarding the above change, stating that the change is relative to how we address those students who do not meet admission standards. We have been admitting an individual who transfers on probation, which is different than how we approach native students. We have more and more new-from-high-school students with transfer standing. Currently, if these students have twelve semester hours or less, they are admitted without probation. Senator Newell expressed her confusion about the rationale in the report. Vice President LaBrecque responded that the rationale is an example only. Senator Benjamin responded that a GPA of less than 2.0 equates to probation. Senator Newell suggested that if all students are admitted anyway, why would we not simply change the standard. Dr. LaBrecque stated that students may still not be admitted and placed on individual review.

Vice Chair’s Update: Vice Chair Oxford reported from the University Committee.

1. Chair Getty serves as the Faculty Senate representative on the ad hoc university committee to study the structure for the proposed engineering program at UNT. He urged senators to attend the forums next week.
2. Vice President Kesterson sent a list of all courses taught at the North Texas System Center in South Dallas, with the number of tenured/tenure track faculty who teach there, and their ranks. The list may be obtained from Vice Chair Oxford.
3. In response to the September questions regarding remuneration to college/schools/departments for faculty teaching at the NTSC, Vice Chair Oxford reported that from September 2000 to May 2001, 54% of courses delivered at the NTSC were taught by tenured/tenure track faculty. Questions have been asked as to why the change in percentage of remuneration. The answer given was that deans understand that the remuneration is set at 20% and that last year the increase was a bonus. A memo to the deans outlining teaching expectations at the NTSC is available from Senator Oxford.
4. Questions and responses from the October 3, 2001 University Committee meeting with President Pohl and Provost Kesterson follow.
1. Q: How will UNT be able to take advantage of funding through the Texas Engineering and Technical Consortium, providing assistance to faculty for writing grant proposals? A; There are no monies available from these grant funds, other than for computer science proposals.
2. Q: Can there be assurance that faculty going on modified service will have their faculty positions re-authorized for the school/college so that the reduced number of tenure/tenure track faculty are not more and more burdened with added responsibility? A: There is no assurance that lines will be authorized, but when the reasoning has been sound, a new hire for the vacated position has been added. When a faculty member goes on modified service, the line is retained, since the faculty continues to fill that line. The line is not available until the faculty member fully retires. Seventy-five percent of the modified faculty member’s salary remains with the unit where the dean/director makes decisions about distribution; Academic Affairs retains 25%. Senator Windsor stated that the return is now 50% rather than 75%. Senator Oxford asked Senator Windsor to check with Scott Anderson for clarification.
3. Q: Can UNT allow out-of-state graduate students who complete their doctoral studies and are employed as a research or teaching assistant in that semester, but who then accept external employment mid-semester, to retain their tuition waiver, rather than being forced to pay the extra fees? A: When a student completes a doctorate mid-semester, if the student is classified as out-of-state, the student loses in-state tuition status. (Neil Tate later presented a response, which is available from Senator Oxford. Senator Benjamin stated that Neil Tate responded to him that he is pursuing what other large institutions do regarding this matter.)
4. Q: What is the status of the Task Force appointed last year to address ADA, testing accommodations, etc.? A: Dr. LaBrecque responded that the ADA report is complete and should be available this week.
5. Q: What is the current funding formula for providing faculty for the System Center in Dallas, and are there any projected changes in that funding? A: Chair Getty reported information gained since the September meeting that reports 54% of those who teach at the NTSC are tenured/tenure track.

Chair’s Update: There is a recycling and beautifying effort at the UNT campus, with signs, ads, and peer pressure efforts. This committee needs two faculty representatives; Chair Getty requested that senators submit names for this committee. The University Curriculum Assessment Committee has established guidelines for all faculty members who prepare new courses to be considered for inclusion in the UNT core. These guidelines will be presented soon. Chair Getty encouraged senators to participate in two upcoming surveys. A research survey will be disseminated October 15, then a faculty transportation survey out in November. The engineering program ad hoc committee to study the structure of the program is in the planning stage. Two faculty forums will be held to discuss the proposal for a UNT engineering program. The dates are set for October 17 and 18, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Chair Getty encouraged Senators to attend. There will be a preliminary report from the Faculty Workload Committee in November.

Committee of the Whole: Senator Windsor requested clarification regarding policies for modified service, as to whether the return to the department is 50% or otherwise.

Adjournment: Chair Getty adjourned the Senate at 3:15 p.m.

Submitted by Frances van Tassell, Faculty Senate Secretary