Faculty Senate hears from new engineering dean

Oscar Garcia, the dean of UNT's new College of Engineering, made a presentation to the Faculty Senate at its regular meeting Oct. 8.

Garcia spoke about the process of creating the new college and discussed its structure — three programs (computer science and the new computer engineering, materials science and engineering, and engineering technology) are now a part of the college and two are planned to be formed soon, including a program in electrical engineering. He said a proposal for funding for an electrical engineering program at UNT was ranked among the top nine by the National Science Foundation but that funding went only to the top four proposals. UNT has been invited to resubmit a proposal and was funded by the NSF at the $100,000 level for planning the next submission.

Garcia said the college will move in phases to the UNT Research Park beginning in 2004 but will continue to maintain a presence on the main campus.

Senators also heard a presentation by Troy Griffis, Student Government Association president, about the status of the student body. His discussion included the importance of faculty in helping students, creating better communication and promoting cooperation. He suggested that faculty show students they are proud to teach at UNT, encourage them to attend UNT functions and help them with career advice.

Paul Dworak, director of compliance for UNT and the UNT System, and Shirley Hoofard, emergency response and recovery specialist for the American Red Cross disaster services division, made a presentation about creating a disaster action team for the UNT campus. Dworak and Dianne Berg, associate director of employee relations in human resources, also made a presentation concerning protection offered by UNT's workplace violence policy, including three levels of behaviors that signal possible violent intentions and three levels of appropriate response to these behaviors.

In other business, the senate:

• heard a report made by Warren Burggren, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Jean Keller, dean of the College of Education, about an ad hoc committee formed by David Kesterson, former provost and vice president for academic affairs, to examine funding of UNT's summer semesters. The committee suggested that no changes be made to the basic structure of 2004 summer school, but that Howard Johnson, UNT's new provost and vice president for academic affairs, initiate the process of planning now for subsequent years and that input from all members of the UNT community be considered. The committee did make several recommendations for summer 2004 in the face of a $700,000 shortfall, including: importing other dollars from the rest of the academic year (such as salary savings) to shore up the 2004 summer school budget; establishing larger minimum class sizes; changing the profile of summer school faculty (for example, using more assistant professors and fewer full professors); taking a "blended" or "hybrid" approach to instruction, using both organized classroom lectures and online courses; and creating incentives for instructors and departments to pursue the first four suggestions.
  
• approved a proposal creating a UNT faculty ombudsman position.
  
• approved a verbal report from the Faculty Senate Committee on Committees.
  
• approved written reports from the Faculty Senate Awards Committee and the Fine Arts Committee.
  
• heard a report from Frances Van Tassell, senate vice chair, about the meeting of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee with President Norval Pohl, Johnson and Suzanne LaBrecque, vice provost and associate vice president for academic affairs. Topics discussed included the percentage of tenured and tenure-track faculty who taught during the 2003 summer semesters; the generation of formula funding per individual during the summer semesters; the consideration of the number of graduates of a college or school in regard to responsibility-centered management; inclusion of a dean's salary in a unit's contribution to university administrative overhead; the source and use of reserve funds; and the use of information provided by faculty evaluation of administrators.
  
• heard a report from Lou Pelton, senate chair, about the need for representation of all faculty groups on senate committees and the proposed realignment of groups.

Senators recognized Carolyn Carter, former Faculty Senate assistant, for her years of service to the university and to the senate. Carter retired from the university this summer.

The senate meets again at 2 p.m. Nov. 12 in Wooten Hall, Room 322. For information about the Faculty Senate, visit www.unt.edu/facsenate.

BY MICHELLE HALE mhale@unt.edu

Other web references

• UNT Faculty Senate

Other featured articles in this issue

• UNT celebrates 50th anniversary of desegregation with gala, online scrapbook
• Governor names Rice M. Tilley Jr. new regent, reappoints Strange and Nickell
• UNT raises almost $6,000 in heart walk
• Awards presented at Staff Sack Lunch
• Willis Library offers appraisals at Roadshow
• UNT implementing new Enterprise Information System
• UNT professor creates new curriculum for WIC parents

homepage