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Call to Order and Announcements

The University Senate was called to order at 3:30 p.m., in Room 111 Harrison Hall, Oxford Campus, on Monday, January 27, 2020. Members absent: Dan Bosworth, Yildirim Dilek, Shelby Frye, Bill Modrow, and Harvey Thurmer.

1. Announcements and Remarks by the Chair of Senate Executive Committee, Dana Cox

   1. Thirty-five senators were at the Senate Retreat at the Wilks Conference Center (Hamilton Campus) on January 8, 2020. Conversations were productive and will lead to proposed Senate actions this semester. Senators collaborated on complex topics such as curriculum, TCPL issues, and amorous relationships.  This empowered leadership within senate.  One key discussion will be a proposal for qualitative look at diverse contributions of faculty as a whole.  There will be a proposal for an ad-hoc committee.  There wasn’t any negative feedback.  There will be another retreat scheduled in August.

   2. Senator Cox and Provost Osborne met with the Faculty Welfare Committee who agreed to move forward on other issues. Issues are being addressed from multiple viewpoints.

Approval of University Senate Minutes

2. A motion was received, seconded, and carried to approve the December 2, 2019, minutes of University Senate.

Consent Calendar

3. The following items were received on the Consent Calendar without debate.

   1. Governance Committee Minutes – November 21, 2019

   2. Governance Committee Minutes – December 10, 2019

   3. Graduate Council Meeting Minutes – August 29, 2019

   4. Graduate Council Meeting Minutes – September 9, 2019

   5. Graduate Council Meeting Minutes – October 8, 2019

   6. Graduate Council Meeting Minutes - November 12, 2019

New Business

4. University Senate Committees  Joe Carlin – Senate Liaison, Governance Committee

   1. University Senate committees are divided into two groups: standing committees (13) and advisory committees (9).  Standing committees can generally be categorized three ways:  faculty/staff/ºÚÁÏÉçÇø; administrative; and, curriculum.  Advisory committees work with administration.

   2. Senate governance uses three documents to determine structure and rules: Senate Bylaws; the Standing Rules; and, the Enabling Act

   3. Senate can create committees to carry out responsibilities as needed; temporary committees can be created.

   4. Committee membership - EC solicits nominations per By-Laws; for advisory committees, the administrator can submit names.

   5. Dana indicated that a survey will soon be sent out to ask members of Faculty Assembly for input regarding committee interest. A concern was voiced that people express interest but then do not get picked.  Senators are encouraged to explain to their constituents that some of the vacancies are very specific. A question was asked if staff are included in the invitation to participate on committees.  Executive Committee works with the Chairs of CPAC and UPAC for staff vacancies.

   6. Governance Committee has been looking at Senate committees and how they best fit with the Strategic Plan. They have also been working on reapportionment (a process that is done every three years) and should be able to report back by March.  The Committee will also be considering action items from the Senate Retreat in January.

Old Business

5. SR 20-08 – TCPL Cap – Dana Cox, Chair, Senate Executive Committee

   1. One senator asked for a clarification on how we vote for the resolution. Senator Cox explained that the discussion will end and we will take a vote.  If a vote is reached, we will adjourn the meeting and then reconvene and approve abbreviated minutes so that the resolution can go to the Board of Trustees in February.  Senate will not be able to work on anything significant until this is concluded, and there are a number of things that need Senate’s attention.

   2. For one senator, most of their constituents were concerned that most of the other ad hoc committee recommendations were not put into the proposed resolution. TCPLs would like to see an increase of percentage instead of taking it away.  Currently, the decision is made at the university level, and pulling the decision down to the divisions would be a sign of healthy shared governance.

   3. While it is important to place this at the divisional level, how do the mechanics work? Does something get inserted into the governance documents?  For example, in the College of Liberal Arts and Applied Science, the TCPL cap is currently not addressed.  Senator Cox explained that the proposed resolution would set a divisional cap until there would be a process to change the cap.  It will be important to know what is in the governance documents.

   4. There was a concern voiced that the proposed resolution shifts the centralization to the Provost and away from Senate. Is it shared governance?  There currently is no mechanism in place that the dean has to meet with the faculty.  Senator Cox indicated that there are mechanisms within the divisional governance documents that a dean has to follow. 

   5. It was clarified that the proposed policy sets caps for each division unless the division changes the cap through shared governance.

   6. A senator voiced a concern that TCPLs are hired when a Tenure/Tenure Track position is what is needed. The issue then becomes a pay and equity issue since the TCPLs are doing the same work as the T/TT but getting paid less.

   7. Faculty should be deciding who delivers curriculum. The proposed resolution affords the institution opportunity, and it will not dampen a faculty voice - it will improve it.  Some departments need TCPLs, and the one size fits all approach does not work.  Equity needs to be restored.

   8. Senate could vote to extend the cap, but there is a line of the resolution that indicates that Senate cannot dictate divisional values. However, there might be merit in having a global view of how the individual divisions fit together to form the University-whole. What do the percentages say about the University?

   9. This is often portrayed as an attack on tenure, but where are the voice of visitors who have had to rotate out/leave because of the 5 year rule?

   10. Tension was expressed about the existence of shared governance procedures. What would be the process for changing the cap?  What is the current shared governance status at the divisional level?  Can deans change the governance document without faculty input?

   11. Senator Cox indicated that Professor Fennen, Chair of Faculty Welfare Committee, should be invited Senate to address TCPL salaries.

   12. Some are reading this as power is being taken away from Senate. There was some skepticism about how faculty voice would be heard at the divisional level.

   13. A senator voiced that their constituency was largely opposed because the issue of adjuncts and VAPs has not been adequately addressed. It was suggested that there be percentage cap increase to save VAPs that are at risk (5 year) to allow the discussion to continue.

   14. Friendly Amendment: Change the word may to must in the context of “Divisions must work within the structure of governance processes to modify this limitation and to address faculty composition more broadly.” May is not strong enough to ensure Faculty oversight.

   15. Can we make this temporary? This is not feasible. What happens if we hire and then we revert back to an unsustainable cap?

   16. In order to amend Governance documents, we assume that you are amending something, but there may not be anything to amend, such as CLAAS. Does it work differently in this case?

   17. Many colleges will not get most of their requests if the cap is not raised.

   18. The Question was called to end discussion.  A vote to approve did not pass,

   19. Key issue is Senate control. A friendly amendment to add an additional Senate approval process to the divisional decision making process. Changed last sentence to reflect this. “Any changes that incur a raising of the new caps in this resolution must be approved by Senate.”

   20. The question was called to end discussion and the vote to call the question passes.

   21. Senators moved to vote on SR 20-08 and the resolution passed with 2 nay votes and 3 abstentions.

SR 20-08

January 27, 2020

BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED that University Senate endorse proposed revisions to the ºÚÁÏÉçÇø Policy and Information Manual (MUPIM) 7.11, Teaching, Clinical Professors and Lecturers, as set forth below:

Decisions about faculty composition should be made at the divisional level and should be made in adherence to the teacher-scholar model that is central to the mission of ºÚÁÏÉçÇø as well as in accordance with principles of shared governance that respect both divisional and departmental goals. Faculty composition are influenced by multiple factors, including strategic goals, budgetary resources, and curricular offerings and demand.  Each dean prepares a hiring plan for their unit every fiscal year for review and approval by the Provost.  The Provost owns every vacant faculty line, and allocates them according to mutually-agreed-upon hiring plans.  Divisional hiring plans need to reflect and be responsive to budget, curricular demands, strategic priorities, and should ensure the division is within any policy constraints on faculty composition approved through appropriate processes within the division.

Limitation on Number of Teaching, Clinical Professors and Lecturers (TCPLs)

TCPLs may not exceed the following percentages of total number of full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty within each division:

CAS:  25.0%

CCA:  25.0%

EHS:  35.0%

CEC:  25.0%

FSB: 25.0%

CLAAS: 30.0%

Divisions must work within the structure of governance processes to modify this limitation and to address faculty composition more broadly.  Divisions must adhere to their faculty composition policy and the dean of the college/school must annually communicate with faculty on current and historical trends in faculty mix.  This communication should provide context including relevant budgetary resources and curricular needs.  The provost will annually update the University Senate on changes to divisional policies and faculty mix. Any changes that incur a raising of the new caps in this resolution must be approved by Senate.

Appointment to a TCPL position requires either:

1. a competitive search; or

2. the approval of the Provost upon the positive evaluation and recommendation of the department if required by departmental governance, the department chair, the program director (when appropriate), and dean for a person currently holding another instructional staff position at ºÚÁÏÉçÇø.

SR 20-08 approved by voice vote with 2 nays and 3 abstentions.

Special Report

6. Budget Reallocation Update – Jason Osborne, Provost

   1. Airport interviews were just finished for candidates for the Farmer School of Business and the College of Engineering and Computing Dean’s searches. Finalists will be brought to campus in the upcoming weeks for interviews.

   2. It was recently announced that Miami does not have as many Pell grant ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs as other Ohio public institutions. It should be noted that Miami’s Pell Grant graduation rates are over 70%, which is the 2nd highest in the state.

   3. The announcement regarding the 4 million dollar gift for a new Equestrian Center should not be conflated with the recent staff cuts. The gift was a one-time donation from a family and could never be used for staff salaries.

   4. Two ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs are currently quarantined due to suspected cases of the Coronavirus. Additionally, some ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs are detained in China.  As faculty, if you have ºÚÁÏÉçÇøs in class who are sick, you are urged to find a way to be inclusive and not have them come to class. 

   5. There is an upcoming meeting with department chairs and associate deans regarding the budget. Miami is trying to redirect and invest and is not in a financial crisis.  We have gotten ahead of those.  Cuts identified were operational.  There will be no more cuts in Academic Affairs.  Trying to invest and innovate while maintaining salary increment of 2% (5.8M of new money).

   6. Miami is currently solidifying vision of what campus should be. The goal is to get disciplines in proximity with one another.  An example is moving Speech Pathology and Audiology out of Bachelor and into the new Health Sciences Building with Nursing and the new PA program.

   7. The second new building will focus on digital technologies and analytics.

   8. There will be a proposed Humanities hub on Western Campus, along with the Honors College. Any campus redesign would have to be approved by the Board of Trustees.

   9. There were several questions and comments from senators:

      1. Where would multidisciplinary people go? That has not been determined.

      2. There was concern raised about putting Humanities on Western due to location.

      3. A senator asked if more division is being created with this proposed plan.

Adjournment

7. The Regular meeting of University Senate was adjourned at 5:00 p.m.

Reconvene and Approval of Abbreviated Minutes

8. Senate was reconvened and the abbreviated minutes approved.

Adjournment

9. The additional session of University Senate was adjourned at 5:05 p.m.