Monday, January 25, 2011
Present:
Paul S. LaFollette (Pres.), Roberta Sloan (Secy.), Luke Kahlich (BCMD), Charles Ruchalski (Pharm.),Joan Delalic (Engr.), Michael Jackson (STHM), Laurie MacPhail (Dent.), Deborah Howe (SED), Don Harris (Law), Margaret Devinney (CLA), Jim Korsh (CST), Charles Jungreis (Med.), Tricia S. Jones (Educ.), Douglas Wager (SCT), David Waldstreicher (Fac. Herald), Stephanie Knopp (Tyler), Cheryl Mack (Coord.)
Absent:
Karen Turner (Past President) on leave, Mark C. Rahdert (Law) on leave, Nora Alter (SCT) on leave, Joan Shapiro (V. Pres.) at a conference, Jay Sinha (FSBM), Adam Davey (CHPSW)
Call to Order:
The meeting was called to order at 1:05 pm.
Approval of Minutes:
The minutes from the last Faculty Senate Steering Committee Meeting of January 18, 2011 were approved as amended.
President’s Report including New and Old Business:
President Paul LaFollette, has been asked by VP and Provost, Richard Englert, to name four faculty members to the 20/20 plan for the Medical and Health Sciences Center. He asked the FSSC senators to think about suggestions about whom to name to the committee. President LaFollette asked us to speak to our constituents and to find four people on main campus who might do research both on the main campus and at the Health Sciences Center, and therefore, would be appropriate for these appointments.
President LaFollette said that there is a need to look through our current constitution and bylaws and bring them up to date. A number of the people on this committee are now on leave and President LaFollette would like this committee to continue their work even in the absence of those senators who are on leave. President LaFollette asked for volunteers. Getting none, President LaFollette said he would chair the committee and Senator Jim Korsh said that he will serve. Senator Margaret DeVinney volunteered and Senator Trish Jones said that she would continue on the committee, even while on leave this semester.
Senators Korsh, Devinney and Jones will be meeting to finalize their recommendations about the bylaws guidelines after this FSSC meeting.
President LaFollette suggested that the Senate Nominating Committee should meet soon.
President LaFollette asked for suggestions regarding the Senate FSSC/Dean’s Retreat in the spring. He felt that someone needed to be the “point person” on this as Senator Trish Jones had been last year. Senator Jones said that she felt that last year, a number of opportunities had been missed at this event. She offered to help with the meeting that will happen towards the end of the semester. Senator Ruchalski asked if another consultant would be used and the response was “probably.” A lively discussion ensued regarding the Senate FSSC/Dean’s Retreat of 2010. Many senators stated that they were disappointed with the event.
Another lively discussion of the orientation of the current college and school deans ensued. It is hoped that the upcoming retreat will be more successful than the last one in terms of dealing with substantive issues. A senator suggested that faculty who are in completely different fields should be paired with deans who are outside their areas, and perhaps that would produce more candor. It was suggested that approach might bring result in best practices being discussed and not threaten anyone.
President LaFollette mentioned that a group of students will be going to Harrisburg on February 15th to rally for support of education. Faculty members are asked to consider excusing students who will be going to Harrisburg. VP and Provost Englert has stated that it is up to each faculty member to make his/her decision on this issue.
President LaFollette asked for any comments about the meeting with the Huron Group and the subsequent Representative Faculty Meeting. One senator expressed real concern about the lack of knowledge displayed by the Huron Group. The senator felt that the Huron Group did not seem to have basic information even about the academic compass. There seemed to be a deep concern about the quality of the consultants. One senator felt that they conscientiously avoided making a presentation. Another senator said that they might have been posing in this fashion in order to “work very close to the vest.”
According to one member of the FSSC, it appears that the Huron Group is just a neutral fact-finding group and will not be making recommendations. Another senator stated that this seems odd considering that the university is paying top dollar for their services. President LaFollette stated that after discussing this with President Hart and VP and Provost Richard Englert, he feels that recommendations will be made.
It was suggested that during the Town Meeting, the Huron Group Representatives seemed simply to be taking the temperature of the faculty present. They carefully avoided answering questions that they were asked.
One senator felt that the Huron Group Town Meeting was carefully orchestrated by the administration and that the Town Hall Meeting was simply to be able to say that the faculty have had input.
More lively discussion about a number of issues ensued.
Three motions were brought to the floor and passed. These are:
1. That the Steering Committee includes five additional faculty members chosen by the FSSC. The motion passed with one abstention.
2. That the university budget referred to by Tony Wager at the January 24th Representative Faculty Meeting (the same one available in the library) should be made conveniently available to faculty online; for example, on blackboard. The motion passed unanimously.
3. That any committee that is established by the university following the Huron Group’s recommendations and in response to the state budget, must include a substantial representation of faculty members chosen by the FSSC. The motion passed unanimously.
A fourth motion was brought to the floor but voting was postponed until the next FSSC meeting in order to rethink the exact wording. Currently, this motion reads as follows:
4. That the FSSC urges the university to utilize Temple expertise including faculty rather than hiring external consultants, in developing an inclusive, respectful and meaningful process of stakeholder engagement to address the challenges resulting from the state budget.
President LaFollette forwarded the names of former Law Dean Robert Reinstein, Professor Jeffrey Cornelius, Professor Aubrey Kent and Professor Art Hochner to the provost as the faculty chosen by the FSSC to be interviewed by the Huron Committee.
There was a suggestion that the FSSC should ask the budget committee as a whole to come back and give the FSSC the opportunity to ask the entire committee specific questions and the level of their involvement.
The upcoming visit of President Hart to the FSSC was discussed.
Adjournment:
The meeting was adjourned at 3:01 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Roberta Sloan, Ph.D.
Faculty Senate Secretary
