University Governance

FACULTY SENATE
February 12, 2009 – Room #106, Green Hall

Approved 2/26/09
PRESENT: Mary Berry, David Brackett, Matt Burke, Marta Caminero-Santangelo, James Dougherty, Ben Eggleston, Ada Emmett, Mark Ezell, Allen Ford, Lisa Friis, Joe Harrington, Robert Harrington, Man Kong, Liz Kowalchuk, Chuck Marsh, Steve Maynard-Moody, Joyce McCray-Pearson, Brent Metz, Jim Orr, Bozenna Pasik-Duncan, Jean Peterson, Jean Philips, Gitti Salami, Iris Fischer, Dan Spencer, John Stratton, Tony Walton, Lisa Wolf-Wendel.

EXCUSED: Melissa Birch, Mohamed El-Hodiri, Doug Huffman, Alice Lieberman, Barbara Phipps, John Staniunas, Jeff Staudinger, Kelli Thomas,
Stacey S White, Rodolfo Torres, Donna Tucker      

ALSO PRESENT:  Molly Mulloy, Governance; Mary Lee Hummert, Provost’s office

            President Nancy Kinnersley called the meeting to order.

MINUTES for November 13, 2008 were approved.

REPORT OF THE FACULTY SENATE PRESIDENT
Nancy Kinnersley reported that the Task Force on the Faculty Handbook, chaired by Rick Hale, is completing its draft and will meet with FacEx on February 24. It is expected that the Handbook will be on line shortly after that.  The task force will also be recommending related amendments to the Faculty Senate Rules and Regulations (FSRR) that will be forwarded to the Faculty Senate.
Mark Ezell, chair of the SPPT Committee (Standards and Procedures for Promotion and Tenure) will speak to the Faculty Senate on March 12 and will probably be bringing forth changes to the USRR as well.
FacEx member Lisa Friis is representing Governance on a small committee formed by Vice Provost Mary Lee Hummert to resolve issues that arose with the Employee Invention Agreement.
The final version of the agreement should be completed soon.

NEW BUSINESS
            Kinnersley reported on various concerns raised by faculty about the composition of the search committee appointed by the Board of Regents for KU’s next Chancellor. The committee does not have faculty governance representation, includes only five females on the 18-member committee, and just one-third of the members are affiliated with KU.  In contrast, a member noted that 2/3 of the members on the search committee for KSU’s president were affiliated with KSU and both the KSU and PSU chancellor search committees had faculty governance representation. Kinnersley reported on the letter she sent to the search committee chair stating that faculty governance needs a voice in the process. She added that the two KU faculty appointed to the search committee will be excellent members.
            Following lengthy discussion, the consensus of members was that a letter or possibly a resolution should be sent to the search committee chair and/or Regents from the Faculty Senate to inform them about the importance of shared governance, to recommend that the process be as transparent as possible, to request that faculty governance be involved in some way in the interview process, and to invite the search committee chair and CEO of the Board of  Regents to a Faculty Senate meeting.  Joe Harrington, Lisa Wolf-Wendel, Marta Caminero-Santangelo, and Lisa Friss drafted and read a letter to the Senate, and members provided feedback. Joe Harrington/Marta Caminero-Santangelo moved that FacEx prepare the final letter and inform the Faculty Senate. Passed.

No further business. The meeting adjourned at 5:10 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Molly Mulloy