University Governance

FACULTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

September 1, 2009 – 3:00 p.m.  – Provost’s Conference Room

Approved: 09/29/09

PRESENT: John Stratton, Ben Eggleston, Lisa Wolf-Wendel, Ada Emmett, Barbara Phipps, Jim Daugherty, Steve Maynard-Moody

ALSO PRESENT: Molly Mulloy, Governance, Vice Provost Mary Lee Hummert, Dean John Gaunt

            Chair Lisa Wolf-Wendel called the meeting to order.

 

PROFESSOR OF PRACTICE TITLE FOR NON-TENURE TRACK FACULTY

            Lisa welcomed Vice Provost Mary Lee Hummert and Architecture Dean John Gaunt, who were present to describe the new non-tenure faculty category which will include the titles Assistant, Associate, and  Professor of the Practice.  VP Hummert explained that the new category was developed at the request of the deans to meet the professional instruction required for accreditation in programs such as Architecture and Education. Dean Gaunt added that professional currency in practice is needed in Architecture’s studio-based system and is hard to achieve otherwise.

 In the discussion that followed, VP Hummert assured members that the appointment of Professors of the Practice will not be used to reduce the number of tenure-track faculty. She explained that this new category differs from the lecturer position in that the lecturer must have the same degree as tenure-track faculty, whereas the Professor of Practice must have professional expertise and the terminal professional degree in that field, which may not be a Ph.D. Dean Gaunt added the level of experience and accomplishment expected for the Professor of Practice is greater than what would be required for a lecturer. Hummert emphasized that if a school wishes to implement this new title, the faculty in the school, the dean, and the provost would all need to approve the criteria. In response to a question, Hummert stated that merit salary for Professors of the Practice would be paid from the same salary pool as tenured faculty. The guests answered various questions and were thanked by Lisa Wolf-Wendel for meeting with FacEx today.

 

MINUTES for June 16, 2009 were approved.

 

REPORT OF THE FACEX CHAIR

            Lisa reported that the Furlough Planning Committee on which both she and John Stratton serve is developing guidelines for implementing furloughs should that become necessary in the next year. She has told the committee about FacEx’s consensus that the effects of any furlough should be visible to the public . Lisa is also serving on the Provost Search Committee, which will be chaired by Prof. Mabel Rice.

TASK FORCE ON OPEN ACCESS IMPLEMENTATION

            Task Force chair Ada Emmett noted that when Faculty Senate approved the concept of the Open Access policy on 4/30/09, it was agreed that details of the implementation would be worked out by governance and the Provost’s Office.  The charges were slightly edited, then Ben Eggleston/Steve Maynard-Moody moved to forward the charges to Faculty Senate in September. Passed. The final charges are:

The Open Access Implementation Details Task Force
Revised 9/1/09

The Open Access policy was approved by the University of Kansas Faculty Senate on April 30, 2009.  The responsibility of the Open Access Task Force will be to describe additional policy details for approval by the Faculty Senate and to outline initial steps for implementation of these policy details.  A document will be drafted that will be shaped by extensive conversations with faculty and administrative groups, providing wide opportunity for comment, consultation, and deliberation by members of the KU community. 

The Task Force, made up of faculty, administrators, and governance leaders, will submit to Faculty Executive committee (FacEx) a draft document that offers necessary refinements to the current Open Access policy. Policy refinements will be voted on by faculty governance, while additional details will be offered regarding implementation and processes to inform the senate and faculty.

The Task Force will present the results of its work to FacEx no later than the first meeting in January for its review.

This document will be submitted to the Faculty Senate during the 2009-2010 academic year for review and a final vote of approval and will:

  1. Clearly distinguish between what are policy issues for governance to vote on, versus what are details of procedures that will guide the policy implementation process.
  2. Offer adjustments to the current policy that will, in succinct language:
    1. Describe the opportunity granted to the faculty to request a waiver from the policy,  i.e., the “opt out” clause, describing succinctly the procedures and conditions, if any,  necessary for faculty to be granted the waiver.
    2. Indicate the future regular review of the policy by FacEx and KU administrators.
    3. Provide a statement in the policy indicating the means by which faculty will supply copies of relevant publications to the University.
  3. Develop an implementation plan and describe procedures for application of the policy, details of which will include:
    1. Description of time frame and implementation phases:  Describe the time frame by which the phases of implementation will occur. This can be a brief but succinct description.
    2. Description of mechanisms for achieving widest level of participation as possible, e.g., set goals to approach full voluntary participation on an incremental basis.

 

TASK FORCE ON UNCLASSIFIED ACADEMIC STAFF

            John Stratton/Ada Emmett moved to approve the charges and membership.  Passed. The charges are as follows:

TASK FORCE ON UNCLASSIFIED ACADEMIC STAFF

Given the unique status and varied nature of unclassified academic staff positions and the absence of any standing governance committee with responsibility for their concerns, FacEx is creating a Task Force charged to address issues affecting academic staff. 

CHARGES

  1. Consult with members of the academic staff, appropriate administrative personnel, Human Resources and Equal Opportunity, and relevant governance committees to develop policies designed specifically for Academic Staff in the areas of evaluation of performance, job security, dismissal and non-reappointment, modified instructional duties, application of the Code of Faculty Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct, and outside consulting.
  2. Consider whether unclassified academic staff ought to have more formal representation on Faculty and University Governance so that they can be adequately represented in the decision making bodies of the University. 

 

No further business.

Respectfully submitted,

Molly Mulloy