Faculty Senate Meeting
The
II. CERTIFICATION OF
SUBSTITUTES: Jill Jones substituted for Fred Alsberg, and
Chad Ramirez substituted for Chad Kinder.
A. Dr. Hayes reported that the Weatherford City Council will meet on
July 26th to discuss the possibility of introducing a 1 cent sales
tax to a vote of the people. The tax
would in general support economic development within the community, with SWOSU
receiving approximately one million dollars over a 7 year span in support of
student scholarships.
B. In response to concerns over disparities in raises received by the
different Schools and Departments across campus, Dr. Hayes reported that salary
at SWOSU is based on a “market approach” rather than a “salary schedule”. In this approach, faculty salaries are compared,
by rank and discipline, with National CUPA averages or, in the case of Pharmacy
in past years, with National AACP averages.
Equity adjustments are continuously made in keeping with these
averages. In addition, those schools
which received more than the standard 3% raise for their faculty did so through
revenue generated by tuition increases within those specific disciplines. The results of this policy are that SWOSU
salaries for faculty at the rank of Full Professor, Associate Professor, and
Assistant Professor average 77.5%, 85.8%, and 83.3% of the national averages,
respectively. There is, Dr. Hayes
suggests, a degree of subjectivity in even the fairest of systems. Cases in point: instructors at the university level should
make more than their counterparts working within the high school setting, which
is why some instructors received a 6% rather than 3% raise; similarly, some
coaches were so far below the average salaries of surrounding regional
universities as to merit a larger percentage increase.
C. In response to a question on a faculty member’s “right” to a summer
teaching position, Dr. Hayes reported that University policy dictates that
summer teaching assignments are made by the President, based on the Chair’s
recommendations.
A. From FS President South:
1. Dr. Rice has verified that we indeed do not have an intramurals dept. Relevant parties will be instructed not to issue signs with that wording.
2. In response to a previous query, records indicate that the Faculty Senate has never made a recommendation concerning the Freshman Orientation teaching stipend or class duration. The Faculty Senate may wish to address this issue in the future.
3. Concern was expressed at the last meeting on a perceived willingness of administration to hire faculty with only Bachelor’s degree in the area of computer science. However, Dr. Rice is not aware of a person with only a Bachelor’s degree currently scheduled to teach full-time in Computer Science. One person is scheduled to teach distance courses with only a Bachelor’s degree, but possesses the strength of “real-world” experience.
4. Dr. Foust has provided the following clarification: Chairs are considered faculty, while Associate Deans are considered administrators.
5. 2003-2004 Summative Faculty Senate Report from Past President Foust
FS Motion 2004-07-01 It was moved and
seconded to accept the 2003-2004 Summative Faculty Senate Report submitted
by Past President Cynthia Foust.
The Motion passed by voice vote.
B. From Provost Rice: The new Post-Tenure Review policy is effective this fall. The new Grievance Policy went into effect 7/01/04.
C. FS Secretary/Treasurer Dr. Jason Johnson:
1. Roll Sheet—please sign and update.
2. Treasurer’s Report: BancFirst Checking account balance: $1,556.48
University account balance: $74.96
D. FS President Elect Logan:
Dr. Logan attended the Administrative Communication Retreat as a
representative of the faculty senate.
E. FS Past President Hayden:
No report
F. FS Student Government Representative Justin Ohl: No report
A reminder was issued that several motions are now
in committee: The Personnel Policies
Committee is evaluating (1) possible changes to summer pay scales for teaching
small classes and (2) changes to compensation policies for teaching
overloads. The University Policies Committee
is evaluating changes to the final examination schedule.
University Policies Committee: The Committee is soliciting all faculty
senators to report their perceived problems of the current final examination
schedule to members of the committee, in preparation for their meeting at the
beginning of the Fall semester. Student
comments will also be welcomed.
A. Tabled
Motion from June 22 meeting:
FS Motion 2004-07-02 It was moved and
seconded to remove FS Motion 2004-06-02 from the table.
The Motion passed by voice vote.
Amendment 2004-07-03 to
2004-06-02 It was moved and
seconded to add the words “and willing” to the first sentence of the second
paragraph of Motion 2004-06-02.
The
Amendment passed by voice vote.
FS Motion 2004-06-02 -
Restated It was moved and
seconded that selection of members of the University Promotion/Tenure
Review Committee and the Appeals Committee adhere to the following
guidelines: The Senate
Executive Committee (with assistance, if needed) will compile a list of
faculty eligible (by college) for the University Promotion/Tenure Review
Committee by the August Senate meeting. The
Faculty Senators of each college will meet following the September Senate
meeting and select from among the list of eligible and willing
faculty. The Faculty Senators of the Colleges of Arts & Sciences and
Professional & Graduate Studies will each select three (3) names for
the UTPRC and one (1) for the Appeals Committee. The Faculty Senators of the College of
Pharmacy will select one (1) name for the UTPRC and one (1) for the Appeals
Committee. The
Faculty Senate President (or designee) will forward the names to the Chief
Academic Officer by the end of the first full week of October.
The
Motion passed by voice vote
None
With no further business, the
meeting adjourned at 2:29 p.m.
Respectfully
submitted,
_________________________ __________________________
James South, President Jason
Johnson, Secretary