North Georgia College & State
University Faculty Senate Meeting:
Minutes for Thursday, March 13, 2003
At 12:30 P.M., C.E.O. Jimmy Woods called the March 13, 2003 meeting of the NGCSU Faculty Senate to order.
·Senators in Attendance: Dlynn Armstrong-Williams, Kim Benton, Kaye Biddy, V.P.A.A. Phil Buckhiester, Noel Campbell, Carl Cavalli, Barry Friedman, Anne Gaillard, President Nathaniel Hansford, Kristi Hislope, Scot Irwin, Georgia Mann, C. Michael Powell, Alice Sampson, Andy Schaffer, Jeff Sommers, Ann Stucke, Ann Summers, Sally Wiedmann, C.E.O. Jimmy Woods
·Senators Excused: Jack Broman, Elizabeth Combier, Robert Fuller, D. Brian Mann, Bud Reiselt, Lindsey Reeves, Harriette Richard
·Senators Absent: Chris Dare, Ahmad Ghafarian, Aaron Lu, Dan Thompson
·Guests: from SGA- Kellie Lawson and Heidi Newkirk
C.E.O. Jimmy Woods submitted the minutes of the February 13th meeting for approval and called for any additions or corrections. There being none, C. Michael Powell moved to accept the minutes. Sally Wiedmann seconded, and the minutes were approved with no revisions.
President's Report: Dr. Nathaniel Hansford
BUDGET ISSUES
'03 Budget, 11% operating budget cut.
Senate Appropriations Committee proposed additional 1% cut to operating budget.
Chancellor asked presidents to attend the hearing. Proposed cut was 1 quarter of 1% (or $50,000 for NGCSU).
Expressions that it could be worse by Noel Campbell (some Texas faculty giving back portion of salary) and President Hansford (South Carolina considering faculty furloughs).
'04 budget, not much known about it. Chancellor said it will be "ugly". There will be at least a 12% cut next year. If inclusive of our cuts this year, it will be additional 1%. If it is in addition to the current 11%, then it is devastating. Hansford thinks it will only be an additional 1% cut for next year.
Tuition increases - Legislation is in recess for two weeks, so we do not have information yet. Hansford is optimistic that there will be a small increase. Our tuition is below the regional norm. We have a history of access at reasonable cost. $250 estimated increase.
Scholarships here not funded by HOPE.
GA Military Scholarship- anticipated that cadets will get the full amount of the scholarship for this year and next. Scholarships taken from activated students frees up money for other cadets.
ROTC Grant - $1500 per year grant available for every cadet that is recommended by the commandant. Senate Appropriations Committee proposed a budget of zero for the ROTC grant. Senator Carol Jackson wrote an amendment of $150,000 which passed by 1 vote. Now it goes to conference committee. Hansford stressed that this is not money for the college. It is for the student, and it was promised to them before they came. He wants students to get what they are promised.
Work on Owen Hall, Lewis Hall, renovation of plant ops building. Funded from bond money. Bonds are different from the revenue.
MRR (Maintenance, Repair, and Renovation) funds for Dunlap Hall and Education Building. Education may move forward on construction. We have an architect for Technology.
OTHER
Soccer coach – new full time for men and women. Funded from athletic money (private funds and student athletic fee). Not taken from instructional funds.
P.A. weekend- dedication of Owen Hall, Frank Fearon in physical therapy awarded Distinguished Professor, Golden Steeple Awards to Ot Murphy, Gen. Gerry Aiken, and Kathy Sisk.
Congratulate Specialist in Education program for this year.
Admissions—enrollment management trying to determine the growth we can accommodate. Transfer student applications and acceptances have increased. We have more space for transfer students in many schools. Apr. 1- UGA determines who is accepted. We are 2d choice school for many. May 1- confirmation deposits of $250 due. First year to require one. If not paid, acceptance is null. Deposit applied toward tuition. If the student does not enroll, they lose the fee. Gives us control in planning. The fee applies to transfer students also.
Agenda item: Feedback before mid term ‑ VPAA Phil
Buckhiester and SGA
VPAA
Phil Buckhiester. Deans council –
Reps from SGA met with them last semester about initiating a formal process of
soliciting feedback from students at midterm.
Now professors do not get feedback until the next semester. Kelli Lawson and Heidi Newkirk asked deans
council to develop a program of early feedback between student and
instructor. Could be done immediately
in the semester. Some free on-line
mechanisms for doing this. Deans
council recommended bringing the suggestion to the Senate.
Kelli Lawson, SGA. Students are in favor of an informal evaluation because feedback is not immediate. One idea is an on-line version since a scantron takes up class time. Some possible questions: Does the syllabus fit the class, is work turned back on time, office hours kept?
The following questions and comments arose from the Senators. Ms. Lawson answered.
Barry Friedman---Would this cause any work for faculty?
-- The results would go to the dept. head and would then be discussed.
Noel Campbell--- On-line evaluations would elicit a steady stream of negativity. More work for dept. head. Need a guaranteed time for all to respond. Only people we will hear from are from the extremely unhappy.
C. Michael Powell --- agrees with Campbell. What is the purpose?
---To give immediate feedback. Students do not take end of year evaluations seriously.
Powell --- How will it be any different at midterm?
---The students will know that the dept. will use them.
Powell--- If they aren't used for award or punishment, then why change?
Sally Wiedmann--- If to be of value, anonymity and security (only student in class can log in) has to be kept. This can't be guaranteed. She tells her students at the beginning of the semester the syllabus is their contract. If changes are made at midterm, students who were happy in the beginning will be unhappy.
Jimmy Woods ---Of the questions brought forward in the evaluation, there are channels already in place if the professor is missing class or office hours. You can go to dept. head now.
Ann Gaillard--- Appreciates getting feedback before class is over and thinks there is some value in it. Why does it need to be sent to the dept. head?
--- Only what is seen as a major violation, a red flag, would go to the dept. head.
Ann Gaillard ---How is that determined?
--- It would be up to the dept. head.
Noel Campbell --- Professors know what belongs in a class. Students do not. He can tell you what his comments will be. There is not much he can do about "he's sarcastic, talks too much", etc. He can not alter the amount of material he has to cover.
Alice Sampson ---Handout from the dean of education - new trend is consumerism and idea of personalization. Discuss expectations at the beginning. The process does not have to be adversarial. She finds feedback essential. Students do not know what teachers do.
Carl Cavalli --- Agrees with concerns that feedback will be motivated by dissatisfaction. Privacy and security concerns. As a starting point this could be good. We may not want to change everything we do, but some stuff. Evaluations can be passed out informally. The do not have to go to dept. head. Dlynn Armstrong Williams--- Surveys should be directed to professor. Who determines what is a major and minor violation? Design questions and have a couple of faculty sit in on it.
Andy Schaffer---Already asks for feedback at midterm. He asks content questions and what would they do differently if they don't like it. He doesn't change, but can explain why he does something. Sally Wiedmann---Suggests that evaluation does not have to be online. Some professors are already doing evaluations. Students can type it or someone else can write it for them for different handwriting and send back to the professor in campus mail. Her concern is that it may be mandated, confidentiality, and who gets to make comments. Agrees that it is a good idea that faculty be involved in designing questions. Our students are our product.
Barry Friedman
---If students want to set up this system, they can and give it to whomever
they want. With anonymous feedback we
are sending the message to them that if they have a problem it should always be
anonymous instead of coming and talking to us.
A student with a problem came to him about another professor. Students can go to the SGA academic
judiciary committee for help. For this
student, it did not work. If there
really is a problem then the SGA should make sure their committee works.
Agenda item:
Review of Faculty Salaries – Dr. Noel Campbell
· Noel Campbell discussed data and problems with analysis of faculty salaries. See the following link for his handouts and discussion:
http://www.ngcsu.edu/academic/senate/Ay02-03/Salrep.htm
C. Michael Powell suggests looking at other schools. Noel Campbell says to go back to before semester conversion, use longitudinal and productivity data. Jeff Sommers says we have data from UGA. We rank second to last in salary. Productivity is flawed. Why use bad data? Noel Campbell says we should use the data we have. Jeff Sommers says when we measure productivity it has to be done on a dept by dept basis and not compared with other schools. Noel Campbell says the market value of his productivity is his next best job offer. Sally Wiedmann says our raises are merit raises only. We do not get cost of living increases. Merit is part of productivity. We cannot leave merit and productivity out of the mix and have a useful report. Noel Campbell states we can take a lot of the individual out of the data. Powell says it is ludicrous to throw out data. We are promoting old people. Jimmy Woods says next time we address salaries we can take a better approach. VPAA Phil Buckhiester says Business and Finance provided the requested data. Barry Friedman says faculty affairs did not have data on productivity. Proposal of faculty affairs ---data should go to academic affairs to install productivity into the analysis and look at outliers. They did not say they did not want productivity as part of the analysis. Noel Campbell says he will collect the data and look at it more if supported. It is public record. Only SS# and health issues are not. He can take it from annual evaluations which are not protected.
Dlynn Armstrong Williams asked why a terminal degree is not valued?
Agenda Item: Faculty Evaluation ‑
Discussion led by CEO Jimmy Woods
· You will not get a raise if you did well this year because of the budget.
· Should
change to take on a longer period of time because if you had a stellar year you
will not be awarded.
· Both
ends of the spectrum (perform well and get nothing or perform badly and get
nothing)
· Should
we change the way we are evaluated? If
senate recommends it, it cannot take effect until the following January. If rank order changes then how do we handle
that?
Noel Campbell--- regarding publications, some dept. heads are letting you slide a good year over to the next year under the table. Several people mumbled when that was stated.
C.E.O.’s Report:
Dr. Jimmy Woods
next years Committee on Committees members: Elizabeth Combier, Kristi Hislope, Georgia Mann, and Thomas Temples
other committee nominations
have been sent out
Announcements and
Adjournment:
· Dlynn Armstrong Williams announced that Senator Jackson and Plunkett-Butimer will be here on campus. 019 Newton Oaks, 12:30, April 1.
· Noel Campbell says GroupWise allows threaded discussions so you can reject the discussion on your e-mail.
· Woods adjourned the meeting at 1:55pm.
Respectfully submitted,