UniFC Members present: Ralph Brill (Law), Glenn Broadhead (Hum), Howard Chapman (Law), Joel Goldhar (Stuart), Andy Howard (BCPS / Secretary), Ken Schug (BCPS) Phil Troyk (BME / MCFC Chair), Judi Zawojewski (MSED). In Michael Young's absence, Phil Troyk acted as chair.
Members Absent: George Schipporeit (Arch), Dan Tarlock (Kent), Michael Young (Psych / Chair).
The meeting began at 1:47 pm.
The only remaining substantive issue is the question of how many Committees on Promotions and Tenure will exist under the new system. The Provost will shortly schedule a University faculty meeting on the main campus rather than downtown to discuss and vote on the new faculty handbook. The descriptions of specific types of Category II faculty are not quite self-consistent, and will need to be revised, but the consensus has been that we should not hold up the approval process pending resolution of these descriptions. Accordingly, the handbook revision will indeed be reported out as approved at the University Faculty Council level, based on the unanimous approval at the February UniFC meeting.
Michael Young has drafted letter to the Provost reminding him of promises he has made regarding how the new Undergraduate Business Program and the IBIS administrative entity will be staffed. There remain some concerns, expressed at this meeting by Joel Goldhar and Phil Troyk, about ways that faculty will be hired into the program and about the initial academic legitimacy of the program. Glenn Broadhead observed that Provost Myerson has presented the current arrangement, under which the new program is independent of the Stuart School, as a way of preserving the accreditation of the latter, with the clear implication that Stuart would take the program back once the program matures. Judi Zawojevski moved and Ken Schug seconded a motion that we send Michael's letter as a University Faculty Council document; the motion carried unanimously. The document, among other things, reaffirms the importance of keeping the decision-making authority for the new program in the hands of its faculty oversight committee.
Howard Chapman said that Vice President John Collins has provided him with some information that Howard has assembled into a University financial report, which he distributed at the UniFC meeting. Howard still does not have the 2003 figures, so the report is preliminary and not to be distributed. A full report will be assembled once Collins gives him the 2003 numbers; he hopes to have them available for the 16 April meeting. The Faculty Council entered into a spirited discussion of how the University might emerge, long-term, from its financial woes. The $28.7M deficit for FY02 is more like $20M if you don't include depreciation. Phil Troyk wrapped up the discussion by remarking that administration's recent cost-cutting decisions made sense, but that we as a faculty need to hold the administration accountable for the financial problem, and to show a serious willingness to play a role in financial decision-making. Howard Chapman said that the university is providing more information to the faculty than in previous years, but there remains no real opportunity to provide input. Phil said the faculty needs to assert its right and duty to participate in the process.