Approved
April 17, Minutes / Indiana State University
Faculty Senate 2006-07
Time: 3:15 p.m.
Place: Hulman Memorial Student Union 227
Present: Chairperson S. Lamb, Vice Chair B. Evans, Secretary C. Hoffman,
S. Davis, B. Frank, J. Hughes, M. Miller, T. Mulkey
Excused: A. Halpern – receiving an award in the College of Arts and Sciences
Ex. Officio: Provost Maynard
Guests: T. Foster (Dean COT), A. Einfeld (M.A. student – ELAF)
I. Administration Report - Provost Maynard
-- April 15 Enrollment Rpt.: no significant changes; confirmations still lag last year
-- 55 faculty made 3000 phone calls to prospective students last week
-- The president and provost hosted an on-line chat with prospective students who had beeninvited by letter to participate. The session went well and produced some interesting exchanges.
-- Budget: Optimistic about a base increase, capital projects increase, and support for health sciences
-- Economic Development Alliance, funded with a $500K HUD grant, has been established and is located in the former Print Shop area. The Alliance joins ISU with the Terre Haute community and Rose-Hulman and promises many opportunities for synergies.
-- Faculty Awards / Faculty Senate banquet is 4/18.
II. Chair's Report – S. Lamb
-- Situation at Virginia Tech has upset all and made us very aware of security concerns
-- Thanks to the 55 faculty who made calls to prospective students
-- Election Results - Faculty Senate 2007-08:
Chair - V. Sheets, V.Chair - A. Halpern, Sec. - Sr. A.M. Anderson
Exec. Committee: J. Fine, H. Hudson, J. Hughes, M. Miller, S. Pontius, D. Worley
First alternate: T. Sawyer
III. Fifteen Minute Open Discussion
1) IRB – Continuing questions about procedures
Board addresses: a) protection of subjects and b) design of projects.
Concern that individual researchers and departments should judge project design
Noted that questions could be addressed with the IRB Administrator
2) New Courses – noted delays in processing in A&S
-- "Primary authority" in curriculum is with the faculty, but courses approved by CAAC have suffered lengthy delays in dean's office, thus preventing exercise of primary authority.
-- Year after year faculty government is criticized for delays of curricular items, but most delays are not with faculty governance which, in most cases, has acted efficiently.
-- Questions: Can one objection in the approval sequence kill a course?
What alternatives / appeals / remedies are possible?
3) Faculty Spousal Accommodation – Does ISU have a policy for on-campus hires of faculty spouses to fill faculty lines without a search, or a mechanism for assistance in finding off-campus employment?
-- Provost: No policy exists, though accommodations and assistance are encouraged. Guidelines have been discussed, but no binding policy has resulted.
-- ISU has a Domestic Partner policy. Q: If an accommodation policy were
established, would it apply to same-sex partners?
Discussion followed. The provost indicated that equal treatment was certainly the original intent of the current Domestic Partner Benefits policy and that he would follow up on the question.
4) Special Purpose faculty appointments – reported that a department chair is recommending a 3-year appointment (of a BS-prepared candidate) without approval of the department, asserting that the decision is the chair's.
-- Provost: Faculty approval is required for such appointments. The policy is at:
http://www.indstate.edu/acad-aff/83.html#guidelines_for_appt_and_renewal
IV. Minutes – #22 (4/10/07): APPROVED (Evans, Frank 8-0-0)
V. Curriculum Proposals
1) Nursing – Post-Master's Certificate in Nursing Education
The proposal was removed from the table (Hoffman, Evans 8-0-0)
Noted: The revised first pages are much clearer; available signatures are now affixed
(one missing – will be appended).
APPROVED (Evans, Frank 8-0-0)
2) Aerospace Technology – Name change to "Aviation Technology"
Dean Foster was invited to the table, explained the proposal, and answered questions.
APPROVED (Frank, Miller 8-0-0)
3) College of Technology – Reorganization from five to three departments
Dean Foster explained the lengthy process of discussion, debate, and final approval in
the College (vote: 28-3-0). Benefits noted:
-- follows the trend at other institutions.
-- groups "like-minded" people together.
-- eliminates many inconsistencies and redundancies
-- offers 22 degrees in three departments
-- addresses the "IVY-Tech Factor" – transfer and graduate enrollments are growing while undergraduate enrollments have declined
Provost Maynard noted that "2+2" programs have been both creative and successful.
Chair Lamb commended COT faculty and Dean Foster for their efforts and success .
APPROVED (Davis, Evans 8-0-0)
VI. New Business
1) FEBC – Recommendations Regarding Sustainability of Health Benefits
T. Mulkey distributed and explained the recommendations:
Recommendations Regarding Sustainability of Health Benefits
1. The University should place a Faculty link on the University homepage. From the Faculty link, faculty will be able to go directly to information regarding compensation and benefits.
2. The Vice President for Business Affairs should make transparent to the entire campus community (employees and retirees) any movement towards modifying or eliminating existing retirement benefits or employee compensation benefits.
3. The Vice President for Business Affairs should broadly disseminate and post on a compensation and benefits website the white paper produced by the 2004-2005 President’s Committee for Benefits Review.
4. The Vice President for Business Affairs should post actuarial reports, auditing requirements, data relating to the VEBA trust, and the membership and decision making parameters of the committee charged with investment decisions on a compensation and benefits website for all members of the ISU community to view.
5. The Vice President for Business Affairs and the Director, Staff Benefits Administration, should facilitate open forums over the summer (2007) and fall (2007) to discuss issues relating to post retiree coverage (e.g. the VEBA trust) and a potential move from defined benefits to defined contributions for retirees.
6. The Vice President for Business Affairs and the Director, Staff Benefits Administration, should author quarterly global or targeted e-mails on issues relating to increasing insurance costs and potential solutions for reducing those costs.
7. Human Resources should disseminate a monthly newsletter which deals in a sophisticated manner with a single topic in the area of compensation and health benefits (e.g. disability coverage, difference between defined benefits and defined contributions with respect to health benefits, the positive and negative aspects of moving to a menu or cafeteria style of health benefit selection, etc.). Future FEBC committees could use the newsletter as a resource.
8. The Vice President for Business Affairs and the Office of the President should make public immediately the time line and process for creating the President’s Committee for Benefits Review 2007-2008.
9. The President should consider inviting the following campus/community representatives to serve on the President’s Committee for Benefits Review 2007-2008 (PCBR): Chairperson of the Faculty Senate, Director, Staff Benefits Administration, two representatives from the FEBC, two representatives from SEBC, retirees from each of the employment groups (staff, EAP, and faculty), select faculty from the College of Business (e.g., its insurance program), Legal Counsel for the University, a faculty member hired since 2005, an EAP representative, and an external accountant or actuary. FEBC maintains that an external accountant or actuary must serve on this committee.
10. The PCBR 2007-2008 should explicitly delineate ways in which a modified defined benefits plan could constrain costs and how this cost reduction would compare to the cost reduction resulting from moving to a defined contribution plan.
11. The PCBR 2007-2008 should explicitly delineate the ways in which moving to a third-party insurer would constrain costs and how this cost reduction would compare to the current cost reduction from the University being self-insured.
12. The PCBR 2007-2008 should identify what coverage is gained by moving to a third-party insurer (e.g. birth control coverage, cafeteria benefits) and what coverage or internal control would be lost.
13. The PCBR 2007-2008 should identify proactive measures (e.g. chronic disease management, stress reduction, wellness programs) that if implemented may reduce increasing costs.
ACCEPTED (as edited) (Hoffman, Evans 8-0-0)
2) FEBC – Recommendations Regarding Disability Coverage
T. Mulkey distributed and explained the text:
FEBC Recommendations Regarding Disability Coverage
1. The Director, Staff Benefits Administration, should post on the Employee Compensation website and send out via global e-mail and targeted portal messages an information sheet on Indiana State University’s CIGNA Long-Term Disability Insurance (who is covered, who pays for coverage, what are the benefits should someone become disabled, what are the issues surrounding disability coverage).
2. The Director, Staff Benefits Administration, should assess whether ISU’s CIGNA Long-Term Disability Insurance can be increased from 60% of the base appointment salary minus payments contributed by ISU to 65%.
ACCEPTED (Mulkey, Frank 8-0-0)
VII. Standing Committee Reports – none additional
The Committee adjourned at 4:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
C. Hoffman, Secretary