2012-13 Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes #24 – April 9, 2013 – Page 6
University of Idaho
Faculty Senate Meeting Minutes
2012-2013 Meeting #24, Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Present: Baillargeon, Baker (w/o vote), Bird (Chair), Budwig (Boise), Christiansen, Dodd, Eckwright (w/o vote), Flores, Frey, Garrison, Goddard, Hasko, Hopper, Karsky, Kennelly, Cannon (w/o vote) for Kitchel, Manic, Miller, Morra, Ostrom, Pendegraft, Safaii, Strawn, Stuntzner (Coeur d’Alene), Teal, Ytreberg Absent: Aiken, Hartzell, Qualls, Smith Guests: 5
A quorum being present, Senate Chair Bird called the meeting to order at 3:31pm.
Minutes: It was moved and seconded (Garrison, Baillargeon) to approve the minutes of meeting #23. Motion carried with two abstentions.
Chair’s Report. Chair Bird reported on the following items:
· Chair Bird and Faculty Secretary Eckwright met with President Nellis last week and with Provost Baker yesterday. The main topic of conversation at both meetings was the leadership transition over the next three months.
· Chair Bird will serve on the search committee for the interim provost at the request of both President Nellis and interim President Don Burnett. The interim provost may serve as long as 18 months. Search committee membership and timetable will be announced later this week. Nominations and applications should be submitted by Monday, April 15, to Kay Maurin at . President Nellis has said “The process will move forward quickly with appointment of an interim made as soon as possible.”
· Jack McIver, Vice President for Research and Economic Development, has agreed to provide $5,000 in one-time money for the Brink Hall lounge renovation. President Nellis has given a verbal commitment to senate leadership to provide the remaining funds so that we can move forward with the project. Chair Bird is awaiting confirmation from President Nellis, who is currently traveling, before giving the staff architect the go-ahead to develop a new budget and construction timetable.
· Please return your surveys regarding instructors and senior instructors by the end of this week. This is intended as a senate survey only, and is not directed at the entire faculty. Please send your responses and comments to Senator Pendegraft , Senator Garrison , or Senator Smith by Friday, April 12.
· College of Law welcomes Joan Donoghue, U.S. judge on the International Court of Justice, for presentations today in Boise and tomorrow in Moscow at the law courtroom.
· April 15 is the deadline for applying to try out the Dynamic Learning Classroom, TLC 123, for fall 2013.
· April 15 is also the deadline for nominations for honorary degrees to be awarded in December. Additional information about both TLC 123 and honorary degrees may be found in the minutes from meeting #23.
· We have three senate meetings remaining this semester, as well as the University Faculty Meeting on April 30.
· Phil Deutchman, University of Idaho professor of physics, will give a lecture entitled “A Brief History of Particle Physics: Electron to Higgs Boson” as part of the Malcolm M. Renfrew Lecture Series on April 10 on the Moscow campus.
· Associated Students of the University of Idaho (ASUI) have completed their elections and Max Cowan, a sophomore in international studies and chemistry, will serve as the new ASUI President. Taylor Williams, a junior studying studio art and advertising, will serve as the new ASUI Vice President.
· Next week’s senate agenda includes presentations by two university vice presidents: Chris Murray, vice president for university advancement, will give a progress report on the “Inspiring Futures” campaign; and Ron Smith, vice president for finance and administration, will respond to some of senate’s comments and questions about the capital planning process and budget priorities for Facilities.
Provost’s Report. Vice Provost Christiansen reported on the following items as Provost Baker was unavoidably detained and had not yet arrived at the meeting:
· The University of Idaho is entering a transition and recruitment period with searches beginning for president, provost and dean vacancies. We are encouraged to use the lens of recruitment during this period as we present ourselves and how we move forward as a university.
· Confucius Institute opening is on April 15 at 10am in the 3rd floor lobby area of the Administration building. There will be a concert at 3:30pm in the Administration Auditorium. All are encouraged to attend.
· Outstanding Staff Awards reception will be held on April 15, 1-3pm in the SUB Ballroom.
· Excellence Awards ceremony for faculty and students will be held on April 15 in the SUB Ballroom beginning at 6pm.
· State Board of Education (SBOE) will meet with provosts from Idaho institutions to talk about 5-year-planning programs and process.
· SBOE meets in Moscow on April 17 and 18 and will focus on setting student fees for the upcoming academic year.
· We are preparing documentation for the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) comprehensive visit in fall 2014. We will continue to work on the report over the next year and plan to have it completed by the close of spring semester 2014 in order to provide time for review and updates.
FS-13-047 (UCC-13-064). Regulation B-2. Chair Bird noted that a year ago the Alumni Office informed senate leadership that parents of U-Idaho students occasionally request permission to attend their daughters’ and sons’ classes, and the office asked if there are regulations preventing parents from doing so. It was determined that Regulation B-2 appeared to prohibit such visits to U-Idaho classes. Later the Office of Admissions and Campus Visits asked if prospective students could sit in on classes and the same regulation was cited. The Teaching and Advising Committee has addressed this question and has recommended a wording change to Regulation B-2 that will make this a matter of instructor discretion. The proposed language change will allow any category of visitor to attend a class after obtaining advance permission from the instructor. The original language was intended to prevent unauthorized observers who consider themselves “watchdogs” of faculty ideology from attending classes. In response to a senator’s question, Chair Bird explained that the wording “do not admit anyone” refers to current students who may be “poaching” on a class in which she or he is not enrolled. Chair Bird added that the proposed wording Regulation B-2 has been further streamlined since this item passed at the UCC meeting yesterday. This item comes as a seconded motion from UCC. Motion carried with one opposed.
FS-13-048 (UCC-13-065): BS in Physical Education name change. This change will rename the Bachelor of Science degree in physical education to a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and Health. A senator questioned whether the use of the word “health” in the degree name was a concern to Idaho State University since it has statewide responsibilities for health sciences education. David Paul, professor in movement sciences, stated that the term “exercise and health” has been part of the degree name but the College of Education wants to omit “physical education” because it has been a source of some confusion, i.e., students had erroneously thought that the degree would prepare them to teach K-12 physical education. This name change is more descriptive of the actual degree program. This item comes as a seconded motion from UCC. Motion carried unanimously.
FS-13-049 (UCC-13-066): HVAC Systems Certificate – discontinue. Chair Bird explained that discontinuation of an existing program requires a proposal to the SBOE. The rationale for discontinuing this certificate program is that only five students have completed the program since its inception in 2000-2001. There is no plan for a teach-out, as the last known student completed this certificate in 2008. This item comes as a seconded motion from UCC. Motion carried unanimously.
Chair Bird then introduced the first of two senate guests, Carl Root, director of parking and transportation services. Mr. Root began by providing an update on activities during the past year:
· Parking and Transportation Services (PTS) left Auxiliary Services and joined Facilities in July 2012 and this is a much better fit for PTS
o This move resulted in significant efficiencies relating to maintenance and snow removal operations.
o There are financial implications for PTS involvement with construction management, planning and capital projects because PTS no longer pays overhead to Facilities.
o Allows for more flexibility in funding transportation planning improvements, primarily pedestrian and bicycle improvements.
o This move has allowed PTS to change their long-range pricing strategies as they no longer need to increase revenues in some way.
· PTS currently seeks to raise rates only for residential parking permits (silver, green and purple) this next year. The rate will increase over a three-year period from the current $136 to $172 per year, equivalent to the current Red permit rate. PTS has talked with ASUI leadership and staff affairs; and housing and the Residence Hall Association support PTS on this proposed rate change.
· PTS moved into the Intermodal Transit Center some months ago. The center was built with grant funding obtained by the City of Moscow and the center is maintained collaboratively by the City of Moscow and the University of Idaho. All are invited to stop by and tour the new center.
· PTS continues to implement transportation safety plans including traffic calming and pedestrian crossing projects on both Deakin Ave. and 6th Street.
o Traffic calming does not modify pedestrian behavior but makes motorists slow down because they feel as though they are entering a busier area. There will be a planted median and a 4-inch-raised “table”, as well as surface treatment and lighting. For additional information: http://www.uidaho.edu/parking/transportation-plan/phase-one
o Consultant’s price estimates are ready and PTS looks forward to going ahead with construction drawings after working through estimates and budget issues.
o Some elements of the traffic calming and pedestrian crossing concepts are not specific to traffic calming or pedestrian crossing – rather, they are “enhancements.” For example, there is a monument on 6th St. that matches the intent of entry monuments elsewhere on the Moscow campus. This monument is a $75,000 piece of the project that PTS should not pay.
· PTS is participating in U-Idaho’s bond restructuring and will be able to borrow $850,000 and pay it off over ten years at approximately $94,000/year. This will enable PTS to use $600,000 to pay for the two pedestrian crossing and traffic calming projects, which were top priorities on the Transportation Improvement Plan. The university plans to begin work on the projects in fall, winter or next spring.
· PTS is working on some modest bicycle improvements to ensure we are managing bicycles sufficiently while still encouraging bicycles as a mobility option for the Moscow campus community. A bicycle shelter is planned for the northeast corner of Renfrew Hall.
· WSU remains firm about sticking with the changes that have been made to the reciprocal parking permit program. WSU insists that U-Idaho permit parking makes a significant impact on their campus while we feel that WSU permit parking on our campus is not that significant.
Mr. Root responded as follows to senators’ questions and comments:
· Are there any long term plans for traffic calming on the campus walkways, particularly the section of University Avenue from the Life Sciences Building to the Commons? This area is increasingly and illegally used as a drop-off point. Yes, we do address this in our plan. Our data shows that there are 280 vehicles that enter the walkway every day and only 140 of them are authorized. One element in the transportation plan restricts traffic at University Way (lot 53) and couples a transit stop on Ash St. to create a drop off point there that would be most dramatic if we reverse the one way traffic on Idaho and University. Reversing the one-way streets would allow for a bus drop-off as well as a designed drop-off for motorists who drop-off pedestrians. PTS is working with SMART Transit, formerly Moscow Transit, to create an abbreviated route as part of the next implementation phase of the transportation plan.
· Could you clarify the “bronco” on the schematic for the traffic calming? This is an “I” and it is not the right proportion for the Idaho logo and it is not shown correctly in the concept.
· Has there been any interest expressed in restoring the central motor pool for those who may want access to vehicles for different purposes? No, not to my knowledge. We are asked to provide all of the mobility options that are needed, but there is no funding for a motor pool and there is not a demand identified, certainly not a demand that equals the cost.
Chair Bird next introduced guest Jack McIver, vice-president for research and economic development, to speak about the effects of sequestration on university research and funding, as well as the IRIC (Integrated Research and Innovation Center). Dr. McIver provided the following information:
· IRIC is moving forward with $2.5 million in funding this year and an additional $2.5 million anticipated next year from the legislature.