PACIFIC LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY

Tacoma, WA  98447

 

Minutes of Meeting of the Faculty Assembly

Friday, March  14,2003

Leraas Lecture Hall, Rieke Science Center

 

1.                  Call to order  - Mike Crayton called us to order at 4:06

·        Signed attendance was: 78 faculty

2.                  Opening Prayer.  Lead by Christine Hansvick with  readings from Kofi Annan and a Moslem prayer for peace.

Mike Crayton moved that we change the agenda due to the need for the Faculty executive Committee to discuss the new business on the agenda. Ad hoc committees must be reviewed before bringing them to faculty discussion. There was no objection.

3.                  Approval of Minutes The minutes of  February  corrections.  (Note: I discovered that a correction is needed as they were dated 2002 instead of 2003.  Please change.)

4.                  Announcements

Mika Crayton announced changes in the Faculty Meeting Schedule. The April meeting of the faculty will be moved ahead to April 4 so as not to be in conflict with the Wang Center program on China.

5.                  Questions and Answer Period  - The President traveling, he asked the Provost to speak , in his place, on the academic budget.

Jim Pence

¨      There is no news on the academic budget which is still being worked on.

¨      There will be an email on contract preparation. The operating assumption is that there will be no across the board increase in salaries.

¨      Funds have been found for increases due for promotions and some equity adjustments which are the highest priority. There were $200,000 in equity requests.

 

6.                  Report from Faculty Affairs Committee

John Peterson

¨      As a result of last month’s resolution, there have been meetings with regard to salary increases for faculty and staff.

¨      It was decided that the required structural changes would be too precipitous in so short a period of time.

Therefore, it should not be done now and there would be no across the board raises.

¨      The time line to be pursued by Faculty Affairs, the Dean’s Council, and the Provost is in two stages:

Stage 1 – To reduce incoming requests for this year to cover promotions and equity adjustments. That appears possible.

Stage 2 – To provide a road map for restructuring so as to get salary increases next year by locating where money can be saved.

Areas will be identified and assigned to groups who will report back.

Stage 3 Carry out this work and implement recommendations to generate a basis for generous salary increases.

Report from the Wang Center and the Teagle Grant

Jan Rasmussen

¨      The Wang Center is holding its inaugural symposium on, Thursday, April 10th and Friday, April 11th at the Sheraton under the title “China: Bridge for the Nextt Century.”

¨      The model is to seek open mindedness and peace.

¨      It is requested that PLU faculty and students register, on line, in advance for the conference. There will be no charge for PLU students or faculty.

¨      We should make connections with our course subject matter and encourage students to attend.

¨      Before the conference, there will be a special day on campus celebrating students grants with presentations by students.

 

Tamara Williams

¨      As part of the Wang Center conference there will be an Educating for Peace Day on campus.

¨      Faculty and students are invited to participate. The program will be on peace and include workshops on conflict resolution, problem solving sessions using simulations representing many religious and secular techniques.

¨      Four different workshops are listed which can be linked with courses. These will be on Wednesday afternoon on April 9.

¨      Registration is on the Wang Center Website.

¨      Tamara urged us to participate and bring our students.  This is an experiment combining a peace day with the Wong Center program.  This will not be the last such experiment.

 

Jim Pence  thanked Tamara and Jan for a wonderful statement (and appeal to faculty).

Martin Neeb  announced that there would be a KPLU level one promotion for the event entailing 50 to 60 spots on the program.

He announced the KPLU Spring fund drive beginning Thursday, March 27.

KPLU is hosting tonight ay Faculty House and all are invited.

7.                  There was no unfinished business

8.                  There was no new business.

We adjourned at 4:42 PM.

 

Respectfully Submitted

 

Eli Berniker 

Faculty Secretary