Faculty Affairs Committee Meeting

April 2, 2007

 

Present: S. Starkovich, A. Leon-Guerrero, R. Kaufman, W. Shore, M. Ellard-Ivey, R. Byrnes

 

Guests: Laura Polcyn and Patricia Killen

 

Business:

1. The committee talked with Laura Polcyn about Fall Conference.  Laura said that the President’s Council is thinking about bringing Tom Christenson, author of The Gift and Task of Lutheran Higher Education, to campus to be our oustide speaker on Wednesday, August 29th.  She said they would like other recommendations from FAC.  The committee asked for a week to get back to her with suggestions.  Laura also said that the President’s Council had the following ideas for concurrent sessions: accreditation, admission/retention, and the symposium on global health.

 

2.  The committee talked with Patricia Killen about not receiving confirmation from Loren Anderson about FAC’s salary recommendations and about the memo he wrote to all faculty.  Patricia told us that our recommendations were accepted.  She asked FAC to send her a paragraph-long rationale for the numbers that we came up with and said that she would send a memo to faculty giving more detailed information about raises.  Anna said she has heard questions about COLA, which Patricia said are always based on the urban CPI.

 

3.  The committee also talked with Patricia about the question of peer institutions.  Before we proceed with an implementation plan, we need to agree to a peer institution list.  Patricia noted that the university has multiple peer lists that are used for different purposes; she doesn’t know their histories.  The committee talked about which criteria to use in constructing a list, as well as the role of aspirant schools on such a list.  Ron suggested that we come up with a compromise list of schools that meet a certain number—but not necessarily all—of our criteria and that we consider those schools as a collective.  The committee discussed using Carnegie classifications, geography and region (including urban/rural distinctions), size, quality and reputation, and dependence on tuition as criteria.  Patricia said that people in her office can look for answers to questions the committee generates.

 

Meeting adjourned at 1:31 p.m.

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Rona Kaufman

FAC Secretary

 

Next meeting: April 9th from 12:30 – 1:30 in the President’s Conference Room.