Minutes of the University Senate,
The University Senate met in regular session at
Members absent were:
Kimberly Anderson, Wendy Baldwin, Jeannine Blackwell, Michael Braun,
Sheila Brothers, Frank Butler, Lauretta Byars, Ben Carr, James Cibulka,
Alfred Cohen, Jody Deem, Nirmala Desai, Philip DeSimone, Mary Duke*, David Durant, Joseph Fink III, Mat
Gabel, Lorraine Garkovich, Mark Hanson, Steven Hoch*, Kay Hoffman, Tom Janoski,
James Kerley, Robert Kovarik,
Phil Kraemer, Thomas Lester, Leola McClure, Doug Michael, Sue Nokes*, Peter Perry, Michaele
Pride-Wells, Kenneth Roberts, Thomas Robinson, D.B. Rowland, Jason Shaw,
Richard Siemer, Scott Smith, Chuck Staben, Devanathan Sudharshan, Patricia Terrell, Allan Vestal, Brian Wade, Retia Walker, Dean white, Carolyn Williams, Eugene
Williams, Emery Wilson, Don Witt, Steven Yates*.
*Excused Absences
Chairperson Jeffrey Dembo called the meeting to order at
Announcements:
1. The Chair noted that President Todd’s itinerary had chanced,
so the agenda would change to accommodate him.
2. The Chair discussed the composition and role of the
Senate. He mentioned the unfinished
elections in some colleges and noted that the faculty are
responsible for running those elections.
The Chair welcomed the newly-elected Senators, including the student
Senators from SGA.
3. The Chair thanked Rachel Watts, President of the Student
Government Association, and Sheila Brothers, Chair of the Staff Senate, for
working so collaboratively with the University Senate.
4. The Chair introduced Gifford Blyton,
Parliamentarian to the Senate. The Chair
introduced Ms. Scott and Angel Clark of the Senate Council Office. The Chair welcomed the new court reporter
from An/Dor Reporting Service. He introduced the members for the Senate
Council, explained the role of the Senate Council, and thanked the student
representatives on the Senate Council for their involvement.
Resolution:
5. A memorial resolution was read by Frank Scott in honor of
the late Mark Berger. A full copy will
be attached to these Minutes and a copy will be sent to his family.
Agenda items:
6. The Chair announced President Todd. The President presented the Strategic Plan to
the Senate. The full Strategic Plan can
be found at http://www.uky.edu/Home/2003-06StrategicPlan/plan.html After his
presentation the President responded to questions regarding faculty retention,
internal controls to keep costs down, the future of
7. Approval
of the Minutes. The Chair asked for objections to approving
the minutes of the
8. Report on Senate Council Actions. The Chair reported on the actions taken by
the Senate Council during the course of the summer break. The Chair reported on the letter that was
sent to the Provost and the President regarding the reorganization of Human
Environmental Sciences in which the Senate Council, on behalf of the Senate,
recommended Proposal 1 for implementation.
The Chair also discussed the
Senate Council’s actions in response to Chairman of the Board of Trustees Steve
Reed’s request for input on the President’s evaluation. Chair Dembo met with Steve Reed and
representatives from the Staff Senate and Student Government Association to
discuss the form the evaluation should take.
The Chair solicited evaluations from the faculty and forwarded an
executive summary of the responses, with identifying information removed, to
Chairman Reed.
The Chair noted the Senate
Council’s action as the Rules Committee to resolve a dispute between
The Chair informed the Senate
of the Senate Council’s response to Provost Nietzel’s
request for their approval of the interim reorganization of the Department of
Health Service Management and the Center for Health Service Management. The Senate Council responded their disapproval
of such a reorganization until the proper and established channels for
reorganization of a department had been followed.
The Chair added that the
Senate Council had recommended names for committees which were formed over the
summer. Names were put forth to the
Provost both for an interim Promotion and Tenure Advisory committee, until the
usual committee could meet in the fall, and for the newly formed LCC Task Force
which is chaired by Ben Carr.
The Chair discussed the
formation of the Senate’s Ad Hoc Committee on Improving Faculty Salaries and
called upon the Chair of that committee, Ernest Yanarella, to say a few
words. Yanarella reported that he is
recruiting representatives for the committee from key constituencies. He will have approximately 8 people on the
committee and hopes to convene the first meeting soon. The Chair thanked Yanarella.
The Chair informed the Senate
of a letter the Senate Council instructed him to send to the President and the
Registrar to remind them of the Senate’s statutory responsibility in the
approval of the list of potential degree candidates every semester.
Further Announcements:
The Chair noted that another introduction
was in order. The Chair introduced
Sergeant at Arms Michelle Sohner and thanked her for
her assistance. The Chair went on to
introduce the newly-elected Senators and thanked them for serving their
constituents.
The Chair announced the
upcoming Gubernatorial Forum that is being jointly sponsored by the Staff
Senate, Student Government Association and the University Senate. The event will be on
The Chair noted that several
colleges are up for periodic review. He
reminded the Senate that from time to time they will be asked to serve on
review committees.
There will be an orientation
for new senators on
9. Faculty Representation on Search Committees The Chair noted that the item was on the
floor for discussion only and will be an action item at the next meeting. Once the statement is approved it will be
sent to the President and the Provost.
The Chair read the statement asked the Senate for comments.
Jones asked for a clearer
definition of a Unit. Hardwick wondered
how or if an exact number of representatives could be determined from the
wording “proportionate to the impact”.
The Chair replied that it was not an exact science. Noonan and Berger wondered who would make the
decision as to whether or not the proportion was correct. The Chair responded that the spirit of shared
governance would be a good guide. The
Chair stated that this item will be an action item at the next University
Senate meeting.
Further Announcements:
The Chair informed the Senate
of the proposed Code of Conduct. The
Code was available for review on the Senate web site. The Chair asked for input and comments from
the Senate, indicating his availability through telephone or e-mail.
The Chair introduced the Senate
Committee Chairs for 2003-2004. An
updated Senate roster, reflecting the changes and updates to committees, will
be available on the Senate web site in the next few weeks.
The Chair asked Kennedy to
comment on the Compensation Committee.
Kennedy said that the committee was working to evolve a new contract for
the President and that the next meeting will be soon. Kennedy added that Board of Trustee meetings
are open to the public. The Chair thanked Kennedy for his report.
The Chair asked Jones to
discuss the faculty salary issue. Jones
stated that he had received a memo from Board of Trustees Chair Steve Reed
after the May meeting regarding the state of faculty salaries. Reed expressed his interest in a tangible
plan to improve the salary situation.
Jones noted that the Senate Council is moving toward that goal by
creating the ad hoc committee, chaired by Yanarella, which will try to find
solutions to the problem. Jones
expressed his appreciatation for Reed’s involvement
in the faculty salary issue. The Chair thanked Jones.
The Chair reminded the Senate
of the October 13th meeting date and asked them to be mindful of the
attendance rule. The Chair thanked the
Senate for their collegial dialogue and challenged them to continue to engage
in intelligent conversation about the fate of the University.
The meeting adjourned at
Respectfully submitted by
Jeff Dembo
University Senate Chair
Prepared by
Rebecca Scott on