MINUTES OF THE UNIVERSITY SENATE, SEPTEMBER 9, 1996

The University Senate met in regular session at 3:30 p.m., Monday, September
9, 1996 in Room 115 of the Nursing Health Sciences Building.

Professor Janice Schach, Chairperson of the Senate Council, presided.

Members absent were: Debra Aaron, M. Mukhtar Ali*, Gary Anglin, Jenny
Baker, Patricia Birchfield, Darla Botkin, Douglas Boyd, Fitzgerald
Bramwell*, Lauretta Byars, James Campbell*, Ben Carr, Edward Carter, Eric
Christianson*, Jordan Cohen*, Philip DeSimone*, Richard Edwards, Robert
Farquhar*, Juanita Fleming, Daniel Fulks*, Richard Furst, Thomas Garrity*,
Issam Harik*, Christine Havice, Robert Houtz, Edward Jennings*, Raleigh
Jones, Jamshed Kanga*, Stuart Keller*, James Knoblett*, Craig Koontz, Thomas
Lester, Mandy Lewis, C. Oran Little, Daniel Mason*, Douglas Michael*, Jenny
Miller, David Mohney*, Roy Moore*, Santos Murty, Wolfgang Natter, Anthony
Newberry, Thomas Nieman, Michael Nietzel*, James Noll, Jacqueline Noonan*,
William O=92Connor*, Melanie Shay Onkst, Doug Poe*, Rhoda-Gale Pollack,=
Daniel
Reedy, Thomas Robinson, Michael Rohmiller, Horst Schach, David Shipley,
William Stober*, David Stockham, Thomas Troland*, Jesse Weil*, Jane Wells*,
Carolyn Williams, Eugene Williams, Lionel Williamson, Paul Willis, Emery
Wilson, Phyllis Wise, William Witt*, Craig Wood.

* Absence Explained

Chairperson Janice Schach called the Senate meeting to order. She welcomed
everyone back for the new year. She clarified that the next meeting on
October 14, 1996 would be at 3:00 p.m. not at 3:30 p.m.

Chairperson Schach made the following introductions; President Wethington,
the President of the Senate, Jan Schach, Chair of the Senate Council, Jim
Applegate, Chair-elect, Cindy Todd the heart, soul, and conscience of the
Senate Council Office, Betty Huff, Secretary of the Senate, Susan Caldwell,
the recording secretary, Gifford Blyton, parliamentarian, and Michelle
Sohner and Jacquie Hager, Sergeant at Arms. She asked all the new senators
to stand up and for the Senate to give them a warm hand of welcome.

The Chair stated they were fortunate and pleased to welcome President
Wethington to address the State of the University. His address is an
important Senate tradition and always brings a good kickoff to the school
year. She stated they had all enjoyed the growth of the new library; it is
becoming a very impressive structure thanks to President Wethington=92s
leadership. President Wethington has been very cooperative with the Senate
Council. They meet regularly with him and he is always open with
discussion, keeps them well informed and is forthcoming on information
related to the University and legislative affairs. He has always had his
door and ear open to her as Senate Council Chair and she would like to say
thank you.

Dr. Wethington was given a round of applause. The President=92s remarks=
follow:

UNIVERSITY SENATE
SEPTEMBER 9, 1996

IT IS ALWAYS A PRIVILEGE TO ADDRESS THE SENATE AS WE BEGIN ANOTHER SCHOOL
YEAR. I LOOK FORWARD TO THE YEAR AND THE CHALLENGES IT WILL BRING. I BELIEVE
WE CAN STATE BOLDLY THAT THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY IS PROGRESSING AND
MOVING FORWARD. THIS INSTITUTION SERVES AS KENTUCKY'S PRINCIPAL INSTITUTION
FOR STATEWIDE INSTRUCTION, RESEARCH, AND SERVICE PROGRAMS WITHOUT GEOGRAPHIC
LIMITATIONS. HOWEVER, WE CAN ONLY BE A LEADING EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION IF WE
ARE PREPARING OUR STUDENTS TO LIVE AND WORK IN AN INCREASINGLY INTERNATIONAL
WORLD. TODAY I WANT TO PROVIDE A QUICK STATE OF THE UNIVERSITY REPORT. FIRST
LET ME HIGHLIGHT SOME ISSUES IN HIGHER EDUCATION, THEN TAKE A BRIEF LOOK AT
THE STATE OF THE UNIVERSITY LAST YEAR AND FINALLY CONSIDER A FEW CHALLENGES
THAT WE MUST ADDRESS DURING THIS ACADEMIC YEAR.

ISSUES

ACCOUNTABILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS ARE ISSUES THAT ARE NOT GOING TO GO AWAY IN
HIGHER EDUCATION. I BELIEVE OUR COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE ASSURES US OF
ACCOUNTABILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS. A GREAT UNIVERSITY IS CHARACTERIZED BY ITS
EXCELLENT FACULTY AND STUDENTS. THE PUBLIC SOMETIMES HAS INACCURATE
INFORMATION ABOUT HIGHER EDUCATION. FOR EXAMPLE THE PRESIDENT OF THE
AMERICAN COUNCIL ON HIGHER EDUCATION NOTED THAT THE PUBLIC IS CONCERNED
ABOUT THE COST OF ATTENDING COLLEGE YET BELIEVES THAT COLLEGES ARE MANAGED
EFFECTIVELY. RISING COSTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION ARE A CONCERN WITH WHICH WE
MUST COPE. WE ARE COMMITTED TO BEING EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE AS WE MAINTAIN
AND ENHANCE OUR NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL REPUTATION FOR THE QUALITY OF
TEACHING, RESEARCH, AND SERVICE. WE ARE MAKING EVERY EFFORT TO ASSURE THAT
GRADUATES OF OUR VARIOUS PROGRAMS WILL BE AMONG THE BEST IN THE NATION AND
THE WORLD. WE MUST TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO GET INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC
ABOUT OUR EFFORTS AND THE ECONOMIC REALITIES WE FACE, SO THAT THEY HAVE A
BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF OUR PREDICAMENT. AT THE SAME TIME, WE MUST LOOK FOR
WAYS TO IMPROVE OUR PERFORMANCE AND OUR EFFICIENCIES AND I BELIEVE IF WE
WORK TOGETHER, WE CAN BECOME MORE EFFECTIVE AND MORE EFFICIENT.

OUR PRODUCTS ARE THE STUDENTS WE EDUCATE, THE KNOWLEDGE WE CREATE AND THE
SERVICE WE GIVE. WE HEAR MORE AND MORE ABOUT WORKFORCE ISSUES. CORPORATIONS
BELIEVE WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB OF EDUCATING THOSE WHO ENTER THE WORK FORCE.
STATE AND NATIONAL LEADERS BELIEVE WE CAN DO MORE IN THIS AREA. WE SIMPLY
CANNOT IGNORE AND DISMISS THESE BELIEFS. I KNOW THAT ALMOST EVERYTHING WE
DO, WE CAN DO BETTER. WE NEED TO KEEP IN MIND THAT MANY OF THE PROBLEMS
CONFRONTING OUR SOCIETY ARE GLOBAL ONES. WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE OUR STUDENTS
TO WORK INDIVIDUALLY AND COOPERATIVELY, BECAUSE WE BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE
WORKING TOGETHER FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS AND PERSPECTIVES IS HELPFUL IN
BRINGING ABOUT SOLUTIONS. WE NEED TO PROMOTE CREATIVITY AND ENCOURAGE
LEARNING AND DISCOVERY. OUR ABILITY TO CHANGE, TO FOCUS AND RESPOND MAY BE
AMONG OUR GREAT STRENGTHS. HIGHER EDUCATION HAS A TREMENDOUS ROLE TO PLAY IN
SHAPING SOCIETY AND HELPING PEOPLE LIVE BETTER LIVES.

FUNDING BASED ON QUALITY OF PERFORMANCE IS AN ISSUE THAT WILL NOT GO AWAY IN
THE NEAR FUTURE. THE COUNCIL ON HIGHER EDUCATION APPROVED THE HIGHER
EDUCATION PERFORMANCE FUNDING SYSTEM INCLUDING PARAMETERS, INDICATORS, GOALS
AND OTHER ASSOCIATED ELEMENTS. THE SYSTEM INCLUDES FOUR COMMON PERFORMANCE
INDICATORS ON WHICH EACH UNIVERSITY WILL BE MEASURED. PERFORMANCE FUNDING
CAN BE VIEWED AS AN INCENTIVE FOR ASSURING THAT THERE IS QUALITY OF
EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES. IF WE WORK TO IMPROVE OUR TEACHING, RESEARCH, AND
SERVICE, AS I THINK WE HAVE IN THE PAST, PERFORMANCE FUNDING CAN TURN OUT TO
BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THIS UNIVERSITY, RATHER THAN SOMETHING TO FEAR.

DISTANCE LEARNING AND COOPERATION AMONG INSTITUTIONS ARE ISSUES THAT WE WILL
HEAR MORE ABOUT. WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF A TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTION, ONE THAT
WILL REQUIRE OUR USE OF INNOVATIVE MECHANISMS. I AM VERY EXCITED ABOUT WHAT
WE WILL BE ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THROUGH DISTANCE LEARNING AS WE ASSUME
LEADERSHIP IN DEVELOPING MEANS OF EFFECTIVE TEACHING, SERVICE AND RESEARCH.
AS A LAND-GRANT UNIVERSITY IT IS NOT ONLY IMPORTANT THAT WE ENGAGE IN
RESEARCH BUT THAT THE QUALITY OF OUR TEACHING AND SERVICE CONTINUE TO BE
IMPORTANT AND BE MADE AVAILABLE TO AN INCREASING PROPORTION OF OUR
POPULATION. TECHNOLOGY UNDOUBTEDLY WILL PERMIT US TO ACHIEVE THIS OBJECTIVE,
IF WE TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT.

STATE OF THE UNIVERSITY LAST YEAR

LAST SEPTEMBER DURING MY ADDRESS BEFORE YOU, I POINTED OUT SEVERAL ISSUES
FOR US TO PURSUE IN 1995-1996. ONE ISSUE INVOLVED EXPENDITURES OF MONIES FOR
THE FIRST TIME FROM THE ROBINSON FOREST QUASI-ENDOWMENT FUND, MONIES THAT
CAN ONLY BE USED FOR THE PRIMARY BENEFIT OF THE MOUNTAIN REGION OF EASTERN
KENTUCKY. THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AUTHORIZED THE EXPENDITURE OF $3.3 MILLION
FROM THE ROBINSON FUND ON PROJECTS WITH $1.1 MILLION TO BE USED TO SUPPORT
COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROGRAMS ON THE FORMER CAMPUS OF LEES COLLEGE OF JACKSON
ADMINISTERED BY HAZARD COMMUNITY COLLEGE. THE U. K. BOARD OF TRUSTEES HAS
APPROVED THE NEW COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROGRAM. ENROLLMENT AT LEES THIS SEMESTER
IS 33 PERCENT MORE THAN LAST YEAR AND THE COLLEGE CAMPUS IN JACKSON
CONTINUES TO SERVE THE MOUNTAIN REGION OF KENTUCKY.

IN ADDITION, OTHER ROBINSON FOREST MONIES WERE ALLOCATED FOR A VARIETY OF
RESEARCH AND SERVICE PROJECTS (INCLUDING RESEARCH PROJECTS AT THE UNIVERSITY
OF KENTUCKY) THAT WILL BENEFIT THE PEOPLE OF EASTERN KENTUCKY.

AS YOU MAY RECALL FROM LAST YEAR, I POINTED OUT THAT IT HAD BEEN A LONG TIME
SINCE WE TOOK A CAREFUL LOOK AT GRADUATE EDUCATION. A BROAD-BASED THIRTEEN
MEMBER COMMITTEE ON GRADUATION EDUCATION WAS APPOINTED AND CHARGED WITH
EXAMINING AND CONDUCTING A FULL REVIEW OF GRADUATE EDUCATION AT THIS
UNIVERSITY. THE COMMITTEE CARRIED OUT A VERY THOROUGH STUDY AND IDENTIFIED
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES. IT CONSIDERED STRATEGIC INDICATORS, STUDENT
CONCERNS, THE NEED FOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT, THE AVAILABILITY AND QUALITY OF
PROGRAM RESOURCES AND RELATED MATTERS, AND REVIEWS OF WRITTEN RESOURCE
MATERIAL AS WELL AS NUMEROUS UNIVERSITY-WIDE INTERVIEWS WITH STUDENTS,
FACULTY, AND SENIOR ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF.

THE COMMITTEE PRESENTED A PRIORITIZED LIST OF TWENTY-EIGHT RECOMMENDATIONS
GEARED TOWARD THE LONG-TERM QUALITATIVE IMPROVEMENT IN THE GROWTH AND
QUALITY OF OUR GRADUATE PROGRAMS. MANY OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS REQUIRE NOT
ONLY A REALLOCATION OF EXISTING RESOURCES, BUT SIGNIFICANT NEW FINANCIAL
RESOURCES. THE REPORT MUST BE VIEWED IN TERMS OF SYSTEMIC AND LONG-TERM
CHANGE REQUIRING THE IMPLEMENTATION AND USE OF ALL UNIVERSITY RESOURCES TO
ACHIEVE ITS GOALS. I HAVE REPLIED TO EACH OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS AND
FINDINGS IN THE REPORT AND I HOPE THAT THE REPORT AND MY RESPONSES WILL
SERVE AS A TEMPLATE FOR EXPANDING AND FURTHER DEVELOPING OUR HIGH QUALITY
GRADUATE EDUCATION PROGRAM. NEARLY 250 COPIES OF THE REPORT AND MY RESPONSES
HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED ACROSS THE CAMPUS TO UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATORS, THE
GRADUATE COUNCIL AND THE SENATE COUNCIL.

IN THE AREA OF RESEARCH

THIS UNIVERSITY CONTINUES TO BE RANKED AS A RESEARCH UNIVERSITY ONE BY THE
CARNEGIE FOUNDATION - ONE OF JUST 59 PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN THE COUNTRY.

LAST YEAR, OUR FACULTY AND STAFF ATTRACTED $114.1 MILLION DOLLARS FROM
GRANTS, CONTRACTS AND GIFTS. IT'S THE THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR THAT MORE THAN
$100 MILLION IN EXTRAMURAL FUNDING HAS BEEN OBTAINED. THAT IS IMPRESSIVE AND
REMARKABLE IN THIS ERA OF DWINDLING FEDERAL DOLLARS FOR RESEARCH. THIS
SERVES AS A GREAT TESTIMONIAL TO THE WORK OF OUR ADMINISTRATORS AND THE
QUALITY OF OUR FACULTY.

IN THE AREA OF FUND RAISING

WE HAD ANOTHER RECORD YEAR IN PRIVATE FUNDRAISING. GIFTS TO THE UNIVERSITY
LAST YEAR TOTALED MORE THAN $39 MILLION DOLLARS, MORE THAN EVER BEFORE AND A
5% INCREASE OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR. THERE WAS ALSO A RECORD OF 43,374 DONORS
AND OF THOSE DONORS NEARLY 25,000 WERE U-K ALUMNI, SETTING ANOTHER RECORD.

YOU MAY BE AWARE THAT A SELF-STUDY OF THE ATHLETICS PROGRAM WAS CONDUCTED
THIS YEAR. A BROAD-BASED COMMITTEE EXTERNAL TO THE ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT
CONSISTING OF FACULTY, STUDENTS AND ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL RECENTLY
COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE NCAA HAS RECENTLY INSTITUTED A NEW REQUIREMENT, A
SELF-STUDY OF THE ATHLETICS PROGRAM, WHICH IS TO BE CONDUCTED IN A FASHION
SIMILAR TO TYPICAL ACADEMIC SELF-STUDIES. THERE WERE FOUR BASIC TOPIC AREAS;
GOVERNANCE AND COMMITMENT TO RULES COMPLIANCE; ACADEMIC INTEGRITY, FISCAL
INTEGRITY, AND COMMITMENT TO EQUITY. COPIES OF THE REPORT ARE AVAILABLE IN
FOUR U-K LIBRARY LOCATIONS: KING CIRCULATION; KING SPECIAL COLLECTIONS; LAW
LIBRARY; AND MEDICAL CENTER LIBRARY. IT IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE WEB. I AM
PLEASED TO REPORT THAT THE U-K ATHLETICS PROGRAM IS OPERATING WELL WITHIN
SEC AND NCAA REGULATIONS. SEVERAL EXCELLENT SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT WERE
RECOMMENDED AND WILL BE ADOPTED, ACTUALLY, SOME HAVE ALREADY BEEN PUT IN
PLACE. IT ALSO PLEASES ME THAT SOME OF OUR PRACTICES AND PROGRAMS HAVE
SERVED AS MODELS FOR OTHER INSTITUTIONS. THE REPORT HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO
THE NCAA AND AN ACCREDITATION TEAM FROM THE NCAA WILL VISIT HERE IN=
NOVEMBER.

LAST YEAR I APPOINTED A BROAD-BASED INSTITUTION-WIDE COMMITTEE COORDINATED
BY THE UNIVERSITY'S OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL PLANNING, BUDGETING AND
EFFECTIVENESS TO CONDUCT A "STUDY OF STUDENT SATISFACTION." THIS IS
SOMETHING WE SHOULD BE PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN BECAUSE (1) WE NEED TO
KNOW HOW SATISFIED STUDENTS ARE WITH OUR EFFORTS AND (2) THE UNDENIABLE
FACTS SHOW THAT STUDENTS DO NOT COMPLETE THEIR EDUCATIONAL PURSUITS AT
ACCEPTABLE RATES. A 50% GRADUATION RATE IS SIMPLY NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR US.
THE COMMITTEE IS ON TARGET TO PRESENT ITS REPORT DURING THE SPRING SEMESTER
1997. SOON, PROBABLY WITHIN THE MONTH, FACULTY WILL BEGIN HEARING ABOUT THE
STUDY AS FOCUS GROUPS OF FACULTY AND STUDENTS WILL BE FORMED. THE RESULTS OF
THIS STUDY WILL BE MOST IMPORTANT TO US IN GENERATING INFORMATION THAT WE
WILL USE TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF OUR PERFORMANCE IN AND OUT OF THE
CLASSROOM. HOPEFULLY WE WILL BE ABLE TO DETERMINE WHY OUR GRADUATION RATE IS
LOW AND HOW WE CAN MAKE CHANGES TO IMPROVE THE RATE. WE MUST TOGETHER FIND
WAYS TO IMPROVE A GRADUATION RATE THAT I FIND TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE AND I
KNOW YOU DO AS WELL.

ITEMS OF INTEREST THIS YEAR

PARKING ON CAMPUS THIS YEAR - I KNOW THAT PARKING THIS SEMESTER IS MORE
CRITICAL THAN IN THE PAST WITH THE LOSS OF PARKING SPACES IN SOME AREAS AND
PARKING LOTS IN OTHER AREAS DUE TO VARIOUS CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS AND SOME
PARKING SPACES BEING CHANGED TO BICYCLE PARKING AREAS. PLEASE BEAR WITH US
THIS SEMESTER - HELP IS ON THE WAY IN THE FORM OF THE NEW PARKING STRUCTURE
BEING BUILT BETWEEN LIMESTONE AND UPPER STREETS AND NEW LOTS BEING ADDED
BETWEEN COLUMBIA, WOODLAND, AND HILLTOP. CONSTRUCTION ON THE NEW STRUCTURE
IS ON SCHEDULE WITH AN ANTICIPATED COMPLETION OF DECEMBER. TO ALLEVIATE SOME
OF THE PROBLEMS, MORE BUSES HAVE BEEN USED TO SHUTTLE STUDENTS, FACULTY AND
STAFF FROM THE STADIUM PARKING LOTS TO AREAS ON CAMPUS

SINCE I MENTIONED BICYCLES A FEW MOMENTS AGO, PERMIT ME TO COMMENT ON
BICYCLES. FOR QUITE SOME TIME THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASING CONCERN FOR THE
SAFETY OF PEDESTRIANS AND THE MIX OF CYCLISTS ON CAMPUS. LAST YEAR, AT THE
SUGGESTION OF A COMMITTEE REPRESENTING CYCLISTS AND NON-CYCLISTS, WE
IMPLEMENTED BICYCLE DISMOUNT ZONES WHICH PROVED TO BE NON-EFFECTIVE, BECAUSE
CYCLISTS WERE STILL RIDING ON SIDEWALKS. PUBLIC MEETINGS WERE HELD TO
DISCUSS FUTURE COURSES OF ACTION. VIRTUALLY EVERYONE AGREED THAT ACTION
NEEDED TO BE TAKEN TO IMPROVE SAFETY CONDITIONS. PRIOR TO THE BEGINNING OF
THIS SEMESTER, BIKE LANES AND PATHS WERE INSTALLED THROUGHOUT THE CAMPUS
ALONG WITH BIKE PARKING AREAS. NEW BICYCLE REGULATIONS WERE ADOPTED AND ARE
IN EFFECT. SO FAR, CYCLISTS ARE ADHERING TO THE REGULATIONS AND IT IS MUCH
SAFER FOR BOTH CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS.

STATUS OF THE W. T. YOUNG LIBRARY

I AM SURE ALL OF YOU HAVE SEEN THAT THE EXTERIOR OF THE W. T. YOUNG LIBRARY
IS BEING COMPLETED AT A FAST PACE. ABOUT A MONTH FROM NOW THE EXTERIOR
FINISH OF THE UPPER SECTION OF THE ROTUNDA SHOULD BE FINISHED ALONG WITH THE
SKYLIGHT CONNECTING THE ROTUNDA WITH THE MAIN PART OF THE BUILDING. THE
STONE CORNICE THAT WILL EVENTUALLY SURROUND THE EXTERIOR OF THE BUILDING IS
PRESENTLY BEING PUT IN PLACE. THE CONTRACTORS ARE ON SCHEDULE TO COMPLETE
THE BUILDING NEXT SUMMER WITH OCCUPANCY NEXT FALL. A COMMITTEE HEADED BY
PAUL WILLIS IS PLANNING A NUMBER OF EVENTS AND A GRAND OPENING WHEN THE
LIBRARY IS COMPLETED.

IN THE MEANTIME, ANYONE AROUND THE WORLD WITH A COMPUTER AND ACCESS TO THE
WORLD WIDE WEB MAY NOW WATCH THE BRICK-BY-BRICK PROGRESS OF THE W. T. YOUNG
LIBRARY. A SMALL CAMERA HAS BEEN MOUNTED ON A NEARBY BUILDING AND FOCUSED ON
THE LIBRARY WITH A TRUE-COLOR PICTURE OF THE LIBRARY BEING UPDATED AT
REGULAR INTERVALS ALLOWING ONE TO MONITOR THE DAILY PROGRESS OF THE
CONSTRUCTION.

NEW PROGRAMS

SINCE 1992, WHEN SENATE BILL 398 WAS ADOPTED BY THE KENTUCKY LEGISLATURE,
NEW PROGRAMS COULD ONLY BE APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL ON HIGHER EDUCATION WHEN
GOALS ON EQUAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES WERE ATTAINED. ALTHOUGH WE HAD MET
SEVERAL GOALS OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN AND MADE PROGRESS IN OTHERS, WE HAD NOT
GAINED SUFFICIENT IMPROVEMENT TO WARRANT THE ADDITION OF NEW PROGRAMS. WE
PETITIONED THE COUNCIL ON HIGHER EDUCATION TO GRANT US A ONE YEAR
QUALITATIVE WAIVER OF THE STANDARDS OF THE KENTUCKY PLAN FOR EQUAL
OPPORTUNITIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION. WE OBTAINED A WAIVER AND WERE PERMITTED
TO SUBMIT NEW PROGRAMS. SEVEN NEW PROGRAMS WERE PRESENTED AND APPROVED
INCLUDING: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY PH.D. PROGRAM IN GERONTOLOGY THAT WILL
INCORPORATE THE BIOMEDICAL AND SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES AND FOCUS ON
AGING AND HEALTH (IT'S THE 4TH SUCH PROGRAM IN THE U.S. AND THE FIRST WITH
THAT KIND OF FOCUS); A MASTER'S DEGREE PROGRAM IN HISTORICAL PRESERVATION IN
THE COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE; A MASTER'S DEGREE IN THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
ENCOMPASSING ELECTRICAL, CIVIL, MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS AND MINING
ENGINEERING; A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND
A NATURAL RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE,
BOTH IN THE COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE; AN ASSOCIATE IN APPLIED SCIENCE DEGREE
IN ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY AT LEXINGTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE; AND AN ASSOCIATE
IN APPLIED SCIENCE DEGREE IN TECHNICAL STUDIES AT PADUCAH COMMUNITY COLLEGE.
THESE NEW PROGRAMS HELP TO ENSURE THAT OUR ACADEMIC DEGREE OFFERINGS ARE
CHANGING TO MEET THE NEEDS OF ALL OUR STUDENTS AS WE MOVE TOWARD THE 21 ST
CENTURY.

A FEW WORDS ABOUT OUR STUDENTS

PRELIMINARY REPORTS INDICATE THAT THE FRESHMAN CLASS IS ON PAR WITH LAST
YEAR'S ENTERING CLASS WHICH WAS THE BEST EVER ENROLLED AT THE UNIVERSITY.
ITS AVERAGE HIGH SCHOOL GPA WAS 3.4 AND ITS AVERAGE ACT WAS
24.8.

ALTHOUGH INFORMATION ABOUT GOVERNOR'S SCHOLARS, HIGH SCHOOL VALEDICTORIANS,
AND SALUTATORIANS IS INCOMPLETE FOR THIS YEAR'S ENTERING CLASS, THE CLASS
DOES INCLUDE 73 NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARS, A NUMBER WHICH I BELIEVE WILL KEEP
US IN THE TOP TEN AMONG ALL PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS IN THE NATION.

INCIDENTALLY, THREE OF OUR NEW U-K STUDENTS WILL BRING PERFECT ACT OR SAT
SCORES, ONE SCORED A 36 ON THE ACT, ACCOMPLISHED BY ONLY 75 OF THE 1.5
MILLION STUDENTS WHO TOOK IT THIS YEAR; AND TWO STUDENTS EARNED A 1600 ON
THE SAT. ONLY 540 OF THE 2 MILLION STUDENTS WHO TOOK THE SAT THIS YEAR
ACHIEVED SUCH A SCORE.

NOW, PERMIT ME TO DISCUSS TWO MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES THAT WE HAVE.

THE PURSUIT OF TRUTH THAT UNDERLIES THIS UNIVERSITY'S MISSION MUST INCLUDE
SPECIAL ATTENTION TO ISSUES OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/DIVERSITY, TOLERANCE,
EMPOWERMENT AND THE OPEN EXCHANGE OF IDEAS AND PERSPECTIVES. TRUTH AND
UNDERSTANDING CAN ONLY BE FOUND IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE STUDENTS, FACULTY
AND STAFF ENJOY MUTUAL RESPECT, ACADEMIC FREEDOM AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY.

THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY IS COMMITTED TO FOSTERING A CLIMATE CONDUCIVE TO
SUCH IDEALS AND BEHAVIOR SO THAT EVERYONE IN THE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY MAY
STUDY AND WORK WITHOUT FEAR OF RIDICULE, INTOLERANCE, ABUSE OR PERSONAL
SAFETY. THIS IS A UNIVERSITY OF CHARACTER AND HIGH IDEALS AND I ASK EVERY
MEMBER OF THIS COMMUNITY TO EMBRACE THESE IDEALS AND ACT ON THEM DAILY TO
SUPPORT THE RIGHTS OF ALL OTHERS TO DISCUSS AND DISAGREE, LEARN AND DISCOVER
FREELY, WITH CIVILITY, AND WITHOUT FEAR.

WHAT I AM DESCRIBING IS AN INCLUSIVE LEARNING COMMUNITY ONE WHICH ALLOWS
EACH OF US TO PARTICIPATE FREELY IN THE LEARNING PROCESS, INCLUDING THE
IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF LEARNING FROM ONE ANOTHER.

AFTER ALL -- AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY -- IT IS A MATTER OF MORE THAN
SOCIAL JUSTICE. IT IS A MATTER OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AS WELL.
MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR
IMPROVEMENT. WE ARE TAKING STEPS TO MAKE THE ON-CAMPUS ENVIRONMENT AN EVEN
BETTER ONE.

- WE HAVE LAUNCHED A LEARNING COMMUNITY PLANNING TEAM AND A STUDENT
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM THAT IS ALREADY BRINGING TOGETHER A DIVERSE
CROSS-SECTION OF PEOPLE TO DEAL WITH QUESTIONS OF RACE AND EQUITY.

- WE HAVE ENHANCED THE CONTENT OF RACE RELATIONS AND DIVERSITY THAT IS PART
OF U-K 101, THE INTRODUCTORY COURSE AVAILABLE TO ALL FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS,

I CHALLENGE YOU IN YOUR DEPARTMENTS AND COLLEGES TO CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR
WAYS TO MAKE THIS UNIVERSITY A MORE INCLUSIVE LEARNING COMMUNITY, TO LOOK
FOR WAYS TO ENSURE THAT THE ENVIRONMENT ON THIS CAMPUS IS ONE THAT RESPECTS
THE RIGHTS AND DIGNITY OF EACH INDIVIDUAL, TO LOOK FOR WAYS TO ENHANCE THE
EXCELLENCE OF A VERY FINE UNIVERSITY.

THE SECOND MAJOR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO PROVIDE ALL THE HELP WE CAN TO ASSURE
SUCCESS FOR OUR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS WHILE CONTINUING TO FOSTER EXCELLENT
RESEARCH AND GRADUATE EDUCATION. THIS IS A CONSTANT BALANCING ACT, BUT ONE I
BELIEVE WE ARE ACHIEVING.

ACCESS TO GOOD COUNSELING AND TEACHING FOR UNDERGRADUATES IS ESSENTIAL. LET
ME GIVE YOU JUST A FEW REASONS WHY I BELIEVE WE ARE MAKING HEADWAY.

A CENTRAL ADVISING SERVICE AND TRANSFER CENTER WAS SET UP FIVE YEARS AGO TO
ASSIST STUDENTS. LAST YEAR ALONE, THIS STAFF INITIATED CONTACTS WITH 7,000
STUDENTS INCLUDING 2,900 UNDECLARED STUDENTS.

THIS PAST YEAR, WE REACHED A GOAL OF HAVING 50% OF THE LOWER DIVISION
UNDERGRADUATE COURSES TAUGHT BY FULL-TIME FACULTY.

THE TEACHING AND LEARNING CENTER IS A TREMENDOUS RESOURCE FOR YOU. UNDER THE
ABLE DIRECTION OF LINDA WORLEY, IT IS COMMITTED TO DOING ALL IT CAN TO
PROVIDE YOU WITH ANALYTICAL SERVICES, WORKSHOPS ON TEACHING, INFORMATION ON
COOPERATIVE LEARNING, NEW TEACHING METHODS -- IN SHORT, THE RESOURCES YOU
NEED TO HELP YOU IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS IN THE CLASSROOM.
NOW, I WOULD LIKE TO CONCLUDE MY REMARKS BY DISCUSSING ONE OTHER ITEM OF
VITAL INTEREST AND CONCERN.

ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE CONTINUE TO FACE IS OBTAINING NEEDED FUNDING
FOR PROVIDING QUALITY EDUCATION. AS YOU KNOW HIGHER EDUCATION, REGARDLESS OF
LOCATION, IS NOT RECEIVING THE INFUSION OF EXTRA DOLLARS FROM PUBLIC
RESOURCES. THE QUESTION OF FUNDING (OR LACK THEREOF) IS A VERY SERIOUS ONE.
WITHOUT ADEQUATE LEVELS OF FUNDING, THERE CAN'T BE ADEQUATE COMPENSATION FOR
EMPLOYEES. RIGHT NOW THIS UNIVERSITY IS LOOKING AT A 2.4% INCREASE IN STATE
APPROPRIATION FUNDING FOR FISCAL YEAR 1997-98, WHICH LEAVES US LOOKING FOR
ADDITIONAL MONEY. BECAUSE IT'S IN THE NEXT YEAR'S BUDGET, NOT THIS YEAR'S,
THE IMPACT OF THAT 2.4% HAS BEEN FORGOTTEN ABOUT BY MANY PEOPLE AND PUT ON
THE BACK BURNER. WE'RE IN A VERY SERIOUS SITUATION, NEEDING TO ADDRESS
LEVELS OF FUNDING THROUGH STATE APPROPRIATION. OUR EMPLOYEES NEED TO BE
CONCERNED ABOUT OUR ABILITY TO PROVIDE EVEN COST-OF-LIVING SALARY INCREASES
IN 1997-98. THAT'S WHY THE GOVERNOR'S INITIATIVE OF ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR
HIGHER EDUCATION IS SO IMPORTANT, SO CRITICAL TO US.
GOVERNOR PATTON HAS APPOINTED A TASK FORCE ON POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION
COMPRISED OF MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE AND MEMBERS OF HIS CABINET. THE
GOAL OF THE TASK FORCE IS TO ASSURE THAT KENTUCKY'S POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION
AND TECHNICAL EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IS POSITIONED TO PROVIDE THE HUMAN CAPITAL
NEEDED TO ALLOW THE COMMONWEALTH TO BE A LEADER IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY OF THE
21 ST CENTURY. EIGHT PRINCIPLES WERE ESTABLISHED FOR THE TASK FORCE TO MEET
THE GOAL: 1) ACHIEVE EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION, 2) DEVELOP HIGH PERFORMANCE
ORGANIZATIONS, 3) ASSURE A USER-FRIENDLY SYSTEM, 4) PROVIDE EFFECTIVE
ACCESS, 5) INCREASE PARTICIPATION RATES, 6) ENHANCE APPRECIATION OF
EDUCATION, 7) VALUE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY, AND 8) MAXIMIZE RETURN ON
INVESTMENT.

IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE TASK FORCE THE GOVERNOR ALSO ESTABLISHED THE
COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONAL EFFICIENCY AND COOPERATION AS A
MEANS FOR DIRECT INPUT BY THE UNIVERSITIES INTO THE TASK FORCE. THE
COMMISSION, CHAIRED BY DR. MARY L. SMITH, PRESIDENT OF KENTUCKY STATE
UNIVERSITY, IS PRIMARILY COMPOSED OF THE PRESIDENTS OF THE PUBLIC
INSTITUTIONS AND SEVERAL OF THE GOVERNOR'S STAFF. THE COMMISSION HAS A
CHARGE TO PROVIDE TIMELY INPUT AND SUGGESTIONS RELATING TO IMPROVING THE
EFFICIENCY OF ACADEMIC PROGRAM DELIVERY, REDUCING PROGRAM DUPLICATION,
STREAMLINING INSTITUTIONAL ADMINISTRATION, USING TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE
DISTANCE LEARNING DELIVERY AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES, AND DEVELOPING AN
EVALUATION SYSTEM AND FINANCIAL INCENTIVES THAT WILL HELP ACCOMPLISH THE
CHANGES THAT ARE NEEDED.

THE TASK FORCE HAS AGREED TO PROVIDE ITS REPORT IN MARCH AT WHICH TIME THE
GOVERNOR HAS INDICATED HE WILL CALL A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE SESSION TO DEAL
WITH THE FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE REPORT.

CONCLUSION

AGAIN, PERMIT ME TO SAY THAT I APPRECIATE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO THE
SENATE. I AM PLEASED TO HAVE EVERYONE BACK ON CAMPUS - FACULTY AND STUDENTS
ALIKE. I BELIEVE WE ARE DOING WELL IN OUR EFFORTS TO MAKE THIS A BETTER
UNIVERSITY. I APPRECIATE THE COMMITMENT AND EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE OF FACULTY
AND STAFF ACROSS THE THREE SECTORS OF THE UNIVERSITY.

President Wethington then entertained questions from the Senate.

President Wethington was given a round of applause.

Chairperson Schach stated the minutes from the March 11, 1996 and April 8,
1996 had been circulated and needed to be approved. There were no
corrections to the minutes and they were approved as circulated.

The Chair then recognized Professor Don Sands, Department of Chemistry, to
present a memorial resolution in honor of Professor William K. Plucknett.
Resolution Presented to University of Kentucky Senate
in memory of
Professor William K. Plucknett
September 9, 1996

William K. Plucknett, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry, died on August 2,
1996, at the age of 79. He is survived by his wife, Evaline Plucknett, sons
Bruce and Albert Plucknett, daughter Ellen O=92Laughlin, and four=
grandchildren.

Bill Plucknett was a native of Nebraska. He graduated from Peru State
College in 1937; he liked to recall that his total out-of-pocket expenses
for his first year in college in 1933-34 amounted to $76. Bill went on to
earn a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Iowa State University. He came to
the University of Kentucky in 1953 as Associate Professor of Chemistry. He
retired in 1983.

Bill was an involved member of the University Community, and he filled many
roles in his thirty years of formal service. He chaired the Senate Council
in the 1970-71 academic year. From 1975 to 1983 he served as Director of
General Chemistry. He was active in AAUP, and served as President of the
State Conference of AAUP. I heard a new faculty member asking him once,
=93AAUP - what does AAUP stand for?=94 Bill=92s response was quick: =93AAU=
P stands
for academic freedom.=94

Bill=92s retirement meant that we no longer had day-to-day access to his=
keen
intellect. No longer could I stroll down the hall to seek his help on a
chemical thermodynamics problem. His poker buddies, though, can attest to
the power of Bill=92s mind just two weeks before his death. I visited Bill=
in
July, two days after he suffered a stroke and five days before he died; his
body was impaired, but he was still sharper mentally than many of us.

Retirement also deprived us of regular enjoyment of Bill=92s humor. His wit
was quick and penetrating. He had a delicious sense of the ridiculous. He
was a master at setting up and delivering a joke.

Bill=92s concern for faculty rights, as exemplified by his work with AAUP,=
was
one aspect of his broader commitment to the rights of people. Through
organizations such as ACLU and Amnesty International, he continued
throughout his life to fight for humanitarian causes.

We remember Bill Plucknett for his intelligence, for his scientific insight,
for his good teaching, for his sense of humor, and for his dedication to
justice and fairness. His life integrated these qualities and demonstrated
that they are not isolated from each other.

I ask that this resolution be made part of the minutes of the University
Senate and that a copy be sent to Professor Plucknett=92s family.

Chairperson Schach asked that the Senate stand for a moment of silence in
recognition of Professor Plucknett.

The Chair recognized Professor Jim Applegate for a special resolution.

SPECIAL RESOLUTION
1995-1996 SENATE COUNCIL CHAIR
SEPTEMBER 9, 1996

Professor Applegate stated his resolution was thankfully different in tone.

It is traditional that the Chair-Elect of the Senate Council offer a
resolution of thanks to the outgoing Chair of the Senate at the first fall
meeting. We honor that tradition today by honoring the work of outgoing
Senate Chair Professor Gretchen LaGodna. However, this is more that a
ceremonial activity. For those who have worked closely with Gretchen it is
particularly heartfelt.

If you examine the faculty governance structures of many institutions you
will discover that at the University of Kentucky governing regulations
define a comparatively strong faculty governance structure. But as we all
know, governing structures are only as strong, as ethical, and as humane as
the people who voices bring those structures to life. Many of you who have
been associated with the senate know we have been blessed over the years
with senate leadership that has provided a strong voice and good service to
the University, the Senate, and the faculty. Certainly Gretchen is one of
those voices.

Hers has been a voice of vision and values. Her vision led her to begin the
year creating a special task force to address the difficult issues
surrounding faculty retirement. This task force placed this issue squarely
on the agenda of the University and developed a policy, which, though not
fully implemented, offers a marvelous model for continued thinking about the
issues.

She focused a variety of our standing committees on important issues related
to the future of the University: for example insuring that academic values
and issues drive our thinking about the application of new communication and
information technologies to academic settings like the classroom. Most
recently she has been instrumental in creating task forces on promotion and
tenure and on the organizations of special title faculty series. These task
forces will enable us to coherently and defensibly address the many issues
that are currently swirling around both inside and outside the university
regarding the roles and reward structures that should inform the work of
what some are calling =93the new American scholar=94 of the next century.=20

Her voice has been one not only of vision but of a high principle. We have
watched Gretchen adhere strongly to the academic values that we all cherish:
a commitment to shared governance in an inclusive community characterized by
civil discourse. When necessary she has been willing to engage in honest
dialogue with our President, our Chancellors, and other administrators to
ensure these values drove institutional decisions. These dialogues, while
not always enjoyable, are nevertheless appreciated by University leaders as
a necessary corrective to other daily pressures they feel. Yet Gretchen=92s
style was never confrontational for confrontations sake. In fact just the
opposite was true. She always strove to establish dialogue and to create
consensus. One of my favorite philosophers, Jurgen Habermas, once said that
we should strive to create a climate in which =93the gentle force of the
better idea=94 will prevail. That for me captures a lot of what Gretchen
seemed to be about. Fostering discussions would ensure that the gentle
force of good ideas, many of which were hers, would prevail.
That commitment to dialogue was evident in her efforts to ensure that all
the voices that needed to be represented in any conversation were present.
This commitment to inclusion certainly characterized Gretchen=92s work=
before
she became Senate Chair, while she was Senate Chair, and I am sure will
continue to characterize it afterward. Her commitment to civility and
inclusion was evident, when, in the wake of the reprehensible attacks on
students last spring (reminding us perhaps that in 1996 we are still much
closer to Little Rock than Camelot), it was the Senate, through Gretchen's
voice, that was among the first to publicly go on record with a strong and
eloquent statement that made clear our community would not tolerate such
acts and which renewed our commitment to values and community.

I conclude by noting a final issue that Gretchen has left on the agenda for
us. (She just won't quit giving us jobs to do.) She has us working to
revitalize the commitment to faculty governance on this campus. It seems
nationally for the last decade it has become more and more difficult to
involve faculty in faculty governance. For obvious reasons we have all felt
more pressure to maintain our research and teaching agendas in an era of
declining resources. These are rightly our first concerns and our first
loves. But this house in which we labor, this University, is not immune to
powerful external forces of change. There are those proposing some fairly
radical remodeling of our home. No doubt there are some parts of what we do
that could use some remodeling, but there are other parts that have endured
for good reasons like the classic marble floors of old mansions. If we as
faculty, students, and members of this community hope to have a strong voice
in those changes we need to be willing to devote some time to the upkeep of
our home. We must commit ourselves to shared governance that has at its
heart a belief in professorial administration as a guiding force for
professional administration. Gretchen has raised this issue for us in the
final days of her term and asked us to reflect anew on how to do a better
job in recruiting our new colleagues as well as renewing the commitment of
our more veteran colleagues. I will not be presumptuous enough to speak for
Professor LaGodna.. But I would suspect that there would be no better way
for we as her colleagues to honor her deep service and commitment to us than
for us to demonstrate in the coming years a renewed commitment to devoting
the needed time to preserve, improve, and invigorate the process of shared
governance at the University of Kentucky.

I hope you will join me in a round of applause in thanking Gretchen LaGodna
for her work as Senate Chair.

Chairperson Schach then welcomed Joe Burch, Vice President for University
Relations to make a few comments about the United Way fund drive.

Vice President Burch stated that Doug Bruce, who is in the Chancellor=92s
office at the Medical Center, and Jennifer Kreiger, who is in the Graduate
School, are cochairing this year=92s United Way Campaign. Doug had asked=
for
an opportunity to address the Senate, but fell ill. Jennifer is addressing
a training group of United Way, so they asked me to come and speak to you
which I am delighted to do. Unfortunately I have not had an opportunity to
find out from Doug exactly what he was going to say today, but I think I
know what that is. I think for the first time, we wanted to come before
this body and ask for your support for the United Way Campaign on this
campus, in the belief that this would say more to the academic community on
this campus than anything else we could do. As you know many years ago the
University decided to enter into the Community Chest, what is now the United
Way, as our part of helping in this community. This would be the one
campaign of this nature that would be conducted on the campus and we have
been doing this for many years. It might help you to know that the support
of University of Kentucky employees is absolutely vital to the United Way
Campaign in the Bluegrass, which supports not only Fayette County but the
surrounding eight counties in the central Kentucky area. The University of
Kentucky employees are either the second or third largest campaign
contributors to the United Way. It is also interesting to note that we are
one of the larger in terms of employer group users of United Way services
from the service agency. We are told that one in four of our employees in
some way or another use the United Way services. I am here simply to ask
for your support in any way that you feel is proper for you to do so. We
believe that this will help the campaign especially in the academic
community this year on campus. We hit a low a few years ago as you probably
know. Nationally there were some difficulties. We talked about that a lot
on this campus, we believe the difficulties have been corrected. The United
Way Campaign nationally and locally is under new leadership. The campaign
has bounced back. Last year we bounced back on this campus as well as in
the community. We believe as members of the community it is our
responsibility to help out where we can. Whatever ways you can support this
campaign certainly be appreciated.

Vice President Burch was given a round of applause.

The Chair then stated there was another tradition at the beginning of the
year and that is to hear from the Academic Ombud. Lee Edergton has agreed
to serve for a second year, he has done a terrific job and we are very
fortunate to have his services.

Annual Report of the Academic Ombud
1995-96
Lee A. Edgerton

Thank you for the opportunity to address the senate at the beginning of my
second year as Academic Ombud. It is appropriate to begin my report by
saying that my experience during the past year has led me to believe that
the overwhelming majority of faculty and administrators in this institution
are genuinely concerned about providing an excellent educational experience
for students in this institution. Similarly, the majority of students
approach the office with a commitment to fairness for both students and
faculty. That has made the process of dealing with the inevitable conflicts
which arise in a large community a much more positive experience than it
would otherwise be and I thank you all for that.

The statistical report of the office's activities is attached. Review of
the data indicates that the number and nature of complaints registered in
1995-96 was similar to that of the preceding 3 years. The number of
complaints per hundred undergraduate students ranges from 0.4 to 2.2 among
the various colleges. It appears to this observer that programs in which the
coursework complements closely the career objectives of students enjoy less
friction than those dealing with the University's broader educational
objectives. To the extent that this observation is valid, it behooves those
of us in instructional roles to clarify for students the importance of each
discipline to our lives. The second observation I wish to point out is that
the College of Fine Arts and the College of Architecture, both of which have
been using plus-minus grading, are below the University average on the
complaint spectrum. Perhaps those of us who are anxious about the potential
increase in complaints as more colleges adopt plus-minus grade calculations
can take comfort in that observation. That noted, I must also report that
the student responses to our office, with few exceptions, have been strongly
opposed to the shift to plus-minus grading.

Philosophy of the Ombud
Rather than dwell upon the statistics of the last year, I think it may be of
more value to the Senate and to the office of the Academic Ombud to give the
report a future focus. Having now served long enough to have formed an
operative philosophy, I hope that by sharing some of that, each member of
the academic community will be better positioned to interact with the office
of the Academic Ombud during my second year.

The office of the Academic Ombud exists to consider those issues of conflict
which arise due to a lack of a specific rule or procedure to guide the
resolution or due to a situation in which the rules do not allow for a
reasonable resolution. You should know that I share the philosophy of
Philip Howard, author of "Death of Common Sense". Mr. Howard argues that it
is not reasonable to believe that we can establish rules to answer
appropriately every situation which will occur. Furthermore, the degree to
which we approach such an extensive set of rules is directly related to the
inability of those affected, including the administrators of the rules, to
know all the rules. The alternative is, of course, to establish general
guidelines and standards and resolve specific cases in keeping with these
general standards. From this perspective, it is expected that numerous
situations will arise in which two or more individuals disagree on how best
to implement the University's ideal of fairness. I see the primary
objective of the office of the Academic Ombud being to reconcile such
individuals to a solution which allows the Academic community to best pursue
its educational objectives.=20

My perspective is that the ideal resolution of issues brought to the office
is one derived from direct and open discussion between the parties in
conflict. That ideal is tempered by the knowledge that many people do not
approach the Ombud, until a significant degree of estrangement has developed
between the two, or more, parties. The Academic Ombud then:
1.=9B if possible, creates a reconciliation between the parties.
2.=9B negotiates a mutually acceptable solution to the problem/issue.
3.=9B directs issues to the University Appeals Board which, in the Ombud's
opinion, justify a hearing.
In fulfilling this role my actions are guided by my general presumption that
all parties have a valid perspective. If possible I attempt to affirm each
person's perspective, while articulating to the best of my ability the
validity of alternative perspectives.

My approach is as follows:
1. Encourage direct communication. This is not always easy for students
who find faculty intimidating. It is probably true that, as students, we do
not always wish to be known by faculty. Our comments often reflect an inner
conflict. In part, we want faculty to know and care about us but
simultaneously we desire a significant degree of anonymity, while we sort
out which of our characteristics we want to have known. On the other side
we, as faculty, often present a dichotomous face as we tell students "I
don't have time to talk about that now" and later wonder "Why didn't the
student come to me. I'm always available and willing to discuss these
matters." =20

2. Listen intently to all parties. Few of us can focus on an alternative
perspective of an issue when we believe our perspective is not being heard.
More importantly, listening intently is critical to understanding the issues
and perspectives.

3. Determine whether there is substantial agreement among the parties on
"facts" of the issue. =20

4. If there is agreement, determine whether there is a clear cut rule which
governs the issue and which provides a resolution consistent with the
educational objectives of the academic community.

5. If there is not agreement, attempt to clarify the "facts".

6. Explore the implications of various actions with the involved parties.
Although I may not believe that a pragmatic resolution is most consistent
with academic ideals, in my view a decision to choose a pragmatic solution
rather than pursue a philosophical ideal is most appropriately made by those
who are most directly affected by the decision. Furthermore, some options
may not be pursued by the ombud without violating an individual's right to
confidentiality.

7. Encourage one or both parties to modify their position. Such requests
are based upon my perspective of an appropriate resolution which is
consistent with the educational goals of the University community and the
spirit of the rules relating to academic rights and responsibilities. Most
such requests are presented with the caveat that my perspective may not be
supported by the University Appeals Board.

8. If informal resolution is not possible, prepare a formal statement
expressing my position on the merit of the issues (except in cases involving
academic offenses of cheating or plagiarism, in which students have an
automatic right to appeal).

Using the Academic Ombud.
My perspective after one year in the office of the Academic Ombud is that
time can be saved for faculty, students and the Ombud by proactive use of
the office. I encourage the use of positive referrals to the office. By
positive referrals, I mean that instructors terminate a discussion in which
they have reached an impasse in this manner. "Lynne, I can see that I've
not convinced you that my position is appropriate. It is, however, the
position that I believe I must take, as the instructor, to be consistent and
fair to all students. I do want you to know that it is your right to
discuss this with the Academic Ombud. That office can provide you with an
impartial assessment of the issues and advise you relative to your rights of
appeal."

In my opinion, this referral to the Academic Ombud has several benefits for
faculty including:=20
1. Leaving the student an option makes it easier for them to accept that you
do not intend to alter your position and that you consider the current
discussion finished. People with alternatives feel less compelled to keep
the current conversation going, a process that frequently serves only to
frustrate both parties.

2. The fact that you suggested the alternative sends a clear message that
you care about the student's rights. This leaves you in a positive position
for future dialogues with this student on academic matters within your
discipline.

3. Referring the matter to another, and presumably impartial listener,
suggests that you have confidence in your position. Many students approach
the Academic Ombud for a hearing simply because they believe they may have a
valid issue. That belief has often been reinforced because they perceived
that the instructor lacked confidence in the position taken.

4. It acknowledges that you understand that ultimately the University
Appeals Board does have the right to impose certain solutions which may
contradict your decision. Acknowledging this initially leaves you in a
position to accept such a decision graciously, should that be the final=
outcome.

Although a proactive approach will occasionally add to the stress and time
required to resolve an issue, my perspective is that in most cases it
reduces both stress and time required to resolve issues. More importantly,
I believe, it helps to maintain a positive working relationship between
instructor and student which is essential to fostering learning within the
academic community.

Issues of general interest.
Modifications of the VIP system. We have had a few cases in which students
claimed to have withdrawn from a class by the appropriate deadline, but
later found they were still listed as enrolled. Although some of these
claims may be false, I am informed by Lisa Collins that the VIP system is
designed such that the message that tells the caller that they have been
dropped from a course is delivered prior to the execution of the drop.
Furthermore, it is possible, in situations such as when the computer records
are being backed up, that actions which the caller is told have been taken,
are, in fact, never executed. This means that we are poorly positioned to
enforce the rules on withdrawing by a given date. I understand that it is
not easy to modify the VIP system to avoid this shortcoming. However, I
encourage the Senate to lend such weight as we can to efforts to correct
this technical flaw in the system.

Activities
To create a positive perspective of the office of Academic Ombud among
students, I participated in an SGA retreat at Hazel Green. I have spoken to
several of the UK 101 classes and participated in orientation programs for
entering international students and for TA's. I welcome these opportunities
for proactive interaction and encourage you to contact the office if you
know of a student, staff or faculty group that would like to have input from
our office. In an attempt to maintain continuity in an office which
frequently changes occupants, Michelle Sohner, the administrative assistant
has resurrected Ombud get-togethers, an idea, which I understand originated
with Dan Fulks. My predecessors have shown a continuing commitment to the
office, expressed not only by helpful advice, but also by periodically
stepping in to serve as the Ombud in cases where students were uncomfortable
dealing with me or where my involvement might be perceived as a conflict of
interest. All of us within the University community are indebted to them
for their continuing service to the institution. We also owe a sincere
thank-you to Michelle Sohner, the administrative assistant in the office.
Michelle maintains a compassionate demeanor which lowers the level of
anxiety for both distraught students and frustrated faculty. She
efficiently locates pertinent Senate rules and provides insightful
suggestions for resolving many issues. In addition, she provides cheerful,
friendly help to innumerable callers who call the office just because
Academic Ombud Services precedes alphabetically most of the myriad options
for the University in the Lexington phone book. Finally, I appreciate all
the members of the University community for the support, civility, courtesy,
and sense of humor which you have brought to the office. The opportunity to
expand my acquaintances at this institution has contributed significantly to
the satisfaction of serving in this position. Thank you.

STATISTICAL REPORT
1995-96

Number of Single Contacts
(Telephone Calls/Referrals) 1,523

Number of Cases Handled 266

NATURE OF COMPLAINTS

Academic Offenses 22
Attendance 14
Discrimination 7
Exams 13
Grades 111
Instruction 31
Personal Problems 4
Progress/Promotion 58
University Policy 6

Total 266

COLLEGE WHERE COMPLAINT ORIGINATED

Agriculture 12
Allied Health 5
Architecture 4
Arts and Sciences 137
Business and Economics 21
Communications 9
Dentistry 2
Education 20
Engineering 21
Fine Arts 5
Human Environmental Sciences 5
Law 4
Medicine 3
Nursing 6
Pharmacy 1
Social Work 7
Non-Applicable 4

Total 266



STUDENT'S COLLEGE
Agriculture 13
Allied Health 5
Architecture 3
Arts and Sciences 133
Business and Economics 23
Communications 10
Dentistry 2
Education 20
Engineering 22
Fine Arts 5
Human Environmental Sciences 5
Law 4
Medicine 3
Nursing 6
Pharmacy 1
Social Work 7
Non-Applicable 4

Total 266

CLASSIFICATION OF THE STUDENT

Freshmen 42
Sophomores 47
Juniors 59
Seniors 70
Graduates 39
Non-Degree 6
Non-Applicable 3

Total 266

CASES BY MONTH
July, 1995 10
August, 1995 14
September, 1995 21
October, 1995 27
November, 1995 24
December, 1995 32
January, 1996 39
February, 1996 14
March, 1996 20
April 1996 27
May, 1996 30
June, 1996 8

Total 266



FOUR YEAR COMPARISONS


Cases Handled Single Contacts

1995-96 266 1,523
1994-95 261 1,601
1993-94 258 1,541
1992-93 239 1,589



MOST FREQUENT COMPLAINTS


1995-96 1994-95

Grades 111 Grades 99=20
Progress/Promotion 58 Progress/Promotion 55
Instruction 31 Instruction 41
Academic Offenses 22 Academic Offenses 24
1993-94 1992-93

Grades 97 Grades 85 Progress/Promotion 61 Progress/Promotion 55
Instruction 30 Instruction 31
Academic Offenses 29 Academic Offenses 27


Professor Edgerton was given a round of applause.

Chairperson Schach stated since the time was running late she would like to
postpone the action items until the next meeting.

The Chair made the following announcements.

Senate meetings are always the second Monday of the month with the next
meetings are October 14, 1996, November 11, 1996, December 9, 1996, February
10, 1997, March 10, 1997, and April 14, 1997. Please keep these in mind.
After discovering some problems with attendance on behalf on Senate senators
the Senate Council has decided to be a little more strict with the
attendance policy. We are going to have to adhere to the three strikes and
you are out rule. If you have three unexcused absences we have the
discretion to purge you. Please try to do everything you can and if you
find you are having conflicts with being able to serve please contact our
office.

Nominations for the Promotion and Tenure Task Force are still open. If you
could get those to me by e-mail in the next day or so, we will be finalizing
those nominations. For those of you who have not been able to get through
to me on e-mail, my address is jschach@ca.uky.edu.

The Senate Council has been active during the Summer, we continue our work
all summer long. Let me tell you about some of those activities. The first
is the Inclusive Learning Community Project that President Wethington
mentioned. With the leadership of Chancellor Zinser and Vice Chancellor
Byars we had the opportunity of coming together as a team involving People
from Human Resources, Student Government Association, Dean of Students
Office, and the Teaching and Learning Center. Through the funding of
Chancellor Zinser we were able to attend a conference in San Antonio on Race
and Ethnicity in Higher Education where we learned a great deal and got many
good ideas on how to implement a full blown diversity plan at the University
that we are calling the Inclusive Learning Community Plan. I just want to
make a point that it is a dynamic plan, it is growing by the day and
becoming more representative and more inclusive in terms of the
representation on the team and the ideas included. Hopefully everyone will
participate in all of the various initiatives thinking in terms of the
climate on the campus and improving in that respect.

Jim Applegate and Mike Nietzel have been working on a position paper that
define the value of a research institution. This is going to be part of a
package that is put together by a group called COSFL, Coalition of Senate
Faculty Leadership. If you are not familiar with it, it is a group of
faculty senate leaders from all the state institutions which will be
presented to the Governor prior to the special session. This is in an
effort to help clarify and educate the participants in that endeavor on
various issues related to the University. It is really one of the best
opportunities the faculty have had to give input in some of these
discussions. Loys Mather is chairing the group and has been very
instrumental in maintaining good communications with the Governor and his
office.

The Senate Council held a retreat in July at which time the theme of the day
was the rediscovery of the role of the Senate with respect to the Governing
Regulations. We were somewhat surprised to discover one of the rules that
is defined for us is to determine broad academic policy. We have become to
realize what an important role that is and perhaps how we could revitalize
our efforts in that respect. We discussed strategies on how to place the
Senate not so much in a reactionary role but really in a leadership role,
one which initiates policy and anticipates the future. In looking at the
standing committee and the adhoc committee charges and putting together task
forces for this year, we took very seriously that whole idea of starting to
establish academic policy.

This past weekend, Jim Applegate and I attended an AAUP Conference at the
University of Michigan entitled Shared Governments versus Corporate
Management. It was a very interesting discussion of governance issues and
the role of the collaborative decision making involving the Board of
Trustees, the administration level, and the faculty. We came back with some
very good ideas and insights as to perhaps how to look at that whole model
on our campus here and help to improve decision making in that collaborative
spirit.

You are all familiar with the Promotion and Tenure Task Force. The Task
Force is composed of two committees, one looking at the Promotion and Tenure
System and one looking at the title series. I think this will be one of the
most important endeavors for this year. It is particularly important in
view of some of the events at the University of Minnesota. There were some
very sobering events there with frontal assaults on the tenure system. It
is an important initiative that Gretchen started last year and it is going
to go a long way at anticipating, improving, and strengthening our current
system.

Some of the more significant committee activities include:

The Research Committee is going to be reviewing the Research Ethics Policy.

The Institutional Planning Committee is going to be developing a policy on
Distance Learning.

The Ad Hoc Committee on Women is going to be looking at an update on the
status report.

The Ad Hoc Committee on Minorities has started and will be completing their
study on the satisfaction of African American Faculty here on campus. They
will be interviewing faculty who are here and those who have left. They
will also be working in an initiative to develop a racial harassment policy.=
=20

The Academic Facilities Committee will be working with Vice Chancellor Watt
on the development of a classroom space/use policy.

Another interesting find in the Senate Rules is that the Senate is required
to conduct a faculty survey in the Spring of every other year. This is the
year coming up. We will be looking to gauge morale and satisfaction among
faculty and to identify issues for senate agendas.

Linda Worley and I have been working on and will be proposing soon through
the Senate Council a task force on the evaluation of teaching. The task
force will focus on how we are evaluating teaching, teaching evaluation
forms, and how we could make the whole process more constructive.

It is going to be a great year, a lot of our success is going to hinge on
your participation. I encourage you to give it your all. The idea of
shared governance only works if all of us give as much as we can in our own
respective areas.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:50 p.m.




Betty J. Huff
Secretary, University Senate