THE presidential advisory committee (university SENATE) OF MICHIGAN
TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

 

Minutes of Meeting 416

 12 January 2005

Synopsis: 

(1)  President Monson introduced the new PAC/Senate Assistant, Mechelle Normand.

(2)  Dave Reed announced that Marty Smith will fill the position of Dean of the Graduate School until a new one is selected.

(3)  Bob Keen reported on the changes proposed to the Sabbatical Leave Policy and Procedures.

(4)  Members are asked to solicit faculty willing to serve on the Faculty Distinguished Service Award Committee.

1.   CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL

President Monson called the Presidential Advisory Committee (University Senate; PAC) Meeting 416 to order at 5:30 pm on Wednesday, 12 January 2005, in Room B45 EERC.

Secretary Glime called roll.  Absent were at-large Senators Don Beck and Cindy Selfe and representatives from Army/Air Force ROTC, Computer Science, Fine Arts, Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences, Materials Science and Engineering, Physical Education, Physics, Keweenaw Research Center, Academic Services – non-Engineering, Auxiliary Enterprises, and Finance and Advancement.  Liaisons in attendance were Becky Christianson (Staff Council) and David Forel (GSC).  Academic Services – Engineering currently has no elected representative.  There was not a quorum present.  This will be an informational meeting only.

2.   RECOGNITION OF VISITORS

Guests included Dave Reed (Provost) and Bob Keen (Biological Sciences).

3.   APPROVAL OF AGENDA

President Monson added two items to the agenda under New Business:  A.  Peck Cho will address the PAC; Dave Reed (Provost) will report to the Senate.

[Appendix A. NOTE: Only official senate and library archival copies of the minutes will contain a full complement of appendices.]

4.   approval of minutes from meeting 415

One error in the minutes of Meeting 415 was reported to the Secretary prior to the meeting.  The representative from Materials Science and Engineering was present at meeting 415.

5.   CHAIR’S REPORT

1.    The PAC (Senate) welcomes Mechelle Normand, its new administrative person, Dr. David Reed, Provost, and Dr. Robert Keen, last year’s Senate President, to tonight’s meeting.  Mechelle's email address is <mnormand@mtu.edu>.

2.    President Mroz has approved Proposal 07-05 The role of non-engineering disciplines at Michigan Tech – Revisions to Proposal 08-04.

3.    President Mroz will discuss Proposal 08-05 Reinvestment of R&I Account Reserve Funds in a Balanced Portfolio of Stocks and Bonds with the Chief Financial Officer and his Executive Council before a decision is reached on its status.

4.    Senate Officers met with Provost Reed and learned that plans are being made to begin a search for a new Vice President for Academic Affairs during spring semester.

5.    There will be two forums next week to explain provisions of the proposed Senate Constitution and to gather input from Senate constituents.  Both will be held at 4 pm in Dow 642.  The Tuesday forum is intended for faculty and the Thursday forum is intended for staff.  President Monson encouraged as many Senators as possible to attend one or both of these meetings. 

6.    The referendum on the new Constitution is scheduled for the week of January 24.  Ballots should be distributed that day and should be returned the following Monday, January 31.  There will be separate elections for staff and for faculty constituents.  Both must approve the proposed Constitution.

7.    The Senate has received a large number of curricular proposals from the Provost’s Office, which the Curricular Policy and Finance Committees are reviewing.  We can expect to see some or all of them to appear on agendas for the next several meetings.

8.    President Monson has been informed that the Senate needs to conduct a faculty election for an additional faculty member to serve on the Faculty Distinguished Service Award Committee.  Please solicit interest among your constituents.

9.    President Monson is trying to determine the status of the Senate Task Force on Intellectual Properties and E-Learning.  Two of its five members are no longer with the University.  Pauline Moore, one of the co-chairs, has retired and Mick McKellar, who was a Task Force member last year, has left the University. 

10.On a related matter, President Monson met with Scott Amos, Dean of the School of Technology and Dean of Distance Learning this morning.  He was informed that Marti Banks-Sikarskie, the Director of Sponsored Educational Programs has retired, and that he intends to use this opportunity to re-examine MTU’s distance learning activities and to be sure that they are administered in accordance with recommendations in Senate Proposal 06-01, Recommendations on Distance Learning.  Dr. Amos will make a presentation to the Senate later this semester on distance learning activities.

11.President Monson would like to meet with committee chairs briefly following this meeting in order to work out a meeting time for the Senate Executive Committee.  (It will be Tuesdays at either 11 or 4.)

6.   New business

A.  Peck Cho address to PAC

Peck Cho addressed the PAC to express his and his wife's appreciation for their support on the loss of their children and especially for the resolution from this body.   He said it was very special and that the Tech People are very special people.

B.  Dave Reed report to PAC

Dave Reed reported that he cannot continue as Vice President for Research, Dean of the Graduate School, and also be Provost.  Therefore a new search will begin immediately for a new Dean of the Graduate School in order to fill the position by September.  The search will follow the guidelines in Senate Proposal 12-01.  Six positions on the committee must be filled by the Graduate Faculty Council before the PAC (Senate) selects its two representatives from the faculty at large.  We should have the six names by 1 February 2005.  Provost Reed encouraged the PAC to make its selection at the following PAC meeting on 9 February 2005.  Senators are urged to seek out potential candidates.  He also reported that the decision on full or part-time and on internal or external candidates has not been made, but he is leaning toward having only internal candidates.

Provost Reed announced that Dr. Marty Smith, former chair of Mathematical Sciences, has accepted the position of graduate dean until the position is filled.

C.  Proposal 09-05, Sabbatical Leave Procedures

[Appendix B] Bob Keen presented the sabbatical leave proposal and highlighted the changes from the old procedures.  There has been a problem with people who have not filed any report upon return from a sabbatical leave or the committee not being able to find the reports that had been filed.  John Lowther has been very conscientious in providing the Senate with a report each year and keeping the committee on track.   Sabbatical proposal guidelines are now in the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Faculty Development.   The proposal assures that funds remaining from a faculty salary must remain with the department.  If a chair or dean does not support a sabbatical leave request, the proposal must still go forward to the committee.  The committee can go back to an applicant for changes in the proposal before approving it.  The final report must be provided to the committee and the next request for a sabbatical will not be granted if that report has not been provided.  It must also be part of the next annual CV (faculty service report), which will be kept on file with the Administration.

D.  Proposal 10-05, Request for Change in Board of Control Policy 6.1 on Sabbatical Leave

[Appendix C] At present faculty are not permitted to earn full salary from another employer while on sabbatical leave.  Keen pointed out that one could earn 99.9%, but MTU defines it as 75% allowable.  The proposal removes that restriction.  There are cases where a full salary in another country could be very small relative to expenses here. 

President Monson indicated that the Academic Policy Committee had given full support to the proposals.

7.   UNFINISHED business

Secretary Glime inquired how the constituents would receive the Senate Constitution prior to the forums next week.  President Monson responded that it would be in Tech Topics, on the Web, and he would ask Marcia Goodrich to send it to the all-depts email list.

8.   Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 6:12 pm.

 

Respectfully Submitted by Janice M. Glime

Secretary of the Presidential Advisory Committee