Mānoa Faculty Senate Executive Committee
Minutes of September 8, 2008
Mānoa Faculty Senate Executive Committee
Monday – September 8, 2008; Hawaiʻi Hall 208
Present: Wakayama, Crookes, Hilgers, Ross, Crosby, Keil,
(secty Mitsutani)
2:30 meeting with Ostrander
PBRC issue
SEC raised the problem that a preliminary oral briefing is
not the same as consultation equivalent to shared goverrnance. Ostrander said
that when he consults with SEC he is expecting us to tell him “what we need”. He
agreed that it is late in the day with regard to the specific PBRC matter that
we develop policy for consultation.
Ostrander noted that past SEC Chair Tiles had stated that
ORUs should not be allowed to have academic graduate programs because they are
not instructional units, and equivalently they don’t report to the Chancellor,
they report to VCRGE. There are around 100 of them, (or things called “Centers),
said Ostrander. If they aren’t allowed to have degree programs, he seemed to
argue, then they aren’t directly under Fac Sen.
The SEC stated that Fac Sen is concerned with all units
that have faculty with BoR positions, and serve as loci for tenure.
9 out of 12 PBRC have no instructional responsibilities and
are entirely R-faculty, noted Ostrander. (No teaching, no advising, no grad
students in PBRC.)
SEC said that regardless, Fac Sen is concerned with all
faculty appointments on BOR-approved positions. Centers that are being proposed
should come before the Fac Sen. Ostrander noted that there are also “letterhead”
centers, which have no ability to be a locus of tenure. But even when faculty
have their locus of tenure elsewhere, the proposed dissolution of any center can
be a matter of concern on campus (as was the case with the Marine Science
program). Ostrander’s view was that the process being proposed for review of
PBRC by SEC was, in his opinion, likely to take one year. (Administration
notifies SEC, provides an ‘action plan’; SEC hands this to one or more standing
committees, standing committee reviews, passes back to SEC, SEC puts the matter
in front of the full Faculty Senate.)
In passing it was noted that the PBRC proposed action was
not retrenchment.
Following some discussion, both sides focused on the need
for proposals in writing about this sort of thing. Although the PBRC matter had
been in train and under discussion at various levels for perhaps two years, even
when Ostrander briefed SEC about developments during the summer, he did not put
anything in writing. SEC said it would try to “fast track” such proposals,
aiming in general at a 60-day turn-around, though maintaining that complex or
sensitive proposals would take longer.
Change in URC faculty travel policy
Ostrander agreed that he would put this in writing. He
emphasized that his intent had been to improve the quality of the process for
allocating funds. He recognized that since the proposal had not been in writing,
it was possible for it to be not fully understood (as appears to be the case
now).
SEC meeting
1) Minutes for previous meeting accepted.
2) Previous Faculty Senate minutes approved.
3) MET meeting (Sept 2) report (Keil).
18,800 students admitted (Hernandez). WASC report (same
again; Quigley). Additional cuts possible. Biennium budget is going forwards to
the Regents. Extensive report on fund-raising at Manoa (from Karen Nelson): for
a UHM Fac & Staff fund-raising campaign – by analogy with the Med School
campaign, which has planned to raise $50k.
4) Keil & Ross met with VC Quigley. (a) Within a week he
will have the funding for the half-time faculty release-time person for the MOA.
(b) Quigley claims to have a positive response from WASC about developments re
TIM.
5) Keil & Crosby met with FAR Nicholson. They reviewed with
him the role of the FAR as a faculty member and a Fac Sen appointment. A FAR has
to be in place during the NCAA certification process, which is next year; the
FAR has advised SEC that he may wish to go on sabbatical for the coming AY. If
he is not in place during the coming year our NCAA status will be at risk. SEC
Chair Keil will write formally to the FAR and request that he inform us, within
one month, concerning whether he is or is not going on sabbatical.
SEC formed the impression that Fac Sen suggestions for
membership on the relevant committee had been largely ignored. Keil will draft a
letter indicating SEC’s disappointment concerning this, once the actual data
have been provided by Crosby.
6) Review of agenda for upcoming Fac Sen meeting.
7) Request for faculty names to sit on student conduct code
was referred to CFS.
4:00 Meeting with
Chancellor Hinshaw
1) A&S reorg.
The Chancellor reported meeting with Alan Teramura and
Peter Quigley (chairs of the two committees involved). These committees will
have meetings scheduled with faculty (by way of an A&S faculty senate meeting)
to update them on the results of their weekly meetings. There will be a written
report from Alan Teramura and Peter Quigley’s committees. The search for a Dean
will still go forward this year. There is no search advisory committee. SEC
asked if there could be Faculty Senate input to this, though it became clear
that it could not pre-empt A&S Fac Sen Exec Ctee input. (All A&S faculty are A&S
faculty senators.) SEC encourages the A&S Exec Ctee to organize the necessary
meeting. SEC also pressed the Chancellor to consider having substantial
representation of A&S faculty on this search, and asked her to tell us how the
process would go in this respect.
2) The SEC asked the Chancellor to respond to the past Fac
Sen resolution asking her to establish clear and standard procedures for
handling E&M hires (above the Dean level). These would specify who should chair
such searches, for example. (Ruling out, therefore, the Chancellor co-chairing
such searches.) The Chancellor will put this in writing and bring it to the SEC.
(Klaus will email the Chancellor that she has agreed to do this and ask her to
provide it to us within a month.)
3) SEC told the Chancellor that the VCRGE has agreed to a
more formal process, involving written consultation, when any unit beyond the
most minimal (i.e., involving BoR appointments, loci of tenure, etc) is going to
be dissolved. The Chancellor noted that she had already met with the exec ctee
and members of the PBRC and discussed options.
4) The Chancellor sought SEC input on establishing a naming
committee, particularly to handle the naming of items below the level of
buildings (most obviously, rooms, and this could apply to roads on UHM campus
too). SEC was positive about the idea, recognizing that this would be consistent
with BoR policies which instruct Chancellors to establish such procedures.
5) Budget
The governor has proposed a freeze on travel, hiring, and
equipment purchase. The Chancellor is intending to respond by arguing that
exceptions or variant interpretations can be made at campus level, in line with
university autonomy, though this position will be put forward through the UH
System President.
The Chancellor expects that UH will float some bonds during this period of economic downturn. But cuts can still be expected...
Respectfully submitted,
Graham Crookes
Home | Committees | Current Session | Senators | Documents | Resolutions | Site Index |
University of Hawaii | UH Manoa | Manoa Chancellor | UH Links | Related Links | UHPA | Board of Regents
Contact dave at math.hawaii.edu with comments regarding this site.