Mānoa Faculty Senate Executive Committee
Minutes of November 10, 2008
Mānoa Faculty Senate Executive Committee
Monday – Nov 10, 2008; Hawai'i Hall 208
Present: Wakayama, Crookes, Hilgers, Ross, Tiles, Keil
Absent: (traveling) Crosby
2:30 Meeting with VC Ostrander
PBRC
SEC asked VC Ostrander if there was anything new concerning PBRC. He observed that there were one or two additional data points, for example, that it has been determined that the cost of running the building at Kewalo Basin (excluding all salaries of the faculty and staff working there) is $493,000 p.a. On the $493,000 p.a. cost for running Kewalo, SEC asked the VC what the marginal excess this is over running the same research elsewhere on Campus, and his response was that that was "a good question".
VC Ostrander believes that it is known that one of the faculty may in fact retire (this was perhaps not clear or known previously). Ostrander reiterated that other faculty and staff would be relocated to specific departments. SEC referred to there being 13 fte of regular faculty. PBRC personnel are working on a report that responds to the administrative proposed actions.
Study Abroad
CAPP has recommended that Study Abroad report to OVCAA directly. VC Ostrander responded by saying that he will study the matter but he believes that it is premature to move the unit.
Cancer Research Center
There has been no change in the vision for the Cancer Research Center, said Ostrander. SEC asked if it would remain a separate ORU. VC Ostrander said there were no plans to move it to JABSOM. He emphasized that he has experience with three “cancer centers” (and the Chancellor has had experience with four). 76% of cancer centers in the country are affiliated with medical schools. He and the Chancellor had earlier considered the administrative location of the UH cancer research center and had decided there was no need and no plan to move it at the present time. It presently reports to VCRGE and this would continue; it has about 20 faculty members.
Interim Director would be Dr. Carbone; this is to be put to the BoR on Friday. There was no faculty input solicited on the choice of the Interim Director. The Interim Director would be allowed to apply for the Directorship, should he decide to do so.
SEC sought assurances that this search would be run in a way that would prevent questions being asked about the ethicality of the process. VCRGE said he would indeed follow the search procedures (for major searches) proposed by SEC earlier and agreed to in principal by the Chancellor recently.
SEC asked about a new building for the cancer research center that had been planned for several years ago. The VCRGE indicated that there were many obstacles to a single large plan in this area. He proposes instead to break the project into about three stages, focusing on clinical research first.
3:00 SEC meeting
1) Minutes of previous meeting were approved.
2) Chair's Report
(a) Postdoctoral matters: definition of this category was referred to relevant standing committees, and, following the suggestion of Pat Henry, Chair of COR, chair Keil will inform in writing Peter Garrod of the suggestions made by COR. (b) FAR Nicholson has sent a memo to SEC concerning bylaw changes concerning the national Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics. This will be forwarded to Committee on Athletics. ( c) PBRC draft report has been briefly discussed by Committee on Research. (d) Simplification of tenure and promotion applications. A draft resolution has been proposed by Committee on Professional Matters (CPM). This will be posted on the agenda of the upcoming faculty senate meeting. (e) Resolution from CAPP to approve a BBA in entrepreneurship will move forward to faculty senate. (f) Adding SLOs to course syllabi. A draft resolution has emerged from CAPP to this effect. The Math Dept views an administration requiring SLOs on course syllabi as an infringement of academic freedom, in the absence of a faculty director of the Manoa Assessment Office and a permanent VCAA. This reflects a particular interpretation of WASC language. SEC will return this to CAPP to suggest further consideration. (g) The “Process Committee” has met again but the most recent meeting was simply a working meeting. Originally, the process in question was a process for responding to the large number of retirements. Now it is a process for discussing possible cuts and discussion is using terms such as financial exigency and retrenchment. These are not ways of dealing with short-term problems since it will take at least 18 months to fire someone. Considerations relate to quality, importance to the teaching mission of UHM, importance to research mission of UHM and so on. (h) Executive Search Process guidelines was reviewed by CAB and some changes made and this has returned to the SEC for review. SEC agrees with the changes and will forward it to the VCs and the Chancellor in the hope of a final agreement.
3) Agenda for the Faculty Senate meeting 11/17
This was drafted.
4:05 Meeting with VP Johnsrud
VP Johnsrud had sent ahead her presentation on policy review concerning enrolment caps and reviewed details and took questions from the SEC. Her position is that the principles on which this policy was developed are sound but the details have worked out in not necessarily favorable ways.
Points involved cost coverage of even non-resident tuition, how dorm rooms are filled, graduation rates of residents and non-residents, the increasing numbers of students (out of state) who are taking advantage of WUI “discounts”.
SEC asked why UH should not simply not offer tuition or any related breaks or discounts, to non-resident students. By 2012 projected tuition raises will cover more than the likely costs of non-resident students. However, VP Johnsrud said that if we went in that direction it would put at risk our recruitment and/or acceptance of resident students.
No other institution has a cap on graduate students (like Hawai’i does). Removing it is desirable but this might go hand in hand with a policy stating the necessary proportion of residents to non-residents.
Discussion went on to aspect of recruitment and retention with respect to non-resident students at UH system and UH Manoa.
SEC pointed out how important it is that decision-makers realize that many parts of the rest of the UH System are staffed at the Instructor and Professorial levels by PhDs who are graduates of UH Manoa. The quality of GAs is also of great importance to the quality of instruction in undergraduate courses at UH Manoa. Also, VP Johnsrud noted that there is already a principle requiring UHM departments to favor the admission of resident graduate students, so it is unreasonable that there should also be a cap on graduate students.
The WUI-related flows are inequitable or at least non-reciprocal. About 1000 Californian students come here and pay only 150% of resident rates; only about 30 Hawai’i students go to the only three California campuses that participate in the consortium of mostly west-USA universities that have such mutual agreements. However, UH and UHM admissions staff are encouraging the admission of WUI students since they have specific numbers to meet (presumably rather than dollar figures). WUI participation can be fine-tuned by participating universities (UHM could for example say that it will not accept WUI student in a particular department).
Overall, VP Johnsrud believes that we are educating both residents and non-residents but the overall effect is educated Hawai’i residents are leaving the state.
Many non-residents do not pay non-resident tuition (33% UHM are non-resident, and this figure is considerably larger than it used to be, as from say 2000).
A cap on non-resident undergraduates at about 30% seems reasonable, said VP Johnsrud.
15% tuition revenue can go to financial aid, of this half can be non-need. This policy acts at the campus level and interrelates to the cap (on non-residents, for example).
Adjourned 5:30 pm
Respectfully submitted,
Graham Crookes
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