Neither the chancellor nor VCAA sees the June draft strategic plan as ready for public review. Both have serious reservations about the plan’s overwhelming number of suggestions, the absence of priorities, absence of budget plan, and impossibly high costs in light of fiscal realities. If the Senate wants to review the draft, fine. But neither the chancellor nor the VCAA forwards it as “their” draft plan.

VCAA will suspend planning to search for a permanent assistant vc for international education. He does this reluctantly: he does not want to alienate faculty at this point, but is handicapped by the lack of executive staff to assist him with his mission. VCAA will work to get a to-the-point and realistic statement of goals for UHM’s international education efforts. “I’m a minimalist on planning,” he said. “I’d like 4-5 clear and realistic goals for our critical international initiatives and programs.”

B. Arts & Sciences reorganization

VCAA met with the A&S SEC, which asked about its options: only to endorse or reject the plan forwarded by the 4 current A&S deans? VCAA’s reponse: not necessarily. Deans’ plan has merit, but it is not the only possible, or even necessarily the most desirable, result. A&S faculties face a “federalist moment”: either create a “lasting union” or move on to another configuration for the many current A&S departments.

VCAA said he will not tell faculties what to do. But if the faculties want to develop a new configuration plan, he asks that they set a reasonably near date by which a decision will be reached.

C. Enrollment Management

VCAA is seeking 2 new options:

a.

automatic admission to UHM for any community-college student who earns the “AA degree.”

b.

Reverse transfer. The typical CC transfer student comes to UHM with 36 credits. After UHM matriculation, that student will probably earn what would have earned her/him the AA at a CC. The proposed policy would allow students who fall into this category to be awarded the AA from their CC, even if they subsequently drop out of UHM.

D.

Admissions and Records and its administrative location

VCAA sees VCAA + VCSA cooperation as far more important than the official location of A&R. Getting academic oversight of the academic side of A&R is, he thinks, far more important than its reporting line. SEC noted the long-standing need for a permanent, empowered, director of A&R, selected with faculty input.

E. Budget and Prioritization process

VCAA noted the critical need for “legitimate” faculty representation on the BP group.

SEC concurred, but noted several problems.

1. The charge to the BP is not clear. The faculty is suspicious: if “retrenchment” is the chancellor’s agenda, is BP to be anything more than a thin justification for her acting on her intentions, following her timeline for retrenchment?

2. VCAA said he doesn’t know of a single concrete plan for retrenchment. Yes, there are ‘intentions’ to reorganize. But reorganization is quite different. VCAA admitted that he doesn’t know all that is going on and lamented the unfortunate loss of his “personal ability to respond to misapprehensions on this campus.”
1. Many faculty see BP as a rubber stamp and question the value of faculty participation in effort.

2. VCAA maintained that BP has come up with good and useful data on allocations of resources, which may help us see real possibilities for effective reorganizations, all of which will go to the faculty for consideration. Work must still be done if we are to incorporate qualitative information and data into the decision-making mix.
1. Some deans are coming up with retrenchment plans.

2. VCAA asserted that UHM will not have a single retrenchment plan for BOR come November. He also guaranteed that there will be no proposals for reorganization that don’t go through faculty review.
1. The chancellor sent a list of proposed reorganizations/retrenchments to the faculty at the beginning of the current semester.

VCAA noted that the list was a result of last year’s efforts. Its publication was not well timed.

VCAA observed that UHM can enroll 1500 additional students next fall, the $11.5 M projected deficit and the need for forced cutbacks will disappear. He urged fiscal capacity studies, budget impact studies, etc., to help UHM do what we can do without additional resources.

F. VCAA will be informally transmitting a proposal for academic calendar change to FS. But it does not yet have a recommendation from him and thus is not ready for “consultation.”

Thus endeth the regular monthly meeting with VCAA.

6. New business

A. Some have proposed a Senate “Task Force” to look more deeply into financial realities and to envision Manoa’s future. SEC will consult with colleagues to identify faculty members who may be willing to work on such a force.

B. The Faculty Congress on 10/21

The UH president is unable to attend. UHM’s VCAA will talk about enrollment and UHM. Ross will ask the chancellor to be available for a “listening session” with the faculty. He will also ask if a representative of the library wishes to address the congress on the library’s budget cut.

C. Senate on 10/21

--Possible resolutions from CAPP, CPM, CAB on declarations of “financial crisis”: reasserting faculty role in responding to such declarations. --Possible motions regarding “international education.” --Possible motion in support of draft CC response to UH president on UHPA vote. --Opportunity for senators to raise questions about state of UHM. Agenda will be posted after standing committees report on possible resolutions and motions.