March 11, 2022 - Faculty Governance

Meeting of the Faculty Council

Friday, March 11, 2022, 3:00–5:00 p.m.
Teleconference

The meeting will be streamed live at this link.

Agenda

3:00 p.m. Chair of the Faculty’s remarks
Prof. Mimi Chapman (Social Work)

3:05 p.m. Chancellor’s remarks
Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz

3:20 p.m. Provost’s remarks
Provost Christopher Clemens

3:35 p.m. COVID-19 update
Executive Vice Provost Ronald Strauss

3:50 p.m. Campus climate, racial reconciliation and DEI at UNC-CH
Vice Provost for Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer Leah Cox

Presentation on Office of Diversity and Inclusion [PDF]

4:05 p.m. Report of the Status of Women Committee [PDF]
Prof. Misha Becker (Linguistics), committee chair

Presentation on Salary Equity at UNC-Chapel Hill [PDF]

4:30p.m. UNC Faculty Assembly update
Prof. Tim Ives (Pharmacy), Faculty Assembly Chair

4:45 p.m. Annual committee reports by title

Advisory Committee [PDF]; Prof. Kenya McNeal-Trice (Pediatrics), committee chair
Buildings and Grounds Committee [PDF]; Prof. David Hartzell (Business), committee chair
Committee on University Copyright [PDF]; Prof. Amanda Reid (Journalism and Media), committee chair
Faculty Welfare Committee [PDF]; Prof. Jessica Tanner (Romance Studies), committee chair

4:50 p.m. Closed session: Report of the Honorary Degrees and Special Awards Committee
Nominees for Honorary Degrees [link], [supplemental report] (Council member access only; Sakai login required)
Prof. Genevieve Neal-Perry (Obstetrics and Gynecology), committee member

5:00 p.m. Adjournment

Video of Proceedings

Watch the full video [Streaming]

Journal of Proceedings

The Faculty Council and General Faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill convened on March 11, 2022, at 3:00 p.m. via Zoom. The meeting was also streamed live for anyone to watch online.

The following 77 Faculty Council members attended: D. Aikat, J. Aikat, Alexander, Becker, Berkoff, Berkowitz, Binz, Boyd, Brewster, Brownley, Burch, Burke, Chapman (Chair of the Faculty), Charles, Clement, Divaris, Donahue, Entwisle, Estroff, Floyd-Wilson, Gates-Foster, Gilland, Gold, Goralski, Guskiewicz (Chancellor), Haggis, Halpern, Holland, Johnson, Krause, Lain, Larson, Lee, Lensing, Lopez, Ma, McEntee, McNeilly, Mehrotra, Menard, Metcalfe, Meyer, Mohanty, Moon, Moore (Secretary of the Faculty), Moracco, Muller, Neal, Nichols, Olson, Padilla, Penton, Pettifor, Plenge, Powell, Rahangdale, Renner, Santacroce, Santos, Scarlett, Scarry, Schlobohm, Thorp, Triumph, Upshaw, Vaidyanathan, Van Deinse, Vernon-Feagans, Vision, von Bernuth, Watson, Williams, Wiltshire, Womack, Worthen, Young and Zomorodi.

The following 8 members received excused absences: Anksorus, Burch, DeHart-Davis, Donahue, Frederick, Roberts, Rose, and Smith.

The following 9 members were absent without excuse: Dewitya, Freeman, Hannig, Jeffay, Lithgow, Mayer-Davis, Padilla, Sathy, and Thornburg.

Others in attendance: Provost Clemens, Igollo-Ogele (Undergraduate Observer), and Swamy (Graduate and Professional Student Government President).

Call to Order

Chair of the Faculty Mimi Chapman called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m.

Chair of the Faculty’s remarks

Chair Chapman welcomed everyone to the Faculty Council meeting and gave brief remarks [PDF]

Chancellor’s remarks

Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz shared campus announcements and events with Faculty Council.

On March 11, Professor Terry Magnuson (Genetics) resigned from his position as vice chancellor for research after a finding of research misconduct by the Federal Office of Research Integrity. The University follows a federally mandated policy regarding the review of any alleged research misconduct. There are high expectations for the integrity of all research activities at Carolina. Professor Magnuson is a valued member of the campus community; he was instrumental in growing the University’s billion-dollar research enterprise. The past few days have been difficult, but Chancellor Guskiewicz is grateful for Professor Magnuson’s service. He thanked Professor Penny Gordon-Larsen (Nutrition), associate dean for research at Gillings School of Global Public Health, for agreeing to serve as interim vice chancellor for research.

On March 11, 2020, the administration met to discuss the transition to remote learning. During the two years since, faculty have reimagined how to deliver instruction, conduct research and provide service across North Carolina while staying true to the mission of the University. He thanked the faculty for their service and dedication.

The chancellor’s weekly campus message focused on the invasion of Ukraine. Carolina faculty and researchers have worked hard to offer insight into the unfolding invasion.

Raul Reis, dean and professor of the School of Communication at Emerson College, has been appointed Dean of the Hussman School of Journalism and Media, effective July 1. Chancellor Guskiewicz thanked the search committee, chaired by Dean of the School of Information and Library Science Gary Marchionini. He also thanked Professor Heidi Hennink-Kaminski (Journalism and Media) for serving as interim dean.

Provost’s remarks

Provost Clemens updated the Council on the exhibition “Tarred Healing,” the work of the Transition Team and the progress of various dean searches.

Photographer Cornell Watson was offered an artist residency at the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture, but his exhibition “Tarred Healing” was canceled. Provost Chris Clemens called Mr. Watson on March 3 and relayed his conversation to Faculty Council. He congratulated Mr. Watson for producing a moving and challenging work of art that takes on issues of place, memory and reckoning. The University did not present Mr. Watson with a contract that established who had final artistic control over the exhibition, and he apologized for this error. Mr. Watson accepted the apology and spoke about the community of people who contributed to his work and the distress that he felt over letting them down.

Provost Clemens charged his Transition Team with soliciting input from a broad range of voices on campus. They invited members of the campus community to share feedback. The team is examining the governance structures and the delegated authorities that support academic operations and faculty advancement. The powers of the University are delegated through Chapter 116 of the North Carolina General Statutes, which states that delegated authority must be “prudent to enable the institution to function in a proper and expeditious manner.” He promoted the idea that faculty-centered governance is prudent and allows the University to function properly and expeditiously. Faculty should have input on decisions that involve the University. The Provost’s Office shares the Faculty Council’s core goal of protecting the faculty’s voice and shoring up shared governance.

According to the Faculty Code of University Government, faculty have both sole authority and shared authority. For example, the Educational Policy Committee recommended extending the class add/drop deadline for students and sent this request to the provost for approval. According to the Code, Faculty Council exercises the legislative powers of the General Faculty to determine the educational policies of the University and the rules and regulations under which administrators and faculty will conduct the educational activities of the University. Faculty Council has the power to set the class add/drop deadline without the approval of the provost; the only caveat is that the deadline cannot affect accreditation. The Transition Team will upload a document that explains the delegations of authority on campus to the Office of the Provost website.

Candidates for the deans of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Gillings School of Global Public Health will visit campus soon. The Provost’s Office will create a website that will maintain a running record of any searches on campus with information on the search committee and the status of the search.

Professor Chapman commented that the Committee on University Government is charged with the interpretation of the Code. Provost Clemens assured the Council that he would share the document on delegated authority with the Committee on University Government.

Professor Deb Aikat (Journalism and Media) asked the chancellor and provost to consider overall salary equity on campus.

Chancellor Guskiewicz said that the administration is committed to salary equity. He recently met with Vice Chancellor for Finance and Operations Nathan Knuffman, Professor Misha Becker (Linguistics) and other faculty members to discuss this issue. The University’s budget is balanced; the administration will develop an All Funds Budgeting Model and engage in discussions with deans on ways to address salary inequities. The chancellor will delve deeper into this issue in a follow-up meeting with Professor Becker and the Committee on the Status of Women.

Professor D. Aikat commented that there should be a standard operating practice for deciding salaries to prevent inequities.

COVID-19 update

Executive Vice Provost Ronald Strauss gave an update on COVID-19 at the University. Since January 1, 3167 students tested positive for COVID-19. The Omicron variant caused an increase in cases. Students rarely required advanced treatment because their clinical manifestations were mild. Recently, there has been a remarkable decline in the positivity rate. Last week, 41 students tested positive for COVID-19, followed by 18 students this week. Since the availability of home testing has increased, students are using the campus testing facility to confirm the status of their at-home tests.

Due to the low positivity rate and the reduced usage of on-campus testing, the administration changed the COVID-19 community standards. On March 7, 2022, the indoor mask requirement was lifted for most of campus. Masks are optional in classrooms, residence halls, offices, libraries, athletic venues and performance halls. Masking is required in all health care settings, Chapel Hill Transit and University transit.

A private vendor will operate testing on campus. The Carolina Together Testing Program is no longer accepting appointments, and all tests are walk-in only. All testing is located at the Frank Porter Graham Student Union, parking is available in the Undergraduate Library Parking Lot. Regular testing times are Mondays and Fridays from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. and Wednesdays from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. The testing center is closed on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Symptomatic testing for students will continue at Campus Health. The administration is still promoting vaccinations and booster shots for anyone eligible.

Executive Vice Provost Strauss has weekly meetings with infectious disease specialists to follow any emerging variants. They are tracking the virulence of the COVID-19 Omicron BA.2 sub-variant and its effect on the population. UNC Healthcare has a well-tooled capacity and can provide patients with choices for their treatment paths.

The campus community must demonstrate compassion and caring as everyone adapts to the new community standards. Executive Vice Provost Strauss invited faculty to send him any questions or concerns they have about COVID-19 or the community standards.

Professor Erica Johnson (Global Studies) asked about potential changes to international travel restrictions as students prepare for the summer.

Executive Vice Provost Strauss predicts that international travel will be easier this summer as countries open for travel.

Provost Clemens is approving most requests for international travel.

Campus climate, racial reconciliation and DEI at UNC-CH

Vice Provost for Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer Leah Cox gave an update [PDF] on the programs of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and an overview of the University Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Council.

Professor Chapman asked Vice Provost Cox for an update on her work with student groups on campus.

In February 2022, the Black Student Movement brought requests to the senior leadership. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion created the DEI Progress Report to provide transparency surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion issues on campus. The report lists the requests and concerns that were brought to senior leadership and an explanation of their status.

Chancellor Guskiewicz and Vice Provost Cox had an informative meeting with members of the Arab Student Association. The administration will address the needs of students from underrepresented communities.

Report of the Status of Women Committee

Professor Misha Becker (Linguistics), committee chair, presented the Committee on the Status of Women annual report [PDF] and provided an overview of salary equity issues at the University [PDF], a focus of the committee for the past several years. The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (OIRA) has conducted five salary studies and the committee conducted a study of its own in 2019. These studies revealed that male faculty, on average, earn more than female faculty and that white faculty, on average, earn more than faculty who are African American, Latinx, Native American, or identify as belonging to another racial category.

Professor Becker stated that the studies over the years have shown progress in some areas and regression in other areas. The number and proportion of female faculty has increased in every rank, but there is a continued negative trend of representation at higher ranks. Women constitute a much larger proportion of faculty in fixed-term positions, which as a group are paid less than tenure-track. The gap between median base salaries for male vs. female full professors has actually widened. A lesser widening was also observed at the assistant professor level, which is problematic in part because the salary at hiring affects future compensation. The gap between men’s and women’s salaries at the associate level has remained steady but continues to favor men. Women faculty at UNC earn about 79% of what men earn.

To move forward, the Committee report called for a focus on three priorities: attention, analysis, and accountability.

Professor Chapman praised the committee’s work. She is impressed by their statistical critique of past analyses and their forward thinking in providing solutions and searching for new models.

Chancellor Guskiewicz asked if certain disciplines have greater salary inequity by gender.

Professor Becker said this data is not available. She can search the salaries of individual faculty using the public database, but she cannot access the salaries of all faculty because she does not have the authorization to view protected status data.

Professor Allison Schlobohm (Business) asked how department chairs and deans responded to the document “Best Practices for Equitable Salary Increases in the Annual Raise Process: A Guide for Department Chairs and Deans” created by the committee.

Professor Becker received positive responses from several deans, but she did not have a chance to follow up to see if they used the document.

Professor Kate Menard (OBGYN) asked why the School of Medicine was excluded from the analysis.

Executive Vice Provost Strauss commented that the School of Medicine’s salary data cannot be analyzed the same way as the rest of the University’s because of differences in compensation practices. Clinical faculty in the School of Medicine have a compensation plan and their pay may vary across the academic year. The School of Medicine conducted its own salary equity assessment, which he encouraged the Committee on the Status of Women to review.

Professor Menard encouraged the committee to include faculty from the School of Medicine in their advocacy because they also face salary inequity.

Professor Becker said the School of Medicine should be included in future studies and they will find a way to make it possible. The School of Medicine’s salary data could not fit into OIRA’s current models because of changes to the school’s compensation practices.

Professor Mark McNeilly (Business) asked if faculty discipline was a control variable in salary equity studies.

Professor Becker said the salary equity studies conducted by OIRA did not look specifically at discipline. It is a problem to control for variables that are themselves gendered.

Professor Rumay Alexander (Nursing) asked if salary-banding rules play a role in salary inequity.

Professor Becker is not aware of how banding applies to faculty salaries.

Professor Betsy Olson (Geography) asked the provost and chancellor to comment on the values that motivate leadership to work on salary equity and the goals they are trying to achieve.

Provost Clemens said analysis of the data should inform solutions and the solutions should express the values Professor Becker highlighted. University leadership must examine structures and practices to ensure equity in recognition, promotion, retention, awards and nominations. Professor Becker will meet with the Transition Team to discuss faculty advancement.

UNC Faculty Assembly update

The UNC Faculty Assembly was established in 1972 at the request of then UNC President William Friday. It is an elected body of representatives of faculty from the 17 campuses of the UNC System. Each campus has a Faculty Assembly Delegation, which is proportionate to the number of budgeted full-time faculty positions on campus; the representation system allows for two, three, four, or five-member delegations. The Assembly is an advisory body on System-wide issues, serving the President, the UNC System Office, the Board of Governors, the NC General Assembly, campus faculty and administrative bodies.

Professor Ives (Pharmacy), chair of the Faculty Assembly, gave an overview of their activities. The Assembly members serve ex-officio on committees of the UNC System and the Board of Governors (BOG), including the Committee on Budget and Finance, the Committee on Audit, Risk Management, and Compliance, the University Library Advisory Council, the Special Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, the Committee on Educational Planning, Policies, and Programs and the University Personnel Committee.

Faculty were involved in the implementation of the Common Numbering System, a course numbering system for undergraduate lower-division courses that will be mapped to the unique course numbers used at each respective institution of higher education.

The Assembly discussed free speech and collegiality agreements with the Committee on University Governance. They are promoting shared governance by advocating for the involvement of faculty, staff and students in all search committees, and by encouraging faculty senate chairs to serve as a non-voting constituent representative on their institution’s Board of Trustees (BOT).

In January 2017, the BOG approved Higher Expectations, a five-year Strategic Plan for the UNC System. The current plan will expire this year and UNC System President Peter Hans is committed to refreshing the plan. The UNC System will host a virtual town hall for the Carolina community on March 28 at 11 a.m. to gather feedback on Carolina’s current goals and metrics as well as potential new goals and metrics.

The BOG will present information on the UNC System funding model at the April 22 Faculty Assembly meeting.

The Assembly is concerned with campus safety and security. They are developing programs for safety and campus emergencies with Senior Associate Vice President for Safety and Emergency Operations Frederick Sellers.

The BOG established the UNC System Racial Equity Task Force to examine the legacy of race and racism in North Carolina’s public higher education system. Professor Ives served as a member of the task force and other members of the Assembly contributed to its work. The task force made recommendations to promote racial equity in the System.

The Faculty Assembly is advocating for the continuance of the UNC Online system. Discontinuance of this system will negatively affect students from historically black colleges and universities and students from rural communities. The North Carolina budget appropriated $97 million for the launch of Project Kitty Hawk, a nonprofit educational technology startup that will collaborate with UNC System universities to serve adult learners. Professor Ives is recruiting faculty to serve on the academic advisory group of Project Kitty Hawk.

The Faculty Assembly advocated for BOT training because the BOG delegated some of their activities and responsibilities to the individual campuses. Professor Ives trained BOT members on the tenure and promotion process during the November 2021 BOG meeting.

Annual committee reports by title

Council members were offered the opportunity to ask questions about committee reports that were submitted this month. Professor Schlobohm asked for an update on a proposal that she and a group of students submitted to create a memorial to recognize James Lewis Cates Jr., a resident of Chapel Hill murdered by white supremacists in 1970.

Chancellor Guskiewicz brought this recommendation to the BOT and they had questions about how the Town of Chapel Hill would collaborate with the University on this proposal. Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger and the chancellor met to discuss this collaboration. The proposal will go to the BOT for consideration.

The annual reports of the Advisory Committee [PDF], the Buildings and Grounds Committee, the Committee on the Status of Women [PDF], the Committee on University Copyright [PDF] and the Faculty Welfare Committee [PDF] were accepted by title.

Closed Session: Special Report from the Honorary Degrees and Special Awards Committee

Secretary of the Faculty Jill Moore requested a motion to go into closed session to prevent the premature disclosure of honorary degree information. The motion was made by Professor Rumay Alexander (Nursing) and seconded by Professor Joy Renner (Allied Health), and approved by Faculty Council. While in closed session, candidates for Honorary Degrees were approved by the Council.

Adjournment

After returning to open session, the Faculty Council adjourned at 5:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Kadejah Murray
University Program Associate

Jill Moore
Secretary of the Faculty