January 19, 2001

Meeting of the Faculty Council

January 19th, 2001 at 3:00 p.m.

The Pleasants Family Assembly Room in Wilson Library

Chancellor James Moeser and Professor Sue Estroff, Chair of the Faculty, will preside.

Agenda

3:00 Call to Order by the Chancellor.

DISC 3:00 Chancellor’s Remarks and Question Time.

• Chancellor James Moeser invites questions or comments on any topic.

DISC 3:20 Remarks by the Chair of the Faculty. Professor Sue Estroff.

INFO 3:40 Overview of the Scholarly Enterprise on Campus. Vice Provost Linda Dykstra.

INFO 4:00 Report on the Horace Williams Grounds.

DISC 4:05 Discussion on the Horace Williams Grounds.

DISC 4:15 The Impact of Construction on Campus Life.

DISC 4:20 Faculty and Staff Benefits Issues. JoAnn Pitz, UNC-CH Director of Benefits.

DISC 4:25 Annual Report of the Status of Women Committee. Jean Goeppinger, Chair.

DISC 4:35 Annual Report of the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee. Paul Farel, Chair.

DISC 4:40 Topics Raised by Council Members.

ACT 5:00 Adjourn.

 

Joseph S. Ferrell
Secretary of the Faculty

 

KEY:
ACT = Action
DISC = Discussion
INFO = Information

Minutes

Attendance

Present (59): Adler, Allison, Assani, Bender, Blackburn, Bolas, Bollen, Bowen, Boxill, Bromberg, Bynum, Carelli, Clegg, Cordeiro-Stone, Cotton, Daye, Drake, Elvers, Files, Fishman, George, Gilland, Glazner, Granger, Grossberg, Huang, Janda, Kagarise, Kaufman, Kupper, Levine, Lubker, Ludlow, Madison, McCormick, Meece, Meehan-Black, Metzguer, Meyer, A. Molina, P. Molina, Moran, Otey, Panter, Raab-Traub, Raasch, Rao, Reinert, Rosenfeld, Steponaitis, Stewart, Straughan, Strauss, Sueta, Taft, Vaughn, Walsh, Werner, Williams.

Excused absences (22): Ammerman, Bell, Chenault, D’Cruz, De La Cadena, Fowler, Henry, Kessler, Ketch, Kjervik, Kopp, LeFebvre, McKeown, Nelson, Nord, Pfaff, Savitz, Sekerak, Slatt, Tauchen, Weiss, White.

Unexcused absences (3): Crawford-Brown, Graham, McQueen.

Chancellor’s Remarks

Chancellor Moeser introduced the University’s new Head Football Coach, John Bunting, who stressed that he is committed to the highest values of the University of North Carolina, and the success of the student-athletes. He read a quote from Michael Jordan in his acceptance letter to the University of North Carolina as a student. Coach Bunting said that Mr. Jordan had the right attitude and was committed to work hard and to be focused. Bunting said that all of his own successes had begun with his time spent as a student at the University. When he is recruiting student-athletes, the main quality he looks for is character and the ability to make choices. He said he appreciated the support he has received from the faculty.

Chancellor Moeser thanked the faculty for their support at the December Commencement, especially Prof. Peter Kaufman for his stimulating Commencement address. He also thanked the organizers of the Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration on campus. The Chancellor and Professor Sue Estroff, Chair of the Faculty, met on January 18 with the Academic Council at Duke University, and later with a smaller group who are engaged in collaborative efforts with the faculty on the UNC-CH campus. He said both institutions are better for the rivalry between them, and the collaboration. There will be buses traveling back and forth between the two institutions next fall with the inauguration of the Robertson Scholarship Program.

Chancellor Moeser mentioned some areas in which the University should be proud:

• Black Enterprise Magazine named UNC-CH 14^th in its top colleges for African-American students.
• Doris Betts, Alumni Distinguished Professor Emerita of English, received the Modern Language Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
• George Sheldon, M.D., Zack D. Owens Professor of Surgery and chair of the Department of Surgery, has been elected Chairman of the Association of American Medical Colleges.
• Dr. Beverly S. Mitchell, Chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology and Associate Director of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been named President of the American Society of Hematology.
• The Kenan-Flagler Business School was recognized as being one of the nation’s top business schools for research productivity in the December 2000 Academy of Management Journal, ranking 15^th in the country for the quality of research by faculty published in prestigious scholarly journals from 1994-1995.
• Robert Shelton, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, will arrive on campus February 1, 2001. His chief priority will be to develop a clear statement of academic strengths and priorities for the campus.

Chancellor Moeser reassured the Council that discussions of the Master Plan and the decision-making process it entails is proceeding in an orderly fashion with attention to the interests of all the affected constituencies.

The Chancellor said that UNC President Molly Broad is working with the Legislature and the appropriate State administrative agencies in an effort to streamline the procedures for bidding and administering construction projects.

The Chancellor reminded the faculty of the large State financial shortfall, but he feels that we are not at crisis stage at this point.

The Chancellor reported that the issues involved in renovating or replacing the Health Sciences Library have not all been resolved yet, but he assured the Council that they are being addressed and should be resolved soon. In response to a question from Prof. Noelle Granger (Cell Biology & Anatomy), Assoc. Provost Ned Brooks elaborated on the options being considered.

Chancellor Moeser reported that Interim Provost Richard Edwards has indicated his intent to resign as the Dean of the School of Social Work. He will be taking a new position as a special assistant to Provost Shelton. A search will be undertaken to fill the position of dean of the School of Social Work.

Prof. Thomas Reinert (English) appealed, on behalf of the graduate teaching assistants, for an increase in their stipend from $4,100 per section to $5,000. They haven’t received a raise in five years, and this would only be a 19% increase since 1991. Professor Reinert said he was passing along a petition for signatures.

The Chancellor said he is personally very sympathetic to this issue and would welcome the Council’s attention to it. Later, Vice Provost Linda Dykstra reported that the Administrative Board of the Graduate School, meeting January 18, 2001, has also adopted a resolution supporting an increase to $5,000 per section for graduate teaching assistant stipends.

Chair of the Faculty’s Remarks

Prof. Estroff welcomed Coach Bunting and invited him to continue to attend the Faculty Council meetings.

She said that over the past several months there has been some unease and much active engagement in the life of the University, reflecting a general sense in the country at large of change afoot. We are having more public conversations about athletics, politics, construction, and other topics. These are discussions about what “fairness” means; about what is just; about how we do business; about what matters most here and out in the country; about how we make difficult decisions—whether about Mason Farm Road or the electoral college. She does not welcome unease and uncertainty but she does welcome the increased quality and quantity of our involvement with each other and with the layers of community to which we all belong. What she finds uplifting about this time is our intent to grapple with difficulty, to move to identify and resolve disputes, to clarify and to move forward. We are paying attention to public and civic life, here and at large. She has been thinking about how to sustain and harness this involvement, not how to douse it. How can we keep this acuteness of focus? How can we nourish the “I have a stake in this” stance so that the reform of our curricula, the building of new programs, the construction of new spaces, the recruitment of new faculty, the teaching of students, the solving of so many quandaries that face us, are the beneficiaries of our collective talents? What else, other than athletics, will draw us into our work here with so much robustness? What can we do together to salve our discontents and move forward? She applauded the faculty’s generosity in responding to the work of the campus.

Prof. Estroff urged the members to take a constructive stance on the many “Town/Gown” issues which are evolving. There is much common ground. We should seek it out.

Announcements:

• Prof. Barbara Harris (Women’s Studies/History) and Prof. Paul Farel (Physiology) have agreed to chair the Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure Committee. Other members include Profs. Sarah Shields, Steve Birdsall, Julie Collins, Ray Dooley, Eugenia Eng, Bernadette Gray-Little, Madeline Grumet, Charles Jennette, Kathleen Rounds, Mike Smith, Lucila Vargas, and Marilyn Yarbrough.
• Faculty elections will be held soon and nominations are welcome.
• The search for a director for the Black Cultural Center is under way under the direction of Prof. Charles Daye (Law). Prof. Daye said the job description is on the website. Prof. Estroff urged nominations from the faculty.
• The State Health Plan is facing a huge increase in cost. Prof. Estroff said the faculty should speak up about their preferences as to how to respond to the situation. Some of the options include premium increases, deductible and co-payment increases, or less coverage. She proposed that the faculty poll itself in order to have a voice in the matter, and also to work with the Employee Forum.
• Prof. Estroff recently had a productive meeting with the chairs of the departments of the College of Arts and Sciences. She is planning similar meetings with the heads of other academic units.
• Over the next five to six years, we will lose between 3,000 and 4,000 parking spaces, or almost one-third of the total now available. How to address this situation must be decided soon. She reviewed some of the options and said that she wants to hear from the faculty on this matter.

Prof. Rachel Rosenfeld (Sociology) said that for many faculty, safety issues are paramount. People who have irregular schedules or who work at night will have a problem with using the satellite lots.

Prof. Estroff announced that a meeting of the general faculty has been called for March 2, 2001, to welcome Provost Robert Shelton, at which time he will give his initial address to the faculty.

Finally, Prof. Estroff pointed out that today is the last day of Joanne Kucharski’s term as chair of the Employee Forum. Prof. Estroff presented to Ms. Kucharski a Carolina Blue crowbar, as the first annual Tar Heel Crowbar Award. She said this award is given to the person whose persistence in prying loose unyielding systems is outstanding, whose talent in leveraging is exemplary, and whose ability to make change in the face of resistance is matched by their ability to wield the right tool. Having in large part inspired the reward, Joanne Kucharski richly deserves to be its first recipient.

Overview of the Scholarly Enterprise on Campus

Vice Provost Dykstra presented and explained several graphs showing how UNC-CH compares with other top national research institutions in a number of appropriate indicators of research strength.

She reported that copies of Endeavors, the Graduate School’s magazine, are now being distributed to alumni along with the Alumni Review. Prof. Rosenfeld suggested that copies might also be sent to members of the General Assembly.

Prof. Farel noted that fixed-term faculty are at a considerable disadvantage in applying for such things as University Research Council grants and leaves. Even though funds are scarce, he hoped we could be more collegial toward fixed-term faculty in such matters.

Prof. Larry Kupper (Biostatistics) asked about graduate student tuition remission. Vice Provost Dykstra said that graduate teaching assistants have first priority for tuition remission. The Administrative Board of the Graduate School recently discussed whether to relax the policy that tuition remission cannot be extended beyond five years for Ph.D. candidates. The decision was not to change the policy, but to acknowledge that exceptions can be made for truly compelling circumstances. There has been some recent redistribution of tuition remissions away from some of the professional schools back to the Graduate School. We are continuing our efforts to gain permission from General Administration to charge lower tuition to students who are registered for thesis or dissertation only.

Report on the Horace Williams Grounds

Prof. Jack Evans (Business) reported on the development of the Horace Williams Tract, beginning with the background. In 1999 an advisory planning committee, Jonathan Howes, Susan Ehringhaus, and James Ramsey, was formed to look into the possibility of developing the Horace Williams property. Prof. Evans became involved with the group after Vice Chancellor Ramsey left. The working group now consists of faculty, staff, administrators, students, and trustees. The working group finds in this property an opportunity to enhance the University’s degree programs, research programs, service activity, and outreach generally. The status of the plan is in an earlier stage of development than is the main campus Master Plan.

In an overhead-projector presentation, Prof. Evans stated that the main campus consists of roughly 500 acres, while the Horace Williams property is around 1,000 acres. The conceptual plan by Ayers Saint Gross contemplates development of no more than 300 acres, with much open space left on the property. This plan commits to keeping the Airport and the open spaces. Contemplated is a mixture of several kinds of development of much less intensity than a previous plan. No determination has been made as to how the residential space will be divided up. One of the next steps in the process will be to offer a general information session for the campus community. An information session is scheduled with the Chapel Hill Town Council. One session will be scheduled for the neighborhoods surrounding the Horace Williams property, but in discussions with various residents of the neighborhoods, the attitude seems generally favorable to the proposed plans.

Prof. Tom Clegg (Physics) asked about the timetable and the ultimate goal. Prof. Evans responded that at some point the plan will be presented to the Board of Trustees for their approval and decision to proceed, but that it is not clear at this time when that will take place. Prof. Clegg asked by what means the information will be presented to the faculty. Prof. Evans said that there will be periodic presentations to the Faculty Council.

Prof. Alan Glazner (Geology) asked if the trails, used by cross-country and track teams and local residents, will be preserved. Prof. Evans said all development will be heavily influenced by the topography, which means that much of the property will not be developed. There will be much open space remaining for runners and bikers.

Prof. Estroff said that faculty should contact those members of the faculty on the advisory boards with their suggestions and concerns.

The Impact of Construction on Campus Life

Bruce Runberg, Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Management, said that he is prepared to update the Council on the pace of construction on a regular and continuing basis. As of this week, contracts are about to be awarded for four of the projects: the Biomolecular Research Building, the R.B. House Undergraduate Library, the Bioinformatics facility, and the Carolina Living and Learning Center. Bids on replacing the hot water system have been received and awards are being made. He said great attention is being paid to minimizing the destruction of trees. The Health Sciences Library renovation is under discussion, as well as the Rams Head Complex, classroom renovations, the Science Complex, and other projects for infrastructure. There have been a few problems with access and pedestrian flow in a few places on Manning Drive, but the work is ahead of construction timetable. Mr. Runberg feels that the construction is running smoothly and encouraged faculty members to direct questions and report problems to him.

Faculty and Staff Benefits Issues

JoAnn Pitz, UNC-CH Director of Benefits, stated that Jud Walker, the Executive Administrator of the Employee’s Health Plan, indicated an interest in what employees want in trade-offs. The new Pharmacy Program is in effect. The new Flex Year has started and should appear in the next paychecks. Any time the faculty has problems they should call her office, or call her at 962-6250, or send E-mail to JoAnn_Pitz@unc.edu. She reminded faculty members who have 403B supplemental tax deferred annuities to obtain maximum exclusion calculations from their company.

Annual Reports of Standing Committees

Status of Women Committee.

Prof. Jean Goeppinger (Nursing), Chair, presented the Annual Report of the Status of Women Committee. She reported the items which the committee feels it should address in the remainder of the year:

1. Recommendations regarding recruitment and hiring of women faculty for new tenure track positions generated by enrollment increases.
2. Delineation of pools for new hires by discipline and gender.
3. Evaluation of recent rate of offers made to women faculty candidates and reasons why offers have/have not been accepted.
4. Identification and action on concerns emerging from data analyses of faculty by gender and: rank, salary, title, and FTE (Full-Time Equivalence status).
5. Evaluation of women’s success in achieving tenure.
6. Identification of issues as they relate to women of color.
7. Evaluation of adequacy of benefits for women.

Chancellor’s Advisory Committee.

Prof. Farel, Chair, presented the Annual Report of the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee and asked for questions. There were none.

Old or New Business.

Prof. Granger asked how many of the top tier public institutions do not have a sabbatical leave policy, and what efforts are being made to obtain such a policy for UNC-CH. Vice Provost Dykstra said this matter is under continuing discussion. Prof. Estroff said she feels the subject should be moved off the “benefit” column to the “necessity” column, and the faculty should take the issue very seriously and she would welcome suggestions. Vice Provost Dykstra agreed that many faculty are discouraged that we have so few funded leaves available. Prof. Estroff said one of the things discussed in the meeting with the Duke representatives was exchanging areas on each campus for faculty to work and study undisturbed, but still in contact with other faculty.

Prof. Laura Janda (Slavic Languages and Literatures) asked about those who have lost their HMOs and where they would fit in the state health plan. She feels that changes in the Health Care Plan will not be for the better. Chancellor Moeser said this is a reality and there is no “silver lining” to the problem.

Prof. Robert Rosenberg (Pharmacology) said one of the problems with the Health Care Plan is its lack of continuity, and the changing of physicians. Professor Estroff said she had asked Ron Penney to try to work with East Carolina University (ECU) and UNC-CH to explore the use of the excellent health care on the campuses. She said this is a legislative issue. She thanked President Broad for making clear to the Legislature that health care benefits are a key issue.

Prof. Nancy Raab-Traub (Microbiology) said that one of the benefits in private institutions are tuition benefits for the employees’ children and exchanging these benefits with other institutions so the children could attend other institutions at a lesser cost. Chancellor Moeser said there had been discussion in the Atlantic Coast Conference about an academic common market. He said the institutions are not cohesive, and the suggestion would be difficult to fulfill, especially with the limit that UNC-CH has on accepting out-of-state students.

Prof. Raab-Traub asked if tuition benefits could be worked as an in-house benefit. Chancellor Moeser said it was a wonderful idea and he thinks it warrants discussion.

Prof. Philip Bromberg (Medicine) said he thought it was a good idea and should be separated from the issue of the out-of-state enrollment quota. It would be a benefit for employees. Chancellor Moeser said the first step should be tuition remission to UNC-CH. Prof. Estroff added that it could be a benefit in any of the schools in the system.

Prof. Joseph Ferrell (Secretary of the Faculty) said the Nominating Committee will begin its deliberations on elections next week.

Adjournment.

The Business of the day having concluded, the Council adjourned at 5:00 p.m.

 

Joseph S. Ferrell
Secretary of the Faculty

 

Pdf of meeting materials