December 12, 2003 - Faculty Governance

Meeting of the General Faculty and the Faculty Council

Friday, December 12th 2003 at 3:00 p.m.

The Pleasants Family Assembly Room in Wilson Library

Chancellor James Moeser and Professor Judith Wegner, Chair of the Faculty, will preside.

Agenda

3:00 Faculty Council Convenes. (Professor Joseph Ferrell, Professor Judith Wegner)

Introductory Remarks and Questions from the Floor: Chancellor Moeser.
Remarks: Provost Robert Shelton.
Remarks from the Chair of the Faculty: Professor Wegner.

3:20 Faculty Governance Matters:

Faculty Code revisions (First reading): Professor Elizabeth Gibson, Chair, University Governance Committee (Action item; please review informational material).
Process of election for Faculty Council and elected committees: Professor Ferrell will discuss proposed electronic election process, strategies for identifying potential nominees, and statements from nominees.
Board of Governors and Board of Trustees Action Relating to Faculty Hearings and Grievance Appeals.

3:50 Committee Reports (for information).

Committee on the Status of Women: Professor Etta Pisano.
Committee on Research (Submitted in November; attachment available).
University Governance Committee: Professor Elizabeth Gibson.

4:00 Faculty Forum: Carolina North.

Presentation: Vice Chancellor Tony Waldrop and Associate Vice Chancellor Mark Crowell (30 minutes).
Discussion of Questions (Council members invited to generate questions for inclusion in Frequently Asked Questions materials at project website).
(Click here for recent coverage of the draft plan for Carolina North in the Daily Tar Heel.)

5:00 Adjourn.

Joseph S. Ferrell
Secretary of the Faculty

Minutes

Attendance

Present (60): Adimora, Ammerman, Arnold, Bachenheimer, Bane, Cairns, Colindres, de Silva, Fishell, Gerber, Givre, Goldstein, Gollop, Heenan, Howell, Kjervik, Klebanow, Kramer, Leigh, Lin, Lohr, Malizia, Martin, McGraw, Mesibov, Miller, Morris-Natschke, Nonini, Owen, Pardun, Perelmuter, Pisano, Pittman, Poole, Porto, Reisner, Renner, Rippe, Rowan, Salmon, Sawin, Schauer, Jay Smith, John Smith, Straughan, Strauss, Tauchen, Tobin, Toews, Tresolini, Tulloch, Vandermeer, Vick, Wallace, Weinberg, Wilson, Winkler, Wolford, Yankaskas, Yopp.

Excused absences (19): Bouldin, Bowen, Conover, Daye, Elter, Elvers, Foley, Granger,Hammond, Holditch-Davis, Kagarise, Leonard, Orthner, Parikh, Perrin, Rock,Rogers, Shea, Willis.

Unexcused absences (10): Anton, Burford, Gulledge, Holmgren, Langbauer, Miguel, Molina, Muller, Nicholas, Simpson.

Chancellor’s Remarks and Question Time

Rhodes Scholar.

Chancellor Moeser introduced Elizabeth Kistin, Class of 2004, who has been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship. Ms. Kistin is a Morehead Scholar with a double major in Political Science and Latin American Studies. The chancellor noted that Ms. Kistin is Carolina’s second consecutive Rhodes Scholar and our 37^th winner since 1902. Among public universities, UNC ranks second in the number of Rhodes Scholars. Chancellor Moeser thanked Prof. George Lensing, director of the Office of Distinguished Scholarships, for his role in mentoring students for this and other post-graduate scholarship awards. The faculty greeted Ms. Kistin with hearty applause.

NCAA Championship Women’s Soccer Team.

Chancellor Moeser next introduced Coach Anson Dorrance, Ms. Maggie Tomecka (Class of 2004), Ms. Jordan Walker (Class of 2004), and Ms. Catherine Reddick (Class of 2004), the coach and tri-captains of Carolina’s 2003 NCAA Women’s Soccer Champions. This is Carolina’s 18^th national championship in women’s soccer. The team’s 2003 27-0 record was the best in the history of women’s college soccer. Eight members of the team were named to the ACC academic honor roll; Ms. Walker will be graduating with honors. The faculty greeted the coach and team members with hearty applause. Coach Dorrance noted that Ms. Reddick had missed much of the semester while representing the United States in the World Cup Competition. She was the only collegian on the roster and was voted the most valuable player on the field for one of the games, an extraordinary honor for a collegian. Coach Dorrance said this is the best-led team he has coached.

Frank Porter Graham Center.

Chancellor Moeser recognized Prof. Don Bailey, director of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center, for a $10 million grant for fragile X syndrome research.

Carolina North.

Chancellor Moeser said that Carolina North gives us the opportunity to achieve our goal of becomingAmerica’s leading public university. It will foster growth in the size and scope of our research and public service programs, as well as engagement with external partners in the private, non-profit, and government sectors in ways that we cannot now accomplish on the main campus. It will be yet another means of drawing here the very best faculty and the very best students. It can help connect our technology transfer program with business in ways that will ultimately benefit the people and the economy ofNorth Carolina.

Tar Heel Bus Tour.

The chancellor noted that the Tar Heel Bus Tour will begin on Monday, May 10, the day after spring commencement. This is a five-day trip across North Carolina that gives new faculty and administrators a head start about knowing and understanding the state we serve. Chancellor Moeser asked Council members to urge new colleagues to apply for this opportunity. Applicants are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Chancellor’s Task Force for a Better Work Place.

The Task Force, which is chaired jointly by Chancellor Moeser and Employee Forum Chair Tommy Griffin, is now preparing its final report. From increased use of flexible scheduling to more supervisor training, the task force’s ideas cover a broad range of topics. Some can be addressed with relative ease; others will require more time, resources, and cooperation from entities beyond the University.

State Employees Combined Campaign.

Chancellor Moeser reported that the SECC has met its $1 million goal. He expressed his appreciation for the good work of Dean Richard Cole and Professor Jan Johnson Yopp, who co-chaired the 2003 campaign.

Prof. Jim Porto (Health Policy and Analysis) commented on the need for increased support for redundancies in our electronic and computing capabilities. He said that as we make more and more use of technology in our teaching and research, it becomes more and more essential that we have the ability to continue our work when servers go down or there are other kinds of failures in the system, such as virus attacks. Prof. Porto urged that this need be assigned a higher priority in the budget process. Chancellor Moeser agreed that the topic is very important. He suggested that the Council devote attention to it in one of its meetings this spring. Chair of the FacultyJudith Wegnersaid that this is being planned for the March meeting.

Provost’s Remarks

Budget outlook.

Provost Robert Shelton said that it is still too early to predict what the state’s fiscal status will be at the end of the 2003-04 fiscal year or whether we will be getting mid-year budget reductions. He said that economic signs are generally positive, but there is still uncertainty as to the yield of the corporation income tax. He said that the University continues to receive quarterly funding allocations that are only 98% of the authorized budget, but we hope to be able to receive the full amount by year’s end.

Senior leadership.

Provost Shelton complimented Dean Jack Richman (Social Work) and Dean Robert Blouin (Pharmacy) for their presentations to the November meeting of the Board of Trustees. He said that these presentations are part of a series in which our academic deans speak to the trustees about the program and aspirations of their schools. Dean Steve Jones (Kenan-FlaglerBusinessSchool) and Dean Tom James (Education) will address the board in January. General Counsel Leslie Strohm also makes regular presentations to the board. Provost Shelton reviewed the status of seven searches currently active. We are now at the second-visit stage of interviewing finalists for vice chancellor for information technology. The search for vice chancellor for student affairs had been reopened. Prof. Steve Matson (Biology) is chairing the new search committee. Prof. Lolly Gasaway (Law) is chairing the search for University Librarian. Six finalists have been identified in the search for Dean of Arts and Sciences. The School of Medicine dean search committee has identified a short list of candidates and will soon be scheduling interviews. Dean Mike Smith (Government) has agreed to chair the search committee for dean of Information and Library Science. Finally, the Provost said he has met with the faculty and staff of the School of Dentistry to ask for nominations for members of the search committee for a new dean of that school and to seek input on qualities they would like to see in the next dean.

Tuition.

Provost Shelton reported that he brought to the Board of Trustees in November a number of proposals for increases in tuition and fees recommended by the Student Fee Committee and the Advisory Task Force on Tuition. The Board deferred action pending development of information on options related to increases in out-of-state tuition. The Board’s initial concern is whether out-of-state students are paying the full cost of their education at Carolina. The Provost said that our analysis, which is based on accepted methodology in this field, indicates that they are. We are gathering additional information and date to enable the Board to make an informed decision on what they will recommend to the Board of Governors. The Board is looking closely at the impact that increases in out-of-state tuition have on such matters as need-based, merit-based, and talent-based scholarships, the ability to raise faculty and staff salaries, and the effect on tuition-remission rates and teaching assistant salaries. The Provost said he anticipates that the Board will make its final recommendation to the Board of Governors in its January 21-22 meeting.

Carolina North.

Provost Shelton said that the role played by faculty members has been crucial in all four of the advisory committees that have helped create the draft plan for Carolina North now being presented. The decision as to what units will be located at Carolina North will be based on the University’s teaching, research, and public service missions, he said.

On the issues of out-of-state tuition, Sr. Assoc. Dean Darryl Gless remarked that it is important not to overlook the effect on graduate students.

Prof. Steven Bachenheimer (Microbiology) asked the Provost to comment on a suggestion in the recently disclosed Five-Year Financial Plan that some of the academic priorities would be funded at least partially by reallocation of F&A funds (i.e., overhead receipts). He said that any reduction in F&A allocations to departments could be very damaging. Provost Shelton replied there is no intent to change or reduce department allocations from this source. The Plan addresses only possible redistribution of the portion of F&A funds retained centrally, he said.

Chair of the Faculty’s Remarks

Chair of the Faculty Judith Wegner thanked those present for putting aside, briefly, exam grading to attend to important faculty business.

Prof. Wegner urged all members of the Council to attend at least one of our two annual commencement ceremonies.

Non-resident tuition.

Prof. Wegner thanked the Provost for his remarks on non-resident tuition. She said that she believes the future of the University hangs on how this issue is resolved, particularly as to graduate students. A steep rise in non-resident tuition could harm our competitive edge with other institutions in attracting the best graduate students. That, in turn, could have an adverse effect on faculty recruitment. She said that she has written to the Provost of her concerns and anticipates that the Executive Committee of the Faculty Council may be bringing a resolution to the Council on this matter in January. Prof. Wegner complimented Matt Tepper, President of the Student Body and a member of the Board of Trustees, for his articulate remarks about non-resident tuition at the Board’s November meeting.

Carolina North.

Prof. Wegner said that she would like to establish a special advisory committee that would be a source of advice to the chair of the faculty on matters related to Carolina North.

Dean of Arts & Sciences search.

Prof. Wegner asked that all information being distributed to faculty of the College of Arts & Sciences with respect to the six candidates under consideration be sent to all Council members. This is a major leadership position in which the whole faculty has an interest, she said.

Employees’ Children Scholarship Fund.

Prof. Wegner said that Bruce Egan, a staff member at ATN, has worked hard to get an employees’ children scholarship fund set up. She commended this effort and encouraged faculty contributions.

Health benefits.

Prof. Wegner reported that she has initiated an effort to secure State participation in a new means of meeting health care costs that offers flexible, before-tax benefits to State employees.

Faculty Code Revision

Professor Elizabeth Gibson, chair of the Faculty Committee on University Government, placed before the General Faculty Resolution 2003-11, Amending the Faculty Code of University Government as it relates to The General Faculty, The Faculty Council, Officers of the Faculty, and Standing Committees.

Alluding to the explanation of the proposal that she had made at the November Council meeting and the ensuing discussion, Prof. Gibson identified the following changes in the proposal:

the definition of members of the General Faculty in sec. 1-1 is restored to the current language to make it clear that no change is intended in the status of librarians;
the criteria for membership in the voting faculty by fixed-term faculty is revised to make it clear that a “full time” position entails at least 75% effort;
the University Registrar is made an ex officio member of the Educational Policy Committee;
the Agenda Committee is retained; and
the membership of the Faculty Hearings Committee is increased to six rather than nine.

Ms. Carol Tobin (Academic Affairs Library) pointed out that librarians vote for members of the Faculty Grievance Committee but the Code appears not to qualify librarians for membership on that committee. She asked whether that was intentional or an oversight. Prof. Joseph Ferrell, secretary of the faculty, said he thought it was an oversight.

Prof. Steven Bane (Dentistry) called attention to the section defining a quorum of the General Faculty. He asked whether email notice qualifies as “written” notice. Prof. Wegner said she thought email would be acceptable. Prof. Bane then asked whether “ten days” refers to times during which the University is in normal operation. Prof. Ferrell said that he thought the language meant any ten consecutive calendar days. Prof. Bane said that he was concerned that notice not be given during times when the University was not in session.

It was agreed that the Committee on University Government will consider the matters raised by Ms. Tobin and Prof. Bane and may be prepared with amendments to the proposal when it comes up for second reading in January.

There being no further questions or discussion, Resolution 2003-11 was put to a vote and adopted on voice vote with no audible dissent.

2004 Faculty Elections

Prof. Joseph Ferrell, secretary of the faculty, briefed the Council and General Faculty on plans for the 2004 faculty elections. He said that this year’s elections will be conducted electronically. The Office of Institutional Research is assisting in the design of electronic ballots that will be tailored to match each member of the voting faculty with the positions for which he or she is entitled to vote. Shortly after the first of the year, he said, each member of the voting faculty will receive a paper notice informing the faculty of the planned switch to electronic voting. Faculty members who wish vote using paper ballots will be given the opportunity to request them.

Prof. Ferrell said that candidates for faculty-wide positions will be asked to submit a brief statement detailing previous faculty governance service, if any, and an indication of why they are interested in serving in the position for which they have been nominated. The purpose of these statements is to assist voters in deciding how to cast their ballots.

Prof. Ferrell reviewed the process that will be used for nominations. The Nominating Committee will comprise the chairs of all standing committees of the faculty, or their designees. In the past, only retiring members of the elected committees served in this capacity. Also, he said, it will be easier for individual faculty members to suggest colleagues to the Nominating Committee for their consideration. He said that the purpose of these changes is to broaden participation in and access to the nomination process.

Prof. Ferrell said that he is working to decentralize the process for nominating candidates for election to the Faculty Council. Specifically, he hopes to establish means whereby each of the electoral divisions will be able to select its own nominating committee and channel its nominees to the secretary of the faculty for inclusion on the ballot. He said that Nursing and Dentistry will be taking on that task this year as the chairs of the faculties of those two schools appoint nominating committees. Similarly, the chairs of the divisions in the College of Arts and Sciences that have open seats on the Council will be appointing nominating committees.

Tenure Regulations Amendments

Prof. Wegner reported that the Board of Trustees at its November meeting made two amendments to the tenure regulations. These changes had not been reviewed previously by the Council or a faculty committee, as has been the custom in the past. She said that the oversight was due partly to the recent changes in the Office of General Counsel and partly because of a deadline for action imposed by the Board of Governors. The two principal changes are:

Appeals from a final decision by the chancellor in a contested non-renewal case will now go directly to the Board of Governors rather than to the Board of Trustees; and
Discrimination on the basis color, age, disability, and honorable service in the armed services have been added to the list of impermissible grounds for faculty personnel decisions.

Both of these changes, she said, were mandated either by federal law or action of the Board of Governors. Prof. Wegner said that she asked to place this item on the agenda to make a formal record that the matter had been presented to the Council, and to underscore the Council’s expectation that any future changes in the tenure regulations be presented to the Council for discussion before submission to the Board of Trustees. On motion of Prof. Howard Reisner (Pathology), the Council adopted the following resolution:

Resolution 2003-13. On amendments to the tenure regulations.

Whereas, the Board of Governors, in a report considered earlier in 2003, had required that there be changes in the relevant trustee policies and tenure and promotion; and

Whereas, the Board of Trustees at its November, 2003, meeting approved changes consistent with the mandate of the Board of Governors; and

Whereas, it is of critical significance that the faculty and its appropriate governance bodies review such matters to determine their relationship to sound academic policy; now there be it resolved:

Sec. 1. The Faculty Council has been informed of the changes in the tenure regulations adopted by the Board of Trustees at its meeting on November 20, 2003.

Sec. 2. The Council receives the report of those changes on an informational basis.

Sec. 3. The Council respectfully and strongly requests that henceforth any such changes be approved through the relevant faculty governance processes before action by the Board of Trustees.

Annual Reports of Standing Committees

Faculty Committee on University Government. Prof. Elizabeth Gibson, chair of the Faculty Committee on University Government, submitted the committee’s annual report by title. There were no questions or comments.

Status of Women Committee. Prof. Etta Pisano, chair of the Status of Women Committee, said that the committee’s recent work has centered on monitoring salary equity issues. The committee also plans to look at faculty benefits in comparison with peer institutions. Prof. Diane Kjervik (Nursing), director of the Women’s Center, referring to the committee’s suggestion that women’s groups begin to develop “survival manuals” for new women faculty, suggested that a better descriptor might be “surviving and thriving” manuals. Prof. Pisano had no objection to that.

Faculty Committee on Research. The report of the Faculty Committee on Research was submitted by title. Prof. Wegner said that a previously circulated version of the report did not include the newly revised policy on classified research. That document has now been made available to the Council. There were no questions or comments on the committee’s report.

Presentation on Carolina North

Vice Chancellor Tony G. Waldrop and Assoc. Vice Chancellor Mark Crowell reported on plans for development of Carolina North. They presented an abbreviated version of a PowerPoint presentation that can be accessed at the Carolina North web site, http://carolinanorth.unc.edu.

Vice Chancellor Waldrop and Assoc. Vice Chancellor Crowell made the following main points:

The plan now being presented for campus and community discussion is a draft plan subject to revision;
The mission statement for the project emphasizes three concepts: (1) that Carolina North is dedicated to furthering the University’s research, teaching, and public service missions in engagement with entities outside the University; (2) Carolina North will be a place where new and diverse partnerships will be created and nurtured, and (3) Carolina North will connect to and enhance both the neighboring communities and the main campus;
Carolina North responds to immediate needs for additional programmatic space;
The development will include residential, commercial, and public-use facilities as well;
All private entities seeking space in the development must have direct connections with the University’s academic endeavors;
The process for locating programs in Carolina North will entail review and approval by an evaluation committee composed of the provost (chair), a member of the board of trustees, the chair of the faculty, the vice chancellor for research and economic development, and the vice chancellor for finance and administration;
Location and design of buildings on the property will follow currently established procedures, which entail review by the faculty’s Committee on Buildings and Grounds;
Development will be undertaken only in response to University needs; it is anticipated that full development over occur in seven phases over 50 to 70 years;
The first phase, which will be developed over a five to seven years, will occupy the eastern end of the existing airport, adjacent to Airport Road, and will closely resemble McCorkle Place both in extent and the size and placement of buildings;
The 20,000 parking places indicated on the draft plan accommodates the parking needs of the programmatic space being planned, assuming currently available data and assumptions; new transportation strategies in the future could reduce the need for that much surface and deck parking;

Prof. David Gerber (Medicine) observed that the entire plan depends on closure of Horace Williams Airport. He asked about the status of that. Vice Chancellor Waldrop replied that the earliest that the airport can close is January 1, 2005, due to a special mandate from the General Assembly. The University is working with the legislature to see that this date is not extended.

Prof. Donald Nonini (Anthropology) asked about using renewable energy sources in the more than 8 million square feet of development proposed. Vice Chancellor Waldrop said that on the Carolina North website there are reports of the planning subcommittees. One of those is the Infrastructure Subcommittee. He said that we have not yet gotten to the level of detail of energy sources, but the Infrastructure Subcommittee recommends that all development at Carolina North be “state of the art.”

Prof. Lloyd Kramer (History) asked about faculty input in programmatic planning for Carolina North. He asked whether there are plans to solicit proposals from each academic unit, and whether departments should begin strategic planning now to take advantage of this opportunity. Vice Chancellor Waldrop said that the evaluation committee to which he referred earlier is not intended to define what will take place in Carolina North but to evaluate proposals that arise from schools, departments, and individual faculty members. He encouraged faculty members and departments to begin thinking of opportunities.

Assoc. Dean Margaret Dardess (Public Health) said that the School of Public Health is very interested in participating in Phase One. The new building now under construction will address the School’s needs for wet lab space, but will not begin to meet other demands. The School now rents over 50,000 square feet of space off-campus.

Prof. Rudolph Juliano (Pharmacology) raised the issue of transportation. He said that the amount of traffic that would likely be generated by Carolina North could cause grid-lock throughout northern Chapel Hill. He asked what plans are being made to address this problem. Vice Chancellor Waldrop said that the University wants very much to engage with traffic planners in Chapel Hill, but up to this time the Town has not permitted its staff to interact with the University on traffic planning or other issues. He said that the University thinks it is critical that we talk with planners other than those on our own staff.

Prof. John Smith (Computer Science) asked how many people will be living and working in Carolina North? Vice Chancellor Waldrop said this is difficult to estimate at this time, but he said a “wild guess” would be between 13,000 and 18,000. Prof. Smith asked how that compares to Meadowmont. Vice Chancellor Waldrop said that his office has not made such a comparison at this point.

Prof. Howard Reisner (Pathology) said that the plan indicates to him that very little thought has been given to alternatives to automobile transportation. It should, he said.

Prof. James Porto (Health Policy & Administration) asked for careful attention to pedestrian safety.

Prof. Richard Weinberg (Cell & Developmental Biology) suggested that the University should be engaging in consultation with the City of Durham and Durham County as well. He also noted that Carolina North is well-suited for more formal interaction with Duke University because its location makes it more accessible to Duke faculty and staff than locations on our main campus.

Prof. William Snider (Director, Neurosciences Center) spoke warmly of the remarkable opportunity that Carolina North presents for the University to expand and improve its service to the State, the nation, and the world. He said that we all recognize that there will be challenges along the way, but it is important to stay focused on the positive results that promise to flow from this bold idea.

Prof. Etta Pisano (Radiology) agreed. She added that many faculty members now have opportunities to collaborate with private entities that cannot be realized because it is so difficult to find space for ventures in their infancy. As a faculty member intimately involved in such plans, she said she feels strongly that Carolina North needs to proceed rapidly.

Mr. Philip Vandermeer (Academic Affairs Libraries) asked for comment about the town’s attitude the plan. Vice Chancellor Waldrop said that many concerns have been expressed, but the University has been pleased with the way these concerns have been voiced. We hope to have the same kind of engagement with the Town of Chapel Hill and other municipalities when the time comes.

Prof.Steven Bachenheimer(Microbiology & Immunology) asked for comment on what kinds of partnerships are had in mind. Vice Chancellor Waldrop said that one of the criteria for any partnership is the opportunity for faculty and student involvement. He said that we are not looking solely at corporate partnerships. There could be partnerships with such entities as the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School System. Assoc. Vice Chancellor Crowell told of a recent meeting that discussed the possibility of a center for documentary studies. Another possibility might be locating science attachés of foreign embassies at Carolina North.

Prof. Laurie Mesibov (Government) referred to the mission statement which states that Carolina North will “redefine our engagement with the region, the State, and the world.” She asked for comment as to the current definition of “engagement” and what is envisioned as the new definition. Vice Chancellor Waldrop said that some of the examples he and Mr. Crowell had given indicate how engagement would be given new dimensions.

Prof. Don Bailey (Director, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center) added his enthusiastic endorsement of Carolina North. He said that the question is not whether the University is going to grow, but where that growth will take place. He pointed out that the University occupies rental space all over the area, a situation that poses many problems. He said that one problem is the adverse effect that spreading a unit’s operations among several sites has its sense of community. A second is that people often do not associate units in off-campus space with the University. He hoped that there would be mechanisms for faculty input in many ways. In addition to giving needed attention to problems such as transportation, he said, we need faculty advice what the University could accomplish or enhance through Carolina North that it could not do as effectively otherwise. Prof. Bailey said that he hopes the faculty will be heavily involved in defining what we mean by public-private partnerships and how they should be evaluated.

Adjournment

Its business having concluded, the Council adjourned at 5:00 pm.

Joseph S. Ferrell
Secretary of the Faculty

Pdf of meeting materials