February 16, 2001 - Faculty Governance

Meeting of the Faculty Council

February 16th, 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.

ACT 3:00 Memorial Resolution for Carl S. Blyth, Professor of Physical Education Emeritus.

Presented by Professor Frederick O. Mueller, Chair of the Department of Exercise and Sport Science.

DISC 3:05 Chancellor’s Remarks and Question Time

Chancellor James Moeser invites questions or comments on any topic.

DISC 3:25 Remarks by the Chair of the Faculty. Professor Sue Estroff.

INFO 3:40 Annual Report of the University Committee on Copyright.

Professor Laura N. Gasaway, Chair.

DISC 4:00 Faculty and Information Technologies in the 21st Century.

Professor William Balthrop, Chair of the FITAC.
Marian Moore, Vice Chancellor for Information Technologies.

INFO 4:20 Annual Report of the Buildings & Grounds Committee.

Professor David Godschalk, Chair.

INFO 4:25 Annual Report of the Faculty Welfare Committee.

Professor Diane Kjervik.

DISC 4:30 Topics Raised by Council Members.

ACT 4:50 Closed Session. Honorary Degree nominations for 2002.

ACT 5:00 Adjourn.

Joseph S. Ferrell
Secretary of the Faculty

KEY:
ACT = Action
DISC = Discussion
INFO = Information

Minutes

Attendance

Present (53): Allison, Ammerman, Angel, Assani, Bolas, Bollen, Bowen, Bynum, Carelli, Chenault, Clegg, Cordeiro-Stone, Cotton, Crawford-Brown, D’Cruz, Drake, Elvers, Files, Fowler, George, Gilland, Glazner, Grossberg, Henry, Huang, Janda, Kagarise, Kaufman, Kessler, Ketch, Kjervik, Levine, Lubker, Madison, McKeown, P. Molina, A. Molina, Nord, Otey, Pfaff, Raab-Traub, Raasch, Rao, Reinert, Rosenfeld, Slatt, Steponaitis, Straughan, Strauss, Tauchen, Walsh, Weiss, Werner.

Excused absences (27): Adler, Bell, Bender, Blackburn, Bromberg, Daye, De La Cadena, Granger, Kopp, Kupper, LeFebvre, Ludlow, McCormick, Meece, Meehan-Black, Metzguer, Meyer, Moran, Nelson, Panter, Savitz, Sekerak, Stewart, Sueta, Taft, White, Williams.

Unexcused absences (4): Boxill, Graham, McQueen, Vaughan.

Chancellor Moeser called the meeting to order at 3:00 p.m.

Memorial Resolution

Prof. Frederick O. Mueller, Chair of the Department of Exercise and Sport Science, presented a memorial resolution for Carl S. Blyth, Professor of Physical Education Emeritus.

Chancellor’s Remarks

Chancellor Moeser said that the anticipated short-fall in the State budget is now in the $800 million range. Governor Easley has declared a budget emergency and has shifted $1 billion to an escrow account until the fiscal picture becomes clearer toward the end of the fiscal year. The chancellor felt that the State had treated the University very fairly. The budget cuts will be 2% for the University System, with each institution having total flexibility for how it manages the cuts. There are no hiring freezes, and there will be no serious harm to any of the University’s programs. There will be no employee lay-offs and no significant disruptions of service to the academic community. More serious is the prospect for the 2001-02 budget. State funds for substantial salary increases seem unlikely. The chancellor feels that the State budget problems will not seriously damage the University, due in part to the intellectual power of the University’s faculty to continue to attract funded research and service contracts which form an increasingly large portion of the budget of the University. Only one dollar out of every ten dollars, used on the campus for purchased goods, is a State dollar.

The chancellor said that one major thing that the General Assembly could do for the University this year would be to allow more local autonomy in managing construction projects. Relief from burdensome State regulations and procedures could save millions of dollars of tax-payers’ money. The State can also delegate to the University more autonomy in purchasing and personnel management.

Chancellor Moeser reported on other issues:

On February 22 the Board of Trustees will hold its last working session on the Campus Master Plan. The meeting will be open to the faculty and the community. The plan will be presented to the trustees for approval at their March 22 meeting.
The Sierra Club presented comments to the Chapel Hill Town Council regarding their environmental concerns arising from the master plan and will be making a special presentation to the trustees on that topic. The chancellor said the Club’s environmental concerns are also the concerns of the University. We are committed to maintaining a sustainable environment within and beyond the boundaries of the campus. The plan was guided by an advisory group of UNC’s top environmental scientists as well as consultants from two of the leading environmental consulting firms in the nation. In the plan, close attention is being paid to traffic, parking, green space, and storm water run-offs. All the points made by the Sierra Club will be addressed.
The Horace Williams Planning Group will be holding two public meetings within the next two weeks: February 23 in Carroll Hall and March 2 in Berryhill.
The Town/Gown Relations Committee meeting held last week was cordial and productive. The University intends to ask the Town of Chapel Hill to lift a provision in its land use regulations that limits the University’s main campus building space to 14.2 million square feet. This is already a problem in several buildings under construction.
The University will also ask an amendment of the Smith Center Special Use Permit to allow relocation of married student housing to an area south of the Smith Center where construction is now prohibited. This relief is needed before Odum Village can be demolished and the site used for other purposes.
A dispute with the Town of Chapel Hill on revenues from a cell phone transmission facility has been resolved. (There had been a misunderstanding as to ownership of the property on which it was built and who was entitled to rental revenue from the property.) Chancellor Moeser thanked Vice Chancellor Nancy Suttenfield and Mr. Cal Horton, Town Manager, for negotiating an amicable settlement.
We are in the process of creating a new position that will be responsible for managing renovation of historic structures.
On February 22 groundbreaking will be held for the new Bioinformatics Building, behind the Cardinal Parking Deck. The chancellor said the University intends to be a national player in this new field.
Provost Robert Shelton and the chancellor have been visiting the major academic units of the University.
The Tar Heel Bus Tour will be held May 21-25, 2001.

Chancellor Moeser thanked Prof. Sue Estroff for convening a special meeting of the General Faculty on March 2 in Hill Alumni Center for Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Robert Shelton. Dr. Shelton is a distinguished scientist and physicist who has served as a department chair in Physics, vice chancellor for research at the University of California at Davis, and most recently, associate provost for research for the University of California System. The chancellor said he has given Provost Shelton the task of leading the process for development of an academic plan for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, building upon the existing strategic plans for the College and the various professional schools.

Vice Chancellor and Provost Shelton said he is looking forward to the March 2^nd reception and meeting with the faculty. He considers himself one of the faculty as well as part of the administration. He said he has enjoyed getting out onto the campus and visiting the various schools and colleges, and thanked the staff in the Office of the Provost for carrying on with business as usual and helping to educate him. He added that it is a thrill to be at Carolina and he looks forward to the years ahead.

Chair of the Faculty’s Remarks

Prof. Estroff called upon the secretary of the faculty to present a resolution. Prof. Joseph Ferrell read and the Council adopted a resolution in appreciation of Interim Provost Richard Edwards’ service to the University. Prof. Estroff presented a gift of a sequined Carolina Blue baseball cap to Provost Edwards, who said it would surely make quite an impression on the golf course.

Prof. Estroff welcomed Provost Shelton, and wondered where the newspaper cameras were, as they had been much in evidence when the new football coach was introduced to the faculty. She encouraged the faculty to attend the reception for Provost Shelton, and to please bring their colleagues. She encouraged the Provost to continue to attend the Agenda Committee meetings. She said this was the first time that the University has had a provost who is also the executive vice chancellor and his presence as a chief administrative officer is vital to the work of the Council.

Prof. Estroff introduced John Heuer, the new chair of the Employee Forum. Mr. Heuer’s work in Facilities Services has given him the opportunity to do much work in classroom design.

Prof. Estroff thanked the chancellor for cooperation in securing for the chair of the faculty a regular reporting slot at meetings of the Board of Trustees. She was invited to convey some of the faculty’s agenda and concerns at the January meeting and expects this interaction to be ongoing. The theme of her remarks was “Why do faculty come to Chapel Hill and why do they stay?”

She added some updates:

Prof. Fred Mueller has informed her that there will be a $2 per month fee increase for 2001-2002 for faculty and staff use of the student recreation center facilities. The additional revenue will help finance the new recreation center planned for the Ramshead parking lot.
She has been working with Associate Vice Chancellor Laurie Charest on a survey of faculty and staff to gather opinions on various options that are being discussed for change in the State employee health insurance plan.
Prof. Estroff reassured the faculty that the recent reduction of State contributions to the retirement system will have no direct impact on the faculty or staff. The reduction applies only to employer contributions to the Teacher’s and State Employee’s Retirement System; the Optional Retirement Plan for faculty is not affected. Since TSERS is a defined benefit plan, the reduction has no effect on current or future retirement benefits on faculty and staff enrolled in TSERS.

The Student Honor Court remains under discussion. There will be a forum regarding this issue on Feb. 27.

Prof. Richard Pfaff (History) called attention to the unusual amount of litter on central campus that had resulted from the recent student elections. He hoped these conditions could be avoided in future.

Annual Report of the Copyright Committee

Prof. Laura N. Gasaway, Chair of the Copyright Committee, briefed the Council on a new copyright use and ownership policy recently adopted by the Board of Governors. The full text of the policy will be found on the General Administration web site at http://web.archive.org/web/20010613071551/http://www.northcarolina.edu:80/docs/aa/research/copyright/BOG_copyright_policy.pdf. The new policy covers a broad spectrum of copyright issues and should be carefully read by any member of the faculty who holds or intends to seek a copyright or who is collaborating in producing works copyrighted by others.

Mr. Ridley Kessler (Academic Affairs Library) asked about ownership of works done in collaboration between University employees and private companies. Prof. Gasaway responded there should be an up-front agreement between the faculty and the institution. If the work were to be done completely outside of the institution, ownership would be governed by contractual relations between the parties involved.

In response to a question about ownership of other forms of intellectual property, Prof. Gasaway said the policy addresses only issues related to material subject to copyright.

Prof. Ferrell asked if the new policy supersedes departmental policies in the event of conflict between the two. Prof. Gasaway responded that it does, but there is the possibility of varying the policies outcomes by explicit agreements between a faculty member and the institution.

Prof. Marila Cordeiro-Stone (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine) asked about the relationship between the new policy and existing policies with respect to ownership of the products of research. Prof. Gasaway said that the new material in the policy is focused on ownership of copyrights.

Dr. Tim Sanford of the Provost’s office asked about the relation between the copyright policy and the North Carolina Public Records Act. He expressed concern about the potential conflict between the policies embodied in public records law and the copyrighting of materials produced by public employees. Prof. Gasaway said these issues had been addressed and that the University’s attorneys believe the policy to be consistent with the current state of the law.

Prof. James Ketch (Music) asked if there is a phone number which the faculty could call if they have any concerns relating to copyrighting. Prof. Gasaway offered to respond promptly to E-mail inquiries.

Mr. Kessler asked if information access issues are separate from issues of copyright, and if they are being addressed. Prof. Gasaway said that information, as such, is not subject to copyright. She does not see a conflict here.

Faculty and Information Technologies in the 21^st Century

Prof. Bill Balthrop, chair of the Faculty Information Technology Advisory Committee (FITAC), introduced the topic of the day by reviewing the committee’s origin and role. FITAC was originally created by Chancellor Hooker as a temporary body to advise the administration on the implementation of Carolina Computing Initiative (CCI). Its role later expanded to involve broader questions of information technology as it relates to research and service to the institution. As a result FITAC was reconstituted as a standing committee of the General Faculty two years ago. FITAC is composed of fourteen faculty members and a number of adjunct members representing affected constituencies. Prof. Balthrop said the goal of FITAC is to serve as an effective voice for faculty in the development of informational policy and initiatives on the campus. Specific recommendations will be presented to the faculty later on in this semester. He said it must serve student and faculty needs for technology. Information technology is affecting all aspects of society and higher education has a responsibility to contribute to this information, and to be sure that it takes place as responsibly and ethically as possible. The academic and professional success of faculty, students, and the Institution will increasingly depend on the success with IT in teaching and research, in addition to the traditional modes of learning. CCI is an important step toward advancement on the campus and greater success must depend on faculty needs in the coming years. There must be a sustained time for faculty to develop and learn to use and incorporate IT, and a sustained and continued grant program to support faculty development and use of software and other teaching mechanisms. There must be a strong commitment to increase classroom use of IT. The University must continue to invest greater resources and effective use of the resources to provide assistance to faculty for the materials for their courses. There will have to be continued support of upgrading and collaboration of IT. The faculty must be continually and actively involved in the decision-making process for new initiatives, ongoing programs, and the allocation of resources.

Vice Chancellor for Information Technologies Marian Moore introduced to the faculty one of the new directions in which CCI may be leading us. She believes that interactive computer-based technology is poised to replace the textbook. The laptop computer is far superior to the textbook in its ability to access information from a wide range of sources, she asserted, and it has richer capacity for approximating real world experiences through sound and visual images. She demonstrated a sample CD designed to fulfill the function traditionally assigned to a course text. She said she is proposing that there be a Media Center on the campus, Knowledgeworks@Carolina, to create media books. The center would be staffed with trained professionals who would work with the faculty. It would also offer an opportunity to the faculty to create and shape and control this kind of intellectual property. She will be working with FITAC to realize these plans.

Prof. Lisa Slatt (Family Medicine) asked about research on the effectiveness of using personal computers as instructional tools. Ms. Moore responded that there is a great opportunity here for such research and she welcomes the prospect.

Prof. Vincas Steponaitis (Anthropology) found the idea very exciting but cautioned that there must be appropriate investment in maintaining and upgrading the media. Ms. Moore agreed.

Prof. Anthony Molina (Prosthodontics) worried that the faculty does not have the time or the resources to learn the technology. Ms. Moore agreed that there is great demand on faculty time. She said in this project the faculty member will have the benefit of working with a team with professionals who know how to use the technology effectively.

Mr. Kessler asked about relationships with the Center for Teaching and Learning. Ms. Moore said that there are many resources on campus that can be marshaled for the project.

Prof. David Kaufman (Pathology and Laboratory Medicine) noted that it would be interesting to explore a particular point at several levels of intellectual engagement, with different tools to reach different kinds of students. Ms. Moore said that the whole idea of the program is that it would be faculty-driven; the guiding principle would be to tailor the product to maximize its usefulness in the discipline at hand.

Annual Report of the Buildings & Grounds Committee

Prof. David Godschalk, Chair of the Committee on Buildings and Grounds, presented the committee’s annual report and offered to respond to questions.

Prof. Elizabeth Chenault (Academic Affairs Library) asked if the committee was working with the Sustainability Coalition. Prof. Godschalk responded that the committee had not been approached by the coalition on any items.

Prof. Chenault said that there are many people on campus who are concerned with the damage to trees during the below-ground construction, and asked if the committee has addressed that concern. Prof. Godschalk said that matter is of continuing concern to the University’s planning staff. Every new building creates a problem and there is active consideration of those issues on a very detailed level.

Prof. Cordeiro-Stone asked about relocation of the site of the Sonja Haynes Stone Black Cultural Center. Prof. Godschalk said it is being moved slightly south so it will not impact on the stream that runs through Coker Woods. The design has been approved for the new site.

Annual Report of the Faculty Welfare Committee

Prof. Diane Kjervik, a member of the committee, presented the annual report on behalf of Prof. Stephen Bachenheimer, chair, who was unable to attend today’s meeting. Prof. Kjervik said that the committee will soon present a formal report of information it has been gathering on faculty salaries.

Honorary Degrees

On motion of Prof. Ferrell, the Council went into closed session to consider the award of honorary degrees.

Prof. Frank Wilson, Chair of the Committee on Honorary Degrees and Special Awards, presented five nominees for honorary degrees to be awarded at Commencement 2002. Each nominee was approved by the Faculty Council and will be recommended to the Board of Trustees.

Adjournment.

The business of the day having concluded, the Council adjourned at 4:55 p.m.

Joseph S. Ferrell
Secretary of the Faculty

Pdf of meeting materials