November 18, 2011

Meeting of the Faculty Council

Friday, November 18, 2011
3:00 p.m.
Hitchcock Multipurpose Room
Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History

Chancellor Holden Thorp and Professor Jan Boxill, Chair of the Faculty, presiding

Agenda

Updated Seating Arrangement

3:00  Chancellor’s Remarks and Question Period

• Chancellor Holden Thorp

3:15  Provost’s Remarks and Question Period

• Provost Bruce Carney

3:25  Chair of the Faculty’s Remarks

• Prof. Jan Boxill

3:40   Athletics Committee Report

• Prof. Steve Reznick, Chair
• Respondents:  Profs. Wendell Gilland and Kenneth Janken

4:10  Faculty Grievance Committee Report

Minutes

The Faculty Council of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill convened November 18, 2011, at 3:00 p.m. in the Hitchcock Multipurpose Room of the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History.

The following 58 members attended:  Anderson, Bachenheimer, Bagnell, Balaban, Boulton, Boxill, Brice, Bulik, Cavin, Chambers, Champagne, Chapman, Chenault, Cohen,  Copenhaver, DeSaix,  Eaker-Rich, Engel, Gilland, Giovanello, Grabowski, Greene, Gulledge, Guskiewicz, Hackman, Hayslett, Hill, Hodges, Howes, Irons, Ives, Janken, Jones, Kim, Koomen, Lastra, Lee, Leonard, Linden, Lothspeich, Mcmillan, Miller, Miller, Morse, Nelson, New, Parreiras, Reiter, Renner,  Rodgers, Schoenbach, Shea, Spagnoli, Stewart,  Swogger, Thorp, Thrailkill, and Tisdale.

Call to Order

Chancellor Holden Thorp called the Council to order at 3:00 p.m.

Chancellor’s Remarks and Question Period

Chancellor Thorp summarized the tuition increase proposal that he plans to present to the Board of Trustees and, if approved by that body, to the Board of Governors. The proposal is to increase tuition by an amount equal to 6.5% of current tuition plus $2,800 to be phased in over a five-year period. The latter amount is a one-time adjustment to bring our tuition up to the level of the lowest quartile of our public peer institutions. This amounts to an increase of $800 for this year and $563 for each of the next four years. Funds generated by the increase will be used for faculty salary increases, new faculty hires, restoring course sections eliminated due to budget cuts, and to begin work on implementing the new academic plan.

Speaking to the prospects of future state budget support for the University, the chancellor noted that state revenue collections are running slightly ahead of budgeted estimates, but there are still serious structural issues that must be addressed, such as the continuing deficit in the State Health Plan. He said that our goals for the 2012 short session will be to regain lost ground, to win support for salary increases for all state employees, and to restore cuts in funding for student financial aid.

Prof. Tom Linden (Journalism & Mass Communication)commented that lack of tuition remission for the children of University employees puts us at a competitive disadvantage in faculty recruitment. Chancellor Thorp replied that he agrees and supports such a benefit, but at the moment we lack the necessary funds and even if funds were available, such a benefit would require legislation.

Prof. Steven Bachenheimer (Microbiology & Immunology) mentioned a ten-point plan for addressing budget cuts recently put forward by former UNC President C.D. Spanger. He asked whether the chancellor thought Mr. Spangler’s ideas would find favor with the Board of Governors. Chancellor Thorp replied that while he values Mr. Spangler’s support and friendship, he does not agree with his recommendations on how to cope with the recent budget cuts. He noted that we have already implemented most of the recommendations and have realized considerable savings from the administrative changes emanating from the Carolina Counts initiative. He also pointed out that the faculty are more productive than ever. He concluded by saying “everything in Mr. Spangler’s plan we have either already done or are not going to do.”

Provost’s Remarks and Question Period

Provost Bruce Carney reported that the announcement of the appointment of the new vice provost for diversity is expected next week.

Chair of the Faculty’s Remarks

Chair of the Faculty Jan Boxill reported that

• The Committee on Community and Diversity will be reactivated after lying dormant for a number of years.
• The task force on the honor system is being formed and appointments are being made to the Honor System Advisory Committee
• A campus theme advisory committee is being formed to assist in implementing the H₂O theme recently approved and to advise on selection of future themes.
• She gave a short presentation to the Board of Trustees indicating faculty support for the proposed tuition increase.
• With the hiring of a new director of athletics, she looks forward to the renewed emphasis on the well-being of student athletes.
• On behalf of the faculty, she expressed deep appreciation to Mr. Richard Baddour for his many years of service to the University.

Final Examination Regulations

Prof. Andrea Biddle, Chair of the Educational Policy Committee, moved adoption of Resolution 2011-6 On Amending the Final Examination Regulations Pertaining to Online Courses. She explained that the current regulation on final examinations does not accommodate courses taught in distance learning formats or self-paced courses. The resolution would add the following paragraph to the regulations:

“For any University undergraduate courses offered entirely online or via other distance modalities, exams will be offered and must be completed during the scheduled final examination period, but requirements concerning the time of day and place of the exam will be appropriate to the course’s mode of delivery. Courses offered via the Friday Center’s Self-Paced Courses program are exempt from both the time and place requirements of the exam policy and the requirement that exams be held during the scheduled final examination period.”

Prof. Victor Schoenbach (Public Health) asked whether the regulation applies to graduate courses. Prof. Biddle said that it applies to any course having undergraduate students.

Prof. Gregory Copenhaver (Biology) observed that the problem identified by the resolution is not confined to Friday Center offerings. He moved to amend by rewriting the final sentence to read: “Self-paced courses are exempt from both the time and place requirements of the exam policy and the requirement that exams be held during the scheduled final examination period.”

The amendment was adopted and the resolution, as amended, was adopted without dissent. See Appendix A.

Annual Report of the Faculty Athletics Committee

Prof. Steven Reznick, Chair of the Faculty Athletics Committee, presented the committee’s annual report. He began by expressing his and the committee’s deep appreciation for Mr. Richard Baddour’s fifteen years of service as Director of Athletics, and asked that a Resolution of Appreciation adopted unanimously by the Faculty Athletics Committee be spread on the minutes of the Council. See Appendix B.

Prof. Reznick said that during the fall semester the committee had heard presentations about the work of tutors and mentors and on student athlete leadership development. He reported that a task force had been formed by Sr. Associate Dean Bobbi Owen and Sr. Associate Athletic Director John Blanchard to conduct a thorough study of the academic support program. Four members of the Faculty Athletics Committee served on the task force. Prof. Reznick said that the committee will be monitoring the task force’s
recommendations.

Prof. Reznick said that when he became chair of the Faculty Athletics Committee he had set two goals. The first was to expand faculty and staff interest in the Olympic sports. To that end, the Athletics Committee initiated a series of faculty/staff family days (now called faculty/staff appreciation days) as occasions for coaches and players to meet members of the faculty and staff. Part of that effort is a monthly newsletter edited by Rachel Penny, Inside UNC Athletics, devoted to the Olympic sports.  The second goal was to encourage a broader array of majors for student athletes. This initiative has engendered a task force seeking ways to encourage more studenathletes to choose a major in education or one of the health professions.

Prof. Wendell Gilland (Business) asked about the work of the subcommittee of the Undergraduate Admissions Committee that handles special admissions. Specifically, he asked how many admissions applications are screened by the committee and what is done to work with students who are admitted via that procedure. Prof. Reznick replied that several members of the Faculty Athletics Committee serve on the subcommittee, and that the total number of faculty members on the subcommittee has been expanded. He said that the subcommittee has moved toward increasing emphasis on quantitative data and longitudinal study of students admitted through the special admissions process. He also pointed out that the subcommittee is attentive to the  xperience with special admissions students in individual sports.

Prof. Ken Janken (African & African-American Studies) noted that recently a student athlete whose off-campus activities had been one of the causes of the NCAA investigation of Carolina’s football program had been quoted in the press as saying “for me it was a struggle.” Prof. Janken asked whether that statement is a fair assessment of the success of the academic support program. He found the reported data from student exit interviews to be very interesting. He asserted that a very high percentage of student athletes in the football program say that their coaches are concerned about athletics, but only to the extent that students do well enough to remain eligible. He wondered whether that point of view is shared by student athletes in other sports. Prof. Reznick replied that his answer to such a complex question would have to be vague. He pointed out that exit interviews are conducted only with graduating seniors and are completely voluntary. For some sports, there may be only one or two. He felt, however, that there is every reason for optimism and he said that the new Loudermilk Center (home of the academic support program) is a truly amazing facility. Sr. Assoc. Dean Bobbi Owen added that all tutors and mentors report to the College of Arts and Sciences and that all of them have master’s degrees, with one exception who is expected to receive hers this year.

Annual Report of the Faculty Athletics Representative

Prof. Lissa Broome, Faculty Athletics Representative, presented her annual report.

Annual Report of the Faculty Grievance Committee

Prof. Mimi Chapman, Chair of the Faculty Grievance Committee, presented the committee’s annual report. She said that the report is necessarily brief because most of the committee’s work is confidential. She reported that the committee handled one grievance this year and that three others are in process. Almost all of them involve administrative reports that the faculty member contends are disparaging to him or her. This is a recent development and the committee is somewhat unsure as to how it can be helpful in those situations. The committee tries not to revisit the facts alleged in the report, but instead focuses on the fairness of the processes leading to the report and whether it is clear and cogent.

Annual Report of the Faculty Hearings Committee

Prof. Aimee Wall, Co-Chair of the Faculty Hearings Committee, presented the committee’s annual report. She said that the committee had had no occasion to conduct a hearing in the past year. Prof. Wall reported that the Hearings and Grievance Committees had cooperated this year to conduct an orientation program for both new and experienced members. The event was well received, she said. It included useful tips from former chairs of the two committees as to best practices for handling a hearing, a description of the differences in the jurisdiction of the two groups, and helpful information from General Counsel Leslie Strohm. Prof. Wall noted that the Faculty Grievance Committee has adopted a standard protocol for its work and that the Hearings Committee is working on a similar document. 

H₂O Carolina: Water in Our World

Prof. Lawrence Band (Geography) and Prof. Jaime Bartram (Environmental Sciences & Engineering) gave a presentation of the proposed campus-wide theme H₂O Carolina: Water in Our World. See their PowerPoint presentation on the Faculty Governance website.

Following the presentation, there was a brief discussion of the idea of campus-wide themes.

Prof. Gregory Copenhaver (Biology) thought the idea of adopting water as a theme for the next three years was a good one, but he thought it might be challenging to involve members of the faculty whose scholarly work would not ordinarily involve thinking very much about water.

Prof. Myron Cohen (Medicine) noted that the water theme invokes engagement with many of our largest public-private partnerships.

Prof. Victor Schoenbach (Epidemiology) thought the faculty’s discussion should be more focused on the question of the advantages of having a campus-wide theme rather than specifically on adopting water as the current theme.

Adjournment

Its business having concluded, the Council adjourned at 4:50 p.m.

Respectfully submitted

Joseph S. Ferrell

Secretary of the Faculty

Joseph S.
Ferrell

Secretary of the Faculty

 

Appendix A

Resolution 2011-6. On  Amending the Final Examination Regulations Pertaining to Online Courses.

The Faculty Council enacts:

The Final Examinations regulation as contained in the  2011-2012 Undergraduate Bulletin is amended by inserting the following
paragraph:

“For any University undergraduate courses offered entirely online or via other distance modalities, exams will be offered and must be  completed during the scheduled final examination period, but requirements concerning the time of day and place of the exam will be appropriate to the course’s mode of delivery. Self-paced courses are exempt from both the time and place requirements of the exam policy and the requirement that exams be held during the scheduled final examination period.”

Appendix B

Resolution of Appreciation for Richard A. Baddour

Whereas, Richard A. (Dicky) Baddour is stepping down after fifteen years of service as Athletics Director of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Whereas, Dicky has guided UNC Athletics to unparalleled competitive success; to wit: thirteen national championships—seven in women’s soccer, three in field hockey, two in men’s basketball, and one in men’s soccer—along with three football bowl victories. In addition, nineteen separate Carolina teams have combined for sixty-four ACC championships, more than any other ACC school during this period. The overall athletic success of the program is also demonstrated by nine top ten finishes in the Learfield Directors Cup over the last ten years, including top four showings in 2006, 2007, and 2009.

Whereas, Dicky has presided over an unprecedented expansion in athletic facilities, that includes (to name a few) Boshamer Stadium, Carmichael Auditorium, the Stallings-Evans Sports Medicine Center, the Ernie Williamson Athletics Center, a revamped Finley golf course, and most recently the Blue Zone at Kenan Stadium which includes the state-of-the-art Loudermilk Center for Excellence.

Whereas, Carolina student-athletes have achieved impressive graduation rates and academic progress rates with nine teams recognized this year for being in the top 10% of the APRs in their sports.

Whereas, Dicky’s vision created the Carolina Leadership Academy, the preeminent program in the country providing leadership training for student-athletes, coaches, and athletics administrators.

Whereas, Dicky has led Carolina Athletics through a very difficult chapter in its history, conducting a joint investigation with the NCAA of improprieties in the football program, to find the facts, take corrective action and institute new policies and procedures to ensure that the program emerges even stronger.

Whereas, throughout Dicky’s tenure as Athletics Director he has sought and valued faculty input and feedback, particularly as it relates to the education and well-being of our student-athletes.

Now, therefore, be it resolved that: the Faculty Athletics Committee confers upon our friend and colleague Dicky Baddour the Committee’s heartfelt appreciation for his fifteen years of service as Athletics Director and wishes Dicky a well-deserved retirement, enriched by his opportunity to reflect upon his forty-five years of dedicated service to the University of North Carolina, and twenty-five years of service to the Department of Athletics.

Ratified unanimously by the Faculty Athletics Committee this first day of November, 2011.

 

Pdf of meeting materials