September 14, 2007
Meeting of the Faculty Council and the General Faculty
Friday, September 14, 2007
3:00 p.m.
Hitchcock Multipurpose Room
Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History
Chancellor James Moeser and Faculty Chair Joseph Templeton presiding
Agenda
3:00 Welcome and Opening Remarks
- Chancellor James Moeser
- Recognition of Hettleman Award Winners
- Recognition of Winston Crisp, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
- Provost Bernadette Gray-Little
- Presented by the Faculty Executive Committee
3:50 Resolution 2007-11. On Smoking on Campus
- Presented by the Faculty Executive Committee
4:00 An Introduction to UNC Health Care and the UNC School of Medicine
- William L. Roper, Dean of the School of Medicine and CEO of UNC Health Care
- View Dean Roper’s Powerpoint presentation here
4:45 Discussion: Faculty Council Work Plan for 2007-08
- Chair of the Faculty Joe Templeton
5:00 Adjourn
Minutes
The Faculty Council of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill convened at 3:00 p.m. in the Hitchcock Multipurpose Room of the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History.
The following 57 members of the Council attended: Ammerman, Ashby, Bachenheimer, Balthrop, Bangdiwala, Barreau, Bickford, Blackburn, Blocher, Brice, Broome, Chin, Coleman, Copenhaver, Couper, DeSaix, Dupuis, Earp, Gerber, Gilligan, Gulledge, Halloran, Hobbs, Hodges, Kamarei, Kelly, Koroluk, Lauen, LeFebvre, Lesneski, Maffly-Kipp, McGrath, Meade, Melamut, Moss, Murray, Oatley, Orth, Papanikolas, Parsons, Peirce, Pruvost, Renner, Rhodes, Rodgers, Sheldon, Silversmith, Stein, Sweeney, Toews, Visser, Wegner, Weinberg, Whisnant, Williams, Wissick and Yankaskas.
The following 20 members were granted excused absences:.Aaron, Andrews, Bagnell, Binotti, Bloom, Boukhelifa, Campbell, Conway, Ernst, Heenan, Hendrick, Hightow, Katznelson, Paquette, Temple, Thorp, Threadgill, Votta, Weil and Wilder.
The following 9 members were absent without excuse: Ewend, Kramer, Marshall, Mauro, McCombs, Rosamond, Saunders, Vernon-Feagans and Wilson.
Welcome, Opening Remarks, and General Questions
Hettleman Awards. Chancellor Moeser presented the 2007 Ruth and Phillip Hettleman Prizes for Artistic and Scholarly Achievement to Prof. Thomas Hofweber, Department of Philosophy; Prof. Charles Perou, Department of Genetics; Prof. Wei Wange, Department of Computer Science; and Prof. Heather Williams, Department of History.
Recognition of Winston Crisp. The chancellor said that soon after the tragedy at Virginia Tech, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Margaret Jablonski volunteered the resources of her office to our colleagues there. Assistant Vice Chancellor Winston Crisp spent the entire summer on the Blacksburg campus to share his experience and expertise. His visit was very well received and is summed up by this response: “thank you for sending us the gift we didn’t know we needed.” Chancellor Moeser observed that Mr. Crisp’s experience at Virginia Tech will be a valuable resource for Carolina as well.
InnovationCenter. The chancellor made the case for the speedy development of the proposed Innovation Center and its location on a site opposite Piney Mountain Road on land already disturbed. He said that although the Center will be located on University property, the building will be privately owned and therefore subject to local taxation.
There were no questions or comments.
Provost’s Remarks
Provost Bernadette Gray-Little reported on the following items:
- Dean searches. The search for a dean for the School of Education, headed by Dean Jean Folkerts (Journalism & Mass Communication), is now at the point of identifying serious contenders. The search for Chief Information Officer, headed by University Librarian Sarah Michalak, has identified four finalists who are being scheduled for campus visits to begin in about two weeks.
- Enterprise resource planning. A vendor and implementation company have been selected and are now on campus. It has been necessary to hire a substantial number of additional employees to carry out implementation, which is now well under way. Hiring additional staff took longer than anticipated.
- Proposed changes in the Code of the Board of Governors. A committee formed by General Administration and headed by North Carolina State University Provost Larry Nielsen has recommended several changes in the Code of the Board of Governors pertaining to academic tenure and and in a General Administratin policy pertaining to post-tenure review. Some of the proposals are not controversial. Others have generated much discussion. The proposed changes are under review by the Faculty Executive Committee and the UNC Faculty Assembly.
- Budget. The General Assembly was very generous to the University in the 2007-08 budget. The exact level of salary increases in particular schools depends not only on the state appropriation but also on additional revenue from tuition increases for those for which this has been approved. With this year’s salary increases, the College and most of our professional schools have reached or exceeded the 50 th percentile in comparison with their peers.
Prof. John Orth (Law) asked about the composition of the General Administration committee that had recommended the Code changes pertaining to academic tenure. He said that he understood there to have been little faculty input. He was also troubled by the fact that the report was issued during the summer recess with plans to submit its recommendations to the Board of Governors in September. That schedule allows almost no time for faculty comment. The Provost agreed that there was relatively little faculty representation on the committee. In response to a follow-up question, she said that she did not know how its members had been chosen.
Prof. Stephen Bachenheimer (Microbiology & Immunology) asked whether the Faculty Assembly had been consulted on the work of the Code Review committee.
Prof. Judith Wegner (Law), a member of the UNC-Chapel Hill Faculty Assembly Delegation and Secretary of the Assembly, said that the precipitating event for creation of the Code Review Committee had been a report to the Board of Governors in November 2006, on the use and consequences of post-tenure review throughout the System. When the Code Review Committee’s report was received, the Faculty Assembly Executive Committee was surprised at the extent of the recommended changes. Prof. Wegner said she has prepared a 15-page memorandum that will be on the agenda of the Sept. 28 Assembly meeting. The memorandum recommends several changes in the recommendations pertaining to the core requirements for institutional tenure regulations, and recommends rejection of all of the proposed changes in General Administration’s post-tenure review policy. She said the Assembly will ask for more faculty participation in future efforts of this nature.
The Provost added that recommendations from Carolina’s Faculty Executive Committee have resulted in some changes in the proposed amendments and that the plan at present is for the Code Review Committee’s report to go to the Board of Governors in November. She anticipates that changes needed in campus tenure regulations will have to be completed by March. The provost said it is not yet clear whether action by the Board of Governors in November will be to adopt or to review in anticipation of later adoption. She noted that some of the recommendations are mandatory while others are optional.
Prof. Templeton thanked Prof. Wegner for her work on this topic.
Prof. Ellen Peirce (Business) said that the proposed changes are so extensive as to require more time for the faculty and administration to review and understand them sufficiently to order to comment.
Prof. Susan Bickford (Political Science) expressed concern at the small number of faculty members on the Code Review committee (there were only two who actively participated in its work).
Prof. William Balthrop (Communication Studies) said that it is important and critical for the faculty to move swiftly on these recommendations. He said that there is much ambiguity in them and that timing is important. He felt that Carolina needs to press for additional time to consider their impact.
Prof. Bachenheimer expressed concern about the committee’s desire to expedite the procedure for dismissing tenured faculty members for cause. He objected to eliminating appeal to the Board of Trustees, and said that 12 months is not too long a time to take in a dismissal proceeding. He said that it is unfortunate that the Code Review Committee seized on post-tenure review as a principal means of bringing dismissal charges because that process was originally designed to function primarily as a means of helping faculty members get back on track. Prof. Bachenheimer emphasized that it is not right to use unfavorable post-tenure reviews as a ground for dismissal and that the faculty should not hesitate to use strong language in making that point.
Exec. Associate Provost Stephen Allred pointed out that the procedural changes in dismissal proceedings are only three: (1) the initial notice of intent to discharge would have to include a statement of reasons (now, the faculty member has to request such a statement), (2) the time allowed for completion of the hearing phase of the proceedings would be limited to 120 days, not including breaks, and (3) appeals would go directly to the Board of Governors, bypassing the Board of Trustees.
Prof. Orth said that the Council should at some point in time make a general statement as to the composition and procedures of committees set up to consider matters involving academic tenure. He said they should include meaningful faculty representation, and the time schedule should allow adequate time for broad faculty input.
Resolution 2007-10
The Secretary of the Faculty read the following resolution proposed by the Faculty Executive Committee.
On Proposed Revisions to the Code of the Board of Governors Pertaining to Faculty Employment
Section 1. The Faculty Council of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill acknowledges publication of the Final Report of the Code 603/604 Review Committee, dated June 22, 2007, and respectfully requests that implementation of its recommendations not take place before January 1, 2008, to the end that the Council and other appropriate committees of the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill might have adequate time to evaluate the implications of those recommendations for academic tenure and its administration at the school and departmental level in this institution, and to convey to the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost and through her to the President and Board of Governors such commentary and recommendations as may be deemed appropriate.
Sec. 2. The Secretary of the Faculty is requested to transmit a copy of this resolution to the President of The University of North Carolina.
The resolution was adopted unanimously and is enrolled as Resolution 2007-10.
Resolution 2007-11
The Secretary of the Faculty read the following resolution proposed by the Faculty Executive Committee:
On Smoking on Campus
The Faculty Council endorses in principle a prohibition against tobacco smoking within 100 feet of any campus building with the request that steps toward implementation take into account the needs of those who are nicotine-dependent, with a goal of full implementation not earlier than January 1, 2008. The Council also recommends that implementation policies take into account differing cultural attitudes toward tobacco smoking held by those from abroad who participate in international conferences and similar gatherings on this campus.
Prof. Gregory Copenhaver (Biology) said that people addicted to tobacco suffer from a disease, and there is a need to recognize a line between protecting public health and recognizing addiction. He felt that a policy that forces people with addiction to walk long distances borders on persecution.
Prof. Terry Rhodes (Music) noted that the UNC Hospitals Complex went smoke-free as of July 1, and that both the Employee Forum and student groups have endorsed banning tobacco smoking on campus. She said that she also is not sure about the need for the last sentence of the resolution.
Prof. Alice Ammerman (Nutrition) spoke in favor of an unqualified tobacco-products ban.
Cathy Melvin, Research Associate in the Sheps Center for Health Services Research, said that faculty and staff working in smoking prevention are delighted at the General Assembly’s having permitted us to ban tobacco use on campus. She said that there are many services available to those who want to stop smoking. She hoped the resolution would be amended to express support for a ban “no later than” Jan. 1, 2008.
Prof. John Sweeney (Journalism & Mass Communication) asked what would happen if a ban is in place and an international visitor were to begin to smoke.
Prof. Shielda Rogers (Nursing) expressed opposition to the last sentence.
Prof. Bachenheimer moved to amend by deleting the last sentence of the resolution. The amendment was adopted.
Prof. Bachenheimer moved to amend by deleting the words “not earlier than” and inserting instead the word “by”. The amendment was adopted.
The resolution, as amended, was adopted by voice vote, with some opposition.
The resolution was ordered enrolled as Resolution 2007-11, worded as follows:
The Faculty Council endorses in principle a prohibition against tobacco smoking within 100 feet of any campus building with the request that steps toward implementation take into account the needs of those who are nicotine-dependent, with a goal of full implementation by January 1, 2008.
Remarks by Student Body Vice President
Prof. Templeton introduced Michael Tarrant, Vice President of the Student Body, who brought greetings on behalf of Eve Carson, President of the Student Body. Mr. Tarrant introduced Mikhail Radioncheko, who will be attending Council meetings this year as Student Government liaison.
Presentation on UNC Health Care and the School of Medicine
Prof. Templeton introduced Vice Chancellor and Dean William L. Roper, who spoke to the Council of the work of the UNC Health Care System and the School of Medicine.
View Dean Roper’s Powerpoint presentation here.
Dean Roper opened by summarizing the origins and development of the UNC Health Care System, which now encompasses four large hospitals on the UNC campus: North Carolina Memorial Hospital, the Women’s Hospital, the Children’s Hospital, and the Neurosciences Hospital. A Cancer Hospital is under construction and will be opening in 2008. He said that UNC Hospitals now have 708 licensed beds and are on track to add 92 more.
Dean Roper emphasized the public mission of the UNC Hospitals System and highlighted the fact that each year the System provides $189 million in uncompensated care. Only $46 million of this total comes from state appropriations; the remainder comes from paying customers who pay more than the cost of their care to bridge the gap. It is important, he said, that the System remain attractive to those who can pay for services. If the System’s only goal was to provide indigent care, it could downsize. The result, however, would not be a hospital system that most people would choose for their care. Thus, a major objective of managing the System is balancing the need to be both a general purpose hospital for the people of North Carolina and one that provides essential services to those who cannot pay.
A Council member asked why there had been such a large increase in indigent care over the past six years. Dean Roper replied that there are two causes: (1) growth in the number of uninsured people from 39 million in 2001 to 45 million today, and (2) increased costs of care. In response to a question about the impact of Medicaid, Dean Roper said that because Medicaid compensates the System for less than the cost of care, it actually makes the deficit situation worse.
Prof. Douglas Kelly (Statistics) asked whether the funding gap Dean Roper described was common around the country and, if it were closed, how much cost reduction for those with insurance might be expected. Dean Roper replied that UNC Hospitals delivers more uncompensated care than any hospital in North Carolina, and that our effort is on a par with major hospitals in Atlanta and Chicago. He said that if health insurance and preventive care were available to all Americans, the health care system would be much more cost effective. He noted that a new national conversation about this is in the making but until the problem is solved, public institutions such as UNC Hospitals must pick up the slack. To illustrate the magnitude of the problem at Chapel Hill, he said that our hospitals admit 800 patients each day, one-third of whom are indigent and receive $500,000 per day in uncompensated care. He noted that all of the figures he had cited pertained to the hospitals at Chapel Hill and do not include Rex Healthcare in Raleigh, which the System acquired in 2000.
Turning to the School of Medicine, Dean Roper noted that UNC Physicians and Associates comprise the faculty practice arm of the School of Medicine—approximately 900 physicians in 17 departments. The total faculty complement of the School includes 400 non-clinical faculty in basic sciences and medical allied health professions. Dean Roper said that the School of Medicine now enrolls 160 students each year, 88% of whom are in-state students. For the past 20 years, the male to female ration has been roughly 50/50. As for research grants, the school ranks 17 th among 135 US medical schools and ranks 15 th in the US News and World Report rankings (most of the top 15 are private institutions). Public institutions ranking with us in the top tier are the University of Washington, the University of California at Los Angeles, the University of California at San Francisco, and the University of Michigan.
Finally, Dean Roper touched on the nature and extent of the Area Health Education Centers program, the School of Medicine’s considerable research efforts (about $300 million annually in federally-funded research), growth activities on the UNC campus and nearby locales, and a pending proposal to admit another 50 medical students each year who would spend the first two years in Chapel Hill and the last two at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. He said that there are also conversations in progress about a similar program in the Asheville area. He concluded by highlighting the new University Cancer Research Fund created by the General Assembly, which will grow to $50 million per year over the next five years.
Prof. Melinda Meade (Geography) asked about problems stemming from relocating AHEC flights to Raleigh-Durham Airport. Dean Roper said that this has been carefully studied. While flying from RDU will be less convenient, he said that he believes that we can serve the program from that location.
Prof. Bachenheimer thanked Dean Roper for the presentation and reminded the Council that there are over 200 Ph.D. students and 100 postdoctoral fellows in the School of Medicine’s basic sciences departments.
Prof. Ed Halloran (Nursing) noted that Dean Roper had not mentioned the critical role played by nurses in hospital care. He felt that a stronger partnership should be pursued with the School of Nursing.
Faculty Council Work Plan 2007-08
As the hour was late, Prof. Templeton briefly mentioned items that might come before the Council in 2007-08 and said that there would be a fuller discussion of this in October.
Adjournment
Its business having been completed, the Council adjourned at 5:00 p.m.
Joseph S. Ferrell
Secretary of the Faculty
