Faculty Council
Minutes of the meeting of March 9, 1992
0. Faculty Council Chairperson Stephen Warner called the meeting to order at 4:03 p.m., a quorum being present.
1. Motion (R. Belliotti/M. Nelson): to amend the agenda by adding the report of the Academic Affairs Committee on the Impact of Proposed Academic Reorganization, dated February 26, 1992, as agenda item 7A. Motion carried, unanimously.
Motion (G. Sebouhian/R. Belliotti): to amend the agenda by adding the report of the Planning & Budget Committee on the Budget Reduction Plan Proposal, dated March 9, 1992, as agenda item 7B. Motion carried, unanimously.
Motion (F. Krohn/M. Nelson): to approve the agenda as amended. Motion carried, unanimously.
2. Motion (M. L. Lunde/A. Altobellis): to approve minutes of the February 10, 1992 Faculty Council meeting, as published. Motion carried, unanimously.
3. Report of President MacPhee: The President observed that both men's and women's athletic teams were continuing victorious in post-season play, distinguishing themselves around the state, with or without funding. He remarked that more than 4,500 people had visited the campus the previous Saturday evening to partake of cultural offerings ranging from the travelogue on Spain to the Mainstage performance of The Foreigner to the Kenny Rogers concert. MacPhee said that Fredonia had not yet received specific dollar or percentage numbers for the 92-93 budget, but there was no reason to expect other than a 4% reduction. He said there is some talk of another round of early retirement incentives, which would include ERS, TRS, and TIAA/CREF plans, but no details yet; funding for these programs would come from the campuses. He said differential tuition now seems unlikely to be adopted, but a unitary increase of about $535 is likely, with an increase of $10 per unit for part-time students, and $250 (plus the $535) for non-residents. The President said he would meet with Planning & Budget Committee on March 10 to begin consultation on recommendations prepared by the VP for Academic Affairs on six faculty lines to be cut from specific departments; none of these would interrupt appointments for budgetary reasons. He said Dr.Hess is also preparing recommendations regarding discontinuation of one, two, or three undergraduate degree programs; no interruption of employment for budgetary reasons is contemplated with these reductions. He said these were important matters for FC consulta- tion, probably through its Academic Affairs and Planning & Budget committees, and that fall admissions and filling of fall faculty lines may be considerations. President MacPhee said that after he receives FC's report following this meeting, and after reviewing the materials, he would make decisions about the 4% reductions, communicating these to the faculty after spring break. He said he would be considering how least to damage the priorities of the Institutional Plan and the long term future of the college, and how to ameliorate inevitable damage within constraints of the budget.
4. Chairperson Stephen Warner gave his report, thanking the FC committees for their responses on the impact of the Budget Reduction Proposal. Warner introduced Mr. John Crowley, the newly-appointed Vice President for Development and College Relations. He urged all members of FC to introduce themselves to Mr. Crowley who will be a key figure as the college continues its transition from state support to increasing private funding.
5. Vice Chairperson Randall Dipert reported that Governance Committee has begun to study FC's ability to deal with the current budget crisis, and whether the current administrative structure is optimally suited for consultative roles on budget reductions. He urged faculty to return the questionnaires circulated by Governance Committee on this topic, commenting that the committee is concerned that we may have to face other such crises in the future. Dipert thanked Chairperson Warner and College Senate Secretary McNeil for their leadership and documentation of the recent FC hearings. Dipert said he had found his own skills, scruples, diplomatic skills and patience ill-adapted to the recent consultation process. He said the discussions had left him physically ill on more than one occasion, and consequently he would resign his position as Vice Chairperson effective immediately, and his FC seat effective after the present meeting.
6. Faculty Senator H. Joseph Straight had no report.
7. Governance Committee Chair Franklin Krohn read and distributed copies of the committee's two-page Advisory Opinion Regarding the Proposed Reorganization Plan [for Academic Affairs]. [A copy of the document is included in the archive minutes.] Krohn said the committee was concerned that the plan would establish two new dean positions and one for Associate VP for Academic Affairs, all of which require, under the Bylaws, searches by committees established by FC. The Governance Committee opinion found that unless FC would waive the search requirements, the reorganization would be in violation of Article VI. The committee found further that the Bylaws do not prohibit the President's immediately filling such newly established offices on an acting or interim basis limited to twelve months, during which time the Bylaws provisions regarding searches would be fully implemented. Warner added that there had been other reorganizations in the past, but in his memory there had not been any such waivers.
7A. Academic Affairs Committee submitted its report on the Impact of Proposed Academic Reorganization, dated February 26, 1992. [Copies of the report were distributed at the meeting. Full text is included in the archive minutes.]
Motion (R. Weist/K. Mantai): that Faculty Council adopt the report. Motion carried, with no "no's" and one abstention.
7B. Planning & Budget Committee submitted its report on the Budget Reduction Plan Proposal, dated March 9, 1992. [Copies of the report were distributed at the meeting. Full text is included in the archive minutes.] Motion (T. Schwalbe/R. Weist): to amend the last sentence by deleting the words stricken out below, and adding those underlined, to read as follows: "Some, but not All areas of the report had general consensus but not necessarily unanimous support." Motion to amend passed. Motion (T. Malinoski/K. Mantai): that FC adopt the report as amended. Motion passed, with no "no's" and two abstentions.
8. Executive Committee submitted its Response to Faculty Council on The Proposed Budget Reduction Plan for 1992-93, dated March 9, 1992. [Copies of the Response were published with the meeting announcement, and filed with the Archive minutes.] Motion (M. L. Lunde/M. Nelson): that FC adopt the Executive Committee Response. Motion (M. R. Amiran/M. Grady): to amend the section on Faculty/Staff priorities, sentence 1, by deleting as stricken out, and adding as underlined below, to read: "No Interruption of employment for budgetary reasons only after other resources have been exhausted." Amiran said the Academic Affairs Committee report supports the language of the amendment, and that Affirmative Action goals are more likely to be supported by this language. Nelson spoke in opposition to the amendment, citing the simplicity and political efficacy of the original language. Guest Jefferson Westwood said he appreciated the work done by the Executive Committee in reading the many documents, analyzing them, synthesizing a response. He said he was very sorry to hear of Dipert's resignation and that his loss to Faculty Council was a heartfelt casualty. He asked that FC consider whether Executive Committee's response adds anything to the response reflected in the other reports just adopted. Weist spoke in agreement that the four statements of Faculty Priorities as listed in the Response are already handled in the other reports. T.Schwalbe asked whether FC could refer to the minutes of the hearings to resolve the language addressed by the amendment. Warner suggested that an amendment could be made to adopt language to reflect intent of minutes. He reminded the body that the actual minutes will be forwarded to the president, along with the other documents from the Faculty Council Documents List. Nelson commented that FC had already supported Administration's priority number 3, to seek programmatic rather than across-the-board cuts. Motion to amend passed, 16 to 10 with 4 abstentions. Motion to adopt was withdrawn by its maker, Lunde following further discussion and clarification. Motion (M. L. Lunde/R. Belliotti): that FC receive the Executive Committee Response to Faculty Council on The Proposed Budget Reduction Plan for 1992-93, dated March 9, 1992. G. Sebouhian spoke against the motion saying it did not accurately reflect the discussion. Motion (M. Nelson/T. Rywick): to lay on the table the question of receiving the Executive Committee Response. Motion to table was defeated, 10 to 13. The motion to receive Executive Committee Response passed.
9. Motion (T. Rywick/R. Weist)to adopt a resolution:
RESOLVED THAT Faculty Council recommend to the President that the current (1991-92) configuration of administrative positions in the domain of Academic Affairs be maintained, specifically, Dean for Liberal and Continuing Education, Interim Dean for Natural and Social Sciences, Dean for Arts & Humanities, and the Director of the Center for Educational Studies, and that this configuration remain intact for the next year, and that the responsibilities of these positions along with the interactional network involving these positions be evaluated during this period. Rywick questioned whether the motion was really necessary, given that FC had already adopted the Academic Affairs Committee report containing similar provisions. Weist replied that a little redundancy would not hurt. J. Romal spoke against the motion saying it only reiterated what was contained in the Academic Affairs Committee report. Weist replied that he had developed the present motion before he had received the Academic Affairs Committee report, but that the two were in agreement. Guest Kenneth Lucey asked whether the motion would endorse cutting lines as an alternative to the reorganization plan it would block. Weist responded that he expects the proposed reorganization would save only about $8,000, and that much of that might be eroded if the new structure has to be augmented with assistants. Chairperson Warner then asked for and received consent to close debate. Motion passed; resolution was adopted.
Motion (T. Rywick/M. Nelson): to adopt R. Weist's Principles of Structural and Budgetary Management [which had been circulated with the published Agenda as Item 9. The organization chart entitled Traditional Reorganization of Academic Affairs was removed from consideration by Weist, due to criticisms of its accuracy.] R. Belliotti asked whether the motion was consistent with part 3.d. of the Academic Affairs Committee report. Weist said it was not consistent with it. T. Rywick commented that people should not vote against this because there might be an inconsistency with 3.d. of the Academic Affairs report, since the inconsistency was not a strong one. Belliotti asked what would be the consequences of adopting these principles. Weist responded that the resulting structure might not include the level of Associate Vice President; that the Director for the Center for Educational studies might remain; and that there might be a Director for General Education. Belliotti then asked whether the motion was consistent with avoiding interruption of employment commitments. Weist said it was, and that under these principles some future budget cuts would occur in the structure of administration. H. Jacobson asked whether the motion would prohibit elevating a present dean-level position. Weist answered that such a move would be inconsistent with the principles. Motion (M. Nelson/G. Sebouhian): to refer R. Weist's Principles of Structural and Budgetary Management to the Planning & Budget Committee, with a charge to report on it at the April FC meeting. Motion to refer passed, 20 to 4, no abstentions. Motion (K. Mantai/H. Jacobson): to poll the sense of FC on the Weist principles. The poll indicated majority support for the principles.
10. There was no new business brought before FC.
11. The meeting was adjourned shortly before 5:30.
Attendance:
Professional Staff/Management:
K. Bonds (92)
S. Clarke (93)
V. Conover (93)
K. Harrington (94)
D. Johnson (92)
T. Kflu (93)
T. Malinoski (93)
T. McNeil (94)
M. Pabst (94)
K. Porpiglia (92)
B. Servatius (93)
Arts, Education and Humanities:
R. Belliotti (93)
J. Burke (94)
M. Charbonnet (93)
N. Deal (94)
R. Dipert (94)
H. Jacobson (93)
M. L. Lunde (92)
L. Maheady (94)
M. Nelson (93)
T. Schwalbe (92)
G. Sebouhian (92)
Natural and Social Sciences:
M. Grady (92)
T. Janik (93)
F. Krohn (93)
K. Mantai (93)
T. Rywick (94)
J. Romal (93)
M. Seyedian (92)
P. Sinden (93)
R. Weist (92)
Students:
A. Altobellis
V. Martin
Ex Officio:
D. Burdette
M. Dimitri
W. Foeller
D. Hess
J. Hurtgen
D. MacPhee
J. Straight
S. Warner
Excused Absences:
P. Andrews (92)
R. Klassen (92)
T. Loughlin (93)
J. Hansen (94)
Unexcused Absences:
S. Maloney (92)[1]
G. Prechtl (92)[2]
A. Raspini (93)[2]
W. Rockett [1]
A. Wheeler[1]
Guests:
C. Willeford
K. Lucey
L. Braude
J. Westwood
P. McDonald Jr.
T. Steinberg
M. R. Amiran
H. Mahoney
R. Booth
A. Rey
R. Goodman
K. Mills-Courts
L. Husch
G. Bocon
V. Courtney
C. Gawinski
G. McNeil
S. Luntz
Previously Absent:
K. Porpiglia (92)[1]
Thomas McNeil, College Senate Secretary