Senate Meeting Minutes
Thursday, November 3, 2005
SUB 143

I.                   Call to Order

a.      The meeting was called to order at 3:16 PM by the Chair

II.                 Introduction of Visitors

a.      Present:  Leanne Parker, Susan Odom, Matt Johnston, Barbara Barnes, Laura Bracken, Scott Brainard, Rik Brosten, Margaret Chavez, Linda Coursey, Harold Crook, Claire Davis, Debbie Goodwin, Allen Hanson, Andena Hibbard (proxy for Brian Fonnesbeck), Jacob Hornby, Diane Johnson, Kent Johnson, Ray Miller (proxy for Alan Marshall), Eric Martin, Jeff Matthews, Dan Mayton, David McCullough, Ed Miller, Joni Montez, Chris Riggs (proxy for Cheryl Jurgens), Clay Robinson, Jim Tarter

b.      Absent:  Tony Fernandez, Tracy Flynn, Rachel Jameton, Joni Montez, Mike Owen, Gin Weber

c.      Guests:  Chet Herbst

III.              Approval of Old Minutes: 

a.      Minutes from the Senate meeting of October 20, 2005 were unanimously approved by acclimation with one correction to the Present list.

IV.               Provost Report --  No report.  The Provost was out of town.

V.                 Treasury Report

a.      Faculty Senate Appropriated Account:  $2371.69

b.      Faculty Association account:  $4372.77

c.      Faculty Benevolence account:  $1660.39. 
 

VI.               Chair’s Report

a.      President’s Council

                                                              i.      Dr. Marilyn Howard will not be seeking reelection as the Superintendent of Public Instruction next Fall

                                                             ii.      Dwight Johnson was named the interim Executive Director of the SBOE

                                                           iii.      LCSC Days in Coeur d’Alene took place on 10/25.  There was a nice reception and it was a positive experience for all involved. 

                                                          iv.      There will be no printed copy of the Spring 2006 schedule.  It will only be available online via Warriorweb.

                                                            v.      Dean Hanson is currently developing a survey for students that are withdrawing from college.

                                                          vi.      The Lewiston Chamber of Commerce held a recent business event at the York House and were very impressed with the facility.

                                                         vii.      Activity Center admission policies for the family/friends of faculty & staff for sporting events have been clarified.  The purchase of season ticket plans is encouraged.

                                                       viii.      Debi Fitzgerald has arranged for a series of brown bag lunches on Service Learning in Higher Education.  The dates are 11/10, 12/2 (light breakfast), 1/26 and 2/16.  The series will culminate in a two day symposium on 3/30-3/31.

                                                           ix.      The date for the Higher Education legislative luncheon has been finalized:  Wednesday, January 11, 2006

VIII.          Standing Committee Reports

a.      Administrative Procedures (Jeff Matthews):  The Administrative Procedures committee is currently split into two working groups. 

                                                              i.      One group is reviewing Senate representation policies.  This group is examining disparities in the representation system (i.e. the lack of representation of adjuncts/non-tenure track faculty). 

                                                             ii.      The second working group is working on implementation of new tenure language.  This process was described as largely mechanical and not controversial.

                                                           iii.      A question was raised about promotion/tenure issues that might arise based on new promotion policies in the Division of Natural Sciences.  The recently approved policy allows for an individual to move from the rank of Instructor (typically a non-tenure track position) to Assistant Professor (typically a tenure track position). 

                                                          iv.      The Business & Technical Services and Technical & Industrial Divisions expressed concern about tenure policy for the technical divisions.

b.      Budget Liaison Committee (Leanne Parker):

                                                              i.      Six members of the BLC will act as observers this Fall for the Functional Area Resource Groups (FARG) as part of the Unit Action Plan (UAP) process. 

                                                             ii.      The committee is examining peer institutions for data on promotion raises.  LCSC last revised the financial amounts associated with promotion raises in 1994.

c.      Curriculum Committee (Jacob Hornby):  One proposal (A06-033) was presented and approved. 

d.      Faculty Affairs (Susan Odom):  The Faculty Affairs Committee is currently working on several issues:

                                                              i.      Faculty Lounge Survey:  The survey results indicated that the faculty lounge was used by some faculty during the lunch hour.  Based on feedback from the survey, the committee will examine potential shared-usage roles for the room.  Further discussion focused on soliciting input from the CSO, PSO and ASLCSC. 

                                                             ii.      In previous minutes, the committee was noted as taking on examination of the number of credits necessary for honors at graduation and the role/usage of the Testing Center.  The honors at graduation recommendation now rests in the provost’s office. The committee is soliciting faculty input on the role of the Testing Center.

                                                           iii.      The committee is working on soliciting faculty feedback on a report and series of recommendations regarding the now defunct General Studies degree. 

                                                          iv.      The Compensation Review Committee (CRC) delivered their first report to the administration on 10/31

1.      The CRC is presently finding specific information within each constituent group (faculty & staff)

2.      The committee is examining potential non-monetary compensation mechanisms

3.      The committee is discussing potential allocation of funds for equity issues.  The administration has requested a $240,000 line item in the current budget to address equity and compression.

e.      Faculty Development (Linda Coursey):  The committee considered three sabbatical proposals.  The proposals have been ranked and recommendations forwarded to the Provost for consideration.

f.       Student Affairs (Harold Crook):  No report

g.      Technology Advisory (Rik Brosten):  TAC is currently developing a proposal submission form.  Once complete it will be available on the committee’s website.  The committee has $25,000 to distribute for classroom infrastructure technology

h.      General Education (Ed Miller):  The committee has set its meeting schedule and defined its overall goals for the year.

IX.               Other Business

a.      Faculty Association meeting December 15, 2005 @ 3:15 PM in WCC. 

b.      A faculty volunteer is still needed on the Winter Revels planning committee.  Interested parties can contact Leanne Parker or Vikki Swift.

X.                 Adjournment :  The meeting was adjourned at 4:01 PM by the Chair