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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
Thursday, February 10, 2005
CSU 204
Approved Minutes

In attendance: Stephen Bohnenblust, Roger Severns, Paul Hustoles (recorder), Stewart Ross, Barbara Keating, Sonja Meiers, Gwen Griffin, Jim Petersen, Don Larsson, Don Descy, Daardi Sizemore, Theresa Salerno, Wayne Allen, Bill Dyer, Anne Blackhurst, Ron Nickerson, Brock McMillan, Jim Grabowska, Judith Luebke, Mark McCullough, Marie Pomije.

The meeting was called to order at 3:07 p.m. by President Bohnenblust.

1.    Minutes of January 13, 2005—Severns/ Grabowska moved to approve.  Passed.
 
2.    Call for Additional Items/ Reordering of Agenda—none

3.    President’s Report
a.    Strategic Plan-Gamma Draft (Handout)— Bohnenblust: VP Olson has nicely summarized all of this information.  It will be interesting to see what will happen when the Planning Committee gets this.  Grabowska: There is some bifurcation in here and it will be interesting to see what direction the faculty will want to go in.  Bohnenblust: There will be some very broad and interesting questions that we will have to deal with. 
b.    Carol Twigg Initiative—Bohnenblust: We don’t know very much about this yet.  It has to do with looking at a more efficient delivery system for large enrollment general education classes.  IFO President Nancy Black is always concerned when she hears this coming from MnSCU.  There is going to be a meeting in Phoenix and we have a state IFO rep going for further information.  Larsson: Do you know the date?  Bohnenblust: I think it is in April.  Larsson: What is their definition of large enrollment?  Is it a large number of sections or large classes?   Bohnenblust: I’m not exactly sure but there has been talk about any class that has 200 or 250 in whatever number of sections.  Pomije: Is this related to the idea of creating a MnSCU-wide curriculum?  Bohnenblust: I don’t know.  Ross: Evidently there was a meeting where the Chancellor got very excited about this concept.  Severns: My familiarity with their initiative came from a report from VP Olson who was in that same meeting.  There might be a disconnect between what was said and what the Chancellor heard.  Meiers: We asked if money had been spent on this and that has not been the case so far. 
c.    Questions on tenure process and MOA follow-up—Bohnenblust: I followed the advice that you gave me.  There was another question that came up and again I will ask for your advice.  It has to do with the voting by departments.  We have had some interesting requests after the votes have occurred.  In one, the department wanted to throw out the vote and re-vote.  Another was, Could there be some kind of supplementary or addition vote?  I felt that if there was additional information, like a paper was accepted, that would be OK.  But my feeling is that the vote should stand.  Larsson: There are ways for minority reports or information to get to the chair.  Severns: There is a provision in the contract that if a person is denied tenure in the fifth year, they can appeal in the sixth year to the President.  That person could take any mitigating evidence to him.  Bohnenblust: It sounds like I am hearing that we don’t throw out the vote.  McCullough: Once you submit the document it is dead, right?  All: No.  You can amend the document.  Dyer: Is that clear to everybody?  Bohnenblust: I will send a note to the faculty.  Larsson: And Faculty Development could bring this up in their seminar.
d.    Commencement Questions from VP Williams (email to Exec. 2/7/05)—Nickerson: We should be able to park in gold on that day if it is a duty day.  Hustoles: We need to answer the question about faculty participation.  I think we should stand up for graduation!  Keating: Faculty need to be told that we are expected to come.  Meiers: Could we disseminate this from the perspective of the Unit Reps?  Hustoles/Grabowska moved that all faculty should attend and march in at least one commencement a year.  Hustoles: I would even volunteer to help coordinate this.  Keating: We need more administrative leadership here.  We need their support.  Bohnenblust: If this motion passes, we will ask the administration to take steps to implement it.  Meiers: Back to the robes, we just got a memo to reserve them at Barnes and Nobel.  Hustoles: That was a memo from your college.  Salerno: We need to hear something about this very soon.  If we are going to march, we need another day for grading.  Larsson: We might get the directive from administration but we should also go directly to the faculty to encourage them to participate.  Severns: The Deans need to get behind this.  If they are told at some meeting by the VPAA, they will move on this.  Motion passed. 
e.    Conversations About 2010 (February 24, 2005 MSU, Mankato Johnson Alumni Room)—A 4 February 2005 draft document was distributed.  Bohnenblust: We can have up to 35 members.  I thought we would start with the Executive Committee and then open it up on a first come first serve.  Larsson: Can we get someone to sit in our place if we can’t make it?  Bohnenblust: I’m just hoping to get to 35.  A sign up sheet was distributed.
f.    FA Annual Picnic—Ross: Our picnic has been scheduled for Tuesday, 10 May 2005, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  Student staff will be invited this time too.

4.    IFO Task Force Appointment 
a.    IFO Action Committee (1 Needed from each university)(Request sent 02/03/05)(No Responses)—Bohnenblust: This has been on our agenda perpetually.  Larsson: This seems to be more appropriate for a tenured faculty member.  Keating: The activists are already very committed.

5.    Faculty Association Committee Appointments Still Needed
a.    College of Business Needs Representation on the following: General Education; Institutional Review Board
b.    Policy Consultation and Approval Committee (1 More Needed) According to the 2004 Policy Consultation and Approval Process, a standing committee to assist in the review and development of policies needs to be established.
c.    International Programs Committee (1 Faculty Member Needed)

6.    Confirm/Selection/Replacement Appointments
a.    Assistant Director for Asian American Affairs (1 Needed) Lib/Unaf - Chuck Cantale
b.    Recruitment Retention Specialist/Director of the Intercultural Student Center (1 Needed) - Educ Tracy Pellett; Lib/Unaf; Chuck Cantale; SET - Igor Kogoutiouk
c.    Presidential Scholarship Interviews Committee - Gerald Bohl (Military Science)(IFO/MnSCU Master Agreement Article 6; Section B; Sub. 2)(Subject to Executive Approval); A&H - Kimberly Contag; David Engen; Candace Black; Paul Moxness; Kathryn Cady; Ellen Mrja; Craig Matarrese; Rea Mingeva; Anne O'Meara; Dan Cronn-Mills; Julie Kerr-Berry; Nan Johnson-Curiskis; Jim Johnson; AH&N - Lynnette Engeswick; Bus - Brenda Flannery; Claudia Pragman; Robert Zelin; Mary Rolfes; Paul Schumann; Ken Anglin; Educ - Prudence Gushwa; Ron Browne; Carole Milner; Gail Zahn; SBS - Bill Bernhagen; Don Friend; Cynthia Miller; SET - John Thoemke; Mike Wells; Bruce Mericle; Mike Bentley; Christophe Veltsos; Mary Ann Lee; Steve Kipp; Tom Hendrickson; Saeed Moaveni; Jim Rife
d.    Associate Registrar Search Committee:  SBS - Clark Johnson
e.    Search Committee for Director of the Career Development Center (1 Needed) - Lib/Unaf - Amy Swanson; JoAnne Griebel

6b.  Allen/Meiers moved to approve Kogoutiouk.  Passed.
6e.  Ross/McCullough moved to approve Swanson.  Passed.
Hustoles/Severns moved to approve the rest of the slate, including special exception Bohl.  Passed.

7.    Discussion Items
a.    Distance Learning Sub Meet & Confer Charge—Bohnenblust: Is this something that we want to propose to the membership?  Severns: If the task force is going away, we need the majority of those faculty who are voting to approve this.  Discussion followed.  Larsson moved that the Executive Committee endorses the concept for the Extended Learning Sub Meet and Confer with appropriate language to be presented at our next meeting.  Bohnenblust charged Descy, Larsson and Hustoles to get together to tighten up the language.  Passed. 
b.    Agenda Items for General Meeting (22 February 2005)—The following items were suggested to add to the agenda: negotiations; information on the new health care set aside; HLC accreditation; and commencement participation.  Meiers: Do we want to talk about the two MnSCU task forces on workload and compensation?  Maybe we should have our campus reps share where we are with that.  Bohnenblust: These came out of the last contract.  Keating: We also need to address the action plan.  Ross: We should mention the tenure and promotion seminar.  Bohnenblust: Email me if you think of anything else.
c.    Campus Climate Survey—Bohnenblust: This is something that we are doing.  If there is anything you want let me know.  Some have mentioned “bullying behavior.”   Keating: Maybe we could ask about “status” as well.  Ross: I was concerned because I heard about “customer service” mandated training.  We need to change that terminology.  Nickerson: I don’t have a problem with asking for demographic information but there is a question of anonymity for those of us in smaller departments.  Larsson: It would be good to view the survey before it is distributed.
d.    Term up for Director of CETL—Bohnenblust: This is a faculty position.  We do get to make a recommendation on this.  Keating/Hustoles moved to ask Ross to continue in the position.  Passed.  Bohnenblust: Thank you Stewart for the great work that you do.
e.    Student and administrative expectations from faculty (Can MSU faculty have a life outside this university?)—Salerno: I sent an email to my college and there was great concern about workload.  We are planning a new building and we understand that extra work.  But the administration expects us to be here 24/7.  It is very hard on the new people.  I don’t think the institution understands how oppressed we are.  There are a few students with very high expectations, especially with constant email access.  Ross: This is mentioned in the task force summary, but it says there is little hope of funding.  Nickerson: This could be the number one issue when we talk about campus climate.  Keating: This could be something that the MnSCU Workload Task Force could deal with.  I don’t see the administration valuing or appreciating the faculty the way they did before the advent of MnSCU.  Then the orientation wasn’t as anti-faculty.  This might be an issue for Meet and Confer.  Meiers: We do have a task force that met last Friday and all of those things that you are saying about being discouraged by MnSCU is so true.  Chris Dale is speaking for all administrators.  They are only looking at how many people have left the system as a measure of faculty satisfaction.  Our representatives would welcome any ideas.  Also, the legislature and the governor do not understand this either.  Nickerson: Our recommendation coupled teaching load with FTE.  Bohnenblust: We need to make a clear distinction between our local administration and MnSCU.  We seem to be getting two different messages.  Keating: But our local administration can do more to advocate our point of view to MnSCU.  Bohnenblust: We will make this a Meet and Confer issue.        
f.    Policy Concerns—Bohnenblust: Any concerns about the new Intellectual or Freedom of Expression policies?  Or others?  Ross: I am very concerned about this business model and consumer models coming from HR.   At some point we are going to have to step in.  Bohnenblust: There is a real disconnect about the speech issue between free speech and potentially harassing language. 
g.    Negotiations—Bohnenblust: We are just getting started.  Jim Grabowska is our representative.  There will be a meeting with the FA local presidents and the Negotiating Team within a month to get on the same page.  We have looked at the Delegate Assembly resolutions to re-order them.  IFO President Black has taken the unprecedented step to appoint a lead negotiator who is not one of the seven campus reps.  This seems like a good move.  Who?  Keating: Rod Henry from Bemidji.  He’s a long time activist with the IFO.  Meiers: He is also on the Workload Task Force.  Bohnenblust: Hopefully we will have a well-coordinated effort this time.  

9.    Faculty Association Committee Chair Reports
a.    Faculty Development: Ross: Last year we asked this group to send emails to new faculty to encourage attendance at the workshop.  Are we going to try that again?  Bohnenblust: Nancy Fitzsimmons did this last year.
b.    General Education: Keating queried Nickerson regarding the “intensive look” at Category 7.  Discussion followed.
c.    State IFO Representatives—Keating referred to the IFO Board of Directors Meeting handout.  This year everybody will be getting a letter at home asking them what actions that they are willing to take as we negotiate.  We live or die by the legislature.  Russ Stanton asked us to stay informed and be ready to contact your legislators.  Also, upper division courses will be allowed to count as gen ed.   Please review the items distributed.
d.    Unit Representation—Larsson: Our SRC was meeting with reps from Registration who are looking at a model where they would look at transfer items rather than this going to faculty.  We need to keep and eye on that.  Pomije: AVP Sandmann has been keeping us in the loop.  We are still working on the language of this.

10. Informational Items
a.    FA General Meeting, Tuesday, February 22, 2005 @ 3:00 p.m. - Ostrander Auditorium
b.    Next Executive Committee Meeting, Thursday, March 03, 2005 @3:00 p.m. - CSU 285
c.    Meet & Confer, Thursday, March 10, 2005 @ 3:00 p.m. - CSU 285 (FA Chair/AD Agenda)

The meeting adjourned at 4:55 p.m.

Paul J. Hustoles
Recording Secretary

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