Minutes

The University of Texas= at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College

Academic Sena= te Minutes

May 6, 2005

I. = Call to Order

Ms. Cantu called the May 6, 2005 Academic Senate meeti= ng to order at 1:40 p.m. in the SETB 3^rd Floor Conference Room.

Members of the Senate in attendance included: Mr. Steve Benton (s), Ms. Ethel Cantu (*), Ms. Carol Collinsworth (s), Mr. Roberto Cortina (s), Dr. Charles Dame= ron, Dr. William C. Davis (s0, Mr. = Doug Ferrier, Ms. Linda Fossen, Dr.= Therese Gallegos (s), Ms. Mabel Hockday (s), Dr. Gerald Hollier (s), Dr. Edward Hymson (*), Mr. Joe Lacher (s), Dr. Charles Lacke= y, Ms. Julie Larson (*), Dr. Genaro Lopez (s), Dr. Emir Macari, Dr. Jose Ma= rtin, Dr. Eldon Nelson, Dr. Rafael Otero, Dr. Gerson Peltz (s), Ms. Cher= yl Phelps (s), Mr. Jay Phillips, Dr. Ruth Ann Ragland, Mr. Mahan= dran Rajasuriar (s), Dr. Renee Rubin (s), Dr. Carl Stockton, Ms. Mary Sullivan, Ms. Thelma Sullivan (s), Dr. John Sutterby (s), and Mr. Tom Welther (*).

Visitors included:&nb= sp; Mr. Julio Ledezma, Dr. Mrinal Mugdh and = Dr. David Pearson.

II. = Review and Approval of the Minutes

Ms. Cantu called for review of the minutes of the Apri= l 8, 2005 Academic Senate meeting. Hearing no discussion or corrections, the minutes were approved as written.

III. = Presentation/Discussion: Salary Adjustment Priorities

Dr. Hymson, Chair of the Senate Welfare Committee and = Dr. Jose Martin, Provost addressed the Senate regarding salary adjustment priorities.

Dr. Hymson said that the Welfare Committee was asked b= y the Senate President to look at how salary raises and adjustments are distribut= ed and to look at salary parity issues. One of the ways faculty receive a raise is through the merit system,= Dr. Hymson said. We have a two-ti= ered merit system here: base merit= and exceptional merit. Base merit= is based on a flat percentage that all deserving faculty receive and exception= al is also a flat percentage but is given only to those faculty deemed worthy = of receiving it. Dr. Hymson went= to say that another method of salary raises is salary adjustment based on parity. Dr. Hymson said that = parity is a device for salary adjustment and is a method to “catch-up” with what our colleagues at other institutions are being paid. Dr. Hymson said that parity is fai= r to some people but not all receive a salary adjustment. Dr. Hymson said that at the April meeting of the Welfare Committee, a vote was taken as to whether to continue parity or let all share in the pot with base merit. Dr. Hymson reported that the resul= ts were tie: 50% for parit= y and 50% for base merit. He said t= hat the direction of the Senate President he was asked to bring this matter bef= ore the Senate.

He then turned the floor over to Dr. Martin to further explain the issue. Dr. Martin= said that at this point, the university does not know how much it will receive f= rom the legislature. There are two proposed scenarios: one puts = us at 2 percent less than the last funding cycle and the other puts us at more th= an we received in the last funding cycle.&nbs= p; It remains to be seen what the legislature will do. However, Dr. Martin said, we do ha= ve new funds from enrollment through designated tuition and have used that money to hire new faculty and staff. D= r. Martin reported that Dr. Ragland, VPAA and his office gave a presentation during the budget hearings on the needs of the Division of Academic Affairs= and made a case for money for faculty salary adjustments.

Dr. Martin said that if we look at a 2 percent base me= rit increase, almost all of the faculty (219) would receive a raise with the average rais= e in the neighborhood of $1000.00. If we consider salary adjustments, only a few (37) would receive a salary adjustm= ent

A lengthy discussion followed Dr. Hymson’ and Dr. Martin’s presentation. Dr. Davis asked if we were discuss= ing what we wanted to do. Dr. Sut= terby asked about other percentages. Dr. Davis gave a history on parity and base merit and said that base merit has not done enough to raise salaries. Dr. Dameron asked if the 37 faculty members have received a salary adjustment before. Dr. Davis moved that we go with 3%= base merit. Dr. Gallegos seconded = the motion. The motion carried.

IV. = Presentation/Discussion: May Session

Dr. Ragland and Mr. Ledezma addressed the Senate regarding the May session. They began their presentation by p= assing out a May Sessions report. The following is the information contained in that report.

May	Course Sections	Active Student Count (Duplicated)	Student Headcount (ORD)	Comments
2000	26	448	ORD Headcount Not Available (Calculated with SS1)	First May Session
2001	38 &nbs= p; &= nbsp;	583	ORD Headcount Not Available (Calculated with SS1)
2002	45	741	620
2003	37	560	520
2004	46	557	491
2005	48	710 (As of 5/05/2005)	ORD Headcount Not Available

Dr. Ragland and Mr.Ledezma= said that the Maymester began in 2000 and enrollment= has increased. They also passed o= ut the Maymester course schedules for the years 2000-2= 005 to give the Senate an idea of what types of courses are being taught.

A lengthy discussion followed Dr. Ragland’s and = Mr. Ledezma’s presentation. Mr. Benton voiced his opposition t= o the Maymester saying that some coursed can’t be tau= ght in such a short time. Dr. Davis wondered about the success of rate of Maymester= vs. summer and regular sessions. = Dr. Pearson said that students should only be allowed to sign up for one course during Maymester. Dr. Gallegos suggested that instru= ctors be surveyed to see how they feel about Maymester. Dr. Sutterby moved that we keep Maymester as constituted with no change. Dr. Rubin seconded the motion. Dr. Hymson suggested that Dr. Sutt= erby consider the following friendly amendment: students be limited during Maymester to four hours. Dr. Sutterby accepted the friendly amendment and changed his motion to: we keep Maymester as constituted and lim= it students to four hours. The m= otion passed. Dr. Hymson moved that faculty teaching during Maymester be limited to teaching no more than four hours. Dr. Gallegos seconded the motion.&n= bsp; The motion failed. Dr. Hymson asked for a hand count vote. The vote showed 8 for and 9 against. The motion still failed.

V. Ombudsman&#= 8217;s Report

Dr. Rivas, the Senate Ombudsman, was unable to attend.=

VI. = Senate President’s Report

Ms. Cantu had three items in her report.

Academic Senate Election Results= - the Academic Senate congratulates the new officers: President: David Pearson, Vice President: Edward Hymson, Secretary: Irma Jones, and Treasurer: Pat Celaya. <= /span>

We also congratulate these = new senators and re-elected senators:

School of Education= : Bobbette M. Morgan, Joseph Rene Corbeil, and John Sutterby

School of Health Sciences: Joe Lacher and Virginia Maldonado-Maxwell

College of Liberal = Arts: Willia= m C. Davis, Julie Larson, and Cheryl Phelps

College of Science<= /st1:PlaceName>, Math and Technology: James R. Sullivan and Elizabeth Heise.

They will take office at th= e beginning of the fall term 2005.

TSC Board Meeting, April 21, 2005- Tom Welther, V= ice President, attended this meeting in my absence and provided this information. After execu= tive session, the Board reconvened and announced the appointment of Veronica Martinez as Assistant Vice President of Construction. She will oversee the manageme= nt of bond projects. Board mem= bers will be liaisons for the various building projects. The Board approved a revision= to the property insurance policy, extended the contract for audit service= s by Long Chilton LLP for the next two years, awarded a bid for 1210 additi= onal parking spaces at the University Blvd parking lot, and appointed 3D/International as Project Architect for the Wellness, Recreation, Fitness and Kinesiology Complex. The TSC Board heard a briefing on the Testing Office by its director Patrick McGeehee. The Testing Office tests over 10,000 individuals annually with its original crew of four full-time personnel. The Texas Suc= cess Initiative now replaces TASP for admissions and placement. In the future an internet-bas= ed placement test, which can be scored immediately, will be available. Tony Zav= aleta, VPEA, gave a legislative update. The next meeting of the Board will be Thursday, May 19.

Thank You- Julie Larson, Secretary, sent me a card expressing the condolences of the Academic Senate over the recent death of my sister, Mary. Thank you for your expressions of sympathy.

VII. = Partnership Committee Reports

No reports.

VIII. Academic Senate Committee Reports

A. Memorial Fund- Mr. Benton, Chair of the Memor= ial Fund Committee, reported on the work of his committee. Recommendations from his committee included: keeping memorials s= imple, informing new faculty and staff about memorials, voluntary contributions of= two dollars per year for memorials, at least ten years of service to UTB/TSC, retired from UTB/TSC, die in service to the university, create a memorial walkway, and/or create a memorial wall.&nb= sp; After discussing the recommendations, Dr. Hymson moved to bring these recommendations up at the fall general faculty meeting. Dr. Lopez seconded the motio= n, and the motion passed.

B. Guidance for Personnel Committees- Dr. Pearson, Chair of the Academic Senate l Commi= ttee on Guidelines for Personnel Committees, gave a PowerPoint presentation on his committee’s work and recommendations regarding faculty tenure guidelines. The committee has developed eight recommendations in regard to faculty tenure guidelines.

IX. Recom= mendations for Committee Appointments

A. Grieva= nce Panel- Ms. Cantu, in consultation with the Executive Committee of the Senate, provided the Senate with the following nominees to the Grievance Panel (whose terms will expire= in May, 2007): William C. Davis and Roberto Cortina<= /st1:PersonName> from Liberal Arts; Wayne Wells and Rodney Sullivan from Science, Math, and Technology; Gerald Hollier from Business; Paula Parson and Mary Curtis from Education; and Virginia Maldonado-Maxwell from Health Science. Ms. Cantu called for a motion to a= ccept these nominees and pass their names on to the President. Dr. Lopez so moved, with a second = from Dr. Peltz. The motion carried= .

B. Academ= ic Standards and Student Records- no recommendations.

C. Inform= ation Resources Committee- Sessia Wyche was nominated to serve on the Information Resources Committee. Dr. Peltz moved to approve his nomination, with a second from Ms. Collinsworth. The motion carried.

X. = HOOP Policies

HOOP Policy 7.2.2- “Gradua= te Faculty”- this= was the second reading of this policy before the Senate. Dr. Lackey presented this pol= icy and reported that the changes requested by the Senate at the last meet= ing were made. The policy ha= s been approved by Deans and Chairs. There was no com= ment or corrections to the policy. The Senate approved the policy on second read.

HOOP Policy 7.5.1- “Select= ion of Department Chairs and Academic

Directors” U= pdate- Dr. Martin updated the Senate on this policy. He said that the policy was approv= ed by Deans Council with a change in the language from 2/3s to simple majority. The policy now moves to Provost Co= uncil, Executive Council and UT-system.

XI. = New Business

There was no New Business.

XII. = Provost’s Report

Dr. Martin had nine items in his report.

Dr. Dameron has served as our interim dean for more than a year, and we’re pleased that he now is the “New Dean”.

We want to thank the Search Committee, which was chaired by Professor Manuel Medrano of the History Department. Other members of = the Search Committee are Professors Bill Davis, Behavioral Sciences; Noel Otu, Cr= iminal Justice; Elizabeth Vidaurri, English and Communication; Lidia Diaz, Modern Languages; and William Harris, English and Communication; and Ms. Rhonda Riveria, Student Senator from the College of Liberal Arts; Dr. Carl Stockton, Dean, School of Education; Ms. Mabel Hockaday, Assist= ant Director, Library; and Dr. Maria Elena Valdes-Corbeil<= /span>, Director, Learning Assistance Center.

Dr. Medrano gave t= he keynote speech at the Excellence Awards Ceremony for outstanding stude= nts several weeks ago, and we encourage you to attend next Friday’s ceremony at SETB. Three = Distinguished Alumni will be honored this year:&nbs= p; Rear Admiral Jose Luis Betancourt, Commander of the U.S. Navy’s Southwest Region based in San Diego, Navy Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Da= vid Nunez, who is a dental surgeon who assisted in identifying 9-11 victim= s; and Mr. Welcome W. Wilson Sr= ., a Houston Real Estate developer, financier and broker.

Dr. Lehker has been selected as UTB= /TSC’s nominee for the CASE Professor of th= e Year Award.

Recommendations for both the Chancellor’s Council Outstanding Teaching Award and the CASE Professo= r of the Year Award were made by a distinguished committee of former recipients = of the Chancellor’s Council Award. Members of the selection committee this year were Professors Mary Wa= gner of the Math Department; Milo Kearney of the Social Sciences Department; Graciela Rosenberg of Curriculum and Instruction; Anne Rentfro of Nursing; Joe Zavaletta of the Center for Civ= ic Engagement; Terry Tomllin of the Fine Arts Department; and Alfredo Munoz of the Biology Department, who served as Chai= r. We thank this Committee for their excellent work in reviewing more than 20 portfolios submitted by nominees for these prestigious recognitions.

The academy would accept 50 t= o 75 outstanding high school juniors and seniors each year to take college courses on our campus. T= hey would complete their freshmen and sophomore years of college while, at= the same time, earning their high school diploma. The bill was received favorab= ly by the committees, and we expect it will move forward in both the House a= nd Senate. If the bill is approved, we would plan to start the Academy in Fall 2006.

&= nbsp; Our request is moving along with the requests by all other state institutions, and we hope that the outcome will be positive.

Thirteen student= s have been selected to participate in the academy. They will spend their mornings preparing for the LSAT examination, and they’ll hear guest speak= ers and take field trips in the afternoons. This will be the first time t= hat we’ve had a representative from Kaplan to teach the preparation course for the students. In the past, law clerks have been the teachers. U.S. District Judge Hilda Tagle is assisting us with the academy. Professor Charles Chapman of = the Social Sciences Department and Mr. Floyd Akers, our university legal advisor, worked with Dr. Ragland in making this opportunity available = to students who are interested in a career in law.

Dr. Teresa Sullivan, the executive vice chancellor for UT academic institutions, = and Dr. Kenneth Shine, executive vice chancellor for medical and health-re= lated institutions, will be visiting with faculty and others who collaborate= in research with the RAHC. = Dr. Joe McCormick, the Browns= ville regional Dean, will be coordinating the visit.

The HOOP now has been approved by both the Deans Council and the Deans and Chairs Council. The only change made was the one that I mentioned at the last Senate meeti= ng- deleting language stating that two-thirds of the eligible faculty must vote. Under the revised = HOOP, the Chairs and Program Directors would be elected by a simple majority= of those casting ballots. T= he HOOP now moves to the Provost Council and Executive Council before goi= ng on to UT System.

For the first time, they are being conducted online. Dr. Mrinal Mugdh has designed= the online evaluation process and is here today to answer any questions you might have.

We have almost 800 students eligible to receive diplomas.

XII. = Announcements

There was one announcement.

XIII. Adjournment

The meeting stood adjourned at 4:35 p.m..

Respectfully submitted,

Julie Ann Larson

Secretary, UTB/TSC Academic Senate