1) Dr. McNamee started by saying that President Steger has finished his visits to all the academic departments. Dr. Steger enjoyed the visits and he has been consistently impressed. He takes issues very seriously and we are looking at addressing them. January 9th is the next AdvanceVT meeting: Woman in Science in Engineering, and a catalyst for university wide change.

2) A joint meeting of the BOV Academic Affairs and Student Affairs Committees will take place on January 22nd. The purpose of the retreat is to identify the issues that the BOV can address in future agendas. We’ve made progress in the past and plan to develop specific items and include the kind of issues that are important to faculty. Senators are encouraged to e-mail Dr. McNamee or Kerry with suggestions.

3) Strategic Plan: We’re at the stage of implementing the plan (6 year budget). There is a necessity to make choices due to budget constraints. It’s forcing administration to take planning serious. One strategy is to ask colleges to take 1% of budget targeted by each unit for investing into the strategic plan. We now have to mobilize to make energy a top discovery domain. Great breadth of faculty across departments dealing in energy. Looking to enhance funding opportunities in energy.

4) Operating Budget: Addressing operating needs of departments at department level. Process developed for operating dollars to be allocated by work load factors (about 6 different parameters). Also considering total budget so money is properly distributed.

Comments and Questions From Faculty:

• Needs with respect to sabatical: any follow-up? Provost: The issue was who was picking up the spot – we have more flexibility. Some issues fixed because of recruiting. Some operating dollars can be used, but we still have some way to go.

• Discussion about faculty salaries. Several years ago that target was supposed to be 6%, but percentage that filtered down was much lower. Provost: calculation showed that 5.6% average for 4 years would reach 60th percentile of peers. Then state decided to do it in context of 6 year budget. This placed pressure not to get too much in front of them. When state offered 4% increase, only some of it came from state dollars. We have made decision to see if state was honestly going to get us to 60th in 6 years – we adjusted our pace. We’re still at 4.5% and we’re making progress.

• The 1% to strategic initiative: In order to keep reallocating to strategic plan, the best way is not to have people compete.

• Generally every unit gets same percentage. Administration within college still works with 4% pool. Ultimate decision on what to do with it is left up to deans.

• UVA agreed to take raises from foundation. Provost: The State’s contribution to their funds also gets eroded. They have a much bigger Foundation operation. We don’t have the same flexibility in endowments. The charter initiative gives lots of freedom to operate, but doesn’t change how we get money.

• SCHEV is having all universities revisit their peer group. Our premise is that we have a good peer group. Once they lay out the criteria, finding matches is a mechanical process. The challenge is that no university is quite like us. We want the strongest peer group. We have 23 peers.

• Peer group approach seems to involve simple math. When one competes for faculty and for research, there seems to be a simple minded approach. One could do it by department rather than by institution. Provost: Trying to do it by every department would not be all that helpful. We have all the data, by rank, college, etc. But it doesn’t fit with SCHEV’s model. If we were at 60th percentile, we wouldn’t have any issues. We’re somewhere between 5-10% off.

• Tuition increases: BOV can raise tuition. State is aware of our intentions. State is not giving indication that they will penalize us for it. If there appears to be a big push, then they might step in. Universities know they should be responsible and not raise it beyond their needs.

• We don’t tie tuition dollars to a specific use. We are sensitive to using the tuition dollars responsibly. Some of it goes to faculty salaries.

• We’re behind, but trying to reach 60th by 2010.

• In 6 years 12% of faculty will be retiring. Could relax the dollars needed. How does it affect state? Provost: More expensive faculty retire. This decreases our average faculty salary. Because we’re so big, it self corrects. New faculty also gets higher and higher salaries.

Dr. McNamee remarked that we’re all in it together. He invited discussion and is willing to answer any questions. Kerry closed the floor for questions and presented Dr. McNamee with a small gift, thanking him for addressing the Faculty Senate.

Some related comments made by Senators included the following:

• We’d like to see more information in the yearly salary letters, such as, the range of raises by rank, averages, and other information to help the process and outcome be more transparent.
  
• We'd like to see more attention to the general treatment of faculty: access to McComas; increased salaries; better benefits including childcare and discounts on tuition for children of faculty.
  
  There’s a general consensus for a series "white papers" to be developed that are focused on issues affecting faculty. These white papers would be made available to all stakeholders - faculty, administration, BOV, and others.

1) Faculty voice was absent from culmination of student academic experience. Be the voice. The center of their education; time in classroom, labs, etc. It’s a very important contribution.

2) A month into tenure as president of the Faculty Senate, she went to a college meeting where she sat next to a colleague and he complained about the Faculty Senate. “…impossible to know what they are doing…” She responded with info about the Faculty Senate website. Our attitudes are often not constructive. We’ve talked about problems of communication. It’s about attitude & empowerment of ourselves. Education and empowerment. On paper there truly is shared governance.

3) We need to take individual responsibilty. Senatorship is a serious business and should be. What if each senators sent us all a paragraph – not minutes. Educate each other. Committing to inform each other is a tiny slice of our time. We can get outraged about football, but we don’t get outraged about important other issues.

4) So WHAT DO WE DO? In such a hierarchical institution?

• ACT AS IF OF COURSE WE HAVE A VOICE. WE ARE THE FACULTY OF VT. Proceed with that.
• Institutionalize network of communications between commissions and committees so every senator knows what’s going on. Give input to departments. Collect input. Collectively decide to share info informally on the listserv.
• Moving Faculty Senate meeting time. We need to look at that again. Would regular daytime meeting do better?

5) VT is extraordinary for 2 reasons. It has a group of people here who really want to be here. There seems to be low morale, but extreme loyalty. Hierarchical history may be dragging us backwards. Yet, extraordinary faculty, amazing people who stopped voicing them. A generalized assumption that nothing will come of that.

6) We tend to think that we don’t have any power. But we think our own power away. It is a great honor to be part of this body. Don’t lose sight of it.
Kerry thanked Susanna and presented her with a gift (desk clock) in appreciation for her service and leadership as president of faculty senate during the previous term.

• Benefits to University Community. On Board of Directors for Bookstore. Total funds distributed to VT Foundation between 1977 and 2006: $30,637,117. How funds are used is determined by President and BOV. Uses: ~$5M athletics, $4M creative arts (villa San Vitale).
  
• How do they set prices: Textbooks bought at net cost from publisher.
  
• National textbook price benchmark: 25% markup and 10% price cut from that.
  
• New Book price example: Publishers’ net = $121.25; New price= $161.63-$16.17 = $145.46 (round to $145.46)
  
• Other bookstores typically price at full MSRP. Bookstore generally cheaper than other bookstores including Amazon.com. Uses profits for benefit of University community.
  
• Distinguishing publisher vs. university bookstore pricing has many factors involved:

• Validity of pricing comparisons:
• New vs. used
• With/without ancillaries
• Individual vs. boosktore sellers.
• Mailing handling costs
• Returns policy.

• Bookstore makes positive contribution. Makes money on selling T-shirts and sweatshirts.
  
• We have disclosure policy – for students to use other sources.

• AY/CY Salary Update: Meeting on Jan 12th with principle players to explore possibility. Linda Woodard, Pat Hyer and others.
• ORP Update: Still on President’s desk. Waiting for his input/decision.
• Meeting with University Club Officials: We had some dialog with university club officials. President has cleared some funds for trial coffee/wine receptions.
• SCHEV Advisory Committee Update: There’s been meeting. More to bring to the table later on.

• Valid Issues for Grievances (University Council action): Was passed by University Council. It next goes to BOV.
• P and T Committee Membership Resolution update: Val urged that the resolution must appear before University Council by Feb 5th – hence it must exit Faculty Senate today. Asking for guidance from senators. It was decided that there was a need more discussion and prepare it for next cycle.
  Motion to not proceed tonight, but collect more input until Spring 2007.
• Student Evaluation of Teaching Resolution: Postponed until next meeting.