UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA

Faculty Senate

Approved Minutes

October 21, 1998

1. and 2. Call Order and Roll

The regular meeting was called to order by Calvin Jones, Chair, at 3:00 p. m. in Library 5. The Secretary called the roll:

Present: Arata, Benoit, Broadus, Caldwell, DeWitt, Dilsaver, Engebretson, Frederick, Hamid, Hamm, Haywick, Hitt, Jones, Labbe, Langan, Martin, McGinnis, McIntosh, McIver, Morris, Moak, Mulekar, Norman, Payne, Ryder, Sweet, Strange, Swint, Sylvestre, Van Haneghan, Williams, Vetrosky, Vinson.

Absent (excused): Allison, Davidson-Shiver, Foster, Thurston, Trufant, Tucker.

Absent: Ballard, Brandon, Camp, Cepeda, Chrsylee, Dorman, Douglass, Evans, Honkanen, Izenberg, LeDoux, McAfee, Parker, Sternberg, Teplick, Tuck-Muller, Weston, C. Wilson, G. Wilson, Zhang.

The Minutes of the Meeting of September 16, 1998 were approved.

4. Report from the Chair.

Calvin Jones reported the following:

a. The University is facing a $3,150,490 deficit for the academic year, of which approximately $2 million can be attributed to the shortfall in tuition fees. An increase in student credit hours in the Spring semester would help to defray the deficit. In addition, there will be a projected increase, from 4.03% to 6.38%, in contributions to the Retirement System of Alabama, or a $1.3 million increase in University funding. Suggested solutions to the deficit problem may be:

i. Utilize the $400,000 contingency fund.

ii. Utilize $715,000 in unfilled administrative positions. 88% of the Operating and Management Budget is in salaries and some savings will be found in this area: e.g., a freeze on staff employment and on reclassification; a special committee will review exceptions. In addition, some staff and administrative positions will be cut or frozen. Deans will determine within their units how to come up with the remaining $1.6 million. The amount required by Academic Affairs will be $800,000.

iii. Tax 3-ledger accounts

iv. “Temporary Instruction Budget Deficit” of $400,000. This so-called deficit comes in part from covering unfilled positions with part time faculty, which is loss costly than regular faculty. Another part results from reassigned time for regular faculty. Although there should be a consistent and reasonable policy with respect to reassigned time, caution is important since instituting a practice indicates the university’s commitment (or lack thereof) to the value of research and to individual faculty members. It has an effect on the ability to hire and retain good faculty and the reputation of the institution as a whole. This touches on the workload issue.

v. Recover funded research reassigned time. If grant money is not being recovered as it should be, then an attempt should be made to use this source. However, many granting agencies are specific in their designations of how the money can be used, and there are differences among disciplines in this regard.

vi. Early retirement - a possibility to be considered next year.

vii. Sale of the yacht “Alice”.

Dr. Jones reported that President Moulton stated in the Budget Committee meeting that there would be no further ad hoc salary adjustments in the future. However, Mr. Moulton said that he would appoint a committee to examine and compare for parity and equity purposes salaries of all employees, including faculty, with other universities. Jones made a recommendation for Senate representation on the Committee.

Dr. Jones announced that he and Dr. Strange had been invited to attend the USA Foundation meeting on October 22, 1998.

Michael Caldwell, Arts and Sciences, has been appointed as the Public Relations person for the Senate.

Dr. Jones reported that Mr. Larry Striplin, Chair, Presidential Search Committee, accepted an invitation to address the Senate today regarding the progress of the Search Committee for a new President. However, Mr. Striplin later canceled the appointment, stating that he had nothing to say at this time because the Trustees were examining the By-Laws to ensure that the job description would be comparable to that of the Presidents of Alabama and Auburn Universities. After discussion of the Search process, the Senate voted to suspend the rules to introduce a resolution regarding the Presidential search (see attached). A motion to amend the resolution by changing the final paragraph was approved and the amended resolution also was approved.

Dr. Jones introduced Happy Fulford, Government Relations, who spoke briefly to the Senate. Mr. Fulford stressed the importance of the University community participating in the political arena since so much of our financial support comes from the State. He encouraged people to make donations to the Political Action Committee.

5. Reports from Senate Standing Committees

There were no new reports from the Standing Committees. Dr. Jones requested that comments on the new faculty handbook be forwarded to the Policy/Handbook Committee.

6. Reports of Caucus Leaders

There were no new reports from Caucus Leaders. Dr. Jones asked all caucus leader to encourage quarterly meetings with their respective members.

7. Old Business

An amendment to the Sick Leave Policy Resolution presently before the Senate was introduced and approved, and the amended resolution was also approved.

It was decided to continue the discussion of the Vacation Policy Resolution at the next meeting.

It was agreed to continue discussions on the Workload Policy Resolution at the next meeting.

The Senate voted to extend good wishes to President Moulton for his recovery from his recent surgery.

The next Senate meeting is scheduled for November 18, 1998.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:50 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Jeanne Sylvestre

Secretary

 

Faculty Senate

Resolution

Presidential Search

October 21, 1998

 

Whereas, the University of South Alabama has recently emerged from a difficult and painful period of transition in its leadership, and

Whereas, the student population and faculty have suffered the uncertainty of numerous unfilled key administrative posts including Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President of Medical Affairs/Dean of the Medical School, Director of the Libraries, and Director of Development, and

Whereas, the ability to fill many of these positions is likely to be contingent upon the appointment of a permanent University President, and

Whereas, delays in initiating a formal search for the most qualified candidate for University President only serves to continue the current state of abeyance in developing the academic core of this University, and

Whereas, the University can best achieve its potential through a wide-ranging search for the best possible candidate,

Be It Resolved that the University of South Alabama Faculty Senate, in the spirit of moving the process forward, respectfully requests that the duly appointed Search Committee communicate to the University community its timetable for completing the various stages of the search process.

 

Faculty Senate Resolution

Sick Leave Policy

October 21, 1998

 

Whereas the University of South Alabama contributes to the State Retirement system on behalf of its Faculty at a rate equal to that of other state-supported Alabama universities, and

Whereas most, if not all, other Alabama universities have already implemented sick leave policies that include provisions for applying unused sick leave toward retirement, and

Whereas the University of South Alabama Faculty are equally deserving of this benefit

Be it Resolved that the University of South Alabama Faculty Senate recommends the implementation of a Faculty sick leave policy with the following provisions:

1. Sick leave will accumulate at a rate of one day per month of service (9 days per year for 9 month appointments, 12 days per year for 12 month appointments).

2. Unused sick leave will accumulate from year to year.

3. A total of 225 days may be applied toward retirement benefits, the equivalent of 15 months service credit.

4. Current full-time faculty will be credited sick leave for departmental use at the rate of 1 day per month of previous service, up to a total of 225 days. Departmental sick leave will not be applied toward retirement.

5. Faculty who have not accrued 90 days of official or department-use sick leave will be eligible for up to 90 days of catastrophic illness leave. The period of catastrophic illness leave will progressively decrease at the rate regular leave accumulates and by the amount departmental leave is awarded based on prior service. Catastrophic leave can only be used when under a physician's care.