University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Senate

Academic Calendars CommitteesFaculty Policy Guide Honorary Degree Awards SEC Meeting Schedule Senate Agendas & Minutes Senate Meeting Schedule Senate Meeting Videos Senate Members Senator Guide

MINUTES
URBANA-CHAMPAIGN SENATE MEETING

April 27, 1998

A regular meeting of the Urbana-Champaign Senate was called to order at 3:25 p.m., in Foellinger Auditorium, with Chancellor Michael Aiken presiding.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES
04/27/98-01 Minutes of the March 30, 1998, meeting were approved as written.

SENATE COUNCIL REPORT
Senator Richard Schacht (LAS), Chair of Senate Council, announced that floor privileges have been requested for the following individuals, and he moved that such privileges be granted, to speak to: EP.98.19, Revision of the Master of Arts in the Teaching of German; and EP.97.18, Guidelines for Campus-wide Undergraduate Minors, LAS Associate Dean Eugene Giles; SP.98.06, Proposed Editorial Revisions to the University Statutes, Professor Emeritus Ken Andersen, principal author of these proposed statutory revisions. There was no objection. Schacht reported that Senate Council recently discussed the following:

Campus Budget Oversight Committee. Council reviewed the bio statements of CBOC nominees, and approved the slate of candidates for presentation to the Senate today (SC.98.14).

Post-Tenure Review. Professor Donald Uchtmann, Senate Council Vice-Chair and Chair of the ad hoc Tenure Issues Committee, will introduce today's Committee of the Whole Discussion on this subject.

Revisions to the Code. Council reviewed the CCG report on Code revisions to "Nondiscrimination and other Policy Statements Related to Affirmative Action and to Equal Opportunity and Treatment for all Students", which is on today's agenda for action (CG.98.02).

Task Force on the Future of the University Library. On April 7, Council heard a report from the Chair of this Task Force, Interim Provost Thomas Mengler. Council resumed discussion of this Report at an April 22 meeting, and concluded that a special Senate meeting should be called (on May 4) to provide an opportunity for Senate discussion of the Task Force Report and to take action on the recommendation to establish a Campus Library Policy Board.

Provost Search. On April 7, Council heard a status report from Provost Search Committee Chair Paul Bohn, who hopes to have the list of candidates (110) down to a workable size by the end of May or early June for initial interviewing. The Search Committee will refer 5-8 candidates to the Chancellor.

Graduate Education Task Force Report. Acting upon a recommendation from GUP, in conjunction with GUP's response to the Graduate Education Task Force Report, Council considered disposition of task force reports in general-how to ensure that proposed recommendations are received and implemented.

Tenure Rollbacks. The AFT response to the ad hoc Committee on Tenure Rollbacks Proposal (probationary credit) was referred to GUP to consider policy issues and to USSP for drafting proposed statutory language.

Intellectual Property. GUP reviewed revisions to the General Rules relative to Intellectual Property, which were approved by the Senate on February 9. GUP recommended, and Council concurred, that the section dealing with the University Intellectual Property Committee should specify the appointment of a faculty representative from each campus to the committee.

Sexual Harassment Task Force Report. Task Force Chair Jill Kagle and other members of the task force are scheduled to meet with Council on May 6 to address the responses from Senate Committees (CCG, AFT, EQ, GUP, and Student Life).

Internet-based Distance Education. Vice-President Sylvia Manning will sponsor a Faculty Seminar on Internet-based distance education, "Teaching at an Internet Distance: Questions of Educational Value." Senate Council will nominate 3-6 faculty members who might serve as participants in the seminar.

Schacht announced that the following senators agreed to serve as tellers: James L. Robinson (ACES), Nancy O'Brien (LIBR), J. Fred Giertz (CBA), and Wright Neely (LAS).

CHANCELLOR'S REMARKS
Chancellor Aiken welcomed newly elected senators, next year's Senate Council Chair Richard Schacht and Vice-Chair Erica McClure, and all new committee members. He then thanked the senate for approving provisions for the Campus Budget Oversight Committee (CBOC), which he cited as a victory for shared governance.

QUESTIONS/DISCUSSION
Senator Stephen Kaufman (MED) asked for a response to President Stukel's decision to heed university counsel and drop the pursuit of benefits for same-sex and unmarried, opposite-sex domestic partners of university employees. Senate Council Chair Schacht replied that the University Senates Conference (USC) will address the matter in its meeting with the President tomorrow.

CONSENT AGENDA
The Chancellor announced that, since he heard no objection, the following items were approved by unanimous consent:

04/27/98-02 EP.98.19*, Revision of the Master of Arts in the Teaching of German, LAS
04/27/98-03 SC.98.12*, Senate and Senate Council Calendar for 1998-99

PROPOSED REVISIONS TO THE STATUTES
04/27/98-04 Chancellor Aiken presented for second reading and action SP.98.06*, Proposed Editorial Revisions to the University Statutes. Senator H. George Friedman (ENGR), Statutes Committee Chair, described this document as stemming from the Board of Trustees need for a style guide to the Statutes. He characterized most of the revisions as editorial in nature, as explained in the covering document to this proposal. After noting that proposed statutory revisions from the College of ACES will come next year, he moved approval.
04/27/98-05 By voice vote, SP.98.06 was approved.

PROPOSALS FOR ACTION
04/27/98-06 The Chancellor presented for action CC.98.15*, Nomination for a Representative to the Faculty Advisory Committee of the IBHE. There were no floor nominations and nominations were declared closed.
04/27/98-07 By voice vote, the nomination was approved.

04/27/98-08 Chancellor Aiken presented for action CG.98.02*, Proposed Revision in Section 3 of "Nondiscrimination and other Policy Statements Related to Affirmative Action and to Equal Opportunity and Treatment for all Students" in the Code of Policies and Regulations Applying to all Students. Senator Carl Jones (VMED), CCG Chair, described these revisions as an attempt to clarify the existing policy by updating (HIV) terminology to that which is currently used by the medical and scientific communities and to clarify utilization policy for the McKinley Health Center. Specifically, changes in D and G were made to explain that current policy does not provide for treatment of non-students at McKinley. Also, McKinley can recommend but not require a report of HIV to the Health Center. Jones moved its approval.
04/27/98-09 By voice vote, CG.98.02 was approved.

04/27/98-10 The Chancellor presented for action EP.97.18*, Guidelines for Campus-wide Undergraduate Minors. Senator R. Linn Belford (LAS), Educational Policy Chair, described this proposal as a joint project between the A&A Deans and the Senate Committee on Educational Policy. Senator Wes Seitz (ACES) noted the apparent lack of "clearances" in the proposal, i.e., at what level will new minors be approved? Belford assured him that the Senate will approve all new minors.
04/27/98-11 By voice vote, EP.97.18 was approved.

04/27/98-12 Chancellor Aiken presented for action SC.98.14*, Approval of CBOC Nomination Slate. Senator Richard Schacht noted that Professors Miles Klein (Physics) and Edward Kolodziej (Political Science) belong under their appropriate disciplinary headings, Physical and Mathematical Sciences and Behavioral and Social Sciences, respectively. With that change, he moved approval of the slate of nominees. Senator Al Kagan (LIBR) announced that he was abstaining from voting on this slate because he felt the Senate had little input into this nomination process.
04/27/98-13 By voice vote, SC.98.14 was approved.

REPORTS OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF OTHER MEETINGS
The Chancellor presented the following meeting reports:

BOT
04/27/98-14 SC.98.18*, March 11-12, 1998, D. Uchtmann
04/27/98-15 SC.98.19*, April 8-9, 1998, H. G. Friedman

UPC
04/27/98-16 UP.98.03*, March 31 1998, J. L. Robinson

USC (G. Belford)
04/27/98-17 UC.98.06*, March 24, 1998

COMMITTEE ANNUAL REPORTS
Chancellor Aiken presented the following committee annual reports.

04/27/98-18 SC.98.17*, Senate Council
04/27/98-19 AF.98.04*, Academic Freedom and Tenure
04/27/98-20 AD.98.02*, Admissions
04/27/98-21 BG.98.06*, Budget
04/27/98-22 CC.98.14*, Committee on Committees
04/27/98-23 CG.98.03*, Conference on Conduct Governance
04/27/98-24 PS.98.01*, Continuing Education and Public Service
04/27/98-25 EP.98.17*, Educational Policy
04/27/98-26 EQ.98.02*, Equal Opportunity
04/27/98-27 GP.98.05*, General University Policy
04/27/98-28 HD.98.03*, Honorary Degrees
04/27/98-29 SL.98.02*, University Student Life
04/27/98-30 SP.98.07*, University Statutes and Senate Procedures

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE DISCUSSION
Senator Richard Schacht, Senate Council Chair, moved that the Senate convene as a Committee of the Whole to discuss the subject "Post-Tenure Review". There was no objection. Senator Don Uchtmann (ACES), Senate Council Vice-Chair and Chair of the ad hoc Tenure Issues Committee, reported that the preliminary report of his Committee is on the web and has also been mailed to all faculty. He acknowledged that he has received a number of comments from the campus community and he reiterated his call for comments by May 1. His committee hopes to submit a report for action to Senate Council next fall and to the Senate during the 1998-99 academic year. Uchtmann raised 3 questions that he guessed were on the minds of some in attendance, after which he invited comments from the floor:

1) What's the impetus for considering this issue now?
2) What "value" could be added by a post-tenure review process?
3) What are the greatest potential problems…costs (e.g., faculty time) greater than benefits? detracts from thoroughness of initial tenure decision? others?

Senator Emanuel Donchin (LAS) asserted that our strict merit review system is a post-tenure review system and such reviews should be undertaken for every faculty member. He added the Provost has the tools to implement the existing system. Senator Wes Seitz (ACES) agreed that we have existing procedures, but believed the question that needed an answer was how to handle the small percentage of problem cases.

Senator Stephen Kaufman (MED) felt that the explanation for the impetus of this discussion was the result of "public comments" about tenure was unnecessarily vague. Schacht responded that our "public" includes members of the Illinois legislature in Springfield, adding that we would be wiser to craft our own system, before one is foisted upon us.

Senator Al Kagan (LIBR) thought the University Administration ought to begin a public relations campaign to show the public the degree to which faculty work. Senator Ronald Sousa (LAS), member of Uchtmann's ad hoc Committee, did not believe that a pattern exists of uniform, campus-wide merit reviews, and that a written post-tenure review policy might help rectify deficiencies. Senator Nicholas Burbules (EDUC) agreed the only relevant argument for the establishment of a post-tenure policy is to correct problems with faculty performance.

Uchtmann thanked the Senate for its comments and he reiterated his call for comments by May 1.

EXECUTIVE SESSION
The Senate met in Executive Session to discuss honorary degree nominations.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:15 p.m.

Robert C. Damrau, Senate Clerk
*Filed with the Senate Clerk and incorporated by reference in these Minutes.