Meeting, November 10, 2005
Gallagher Business Building, Room 123

                                                            approved 12/8/05                                                           

Members Present:
E. Ametsbichler, D. Beck, J. Campana, K. Canty, J. Crepeau, D. Dalenberg, S. Derry, M. DeGrandpre, A. Delaney, P. Dietrich, D. Doyle, W. Freimund, J. Gannon,  S. Gaskill, F. Glass, L. Gillison, S. Gordon, S. Greymorning C. Hand, T. Herron, K. Hill,  C. Johnston, S. Justman, K. Kane, C. Knight, B. Knowles, M. Kupilik, B. Larson, C. Lawrence,  S. Li, C. Loisel,  J. Luckowski, D. McCrea, J. McNulty, V. Micheletto, M. Monsos, B. Reider, Y. Reimer, F. Rosenzweig, D. Schuldberg, D, Six, R. Skelton, G. Smith, J. Sommers-Flanagan, F. Snyder, A. Sondag, S. Stiff, H. Thompson, K. Unger A. Ware, S. Yoshimura

Members Excused:
S. Brewer,  J. Carter, G. Cobbs, L. Frey W. Holben,  L. Knott, C. Nichols, E. Putnam, J. Sears, P. Silverman, M. Tonon

Members Absent:

C. Bruneau, F. Cardozo-Pelaez, D. Potts

 

Ex-Officio Present:
President Dennison, Provost Muir,  Registrar Bain, Associate Provost Staub and Walker-Andrews

 

Chair Crepeau called the meeting to order.
Registrar Bain called the roll.

 

Chair Crepeau explained the mistake that took place at the last meeting with regards to the minutes.  According to Roberts Rules minutes are read aloud by the secretary. I think we all agree that there is not enough time for this and therefore it has been the Senate’s practice to post the minutes for senators to review prior to the meeting and then to ask for any corrections at the time of the meeting.  In the past a senator will make a motion that is seconded and a vote is taken. However, it is acceptable for the chair after hearing no corrections to accept the minutes as read into the record and there is no need for a vote. Thus, Chair Crepeau asked for corrections to the September 8th minutes.  Hearing none the minutes were approved.

There were some concerns expressed with regards to the October 13th minutes.  The first draft posted indicated that a quorum was not present.  This statement was then removed by the Administrative Associate after confirming with the Registrar that some time after the roll, as senators drifted in there was in fact a quorum, but it was lost later in the meeting after several senators had left.  Chair Crepeau will now be making a digital recording of the meeting for back-up and a student will be transcribing the minutes.  

Chair Crepeau indicated that Roberts Rules speaks very clearly with regards to this issue.  “If the quorum drifts away during the meeting, it is not inappropriate to allow the meeting to continue; however, it is highly inappropriate to do any business.”  Thus, there was no voting on the action item at the October meeting.

Chair Crepeau asked for corrections to the October 13th minutes.  Hearing none the minutes were entered into the record.

 

Communications:

President Dennison

The President elaborated on the priorities of the comprehensive fundraising campaign.  The Invest in Discovery view books, a listing of fund-raising priorities (gift table), and a tower logo stick pen were distributed to senators.   The campaign is now at approximately $74 million.  According to the professional you should receive 60% of your target from the top 15 to 26 donors.  During the silent phase you seek leadership gifts from the first 26 donors. At this point there has been one donation between five and ten million. There are five $2.5 million or more, and 12 gifts of $1 million apiece. The Foundation conducted a feasibility study a couple of years ago that interviewed friends and alums of the university. They were asked about priorities. These were categorized and the target was set at $100 million.  This was divided with approximately 16% in endowments for undergraduate and graduate students, 17% in endowments for faculty chairs and professorships, and 12% for general program endowments.  Thirty-five percent of the total is going to endowments and about 6 or 7% is for general program support that will be spent as it arrives.   The remainder is in facilities.  This outline is not unlike what you find in most campaigns. 


The Board of Trustees voted in 2003 to launch the silent phase of the campaign.  The campaign was announced publicly after reaching $72 million. Many of the donors were contacted on a preliminary basis prior to 2003 so the campaign was backdated one year to July 1, 2002 in accordance with the rules of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). A little over $2 million has come in since the announcement.  The campaign should be completed by the end of 2007.

 

The PowerPoint presentation and the gift table handout listed the priorities and the President briefly described them.

Alumni Association

$5,500,000

$5 mil. Alumni Development Center

College of Arts & Sciences

$15,600,000

$6 mil. for the Native American Center
& $4.5-5 million in endowed shares

Business Administration

$13,250,000

$5.1 mil. For the Gilky Center for Executive Education, several endowed shares and program support

COT

$1,100,000

Technology and equipment

Continuing Education

$350,000

Infrastructure for research

Honors College

$2,980,000

Support for students

Education

$7,050,000

$6 mil. donated by the Washington’s for the Education Center that will assure teachers are prepared in a way relevant to the 21st century

Fine Arts

$6,517,500

Mostly scholarships and support with some for the Media Arts renovation

Flathead Lake Biological Station

$3,100,000

Endowed shares

Forestry & Conservation

$5,475,000

Mostly endowments

Graduate School

$2,000,000

Fellowships

Health Professions & Biomedical Sciences

$10,500,000

$4 million goes toward the facility; endowed shares, scholarships and fellowships

Athletics

$3,325,000

Scholarships

Journalism

$14,300,000

$11 million for Don Anderson Hall

Law

$9,000,000

Building expansion

Library

$975,000

Acquisitions, facility, study rooms

Mansfield Center

$380,000

Training related to programs

Museum of Art & Culture

$6,000,000

Enhanced Facility

O’Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West

$500,000

Toward the endowment to support current programs

President’s Opportunity Fund

$2,000,000

Provides an endowment for the excellence funds that are available to respond to the needs of student organizations, faculty & etc.

Student Affairs

$3,100,000

$3 million for scholarships, some for programming for leadership programs and services

 

$100,000,000

 

 

These priorities were outlined or selected on the basis of proposals that have come in from the schools or colleges.  If a potential donor has a particular interest that is not on the priorities list we cooperate with them. All of the fifteen Campaign Steering Committee members donated.  Alone they provided $8 million.  We are getting support from the current and Emeriti trustees of the Foundation as well as the administration and staff.  

 

The view book outlines the purpose of the campaign: people, programs, and places.  Recently there was a campaign event in Seattle hosted by John Connors, a former CFO of Microsoft.  He invited a few guests and they were informed of the campaign by a few deans and others.  A lot of research has been done to understand a potential donor’s interest.  There is a marketing DVD and an enhanced website with streaming-video.  These types of meetings will be going on wherever there are alums.  There will be lots of communications.  The Montanan will have stories, a Campaign Connections newsletter will provide updates, and there will be events to recognize donors. There will be a lot of publicity because it is critical that we succeed.

Faculty can help by being enthusiastic about the campaign. If you are aware of individuals interested in your projects, inform the dean or the Foundation.  There are development officers assigned to each school and college that would love your suggestions.  Faculty will probably be asked to help in acknowledging donors.  The stewardship of donors is one of the most important tasks of the University.

 

The videos were shown.  There were no questions.

 

Provost Muir:

The Provost presented the Senate with the Nontenurable Academic Appointment Report. Compared to last year there has been an increase of 20 instructional tenure track faculty.  The percentage of nontenurable relative to tenerable faculty has decreased by 1.6%. Overall the University is well within the policy limitations of 25% and almost all the schools and colleges are under.  The College of Technology and the Law School are over 25%.  An exception for the Law is build into the policy and Academic Affairs will evaluate the situation at the COT.

 

The increase in faculty is in part the result of Academic Quality Initiatives as well as the effective way Academic Affairs reuses money when lines are vacated.  The Provost disseminated the fiscal year 2006-2007 Academic Quality Initiatives and asked the senators to share the information with their departments. There seems to be units still unaware of these.  There is now planning going into the third Academic Quality Initiatives for 2008-2009.   The Provost is pleased that the concept is now built into the University functioning because we need to keep investing in academic quality in the future. 

 

UFA President Kupilik:
The UFA President Kupilik provided an update of the Inter-Units Benefits Committee meeting.  The health insurance plan is very healthy with a strong reserve, so premiums should be constant over this biennium.

 

The public retirement systems are part of the Montana State Constitution.  Campus wide, 40% of the faculty are still on TRS, the other 60% are on TIAA-CREF.   The state government has been meeting in special committee to address the TRS unfunded liability.  The recommendation is to: 1) infuse the TRS retirement fund with $100 million; and 2) increase the TRS state contribution to 11.58%.  This does not change the benefits.  The calculation remains: Years of service times 1.67 divided by 60, as a percent of your last three or highest paid years. All the recommendations do is resolve the unfounded liability over the next 75 years.

This might make the campaign to change the state contribution for TIAA-CREF a little harder.  Indeed, when TIAA-CREF was negotiated as a choice, it was structured so the 2.9% less state contribution was to amortize the unfounded liability.  This is why TRS has a state contribution of 7.47% and TIAA-CREF is at 4.57%.  Since 1993 there was no longer a choice and all new faculty were required to join TIAA-CREF.   The 4.57% is still the lowest rate in the nation for state contribution to TIAA-CREF and is unfair. Therefore the UFA is starting a three-part campaign to get the TIAA-CREF contribution increased.

 

1)      We will lobby the legislature.  We will have a legislator to sponsor a bill and we will actively support that bill. 

2)      We will approach the Board of Regents and talk to them about supporting us in trying to get the state contribution to TIAA-CREF increased.

3)      We will be asking the faculty to help during the legislative session. We may try to pack the House Administration Committee meeting when they look at our bill.  This will let them know there is an interest and make it harder for them to say, “No.”

 

The union is also supporting a Raise Montana initiative.   The initiative is to raise the minimum wage in Montana by $1.00 per hour: from $5.15 to $6.15 per hour.  You can’t live on $5.15.  You can’t live on $6.15, but it’s better than $5.15.  It also puts a cost of living increase into the minimum wage.  We invite you to join the union in supporting this initiative over the summer to get it on the ballot next fall and will be looking for signatures on a petition. 

 

Senator Thompson asked about the other regional states contribution to TIAA-CREF and how Montana compares. 

 

UFA President Kupilik responded that Montana is the lowest in the union.  He believes the average is around 7%.  One state has a 9% contribution.  The contribution makes a big difference for faculty on TIAA-CREF because the defined contribution determines how much is invested and ultimately the returns.  The TRS benefit is defined by a formula. 

 

Senator Lawrence requested that some research be conducted and made available to the faculty as a whole. Then a conversation across the state could take place in the proper context.  There are tremendous discrepancies.

 

President Kupilik agreed.  The union will put out a Focus that lists various states and their contribution.  It is a difficult to compare the returns of TIAA-CREF to TRS because there is some control over how the money is invested in TIAACREFF.

 

Senator Hand is interested in getting Social Work students involved in the Raise Montana initiative. 
President Kupilik will send the information right away.   

 

Chair’s Report:

Chair Crepeau announced that nominations for the service award should be sent to the Senate Office.  A flier will be distributed electronically soon.

 

He asked Senator Monsos to elaborate on the criteria of the award because one of his colleagues received the award last year.  

 

Professor Monsos described Karen Kaufman as one of those amazing instructors that gets involved at every level.  She works with every age group.  She teaches groups of kids all the way up to college students.  She reaches out to the community through Math Moves.  She does a lot of community outreach and has been recognized nationally for her work.  Some of her choreographed pieces have been picked up nationally and performed across the country.  She always does things well and to benefit the University and the program.  It was really easy to nominate Karen because she is tremendous. 

 

Senator Knowles has a nomination letter and asked how it should be submitted.  

 

Chair Crepeau indicated Good and Welfare would be the appropriate time.

 

 

Committee Reports:

  • ASCRC, Chair Jean Luckowski
    ECOS requested that only items shared with ECOS last week be moved to approval.  Thus items approved at ASCRC this week are not on this consent agenda but will be in December. 

    The November Curriculum Consent agenda was approved unanimously without questions. There were no additions to the agenda since its posting.

 

 

  • Graduate Council, Chair Neil Moisey
    There was one late addition to the curriculum consent agenda.  Associate Provost Walker Andrews requested that the Level I proposal to create an M.S. Option in International Resource Management under the existing M.S. Resource Conservation Degree be consider because it is currently on the Board of Regents agenda. This was discussed at Graduate Council and approved.  It went electronically to ECOS so that it could go on the agenda. 

    The Curriculum Consent agenda was approved unanimously without questions.

 

Old Business:

Both the Bylaw amendment to change the General Education and the ASCRC’s Graduation Appeals Committees’ structure were approved.  Two members in the College of Arts and Sciences are being added to the General Education committee for balance.  There will now be five from the college and the schools.  One faculty member has been added to the Graduation Appeals Committee for continuity and the members have been specified as the current, past and future ASCRC chairs.

 

 

Good and Welfare:

 

Senator Gillison referenced the email communications from Professor Ausland.  He raises important issues.  When do we have a quorum?  How do we know we have a quorum?  How do we know who is here and who isn’t here? 
 

Chair Crepeau indicated that the email communication between ECOS members and the full Senate can be viewed in the Senate Office if anyone has an interest.  It is public information.  I believe that systematically archiving hard copies of every bit of this is problematic.  However, it is not too hard to organize things and search for dates, subject mater, mailing lists, and things like that.

 

Senator Gillison commented that the minutes should reflect what happens at the meeting as close as possible. 

 

The Senate’s Administrative Associate Camie stated that the actual documented roll call of the 10-13-05 meeting shows 35 senators present and the total of excused and absent senators equals 30.  A quorum is half plus one. Therefore the line “There was not a quorum” was removed from the minutes posted in October. 

 

Chairman Crepeau commented that at some point in the meeting there was a quorum, but that it drifted and that has to be delt with that in a reasonable way.

 

Senator Gillison asked what happens when a quorum fades away.

 

Chairman Crepeau stated that Roberts Rules are clear that you can continue informational type items and that sort of thing, but no voting on business items. 

 

Senator Knowles asked whether he should read his nomination for the Service Award. 

 

Senator Ametsbichler informed the Senate that ECOS makes the determination and thus the names should remain confidential. 

 

Senator Ware commented that the Senate does not want to get in the business of justifying the decision to the candidates that were not chosen.  

 

Senator Knowles handed the nomination to Camie without announcing the name. 

 

Senator Heron congratulated her colleague Cameron Lawrence for successfully completing his dissertation at the London School of Economics a few weeks ago. 

 

The meeting was adjourned.