Vice Chairs Report Discussion with Administrators and Other Items

1
Vice Chairs Report -Discussion with
Administrators and Other Items

• Grant Miles
• November 10, 2004

2
President Pohl - 1

• Assessment of Distance Learning (report from
  Phil Turner)
• Nearly 20,000 use WebCT But most for grades,
  etc. in F2F classes
• About 4,500 headcount only online
• Calculating total costs and benefits is difficult
  but efforts being made
• Several Issues to consider
• Level of support and impact of new technology for
  all instruction
• How do we ensure/enable quality in online
  courses?
• Is this different/separate from ensuring/enabling
  quality for all instruction?

3
President Pohl - 2

• Follow up on Responsibility Centered Management
  (RCM) Who is involved?
• Movement towards 1 main committee led by Phil
  Deibel and Henry Hays
• Executive raised concerns about limited faculty
  involvement
• Working to ensure faculty involvement on both the
  Committee of the Whole and possible subcommittees

4
President Pohl - 3

• Related to RCM, research money, and THECB
  measures What happens to Music, SOVA, and
  others who have limited opportunities for raising
  research dollars?
• Reality of THECB assessment guides means that all
  will have to try for research dollars
• RCM would give us more accurate data on actual
  costs and revenues
• Possibility of differential tuition opens up
  additional option for raising funds

5
President Pohl Provost Johnson 1

• Is a research university the proper focus for
  UNT, how is this defined, and what is national
  reputation?
• Pohl THECB has placed us as an emerging
  research school and mostly defined this in terms
  of research .
• Johnson research is not only but also
  scholarship
• Reputation built both from perceptual rankings as
  well as rankings
• What is the alternative?
• Both Need to clearly set expectations cant
  have the perks if dont hold the standards

6
President Pohl Provost Johnson - 2

• Reimbursement of vendors and faculty
• No easy answer on how to speed up since delay can
  come at many levels
• Should get better as EIS smoothes out both from
  system and from freeing up people
• Will keep in mind how to improve as Academic and
  Strategic plans are formulated
• Keep bringing specific examples so that they can
  try to identify problem areas

7
President Pohl Provost Johnson - 3

• Status of recommendation to have administrators
  create circulate summary of activities before
  faculty evaluate
• Neither were aware of this recommendation before
  our question
• Will consider and look into it Appears that
  Deans had some reservations
• Executive will follow up

8
Provost Johnson - 1

• Status of Dean searches is this year still
  reasonable for hiring?
• COBA SOVA 2 search firm proposals in hand.
  Will decide which to use and move forward
• SLIS applications are starting to come in
• Encouraged faculty to utilize contacts and make
  good candidates aware of positions
• Time line still possible but will watch
  progression

9
Provost Johnson - 2

• Any update on Summer School pay, etc.
• Had hoped to have a final decision by this past
  Monday

10
Academic Plan Forum Updates

• Have held 2 forums 1 for Senators, 1 for task
  force members and volunteers
• Will hold a third on Friday, December 3rd open to
  entire academic community
• Initial focus on determining appropriate
  positioning and broadly how to achieve that
• Also looking for specific comments on current
  draft of plan
• What is missing?
• What is in but should not be?
• What is in and should stay in?

11
Academic Plan Forum Updates

• Need Senators to stay involved
• Can include comments even if cant attend
  meetings
• Need to express your views on current positioning
  ideas
• Go to mediation.sullivan.edu (no www)
• User ID Senate1
• Password UNT1
• Vote on position ideas which most resonate
  and are most important to you?