Report from Faculty Council

1
Report from Faculty Council

• Fall General Faculty Meeting
• October 25, 2007

2
Faculty Council Activities

• For Faculty Ballot
• Revision of Representation Rules
• Revision to Grievance Procedure
• Fiscal matters
• Support of academic freedom
• Repositioning the University
• Reactions
• Initiatives

3
Amendment for representation

• Current Collected Rules (300.010.H)

The following divisions shall be entitled to
representation on the Council College of
Agriculture College of Arts and Science College
of Business and Public Administration College of
Education College of Engineering School of
Forestry, Fisheries and Wildlife School of
Health Related Professions College of Home
Economics School of Journalism School of Law
School of Library and Informational Science
School of Medicine School of Nursing College of
Public and Community Services and College of
Veterinary Medicine.
4
Problems

• A couple of divisions no longer exist.
• Several units have changed their names to reflect
  expanded missions.
• Several new units (NSEI and Truman School) have
  been formed and are administered through the
  Graduate School.

5
Proposed Language

• Representation on the Council will be determined
  by division faculty numbers, where a division is
  defined as an academic unit headed by a dean who
  reports, for academic affairs, directly to the
  Provost. (To be effective beginning AY 08-09)

6
Effects and Rationale

• School of Natural Resources reports to Dean of
  CAFNR, so would be represented through that body.
  
• CAFNR SNR would have three representatives
  instead of four, due to population.
• Other Schools (e.g., Accountancy and Music)
  report to Deans and already are represented
  through their colleges consistency
• Future flexibility
• We dont want to have a ballot every time a
  College changes its name.

7
Grievance Procedure

• Grievance procedures adopted on a 3-year trial
  basis. This is year 3.
• Procedures are working well, largely due to
  committee members Profs. Mintz, Torres and
  Youngquist
• Some changes recommended by Grievance committee,
  being considered by Faculty Affairs subcommittee
  (L. Rubin)
• Ballot this year, then send to Board of Curators
  for permanent adoption

8
Fiscal Matters

• Collegiality
• Provost and Council Chair have hosted faculty
  forums about budget and need to balance it.
• 1 committee to identify potential savings
• Fiscal Affairs committee (J. Dow) looking at
  compliance costs, which have increased greatly,
  e.g., IRB up 60 in 5 years.

9
Academic Freedom

• Council directed Chair to send letters to
  President Lamb and Board of Curators commending
  them for their public support of Academic Freedom
  in research and teaching.
• Proposed language regarding Intellectual
  Diversity.
• Respect for intellectual diversity has
  historically been a given in the academy, but
  others on the outside may not recognize this.

10
Suggested Syllabus Language

• The University community welcomes intellectual
  diversity and respects student rights. Students
  who have questions concerning the quality of
  instruction in this class may address concerns to
  either the Department Chair or Divisional leader
  or Director of the Office of Student Rights and
  Responsibilities. All students will have the
  opportunity to submit an anonymous evaluation of
  the instructor(s) at the end of the course.

11
Actions

• Adopted by Council and sent to Provost to post on
  the website and communicate to faculty, similar
  to ADA statement.
• Not mandatory for faculty to use
• An office and website for complaints are mandated
  by Board action, and the campuses are required to
  notify students of these resources.

12
Repositioning the University

• Higher education, and MU in particular, are being
  used as targets by political forces.
• We could have a whole session on SB389
• Budget and tuition restraints
• Mandates that infringe on the constitutional
  governance of the University
• Attacks on academic freedom

13
A few budget facts

• Missouri under-funds public higher ed.
• Ranks 47th to 49th of 50 states in funding per
  income, number of students, population, etc.
• 50th in increased funding since 2005
• (Source Grapevine, Illinois State U.)
• By contrast, Missouri puts relatively more money
  into private education (scholarships/vouchers)
• 33rd in amount per capita
• 60 goes to private colleges (4th in nation)
• (Source NASSGAP 37th annual survey)
• No tuition restraint, transferability, etc.,
  required.

14
MU is underfunded relative to other state higher
ed institutions

• Institution
  State /undergrad FTE
• Harris-Stowe 9,057
• Lincoln 7,006
• Truman 6,719
• Southeast 6,469
• Central 6,392
• University Missouri System 5,402
• Northwest 5,301
• Missouri Western 5,282
• MSU 5,067
• Missouri Southern 4,941
• MU 4,768

Source MU Flagship Council BoC 7/07 meeting
documents
15
Clearly, this situation must change.

• How?

16
If deference, self-effacement and simply doing
our jobs were key, we would be rich.

• But we arent.

17
We must reclaim our identity as the knowledge
reservoir and innovation engine for Missouri.

• Proposal to drop the -Columbia to restore our
  historic name is a first step.

18
Other Steps Council has Taken

• Liaison with the MU Flagship Council
• www.mizzouflagshipcouncil.com
• Political Action Committee
• Outreach initiative
• Vast areas of the State have no clue about what
  we do.
• How will we communicate our unique
  accomplishments?
• We have some mechanisms, but they dont engage a
  large sample of the faculty.

19
A model, developed by faculty

• Our presentation to Board of Curators on October
  5 focused on outreach activities
• Mentoring (Dr. Ellis Ingram, Medicine)
• Service to professionals (Dr. Debra Mason, Center
  for Religion and the Professions)
• Saturday Morning Science (Drs. Bruce McClure,
  Wouter Montfrooij, Marc Johnson)
• These are representative, not exhaustive.

20
Some activities that faculty can do

• Saturday Morning Science can be brought to
  outstate areas
• Contacts through Science Teachers of Missouri,
  present and former Curators, etc.
• Extension, Alumni Association, etc.
• Why not Saturday Morning Shakespeare? Or Civil
  War History? Or .....

21
This is my personal agenda as Faculty Council
Chair

• Need gas money and maybe lodging
• Participation must be a positive factor in
  evaluations of faculty.
• You will get a call or an email.

22
A Final Thought

• If the game runs sometimes against us at home we
  must have patience till luck turns, and then we
  shall have the opportunity of winning back the
  principles we have lost, for this is a game where
  principles are at stake.
• Thomas Jefferson, letter to John Taylor, June 4,
  1798, after passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts