Minutes of 11 December 2006

Circulated:  12 December 2006

Re-Circulated:  7 January 2007
Approved:  8 January 2007

THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs

6048 Fleming Administration Building

Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1340

Phone: (734) 764-0303

Fax: (734) 764-6564

Internet Address:  http://www.umich.edu/~sacua/

Approved minutes:  http://www.umich.edu/~sacua/sacmin/sacuaminutes.html

MINUTES OF THE SACUA MEETING OF 11 DECEMBER 2006

Present: Combi, Frier, Giordani, Meerkov, Potter, Riles, Seabury, Smith (chair); Lehman; Carr, Leu, Schneider

Absent:  MacAdam  

Guests:  President Coleman, S. Forrest, M. Haan, K. Nisbet, K. Brown

MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED:

1.       Draft  Agenda

2.       Electronic mail messages from T. Schneider to M. S. Coleman dated 6 Dec 2006 and 7 Dec 2006 regarding questions and topics for Monday's SACUA meeting

3.       Draft minutes of the SACUA meeting of 4 December 2006

4.       Electronic mail message from S. Meerkov dated 7 December 2006 regarding design of UM Pre-college Academy (UMPA) with attached proposal for the UMPA

5.       Memorandum to Charles B. Smith from Central Faculty Ombuds Working Group dated 22 November 2006 regarding the Central Faculty Ombuds Job Description with attachments

6.       Electronic mail message from J. Lehman to SACUA dated 4 December 2006 regarding the Faculty Grievance Procedures Task Force Report with attached draft of the report dated 4 Dec 06 and a comparison of grievance procedures at major universities

7.       Electronic mail message from B. Seabury to SACUA dated 7 December 2006 regarding the draft report of the Faculty Grievance Procedures Task Force

8.       Tech Transfer Policy Review presentation dated October 2006

9.       Regental Policy Regarding Technology Transfer draft dated 10/31/06

10.     Main Points for Revised Tech Transfer Policy

11.     Draft Senate Assembly Agenda for 18 December 2006 meeting

12.     Electronic mail message from B. Seabury dated 5 December 2006 with "24 Bowl Teams Fail to Meet NCAA's Academic Standards, Report Says" by Brad Wolverton in The Chronicle Daily News:  12/5/2006, THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION

13.    "Fears of Possible Federal Learning Standards Grow as Liberal-Arts Accreditor Is Penalized" by Burton Bollag in The Chronicle Daily News:  12/6/2006, THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION

14.    "U.S. Senate Panel Discusses Combining Tuition Tax Credits and Federal Financial Aid" by Paul Fain in The Chronicle Daily News:  12/6/2006, THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION

15.    "Tracking the Invisible Faculty:  A new index confirms that, at thousands of colleges, most professors are off the tenure track" by John Gravois in The Chronicle Daily News:  12/11/2006, THE CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION

16.    SACUA/Senate Assembly Planning Schedule updated  8 December 2006

Chair Smith convened the meeting at 2:30 P.M.  The proposed agenda was approved with a change of order.

CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES

The minutes of 4 December 2006 were corrected and approved.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. The chair met with J. Weiss and G. Krenz last Tuesday to discuss parameters of the Academic Freedom Visiting Professorship.  The topic remains under negotiation.  The position of faculty governance is that the Academic Freedom Lecture must remain under the control of the Senate Assembly.

2. Members of SACUA and the AAAC have been invited to a tea hosted by the provost and president tomorrow afternoon.
3. SACUA's list of nominations have been submitted to the Diversity Blueprints committee
4. The chair attended a faculty meeting at the College of Engineering and reported about the Senate Assembly's Unit Governance resolution.  Professor Meerkov proposed a motion to adopt the resolution, but it was not placed on the agenda at short notice in accordance with College rules. 
5. The chair met with the EVPMA.  The EVPMA has invited the chair and representatives from CESF to meet with a health care taskforce.  A major change in health care benefits is in the planning stage, with significant consequences for faculty and staff. 
6. Professor Meerkov and the chair will attend a regularly scheduled private meeting with the provost on Wednesday, 13 December at 10:15 A.M. 
7. Professor Riles introduced resolution on unit governance at the December LSA faculty meeting.  The resolution will be on the agenda for vote at the February LSA faculty meeting.

LIAISON REPORTS

RPC-

Professor Combi reported that RPC unanimously endorsed proposed changes to Regents' Bylaws pertaining to Technology Transfer Policy.

OMBUDS POSITION POSTING

SACUA members discussed a draft posting for a revision to the position of Central Ombuds (distributed item). The chair invited a motion endorsing the proposed position description.

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ACTION OF SACUA 121106-1

SACUA endorses the proposed posting of the Central Ombuds position.

The Action was accepted by unanimous vote.

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GRIEVANCE TASK FORCE

SACUA discussed the report from the Grievance Procedures Task Force (distributed item).  Members suggested that additional provisions be added to increase the pool of candidates for election to the Faculty Grievance Committee (FGC), and to specify that members of the FGC may serve non-consecutive 3-year terms.  Professor Giordani asked that a provision be added whereby a grievant could wave the restriction from having members of his/her unit serve on the GRB.

VISIT OF PRESIDENT COLEMAN

The president arrived at 3:25 P.M.

Space Utilization-

The president reported that the Undergraduate Science Building is fully scheduled for use during Fall Term, and will be during Winter, too.  She said that Palmer Commons is presently under the direction of the Unions, but that this may change.  The office of the provost recently eliminated the room charge, and usage has increased dramatically.  Owing to egress issues, however, the rooms are not suitable for routine classroom uses.  Venders are now showing interest in providing food service on the third floor if the U-M invests first in kitchen renovation. The president added that her office is interested in feedback about additional uses for Palmer Commons.

Vice President for Communication-

The president said that she would be happy to consider names offered by SACUA as candidates for a search committee for a new vice president for communications.  Professor Riles expressed concern that any new VP properly represent the views of the faculty when he/she makes statements to the public.  Chair Smith suggested that further consultation with the faculty could minimize the likelihood of impolitic press releases.

Recent Lawsuit-

The president notified SACUA that the U-M has joined with MSU and Wayne State University to file as defendants in a federal lawsuit brought by BAMN (By Any Means Necessary) lawsuit (http://www.bamn.com/doc/2006/061108-complaint-prop2.pdf). She said that the U-M is requesting an injunction to allow it to conclude its current admission cycle under existing practices.  She added that Governor Granholm has asked the Michigan Civil Rights Commission to provide an interpretation of Proposition 2 with respect to State operations, but the report will not be available until February.  Also, the U-M Diversity Blueprints committee will file its preliminary report in February, with a final report of recommendations to the campus in March.

            Professor Riles asked whether students have been admitted for Fall 2007 using existing preferences for race.  The president replied that U-M admissions criteria have not been altered, and that race is one of 54 criteria that are used.  Professor Riles pointed out that in the 2005 AEC round, 49% of 647 Faculty Senate respondents approved or strongly approved of giving preferences to minorities in undergraduate admissions, and that 27% had disapproved or strongly disapproved; the rest expressed neutral opinion or claimed no basis for judgment (http://aec.umich.edu ). He stated that these numbers do not suggest strong faculty support for challenging the legality of Proposal 2.  He expressed concern that in continuing present admissions policies until December 23, the University appeared to be defying the will of Michigan voters. He questioned the need for an injunction with respect to admissions. He said it should not be difficult simply to stop giving preferences to applicants based on race or gender, especially given the flexibility of the new holistic admissions process. Professor Seabury responded that the response rate to the question (21%) was not convincing as a predictor of general opinion.  Professor Riles replied that he is aware of no other survey of U-M faculty on affirmative action policies with statistical sampling comparable to that from the AEC survey. Professor Potter pointed out that the faculty has never voted against affirmative action, but instead the Senate Assembly had passed a resolution endorsing undergraduate admissions procedures in 1997.

            Professor Riles asked whether the president planned to challenge Proposition 2 further in the courts.  President Coleman replied that she has no plans to do so at present.  She added that she is committed to the idea that diversity is essential to the academic excellence and vitality of the university.  She said that numerous committees are at work on matters related to student admissions.  She said that the University of Michigan has defied the odds in the past, and that she thinks it can do it again in this case.  She expressed concern is that there could be a drop in applications from minority candidates as there was in California.  She reminded SACUA that she has declared that the U-M will comply with all applicable laws.  Right now, she said, the issue is whether a stay will be granted so that it is possible to complete the current admissions cycle. 

            The president stated that there are four issues necessary to promote diversity on campus: admissions, acceptance of admissions offers, the climate on campus, and attraction and retention of faculty.  She said she would like to learn whether there are additional things that should be done, or if things should be done differently. 

Academic Pipeline-

Professor Potter noted that Michigan secondary schools are under tremendous financial pressure, with the result that many students are being inadequately prepared for university education. President Coleman agreed that the budget issues were difficult.  She said that relief will depend on the Governor's ability to get a replacement for the single business tax, and to solve the State's large structural deficit. 

            Professor Giordani remarked that he discovered that the U-M has little visibility in the western part of the State, and that people in Grand Rapids, for example, have little connection with the U-M.  The president replied that she is interested in identifying activities that would increase U-M visibility in western parts of the state.  Professor Potter pointed out that faculty reward structures would have to be reconfigured if there is interest in promoting outreach and teaching over research.  The president thanked him for bringing up the point.   

5.         Professor Seabury reminded the group about an ETS report that identified "strivers" independent from racial or ethnic group; he noted that the report has received limited attention.  The president replied that she had been told there were methodological concerns about the study.

Faculty Benefits Oversight Committee-

Chair Smith reported Senate Assembly resolution 112706-1, calling for establishment of a Faculty Benefits Oversight Committee.  The president replied that she appreciated the resolution.  She said that she has received a recommendation from the CFO, the provost, and the EVPMA to institutionalize within Human Resources a restructured office with focused advisory groups.  The chair pointed out that it was clear that marked changes are being considered to the benefits programs of the faculty, and therefore consultation and advice would be desirable to avoid future problems.   

The president left the meeting at 4:20 P.M.

VISIT OF VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH

Vice President Research Forrest, Executive Director of U-M Technology Transfer K. Nisbet, and Research Policies Committee chair M. Haan joined the meeting at 4:30 P.M. for discussion of proposed revisions to Regents' Bylaw 3.10 (distributed item).  The vice president clarified that the U-M administration would not assert ownership of inventions developed without overt and specific use of sponsored funding or university resources.  Professor Haan confirmed that the RPC had reviewed the proposals and endorsed them by vote.

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ACTION OF SACUA 121106-2

Professor Riles moved that SACUA endorses the proposed changes to Regents' Bylaw 3.10 (Combi seconded).

The action was approved by unanimous vote.

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PLANNING FOR SENATE ASSEMBLY MEETING

SACUA reviewed the proposed agenda for the 18 December Senate Assembly meeting.

OLD/NEW BUSINESS

There was no other business.

The meeting adjourned at 5:07 P.M. 

Respectfully submitted,

John Lehman

Senate Secretary

University of Michigan Bylaws of the Board of Regents, Sec. 5.02: 

Governing Bodies in Schools and Colleges