Ohio Northern
University Faculty
2012 - 2013 Minutes of the October 23, 2012 Meeting
President DiBiasio called the meeting to order at 11:00 a.m. in the Activities Room of McIntosh Center for what was
to be a rather lighthearted discussion (interrupted on several occasions with applause and polite laughter) of some
rather serious matters. Even Tena Roepke’s invocation elicited a similar response; all that seemed to be missing was
a hearty “Huzzah!”
The minutes for the September 25, 2012 meeting were approved with the following correction: under Item VIII subparagraph a.) replace “Sustainable Program and Financial-Based Review Report” with “Strategic Plan.”
We were able to move right along with the agenda because there was no unfinished business from previous
meetings.
Rob Alexander reported for University Council and reviewed the following after attending his first Board of
Trustees meeting: attention paid to reliance on tuition for revenue; preparation for the upcoming Higher Learning
Commission report; discussions on enrollment presented by VP Lesick and on finances by VP Ballard which will be
presented soon in special fora (or forums); and his perception of a lack of alignment and priority of goals.
Discussion (John Lomax, Nancy Woodley, Ray Person and Bill Theisen) ensued indicating that there is a disparity
of goals across departments and colleges which are not aligned with University goals. It was noted that most
departmental recommendations have been sent upwards with little feedback.
In the regular reporting from Constitutional and Operating Committees we learned that Budget & Appropriations
and Academic Affairs are meeting; Student Affairs has approved new student organizations; Personnel has approved
a revised Emeritus policy and received sabbatical requests; Athletics, International Affairs, and Religious Affairs
gave no report; while Cultural Affairs announced the presentations of the Capitol Steps and the Improvised
Shakespeare Company and Information Technology continues its sessions on Moodle Rooms.
President DiBiasio announced a few items before opening the floor to questions.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
He summarized the activity from the recent Board of Trustees meeting as: approved a revised budget for
2012-13, reviewed the audit, held an enrollment seminar conducted by VP Lesick, appointed two new Board
members (Hull and Harris), and is considering candidates for two currently vacant Board positions.
He recently attended an Alumni event in New York City and met with individuals from Moody’s.
He reported that the mediation process concerning repairs to the Inn was unsuccessful and that the
University has initiated legal action against the architect.
He commended the Dicke College of Business Administration on its preparation for accreditation review.
He reported that the search for the Executive Director of Communications and Marketing has identified
three candidates for interviews.
He announced the planning for two University forums: one on enrollment scheduled for November 7 and
one on finances scheduled for December 3.
Nancy Woodley raised her concern about the apparent low number of Extra-Disciplinary Seminar courses being
offered for spring semester and a (rumored) proposal to reduce the number of required “tags” from the current 20 to
a proposed 12. AVPAA Hurtig responded.
Michael Milks questioned why the repairs to the Inn should be in the Operating budget. He expressed his feeling
that changes to the Faculty handbook seem to be announced after the fact as opposed to being the result of
participatory governance. He also indicated that the evaluation of the Vice-President Academic Affairs (now
Provost) has not be performed as per Section 2.9 Paragraph 4B of the Faculty handbook and inquired as to when it
would be done. President DiBiasio indicated that he would prepare a response.
John Lomax offered that the reason faculty seem to not be aware is due to lack of specificity in many committee
Ohio Northern
University Faculty
2012 - 2013 reports (see Committee reports above).
There were no other reports.
Under new business, Margot Cullen requested that an agenda item for the next meeting be a discussion of the
proposed draft of a new mission statement. She distributed a handout and spoke to her concerns with the proposed
wording.
Several announcements were made:
Rob Alexander indicated there would be an election night watch party. He didn’t give a date, but let’s assume it’s
the first Tuesday in November.
AVPAA Hurtig thanked Tammy Bash for her service as University registrar and her role in the successful
conversion from quarters to semesters.
Also see Cultural Affairs committee report above.
The President adjourned the meeting at 11:52 a.m.
Submitted in accordance with Article IV Section 3 of the Faculty Constitution,
__________________________
Jonathan Smalley
Acting Secretary