September 12, 2012
10:00-12:00 University Center, Room 332/333
I.
Welcome & call to order : President Darlene Samson called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m.
II.
Roll call .
Attendees: Senators: Andi Armstrong, Jay Bruns, Lisa Coon, Kristine Csorosz, Molly Fishburn-
Matthew, Geri Fox, Chuck Harris, Natalie Hiller-Claridge, Maggie Linder, Becky Maier, Maria
Mangold, Denise May, Jaylene Naylor, Sandi Nelson, Darlene Samson, Sharon Schneider,
Hannah Singleton, Jimmy Stevens, Brandie Terpe, Maureen Ward, Kelly Wasson, Angela
Weisenburger, Ex-Officio President – Laurie Fisher, Administrative Assistant - Judy Wellert
Excused: Carol Bates, Kennden Culp, John DeYoung, Phillip Flukas, Gary Hagler, Slade
Johnson, Maryann Robison, Kathie Tattory
Absent: No one.
III.
Minutes: August 2012 minutes were approved.
IV.
Presentation of Plaque: Senator Samson presented a plaque to Laurie Fisher in recognition of her service to Staff Senate as President for the 2011-2012 year.
V.
Financial Report : Senator Coon presented the Operating Statement dated 9/12/2012 indicating expenses of $4594.59 Year-to-Date for Personal Services, $831.20 for
Operating and Capital, and $1400 for Scholarships. Income included $530 for Visibility from T-shirt sales and $67 from gifts to Scholarships. The Financial Report was approved.
VI.
Old Business: a.
Raffle Update: Senator Mangold said that over thirty prizes will be raffled on
September 14 for the “Taste of Missoula” Homecoming Raffle.
b.
Americans with Disabilities Act Committee: Molly Fishburn-Matthew and Maggie
Linder volunteered to fill vacant slots on this University Committee. President Samson will propose their names to the President’s office.
c.
Day of Dialogue: Vice President Singleton encouraged everyone to attend.
d.
Survey: Senator Harris encouraged all Senators to keep submitting comments on the upcoming survey and to take the survey multiple times since the draft changes often and none of the submissions will currently be counted.
VII.
New Business a.
GrizMart: Senator Armstrong stated there is concern about the use of Grizmart.
Senator Schneider says the problems are being addressed.

b.
New Senators: Geri Fox, Gary Hagler, and Angela Weisenburger introduced themselves and were all elected as Staff Senators via acclamation. c.
Survey re VP for Administration and Finance: Senator Singleton urged Senators to submit information to the survey by Carey Davis regarding desirable traits for the to-be-hired Vice-President for Administration and Finance.
VIII.
Committee Reports
CVC: Committee Chair Armstrong said that a “date night” movie has been scheduled at the UC on January 26. Child care may be offered. There have been almost 150 “likes” on the Staff Senate Facebook page. When it reaches 150, CVC will award $25.00 in UMoney to one of the first 150 “likes.” A Family Swim has been scheduled for Sunday, November
18 from 2-5 p.m.
IX.
Guests: President Samson welcomed our guests and introduced herself. She reviewed the goals that have been set for the Staff Senate based on the past survey which revealed the staff’s desire for more professional development, hope for increased salaries, and low morale. She mentioned the staff appreciation activities that are being added by the
Senate and Senate’s increased communication with staff through Facebook, e-mails and newsletters. She mentioned the new Staff Senate Fundraising and Technical Solutions committees as well as our participation in MUSSA (Montana University Staff Senate
Association) and our KUDOS awards.
VP Branch asked why staff morale is low. Samson responded that salaries are low and work load is high.
UM President Royce Engstrom stated that Kent Hasler has been hired as the new
Athletic Director. He thanked the Senators for participating in the search. He stated that the three priorities for the upcoming legislative session are 1.) Advocacy for increased staff salaries; 2.) Present Law Adjustment to increase the budget to account for inflation; and
3.) The new Missoula College building. He stated that the new Retiree Association is designed for both staff and faculty retirees.
UM Provost and VP for Academic Affairs Perry Brown thanked the UM staff for being an excellent “front line” for the University students and faculty. He stated that the Global
Leadership Initiative is booming, that the Missoula College has set up an advising office to serve its 2800 students, and that Bitterroot Campus has a great new space with labs and space for the fine arts.
Jean Gee, Interim UM Athletic Director, reminded us of the four conference titles that have been won by UM sports teams this past year. Giving credit to student advising, she said that athletes from UM outpace other campuses with their Grade Point Average and their graduation percentages.
John Thunstrom, the Asst CIO Entprs Info Sys/IT , pointed out the timely warnings of possible campus safety issues that are available. He mentioned that expanding wireless accessibility to more areas of the campus is expensive. He said that the campus data

center will be moved to a more secure location. Information Technology hopes to have a new Chief Information Officer hired to begin work by January. He urged us to look at the
IT Strategic Plan and requested feedback on that.
Peggy Kuhr, the Interim VP for Communications , stated that her goal is to be open, responsive, clear, and proactive with UM’s messages. Their office works with the media to help everyone be informed about the activities and policies of the campus. She urged anyone with questions or anyone who has heard rumors to please request answers from her office.
Lucy France, Director of Affirmative Action, has a new resource booklet and resource card available for people to use to aid her office’s goals of being proactive and preventative against discrimination. There is also a new website with information regarding sexual misconduct. http://www.umt.edu/sexualmisconduct/
If anyone needs materials for their work area bulletin boards on issues of affirmative action, please contact her. More training regarding discrimination will be offered.
Lynn Stocking, Associate Dean, Missoula College, encouraged us to see the studentbuilt house in the Parade of Homes. A new program is being offered for law enforcement officers to work toward Associate and Bachelor’s degrees in the Sociology Department.
Many dual enrollment programs are being offered for high school students in Missoula and Hamilton able to earn college credit in writing, math, and journalism. Some new classes being offered at Missoula College include Irish Language, Biology, and
Anthropology. She urged us to take advantage of great meals at the Culinary Arts program restaurant.
Arlene Walker-Andrews, Associate Provost, also mentioned the Global Leadership
Initiative’s popularity; 235 freshmen were selected at random from the 400 program applicants. The Office of Academic Enrichment works to identify research and travel opportunities for students.
Ed Johnson, Registrar
Justin Raap, Veterans Education and Transition Services, pointed out that that UM served 1100 veterans last year. They are piloting the offering of more classes via the internet and dual credit opportunities. Also mentioned was new classroom scheduling software.
Bill Johnston, Director of Alumni Relations, informed us that the Alumni Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in which all are state employees. During legislative sessions, he moves to Helena to lobby for the University. If anyone is going to testify before the state legislature, please let him know, and he would welcome people to shadow him in Helena to understand the procedures there.
Teresa Branch, VP for Student Affairs, urged everyone to view the new PETSA training video online. Watching this video and passing the test on it are mandatory for all

students. Teresa asked for feedback on the PETSA video. 6,100 students have completed it. Rhondi Vorhees is newly hired as Dean of Students. Michelle Jensen is the Budget
Director. Upcoming employee searches include the Director of Campus Recreation,
Director of Disability Services for Students, and the Director of the Curry Health Center.
Stephen Kalm, Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, saluted the dancers from UM that are currently in Taiwan and Washington DC as well as a technical theatre group in Slovenia. The Music department just procured a new Steinway piano and the Visual Art department has a renovated Gallery. A graphic designer is being hired.
The Missoula Hub downtown will soon serve as an additional box office location. He urged everyone to see the new art exhibit in the Paxon and Melloy Galleries in the
PAR/TV building. The UM President’s office is again offering a free ticket for all Theatre and Dance Department productions for all staff members.
Bob Duringer, VP for Administration and Finance, says there are five construction projects being pursued. Brad Murphy is the new Executive Director for the Adams
Center. He encouraged staff to consider becoming involved in the Staff Ambassadors program.
Vernon Grund, Dean of the College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences, told us about the new Masters in Public Health degree that is primarily accomplished with online classes.
Larry Gianchetta, Dean of the School of Business Administration, urged us to attend a presentation of Greg Gianforte on October 11, at 6:30 pm in the Dennison Theatre.
Gianforte is the founder of a 1.5-billion dollar company called Right Now Technologies.
He also highlighted the founding and expansion of the nonprofit company American
Indian Business Leaders (AIBL) which was started at the University of Montana and now has sixty chapters nationally. Larry invited everyone to visit the website: www.aibl.org
.
They held a leadership conference in Denver last spring.
Irma Russell, Dean of the School of Law, told us that all of the UM law professors are newly reengaged in scholarly research and publishing. A symposium on Election Law is being held in the University Center on September 27-28. The School of Law has been identified as one of the top ten “Best Value” law schools in the country. The UM Law
School offers clinical experience to better prepare students to become lawyers.
David Aronofsky, UM Legal Counsel, pointed out how critical staff can be in keeping the
University Legal Counsel office informed to prevent legal problems from arising. He will soon be changing his career to work more with international education, and he stated that sometimes staff have participated with students on overseas travel opportunities.
Christopher Comer, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, 1) <Had 4 points but did not get the first point> 2) Support for research; 3) IT committee; 4) Collaboration. He said that the College will be working to expand the diversity of both faculty and staff.
They will also be fundraising to finish the lower level of the Payne Family Native American

Center. They are searching for a VP of Research and Scholarship and will be surveying regarding the quality of life.
James McKusick, Dean of the Davidson Honors College, pointed out that Davidson is the only “Honors College” in Montana and is the only building on campus that has a defibrillator. They have recently trained six First Responders and Search and Rescue personnel. The forty-two Presidential leadership Scholars that attend Davidson receive a tuition-free education. He urged staff to come to the Friday social events at the College.
David Forbes, Interim VP for Research and Creative Scholarship. This office processes grants and contracts. They have a new veterinarian in the Animal Resource
Center. There is a new grant for building infrastructure, and a new three-year program being instated for Family Practice Medical Residencies.
Dennis Dowling, Interim Dean of the School of Journalism, stated that the School has strong relationships with radio, the Kaiman, and the broadcasting of public television.
They have a high-definition television studio. They will begin televising political debates on September 25 during which students will act as fact-checkers. They will offer election night coverage. For the first time, they have been awarded a National Science Foundation grant. In 2014 they will celebrate the centennial of the School of Journalism.
Meeting adjourned at 12:00 p.m.
Next meeting: October 10, 2012 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon, UC 332-333