Minutes
Faculty Senate Meeting
December 3, 2003
John Douglass called the meeting to order at 1:45 p.m.
Present: Professors Ahrens, Arneson, Cochran, Douglass, Fagelson, Fantie, Flug, Heintze,
Jennings, Karch, Langbein, La Salle, Loesberg, Olmsted, Richardson, Riley, Rosenbloom,
Schaeff, Streitmatter, Swallow, Vogelsong. Provost Kerwin and Dean of Academic Affairs
Broder.
Absent: Professors Burke, Forst, and Jacoby.
The minutes of the November 5, 2003 meeting were approved.
Report of the Provost
Neil Kerwin’s report covered the Middle States review, the University College project, and the
enrollments for Spring 2004. He also spoke briefly about academic integrity and about the
reception for August/December graduates. He provided the following information.
Middle States – The university was still awaiting notification from the Middle States
Commission about the composition of the site visit team. Dr. Kerwin said he expected to hear
from Dr. George Santiago by December 10 whether the list of individuals the commission
initially submitted, and to which the university responded with no objections, will in fact be the
team that American welcomes in February. Dr. Kerwin requested that each member of the Senate
clear as much time as possible during the three days of the site visit, which is scheduled for
February 8-11.
University College – Dr. Kerwin advised that the project team was in the final stages of
preparing their recommendations on the design of the university college. He said he expected the
team’s report to be complete before the winter break, and he anticipated that the campus
community will engage in broad-ranging, spirited discussions about the concept early in the
spring semester. Three senate committees—Curriculum and Academic Affairs, Student Learning
and Academic Engagement, and Faculty Development—will review the recommendations. The
Committee on Faculty Relations and the Committee on Instructional Budget and Benefits will be
asked to comment on faculty allocation issues.
Enrollments for Spring 2004 – Noting that Cheryl Storie, acting vice president of enrollment
services, would provide details about undergraduate enrollments, Dr. Kerwin reported that the
master’s deposits for spring were 20 percent ahead of last year at the same time. He also said that
the Washington Semester Program was headed for a good spring semester.
Academic Integrity – Dr. Kerwin reminded the Senate that the Provost’s website allows faculty
to access a variety of resources for promoting academic integrity and preventing and detecting
academic dishonesty. The university’s Academic Integrity Code is available on the website; it
specifies the procedures that faculty are expected to follow when confronting possible code
violations.
Reception for August/December graduates – Dr. Kerwin noted that he had received messages
from at least two members of the faculty who were concerned that the reception to honor
August/December graduates, which was scheduled for Thursday, December 4, 5:00-7:00 p.m.,
might interfere with courses taught during that time period and with the administration of
teaching evaluations. He said he would respond individually to the faculty who had expressed
concerns. He emphasized, however, that the organizers of the event had done their best to
identify a day and a time that would minimize the impact on teaching.
Report on Finances and Human Resources
Don Myers, vice president of finance and treasurer, presented an overview of the financial
management of American University. He focused on broad components of the university’s
portfolio—human resource assets, physical assets, and financial assets—and he said that he and
his team constantly look through three separate lenses, as they partner with faculty and the rest of
the campus community in supporting the academic enterprise.
• What are the intellectual needs?
• What are the facilities needs?
• What are the financial needs to accomplish overarching goals?
Drawing on a presentation he had made to Moody’s Investor Services and to Standard & Poor’s,
Vice President Myers described in detail the university’s progress over the last several years.
Human Resource Assets
Vice President Myers first spoke about building the intellectual property of the institution, as a
key ingredient in enhancing the university’s reputation. He said the size of the enterprise, from a
staffing standpoint, had not changed much over the past two decades. The university currently
has approximately 1800 full-time employees and 700 part-time employees, for a total of 2500, a
number that has not changed significantly since the eighties. In the mid-nineties, however, AU
realized that its compensation program, like that of many other institutions, had been severely
affected by the high inflation of earlier years. To reward faculty and staff properly, the university
adopted strategic goals to increase faculty salaries and to bring staff salaries up to a market
median. To achieve those goals, over a period of five to six years, $7.7 million was invested in
merit and market increases for staff salaries. Another $2.9 million was invested in increasing
faculty salaries, with a goal of reaching AAUP Level 1, at least for the higher faculty ranks. One
result of the change in staff salaries was a reduction in the turnover of full-time staff from 25
percent in 1997 to 17 percent in 2002. In addition, the university devoted considerable attention
to benefits for faculty and staff, and, as a result, over a five-year period, was significantly below
the national trend of double-digit increases for health-care costs.
Physical Assets
Vice President Myers reported that the university had also been challenged to develop and
improve its facilities to remain competitive. Before the mid-eighties, he noted, the university had
1.6 million square feet in facilities space. Since 1987, AU has added 17 facilities, including the
Sports and Convocation Center, Butler Pavilion, the buildings that make-up Tenley Campus, a
new facility for the Washington College of Law, and two off-campus office buildings. With the
additions, the campus currently has 52 buildings, for a total of 3 million square feet. The
construction of the Katzen Arts Center will add another 300,000 square feet.
Moreover, American has had to face in recent years $30 million worth of deferred maintenance.
To come to grips with that problem, those involved in budget deliberations ratcheted up the
$100,000 that was committed to facilities enhancement in the eighties to the $7.3 million
earmarked for maintenance in the current operating budget. As a result, fifty percent of the 1.6
million square feet that existed two decades ago has been renovated. The remaining 50 percent
that still needs to be upgraded includes two major projects: new academic facilities for the
School of Communication and for the School of International Service.
Financial Assets
Vice President Myers then delineated he university’s progress in improving the financial health
of the institution. He said that while the university remains 94 percent tuition dependent, it has
over a period of years successfully integrated financial management strategies that allow the
institution to survive, and in fact thrive, within the tuition dependent framework. One of the
documents that he distributed traced the following improvements in the university’s finances
from 1981-82 to present.
Steps:
1. Set aside a reserve.
2. Moved reserve funds to quasi endowment.
3. Created a tuition management reserve—a budget transfer of 1.0 percent of tuition revenue.
4. Pre-funded salary increases, beginning FY 1994.
5. Built into the operating budget funds for capital renewal and deferred maintenance.
6. Adopted multi-year budgeting.
7. Established Responsibility Center Management in several academic and auxiliary units.
8. Ensured that the level of debt service is locked at attractive rates—issued at fixed rate
obligations or fixed through synthetic interest rate swaps.
9. Implemented an asset allocation policy that is heavily weighted towards equities (80%
equities, 20% fixed income)
10. Developed a conservative endowment spending rule.
Outcomes over twenty years:
1. Increased unrestricted and designated fund balances from $900,000 to $71,600,000.
2. Increased endowment from $7,000,000 to $194,000,000.
Commenting on the expenditure side of the budget, Vice President Myers noted that 50 percent
of the operating budget goes to personnel costs—full and part-time faculty and staff salaries and
benefits. Another 18 percent goes to financial aid. While AU’s student fee dependency has
remained the same since 1984, the commitment to financial aid has increased significantly, as the
university has competed for higher quality students.
Finally, Vice President Myers reported American University’s credit rating had been upgraded at
a time when the ratings of most institutions remained constant or were even downgraded. He said
Standard & Poor’s upgraded the university’s credit rating from A- to A, and Moody’s Investor
Services gave an initial rating of A2. In their reports, the rating services recognized, he said,
what they call a long-term pattern of strong financial management.
Copies of the two documents that Vice President Myers distributed provide supporting detail.
Those documents are appended to the record copy of the minutes.
Update on Enrollments and Recruitments
In her presentation to the Senate, Cheryl Storie, acting vice president of enrollment services,
provided data on undergraduate enrollments. The report she distributed included the following
information: 2003-2004 Undergraduate Enrollment; Fall 2003 Admitted Student Profile; Fall
2003 Entering Freshmen Class Profile; Fall 2003 Admitted Transfer Student Profile; Fall 2003
Entering Transfer Student Profile. A copy of the report is appended to the record copy of the
minutes.
She reported that the university had met its goals for freshmen enrollments in Fall 2003. The
goal for transfer students, however, was not realized. In a somewhat unusual turn of events, a
number of transfers paid their deposits, but did not come to AU. Since this phenomenon was
unique, the Office of Enrollment Services is working to determine why it occurred. She said that
based on the number of deposits received as of December 1, the university would very likely
make its goals for freshmen and transfer enrollments in the spring semester.
Turning to the qualitative measures, she then pointed out that the admit rate had decreased by 4
percent, for an overall decrease of 13 percentage points since the year 2000, which she said was
quite an accomplishment. She also noted that the data on the entering class showed that quality
was once again higher, with the average SAT up about 14 points and the average GPA also up
slightly. Regarding transfers, applications for Fall 2003 were up by 7.2 percent over the previous
year, and the percent admitted decreased by 7 percent. For transfer students who decided to
attend AU, again the GPA was slightly higher, 3.13 as opposed to 3.03.
Vice President Storie then commented on the significance of campus events and the importance
of prospective student interaction with faculty at those events. She noted the following statistics:
• On average, 63 percent of students who attend a Preview Day apply for admission.
• Sixty-eight percent of students who attend Transfer Day either apply or make deposits.
• Sixty-seven percent of students who have on-campus informational interviews apply.
• Forty-one percent of students who come to AU for random campus visits chose to apply.
Concluding, she said the university’s campus looks good, it presents well, and the interactions
that prospective students have when they are on campus are quite positive. She said the
university is also nationally known for its online events. The number of those events has
increased from 4 in 2000-2001, when they first started, to the 27 that are scheduled for the
current academic year.
Reports from the Standing Committees
Progress reports on committee activities were presented by the chairs of the standing committees.
Curriculum and Academic Programs – Cathy Schaeff reported that the committee’s primary
objectives were to consider proposals with cross-unit applications and to provide oversight for
the General Education Program, the Honors Program, AU Abroad, and the University College,
once the latter is formed. She said the committee had reviewed one proposal with cross-unit
applications, the new professional science master’s degree. The committee also met with Haig
Mardirosian, director of the General Education Program. In the spring they will meet with the
director of the Honors Program. Each of the co-chairs is also serving on a special task force:
Cathy Schaeff is serving on a Learning Outcomes and Assessment Project Team, that was
convened in Fall 2003; David Fagelson is a member of the Evaluations Committee, which has
been charged with reviewing and proposing changes to the instrument used for Student
Evaluations of Teaching. The Curriculum Committee also oversees the Massey Foundation
Awards and the United Methodist Graduate Scholarships.
Faculty Relations – Laura Langbein reported that the CFR was heavily involved in the review of
files for faculty actions. She also said the committee had reviewed several other issues during the
fall. They once again discussed the question of whether there should be a written prohibition
against consensual relationships between students and faculty; and again, they decided not to
take up that issue. They will, however, devote time to two other issues in the spring: (1) Should
the number of outside letters required for the 5th/6th year pre-tenure review be reduced from
three to two? and (2) Should one of the pre-tenure reviews, the 3rd/4th year review, be dropped?
Information Services and Technology – Diana Vogelsong reported that the committee had met
bi-weekly throughout the fall semester. She briefly described a number of the committee’s
activities. The committee recommended to the Budget and Benefits Committee that a line item of
$15,000 be included in the operating budget in order to provide software/data grants to faculty.
The committee also provided feedback on a number of issues, including copyright issues and
technology issues affecting faculty. They also engaged in a discussion with Carl Whitman,
executive director of e-operations, and Pat Wand, University Librarian, about Internet II options.
In addition, they received from Pat Wand information on Scholar Communication/institutional
repositories. Finally, the committee reviewed the library’s budget for FY 04.
Instructional Budget and Benefits – Janice Flug noted that the current year was an off-year in the
two-year budget cycle. She said the committee was therefore devoting its time to exploring
faculty issues that have budget implications. The Budget Committee met with the Committee on
Faculty Development to explore various topics, including creative approaches to the summer
sessions, the optimal size of the faculty, and the number of adjuncts needed. The members of
Budget and Benefits also served on the university-wide Benefits Advisory Team, where they
addressed health care coverage and other benefits questions.
Student Learning and Academic Engagement – Wendell Cochran reported that the committee
had met four times during the fall semester. As part of the oversight of Athletics, they considered
and approved in September a waiver of eligibility requirements for a specific student athlete. In
October they met with Provost Kerwin to discuss topics to consider during the academic year.
In November, they met with Faith Leonard, Dean of Students, who led a discussion about the
impact of drug and alcohol use on students’ academic performance. Professor Cochran said a
recent survey had shown the following effects of drug and alcohol use: 24 percent had done
poorly on tests; 35 percent had missed class; 75 percent had hangovers. He said the committee
may recommend that the Senate sponsor a campus-wide forum on the topic.
The reports from Information Services and Technology, Instructional Budget and Benefits, and
Student Learning and Academic Engagement are appended to the record copy of the minutes.
Report of the Chair
John Douglass circulated a draft of topics for the spring agenda, on which the following
suggested schedule was outlined.
• In January the Senate would invite Gail Hanson, vice president of Campus Life, to present an
update on issues facing the students. For that same meeting, Fanta Aw, director of International
Student Services, would be invited to make a presentation on the special challenges facing
international students.
• In March, the Senate may sponsor an open meeting, similar to the campus conversations
meetings, to comment on the recommendations from the University College Project Team.
• In April, Janice Flug, chair of Instructional Budget and Benefits, and Robert Karch, chair of
Faculty Development, will lead a discussion about summer programs. Provost Kerwin will lead a
discussion about Responsibility Center Management.
• In May, Dr. Ladner will be invited to speak to the Senate again. The committees will present
final reports for the year at that time.
Other possible topics to be considered during the spring semester include:
• A report from Laura Langbein on grade inflation/teaching evaluations.
• Feedback from Caleen Jennings on her survey of the Senate about diversity issues.
• A brainstorming discussion about the faculty teaching load.
• Consideration of block scheduling for undergraduate courses.
Professor Douglass said he would refine the list of topics and redistribute it by e-mail.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:05 p.m.