The University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College
Academic Senate Minutes
September 30, 2005
I.
Call to Order
Vice-President, Karen Fuss-Sommer, called the September 30, 2005 meeting of the Academic
Senate to order at 1:15 p.m. in the Gorgas Board room.
Members of the Senate in attendance included: Acevado Suzanne, Cantu Ethel (*), Celaya Pat
(*), Corbeil Rene (s), Davis Bill (s), Fuss-Sommer Karen (*), Heise Elizabeth (s), Hollier Gerald
(s), Lacher Joe (s), Lackey Charles, Maldonado Maxwell Virginia (s), Martin Jose, Morgan
Bobbette (s), Otero Rafael, Peltz Gerson (s), Pena Eli, Price Betsy, Rajasuriar Mahandran (s),
Stockton Carl, Sullivan James (s), Sullivan Mary, Sutterby John (s), Zieschang Paul-Hermann (s)
II.
Review and Approval of the Minutes
Ms. Fuss-Sommer called for review and approval of the minutes from the September 2, 2005
Academic Senate meeting. Hearing no corrections or additions, Rodney Sullivan moved to
approve the minutes as written; Bobbette Morgan seconded the motion. The minutes were
approved as written.
III.
Presentations
Adjunct Faculty Report
Betsy Price, Faculty Associate, presented a report on adjunct faculty. Ms. Price joined UTB/TSC
fourteen months ago to work with our part-time professors. She came from Westminster College
in Salt Lake City where she had been part of a 4-year study on part-time faculty.
Ms. Price reported that she conducted a meeting for our part-time professors last October.
Topics discussed at that meeting included:
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What does part-time faculty want?
How happy are they?
Retention rate
How to survive their first day
They were given an orientation that covered teaching standards, who our students are
and what they expect
a workshop on blackboard
Email
Scorpion Online
How to handle problems
Classroom management
Grading – how to make it manageable
How to handle disruptive students
When they need to look for help
Ms. Price told them she was their support person and to think of her as their paid friend.
Ms. Price stated that the Academic Senate could help provide services that adjunct faculty need,
such as access to a classroom or a department office after hours so they can use the copier.
She told the Senate that there is a website for part-time faculty. To access the website you go to
the UTB/TSC website, click on Faculty/Staff, then click on Part-time Faculty under General
Information. The website has information on how to apply and what to do after you are hired. It
covers things such as getting your ID, parking permits, email, Blackboard, etc.
Ms. Price reported that this year she conducted workshops in Brownsville, Los Fresnos, San
Benito, and Port Isabel for people who would like to become part-time professors. She said she
had “people signing up in droves”.
Professor Elizabeth Heise asked what percentage of our faculty are part-time. Dr. Martin said the
ratio is 1:1.
Professor Lacher stated that he has fourteen clinical faculty who don’t want to come to campus
because they are not reimbursed for doing so. Betsy Price responded, “We can go to them!”
Professor Zieschange asked about the retention rate for part-time faculty. Ms. Price replied that it
is very high. She stated that most of the adjunct faculty has been here four years or longer, and
some have been here fifteen or sixteen years.
Professor Heise stated that the Welfare Committee has chosen part-time faculty as their topic this
year.
Ms. Price stated that part-time faculty wants interaction with full-time faculty.
Professor Heise stated that when she was at Blinn College, they assigned a full-time faculty to
each part-time faculty.
Professor Lacher asked if TAs are considered part-time faculty. Dr. Martin said, “No.”
Professor Lacher asked if there was any information for TAs, like what they need to have to be a
TA. Dr. Lackey said there is information for TAs on the graduate student webpage. He said, to
teach, they need a Master’s degree with eighteen hours in their field.
Dr. Lackey said they are considering having a graduate orientation in the Fall. He said, right now,
we have eighteen slots for teaching assistants. Three are filled, and they are doing research.
Dr. Martin said the issue of part-time faculty is a challenge for many reasons. There are many
people in private industry that have a lot to offer our students. Part-time faculty extends our
ability to serve our students. They offer flexibility. In regards to finances, he said they are an
obscenely inexpensive way to extend our faculty, and they are perfectly qualified to teach lowerlevel or developmental courses. He said one reason we have not had TAs in the past is because
they are so expensive. He said it breaks his heart that our part-time faculty works so hard for so
little money, and that he is thrilled to see that the Academic Senate, comprised of full-time faculty,
has made this one of its priorities.
Professor Sutterby suggested that the issue of part-time faculty be moved to the Welfare
Committee. Vice-President Fuss-Sommer, asked Betsy Price if she would provide the Welfare
Committee with a list of items for its consideration. Ms. Price said she would, and concluded her
presentation by saying that her office is in MRS S244.
IV.
Senate President’s Report
President David Pearson was out of town representing UTB/TSC at a graduation rates and
retention workshop sponsored by UT System, so Vice-President Fuss-Sommer read his report
which follows:
Academic Senate Meeting
President’s Report
Friday, September 30, 2005
TSC Board Meeting
On Thursday, September 15, I attended the Regular Meeting of the Texas Southmost College
District Board of Trustees. The major points addressed included:
 The Board’s evaluation of President Garcia’s performance. It was judged that Dr. Garcia had
provided “very exceptional leadership” for UTB/TSC, had “performed beyond all expectations,”
and consequently had the Board’s continued support and full confidence.
 Eldon Nelson, Dean of the School of Health Sciences, briefed the Board on the Nursing
program and its constituent elements: the Vocational Nursing one-year certificate, the
Associate Degree Nursing degree, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, and the Master
of Science in Nursing degree. Dean Nelson additionally provided data on past program
enrollment and projections for future enrollment.
 The Board was presented with a design for the official college logo: a scorpion superimposed
on the letters UTB/TSC.
 The Board voted to approve the schematic design for the new Wellness, Recreation, Fitness,
and Kinesiology Complex, described as a “monumental” and “culture-changing” building.
 In her President’s Report, Dr. Garcia discussed student, faculty, and staff involvement in
helping victims of Hurricane Katrina. She noted that several students who had been attending
college in Louisiana are currently attending UTB/TSC.
Financial Aid and Student Textbook Purchases
In response to faculty concerns that many students had not received their financial aid awards in
time to purchase course textbooks, I contacted Rosemary Martinez, Vice President for Business
Affairs. She provided the following information:
The majority of our financial aid recipients receive their award by the first class day. For
the Fall of 2005, 4,379 students received their aid by the first class day. This represents
52% of the total that will receive financial aid. The remaining recipients received or will
receive their award sporadically over the first several weeks of the semester.
This happens primarily for two reasons, the first of which is tied to late registration.
Students will often register late, which does not allow adequate processing time for the
Financial Aid Office to get things done by the first class day. Some are even registering
as late as the first or second class day. This group of 3,235 students, 38% of the total,
received their aid on August 31st—10 days late. One way to help these students is to
encourage them to early register for the semester. Some of the late activity may also be
caused by a lack of sections early in the process. I know that folks are working on this
issue.
The second reason is tied to a new federal requirement that data contained in the
financial aid application be verified before awards are made. Basically, the new
regulations have turned financial aid officers into tax experts who now have to verify the
appropriateness of tax filings by our students’ families before the awards are
qualified. This has added to the work and time required to complete the award
process. The remaining students, some 10 percent of all students, fall in this
category. Again, the lateness of the applications or the time that it takes a student to
complete the application process may be putting students in this category.
The Financial Aid office is evaluating workload so we may determine if additional funding
can reduce the time needed to process applications. During this semester, I funded for
the Financial Aid office additional wages to clear up the bottle neck created by the late
activity. The department is working hard to keep up with the demand for services, but is
struggling during the peak periods. I have discussed with Linda Fossen and Mari Chapa
the possibility of developing benchmark data to determine what level of staffing is
required to keep up. Please note that financial aid is only one piece of the pie. The same
staff is also responsible for the processing of scholarships and guaranteed loans.
We at the Business Office simply disburse funds that have been awarded by the
Financial Aid Office. We do not control when the awards occur, but rather how quickly the
disbursement is made once that happens. To that end, we continue to promote the Sting
Card so that we may disburse funds as quickly as possible. This semester, we disbursed
about 1,500 awards electronically to the card. The process cuts down the delivery time
since we are not using traditional mail service and students do not have to worry about
checks lost in the mail.
Ms. Martinez agreed to provide the Senate with additional information, if requested.
UTB/TSC Strategic Marketing Plan
On September 20 and 21, I attended two UTB/TSC Strategic Marketing Plan workshops here on
campus conducted by the Ampersand Agency of Austin.
UTB/TSC has retained Ampersand to develop a strategic marketing and communications plan
for our institution. The Agency is strongly research-based, with experience in developing
advertising plans whose outcomes can be measured and evaluated.
In the opening session, Ampersand staff described their intention to: 1) assess where UTB/TSC
is today in terms of assets, programs, services, and degree plans; 2) establish where we would
like to be in the year 2020; 3) determine how we might best market ourselves to successfully
effect this transition.
In the second session, a group of faculty helped formulate the research questions Ampersand will
use next spring to develop its marketing plans for:
 admission and recruitment
 the university website
 arts and entertainment
 student affairs/student life
 athletics/sports
 news and information
 fundraising/endowment
University Graduate Committee Nomination
The School of Business has nominated Dr. Khaled Elkhal as their representative to the University
Graduate Committee. This nomination needs to be voted upon at this meeting.
Upcoming Conferences and Meetings
UT System is conducting a Graduation Rates Conference at UT-Dallas on Friday, September 30.
Attending UTB/TSC faculty members are David Pearson and Julie Larson. Several staff members
from Enrollment Planning are also scheduled to attend.
On October 6 and 7, Academic Senate President David Pearson and Vice President Karen FussSommer will attend the Faculty Advisory Council (FAC) meeting in Austin.
On October 21 and 22, I plan to attend the fall meeting of the Texas Council of Faculty Senates,
held in Austin.
On October 25, UT System will host a workshop in Austin on aligning planning with the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation review preparation. The meeting will feature
guest speakers from SACS and from institutions that have recently completed their SACS reaccreditation process. Each UT System president was asked to suggest five people to attend.
This concludes the Senate President’s report.
V.
Partnership Committee Reports
a.
Business Affairs Partnership Committee
Ms. Pat Celaya, Senate Treasurer, reported that the Business Affairs Partnership
Committee met on August 15, 2005 and acted on four items. (1) they approved
the minutes for the February 16, May 11, and June 15, 2005 meetings, (2) they
approved the TSC budget for FY06, (3) they approved a bid from JMB Paving
and Seal Coating Co. from McAllen in the amount of $59,525 to pave the road
adjacent to EDBC, and (4) they approved the renewal of the following insurance
policies with Shepard Walton King Insurance Group – Crime, General,
Automobile, and Educator’s Legal, the largest of which was the General Policy
for $27,683.
VII.
New Business
University Graduate Committee Nominations/Renewals
Vice-President Fuss-Sommer announced that the School of Business has nominated Dr. Khaled
Elkhal as its representative to the University Graduate Committee, and that this nomination
needed to be acted upon at this meeting. Dr. Otero spoke briefly about Dr. Elkhal, stating that he
is tenured track faculty, he’s publishing well, he’s a good researcher, and he has good student
evaluations. Professor Corbeil moved that Dr. Elkhal be appointed to the University Graduate
Committee; Professor Hollier seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Vice-President Fuss-Sommer announced that there were also two renewals for membership in
the Graduate Committee – Professor Paul-Herman Zieschange for the College of Science,
Mathematics & Technology, and Professor Michael Sullivan for the School of Education. Ms.
Fuss-Sommer asked Dr. Eli Pena if he would say a few words about Professor Zieschang. Dr.
Pena said he approved of the nomination. Professor Sutterby moved that Professor Zieschang’s
appointment be renewed. Professor Rodney Sullivan seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Vice-President Fuss-Sommer asked for any discussion on the renewal of Professor Michael
Sullivan. Professor Sutterby said he endorsed him. Professor Zieschang moved that Professor
Sullivan’s appointment be renewed. Professor Elizabeth Heise seconded the motion. Motion
carried.
VIII.
Provost’s Report
The Provost had the following items to report:
1) We have seven representatives in Dallas participating in a UT System workshop on
Retention and Graduation – Academic Senate President, David Pearson, Julie Larson,
Dean Jay Phillips, Ms. Linda Fossen, Dr. Mrinal Mugdh, Dr. Marilyn Woods, and Dr.
Ruth Ann Ragland. We hope they will bring back new ideas to help with student success.
2) He thanked everyone for their participation in the activities surrounding the dedication of
the new education/business complex. David Pearson and other senators and faculty
members attended the dedication, the lecture afterwards, and the Partnership Advisory
Committee. The dedication ceremonies were particularly meaningful with the children
singing “Discovery”. We had a number of distinguished guests on campus, including the
chairman of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Bob Shepard of Harlingen,
Chancellor Mark Yudof, and Regents Cindy Krier and Bob Estrada. The TSC Board
represented us well. A motion was approved that called for cooperation in identifying
ways to help our growing institution in light of the fact that we have no tuition revenue
bonds in the pipeline. The TRB used for the new education/business complex is the last
state money we have for buildings. Any new buildings you see constructed on campus
will be financed either by the bond issue or student fees.
3) A campus advisory committee and a bond board advisory committee for each new
building in the bond issues will be meeting thru December. These committees
will be making a major decision about what the buildings will look like. He thanked all the
faculty and staff and students who are participating in these important planning
meetings. Ms. Veronica Mendez is organizing this planning effort.
4) Dr. Martin announced that our new Bachelors of Science in Environmental Sciences has
been approved by the Coordinating Board. We will begin offering that degree in January.
He thanked the faculty in the department of chemistry and environmental sciences for
their work in making this happen.
5) Students participating in our environmental sciences program will have a 10,000 acre
laboratory at Bahia Grande. Our faculty have been active participants in recent events
associated with the Bahia Grande. A Bahia Grande summit was held September 19 th on
our campus. Federal, state and local officials participated, along with scientists from five
universities. Making presentations were Dr. David Hicks, Dr. Elizabeth Heise, and Dr.
Jude Benavides. Professor Mary Jane Shands lead in organizing the event.
6) Our revised mission statement that will allow us to offer doctoral degrees goes before the
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board on October 27th. This is a very important
step and will bring doctorial education to the Lower Rio Grande Valley. UT Regents
already have approved it, and we must now have state approval. The next step will be to
seek preliminary planning authority for our education and physics doctoral programs.
7) The distinguished lecture series will be Thursday, October 13th, with Dr. Jane Goodall as
the guest speaker. We will have free tickets available for classes and professors for the
daytime presentation, and we expect to have some reduced priced tickets for the evening
event. We will send out emails about the free tickets and the reduced priced tickets when
they become available.
VI.
HOOP Policies
HOOP Section 5.2.8 Human Subjects Research Review Committee (2nd reading)
Ms. Suzanne Acevedo, Associate Dean of Sponsored Programs, highlighted the changes to the
policy. The title and description have been changed. Also, a section has been added which
states that written approval of the Committee is mandatory prior to conducting any research
activity that involves human subjects, and that the Committee must include a scientist, a nonscientist, and at least one person not affiliated with the institution. The rest of the changes were
minor.
Dr. Stockton asked if “Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs” in the “Membership” and
“Review” sections needed to be changed. Dr. Martin said it should be changed to “Provost”.
It was also noted that there was an extra comma in the “Membership” section. Ms. Acevedo said
she would make these corrections.
Professor Sutterby asked how many members are on the Committee. Ms. Acevedo said
currently there are eight or nine, and they would be soliciting new members in January,
Professor Peltz moved the policy be approved with the changes. Professor Hollier seconded the
motion. Motion carried.
HOOP Section 7.7.6 Policies and Procedures for Promoting Objectivity in Research by
Managing, Reducing, or Eliminating Conflicts of Interest (2nd reading)
Ms. Acevedo highlighted the changes to the policy. She said the new policy expands the
definition of “significant financial interest”. The “Procedures” section has also been expanded.
She said they looked at other UT components prior to re-writing these sections. Also, if there is a
conflict that needs to be resolved, now there is a review process. This is addressed in a new
section titled “Review Process”. She concluded by saying there really are no significant changes.
Ms. Fuss-Sommer asked about the ad hoc committee in Section C. Who appoints the
committee? Does the Provost need to appoint the committee? Dr. Martin said he did not.
Professor Davis moved to approve the policy as written. Professor Lacher seconded the motion.
Motion carried.
Dr. Martin said he was glad to see these policies approved, and that this could not have
happened too soon.
Ms. Acevedo said she would probably be back at the next Academic Senate meeting with two
more revised policies. Ms. Fuss-Sommer told her to contact the Academic Senate President
about this.
IX.
Announcements
There were no announcements.
X.
Adjournment
Professor Sutterby moved the meeting be adjourned. Professor Harris seconded the motion.
The meeting was adjourned at 2:45 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Pat Celaya
Academic Senate Treasurer