University Senate
Minutes
November 7, 2005
Call to order 3:02 p.m. Beers Lecture Hall
Roll call - 40 Senators present at call to order (60 Senators total attendance)
Approval of minutes - motion Fleischman/Elwood- approved unanimously
President’s Report
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Dr. Dillman provided an update on enrollment statistics, referring to a five-page handout (see attached). Enrollment rates for ESU have shown an increase of
3.66% from Fall 2004 to Fall 2005. Some central and western State System institutions are showing a decline in enrollment.
Full Time Equivalent (FTE) rates indicate 89.9% undergraduate and 10.1% graduate enrollment. The graduate program does quite well relative to the other system institutions. Dr. Dillman stated that the change in demographics in the area can contribute to growth on enrollment if ESU is prepared to deliver services to a larger population.
Headcount by race data indicates that the Hispanic population has grown faster than the African American population. Dr. Dillman stated that the self-reporting factor influences how data is collected and reported.
Data on gender and residency factors indicate 60% female population and almost
20% non-resident students. Dr. Dillman stated that these factors should be considered in resource planning and use of residence halls. The non-resident population is higher than most other system institutions due to proximity to New
Jersey and New York and to the fact that ESU non-resident tuition rates are comparable to in-state rates in New Jersey.
The data on student living arrangements raise concerns about capacity of student housing and parking. Dr. Dillman indicated that ESU is still interested in building a parking garage with Pocono Medical Center. With the high commuter population, this type of facility is very much needed.
Dr. Dillman reported that the Board of Governors had initially proposed a 2% increase on tuition along with a 2% increase in state appropriations. There was open discussion regarding how the spending cuts have affected the system. The board recognized that the universities need more help in order to provide quality education to students. Following the discussion, the board moved to change the proposal to request a 6% increase on appropriations and a 2% to 3% increase in tuit ion. The appropriations will be affected by the governor’s budget proposal.
Dr. Dillman stated that enrollments at ESU could continue to grow. We cannot forget that we are an access institution. As part of our mission, we can continue to

admit students who may need a little support to be successful. In order to increase enrollment, the university community needs to decide how big we want to be and to develop strategies and anticipate and discuss issues that may arise.
This may be a matter for senate discussion.
Retention rates have improved. Dr. Dillman stated that he would like to know what factors have contributed to the increase and consider how we can enhance those factors and continue improvement.
Agenda changes/additions - none
Budget Update
Vice President Staneski provided a budget update based on the presentation made to the Council of Trustees at their recent meeting. The following accomplishments were noted to the Council:
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The fiscal year ended with a balanced budget and a small contribution into the fund balance.
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A strategic plan was established.
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ESU saw record high retention from first to second year and second to third year.
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A University Senate was established
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ESU continues engagement in significant economic activity, including a major increase in state and federal grants.
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500 new seats were created in general education to support the growing student population.
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ESU saw the second largest enrollment growth in the system and also saw some improvement in selectivity.
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Major facilities improvements include the Reibman Administration Building addition, athletic track and the addition of 550 students beds, which have a
98% occupancy rate.
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There had been significant progress in the Comprehensive Campaign; approximately 50% of the $15 million has been realized.
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A gift if $2 million was received, the largest in the history of ESU.
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ESU has shown improvement regarding performance indicators.
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Along with a balanced budget going into the new fiscal year, there are some reserves in case of planning failures.
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There has been a reallocation of existing resources toward hiring of new full-time regular faculty.
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The number of managers in Academic Affairs has been reduced while increasing the strategic level of leadership.
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Growth will continue in a planned way to improve student performance and the quality of the student body.
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Efforts will be made to continued improvement regarding performance indicators.
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Increases in the number of minority faculty, students and staff will continue.

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Work toward reaching Comprehensive Campaign goals as well as an overall fundraising goal of $2.5 million will be ongoing.
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Investments will be made in areas that will improve university performance and services to students
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Faculty productivity will be addressed, especially regarding summer school and Continuing Education
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Anticipated groundbreaking for the new Science and Technology building is in Spring 2006.
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Groundbreaking for a storm water and pedestrian safety project is expected for Spring 2006. This is a $4.5 million project.
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Based on the 2005/2006 figures, ESU is rapidly approaching a $100 million budget.
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Revenue summary include the following: o State appropriations increased 4.8% o Tuition & Fees increased 3.1% o Other revenue sources remained the same o Total revenue increased 3.6% o Tuition and fees provided 63% of revenue o State appropriations provided 33% of revenue o Other sources provided 4% of revenue
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This a change from 15 or 10 years ago, when state appropriations provided a higher percentage of resources. As the state takes away resources, tuition has to support a higher portion of the costs.
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The E&G (Education and General) fund showed the highest expense increase at 5%, reflected in salary and benefits. Personnel costs are 77% of the budget.
Senators had the following concerns in response to the budget report:
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Along with the cut in state support, ESU is not getting its fair share due to inequities the performance indicators formula.
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The increase in general education seats has happened as a result of increasing class size. Is this in the best interest of the students?
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Class size requirements for summer school might affect availability of some classes.
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Planning and advising students for spring semester is difficult because the summer school schedule is not yet available. This is also a problem for graduate students, many of whom work full-time jobs.
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Tuition and fee revenue includes summer school and Continuing
Education. Changes in these programs should consider this factor.
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The cost of salary and benefits should be considered in the effort to hire more full-time regular faculty.
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Graduation rates are affected by course availability. Changing summer courses could be an adverse factor on graduation rates.
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Concerns about state funding should be addressed by a more active interaction with legislators, potentially influencing appropriations.

Standing Committee Reports
Budget and Planning
Two meetings have taken place. Vice President Staneski is the chair of the committee. He reported on the meetings as follows:
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The budget process was discussed.
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The committee considered an environmental scan, projecting five years and discussed the major elements to be considered- tuition, enrollment, demographics, facilities and fund raising.
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In a discussion of how large ESU should be, it was determined that a reasonable number is 8000 to 8500 within the next 15 years. If that is the goal, then planned growth is needed to achieve it.
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The next meeting will be in early December to discuss linking planning to budget and allocation decisions and to consider priorities in preparation for next year’s budget.
Rules and Bylaws
Bobby Fleischman reported that he is the chair of the committee. There has been one meeting, with another one planned. The committee discussed the terms of senators, replacing senators and the overall direction of the senate as well as shortening senate minutes.
Diversity
Ray Muller and Luck Freck are co-chairs. Ray Muller reported that the committee has met twice. In discussing what the committee will do relative to its charge, members decided that a flyer-style report on diversity activities will be provided to the senate at each meeting beginning at the December meeting. The committee also determined that if ESU is to attract and retain faculty and students of diverse groups, then the campus community must understand diversity and why it is important. The committee will be discussing this at future meetings.
Facilities
The committee met once. No chair is elected; no report was made.
Instructional Resources and Technology
Michael S outhwell reported that Bob D’Aversa is the chair. The committee discussed the state of instructional technology. It was determined that it is time to update the University Technology Plan. The committee will be addressing the update.
Student Affairs
Rachel Mercuri and Phil Griswold are co-chairs.
Research
Patricia Crotty reported for the committee- James Fagin is chair. The committee will look at other institutions for research processes and support.

Committee on Committees (ad hoc)
Members of the committee have been assigned to do research regarding existing committees on campus.
Class Schedule
Joe Miele provided a preliminary report. The committee met twice for a total of three hours. In an effort to review the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed new schedule, a survey was conducted of 359 students. 41.8% preferred the current schedule, 58.2% preferred the new proposal.
The committee discussed the courses offered at non-conforming times. There are
150 non-conforming sections in Fall 2005 and 200 in Spring 2006. Some courses don’t conform due to academic factors such as 2 hour lab times.
The committee contacted a company that offers scheduling software and consultation services. The company may create “dry runs” of current and proposed schedule for a comparative analysis.
The next part of the committee’s work will be to gather responses from constituent groups and discuss the following issues and concerns:
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Conforming and non-conforming times and academic reasons for those off the grid
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Coordination of classes off the grid to try to form some pattern
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Serving the needs of the students
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Day grid vs. night grid
 Possible meeting time in the proposed grid and creating “dry run” including the meeting time
Senator comments included:
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Should meeting times be placed where they can least hurt academics or are meetings an important aspect of the college experience?
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Consideration should be given to whether the best times for learning include early morning and late evening.
New Business
None
Senators should be prepared to discuss meeting dates for the 2006/2007 calendar at the December meeting.
Motion to adjourn Abbruzzese/Fleischman
Adjournment 5:00 p.m.
Next Meeting December 5, 2005 3-5 p.m. Beers Lecture Hall