APPROVED
FACULTY SENATE
MINUTES
RETREAT
September 13, 2012
MEMBERS PRESENT: Senators Chen, Danielson-Francois, Dolins, Guo, Hirshorn, Klein, Leonard, Lin,
Linn, Moore, Naik, Poster, Remski, Reyes, Singh, Strandholm, and Vang; Chancellor Little; Provost Davy
GUESTS: Kim Kearfott, SACUA Chair, Tom Schneider, SACUA Secretary; Ken Schilling, UM-Flint
Faculty Chair; Jerry Sanders, UM-Flint Faculty Council; Mike Farmer, UM-Flint Faculty Council; Eric
Freedman, UM-Flint Faculty Council; Assistant Provost Alexander; Professor Orady
1.
Call to Order – Chair Poster called the meeting to order at approximately 12:05 p.m.
2.
Remarks from Chair Poster – Chair Poster welcomed the guests from Ann Arbor and Flint and asked
everyone here to introduce themselves. He noted that it is unusual for all three Senate chairs to be
together, and this meeting is to discuss the Committee on the Economic Status of the Faculty (CESF).
3.
Remarks from Chancellor Little – Chancellor Little remarked that it is good to see all the Senators
and visitors from SACUA and Flint. Recent developments include closing the deal on the campus
housing and opening a 505 bed facility for the fall 2013 term. The campus worked for several years
with a group of private developers to provide student housing on a property across Evergreen road
from the CASL building. The Chancellor plans to make a formal announcement in the coming days.
Enrollments continue to increase to about 9100 students. The budget appears to be good and the
number of students in the 3+2 China Program (CECS) nearly doubled this year. Chancellor Little also
commented on how shared governance has a distinctive and vibrant role at universities and he enjoys
working collaboratively with the Faculty Senate.
The Chancellor presented Faculty Senate Leadership Awards to 2011-2012 Senate Chair Barbara
Klein; and to 2011-2012 Senate Vice Chair and Chair of the Promotion and Tenure Committee, Joseph
Lunn (in absentia), commenting that their service as leaders of the Senate is very much appreciated.
4.
Remarks from Provost Davy - Provost Davy welcomed everyone to fall term and greeted the guests
from Ann Arbor and Flint. She echoes Chancellor Little’s comments about shared governance and
works productively together with the Senate. The Provost remarked that higher education has been
under attack and that we can work together to square-off. Her recent email describes the steering
committee for the Vision 2020 self-study and accreditation visit in September 2013. They will
document strategic plans around 7 goals and 17 improvement areas. Faculty members are encouraged
to attend upcoming forums.
5.
CESF Model - SACUA Chair Kearfott provided copies and presented an overview of Faculty
Governance: History and Common Concerns. The CESF is one of several Senate Assembly
committees that share common interests on the three campuses. The CESF has been the focus of
issues that the Regents brought to SACUA. The Regents requested that SACUA present a single CESF
report. SACUA discussed how to make reports so that are read by the Regents, and the data are fully
vetted. She noted that currently the individual CESF reports are presented a month after the budgets
are approved and it is the least effective month. The changes include having the support of Senate
Assembly for all three reports combined into one, presented one month before the budget. They
discussed the report structure, and making people apprised. Kearfott discussed advantages and
challenges that we face making one report with a consistent format approved by SACUA and Senate
Assembly, with one presentation to the Regents. Campuses will prepare their own section, and the
Senate Assembly Chair reviews all of the report sections. The CESF Chairs from Dearborn and Flint
and non-voting representation of Provosts from all three campuses will also serve on the Ann Arbor
CESF. Kearfott discussed the reporting timeline and challenges including fair representation on the
SA CESF, loss of autonomy of all three campuses including during the annual presentation to the
Regents, and unresolvable differences among faculty and/or administration during report preparation.
She stressed that this is a faculty governance report. The future of the CESF ensures regularization of
data sources and report format with comprehensive analysis; expanded membership with mutual
responsibilities for all three campuses that allows a more rigorous and comprehensive report overall.
We are working together on this faculty governance report to strengthen arguments for common issues,
and new issues could be more readily addressed each year. The membership of the Ann Arbor CESF
includes Chair Askari, Scott Masten (SACUA liaison), regular members Ulsoy, Mansfield, Reddy,
Smith, Teranato, Brown, Callahan (UMD), Farmer (UMF CESF Chair), the yet to be named UMD
CESF Chair, Retiree Beutler, Alumni Evans, Provost’s representatives Pollack, Hershock (UMD), and
yet to be named UMF Provost representative. Kearfott shared copies of the Principles of Faculty
Involvement in Institutional and Academic Unit Governance at the University of Michigan 2nd ed., and
noted that former Provost Sullivan talked about how salary is not everything in her comments, and
pushed to strengthen faculty governance in her collaboration with the University Shared Governance
Task Force of the Senate Assembly and SACUA on writing the Principles of Faculty Involvement in
Institutional and Academic Unit Governance at the University of Michigan 2nd ed. SACUA Chair
Kearfott invited Senate Chair Poster to the October 31 event where George Cohen, University of
Virginia Chair of Faculty Governance is giving a talk on events involving its board of visitors,
administration, faculty, and students. She talked about the Senate Assembly committees affecting all
three campuses such as the CESF, Administrator Evaluation Committee, and the Committee on an
Inclusive University, among others. The charge for the Committee on an Inclusive University was
drafted by M. Robert Fraser and when the name was changed to Committee on a Multicultural
University, the charge was changed. The new committee charge includes a fresh assessment of
policies, procedures and services, report with recommendations, organize annual event for faculty from
the CIC universities, search for gaps in existing programs, values and vision, response to issues, and
faculty perspectives/administration evaluation committee.
Senators discussed some of the issues including how salary compression should be clearly addressed in
the report. Chair Kearfott added that discrimination is a companion issue and both are difficult data
sets. Appointing CESF Chair Askari ensures these issues can be resolved. Report chapters will also
contain common issues, and sections that are parallel can be identified by the three CESF chairs in a
consistent format to use every year. Data sets can be pulled through Ann Arbor for different
comparisons and the common items include the dental, medical, and retirement plans. Administrator
data will all be linked together. Concerns of having administrators on a committee where junior
faculty may become docile or reluctant to speak were raised, and SACUA Chair Kearfott
acknowledged she would consider this. Logistics relating to when/how/where the committee would
meet were raised, and suggestions included having fewer members; rotating meetings among the three
campuses, using Skype, and following a schedule. The Senate will continue discussing the CESF at its
September 24, 2012 meeting. Chair Poster thanked Chair Kearfott for her presentation.
6.
Update AIM Tutorial – Chair Poster updated the Senate on the request that has been brought to his
attention by Senator Everett to update the online Academic Integrity Michigan (AIM) Tutorial that is
used by Admissions during student orientation to educate incoming students about plagiarism. Everett
reported problems with cheating that have been brought to her attention by students. The campus’
rules on plagiarism are not universal and international students follow different rules. Poster noted that
there needs to be a method for transfer students to take the tutorial as well. Some faculty members
institute a contract with students and require them to complete the tutorial. Turnitin is the plagiarism
detection system used at UM-Dearborn, and it works better when more widely used. Poster suggested
forming an ad hoc committee to identify ways to further combat plagiarism, update the tutorial.
Professor Farmer noted that UM-Flint has a big international student population and they reframed the
problem. They now use a method to coach against plagiarism. They also submit all types of papers
through a plagiarism detection site and now 80% are not plagiarized. Students can submit papers in
draft form and make changes before submitting a final paper. He advised that papers should be
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submitted by Thanksgiving to avoid system slow-downs. Former Senate Chair Orady noted that
students find solutions on the internet and faculty must try to create problems with solutions that can’t
be found. Orady volunteered to join the AIM Committee.
7.
IT Rationalization Process - Provost Davy informed the faculty in her recent email that the campus is
making a significant investment in technology infrastructure over the next three years and she has
formed a new information technology governance structure. She found that UM-Flint is doing very
well in the area of information technology and invited Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and
Dean of Graduate Programs Lotfi to consult on information technology going forward. Currently the
campus follows the Ann Arbor model for IT and is spending a lot of resources while leaving many
people unhappy. Assistant Provost Alexander is the Vision 2020 Champion working to implement
improved structures and strategies for technology.
Assistant Provost Alexander presented the IT Rationalization process that includes an Accenture
analysis of the university’s decentralized organizational model and determined its cost inefficiencies,
that it hinders scholarly collaboration and constrains innovation. She reviewed the comparative
analysis done in February 2012 that considered 17 UM-Dearborn extant studies and reports and
conducted interviews across campus. The profiles of UM-Flint and UM-Dearborn, analysis of central
IT budgets, and total investment comparisons are included in the report as well as themes from
interviews with Lotfi. Assistant Provost Alexander provided copies of the revised IT Governance
Model that includes an Executive IT Committee with a specific charge and membership, an IT Council
to advise the Executive IT Committee, and resources for the IT Council. Since April 2012, there has
been collaboration on tech planning and prioritizing among the associate deans EMSL, and ITS. The
leadership, governance and funding models were considered by the Council of Deans, Library,
Finance, and ITS. The campus secured increased infrastructure investments over three years, and the
new governance structure is being launched this fall. The projects underway include enhanced
wireless service, Banner upgrades, Google Collaboration Suite, lab print policy and strategy, and LMS
analysis (CTools, VLT, Blackboard). Senators suggested having IT technicians available for evening,
and discussed data storage moving to M+, centralized budgeting and shared purchasing to leverage
technology fees, and centralized use of IT personnel across campus. Senators raised concerns with
needing specific lab software and computers and how their requests to purchase these items have been
denied. Assistant Provost Alexander noted that if units save money under the new IT model then they
could spend it on their mission specific needs.
8.
Access to HFE Grounds - Senator Danielson-Francios discussed the Natural Sciences resolution of 1
June 2012 that was endorsed by the Faculty Senate on June 11. Chancellor Little noted that Vice
Chancellor Evans is the lead negotiator and the resolution strengthens the request for the use of the
Natural Areas, and limited access to the interior of the Power House that we are attempting to include
in the transfer agreement.
9.
Senate Committees – deferred.
10. Matters Arising – none.
12. Adjournment
R.A. 1.1
“Motion to Adjourn”
Motion Moved and Seconded
The Motion was UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED
The meeting was adjourned at approximately 2:50 p.m. The first regular meeting of the Faculty Senate
will be held on September 24, 2012, at 3:00 p.m., in room 180 Fairlane Center South.
Respectfully Submitted,
Deborah Skoll
Recording Secretary
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