Site Index

Senate Recognition of M. Mark Miller (M. Papke)
M. Papke read a resolution recognizing the work of Past-President M. Miller and presented to him a framed copy of the unanimously approved resolution. He took the opportunity to thank the Faculty Senators for their efforts last year and for the resolution.

Introduction of Norma Cook, Parliamentarian (M. Papke)
Papke next introduced N. Cook, the Senate's new parliamentarian.

President's Report (M. Papke)
Papke described some of her experiences since being elected president of the Senate. She announced that she is appointing an ad hoc committee on electronic and technologically enhanced teaching and delivery. She already has appointed Randall Bresee as chair of the Standing Committee Overseeing the Evaluation of Administrators and will appoint an ad hoc committee to review the evaluation of administrator's process. She also reported that she has charged the Faculty Affairs Committee, the Research Council, and the Teaching Council with reviewing the faculty manual describing the procedures for tenure and promotion and for the annual and cumulative reviews. Finally, Papke is appointing an ad hoc committee on the awarding of honorary degrees policy approved by the Board of Trustees. She concluded by asking for suggestions of individuals to serve on the ad hoc committees and reminding everyone of the Faculty Senate newsletter, listserve, and webpage.

Provost's Report (J. Peters)
Peters congratulated M. Miller on his work as president of the Senate last year. He then reported that B. Snyder is in Washington, D.C., to work on alumni affairs. Peters then turned to a report (distributed at the meeting) on enrollment and a bulletin (also provided at the meeting) being distributed widely across the state to inform the public about the new admissions policy. He noted that first-time freshman enrollment was up 9.17% in comparison to fall, 1998. A planning group is meeting to consider how to handle increasing enrollment, especially at the upper-division level. Peters also reported that a 3.33% decrease in graduate and professional students is an "across-the-board" decrease.

Peters continued by reporting that there are about 1,200 African-American students enrolled this term. First-time freshman African-American enrollment is up 107% since 1995.

Peters concluded by encouraging everyone to "make the case" with the voting public for improved funding for higher education and by supporting the Student Government Association's efforts to register students to vote. He also distributed copies of a press release by State Representative B. Dunn and of a recent Knoxville News-Sentinel article on the press release. Dunn favors reforming state government instead of taxes.

SGA Report (W. Carver)
Carver asked for everyone's assistance in registering students to vote.

Minutes of the Faculty Senate meeting of May 3, 1999, were approved with the understanding that the report of the Educational Policy Committee is amended to read as follows:

Educational Policy Committee (L. Bensel-Meyers)
Bensel-Meyers reported that the committee has approved the minutes of or actions taken at the Graduate Council meetings of March 11, 1999, and April 22, 1999, and of the Undergraduate Council meetings of March 25, 1999, and April 29, 1999, with the following "Item for Attention" (ref. UG minutes of 29 April 1999):

The Educational Policy Committee would like to draw special attention to the New Admissions Standards recommended by John Peters as revised at the Undergraduate Council meeting on 29 April 1999. The EPC unanimously supports the proposed admissions standards, particularly as a way to address the problems arising from inflationary enrollment figures. We also suggest that, before and after these new standards take effect, the University continues to address the problems of inadequate number of sections of required courses while also avoiding the option of raising individual class capacities. We believe strongly that excessively large classes, particularly for students in their first year at UTK, may resolve the problem of inflationary enrollments but at the expense of the quality of education and, ultimately, UTK's academic reputation.

The report was approved.

Minutes of the Faculty Senate Executive Council Meeting of July 14, 1999, were approved with the correction that "if" be changed to "is" in the first line of the paragraph that begins "Next, Miller noted ..."

Minutes of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee Special Meeting of August 16, 1999, and the Faculty Senate Executive Committee Meeting of August 30, 1999, were approved without change.

Research Council (B. Blass)
Blass reminded everyone that the university is preparing a set of information security standards. He noted that some institutions use general statements and others attempt to list inappropriate activities. The policy being developed at UTK combines the two approaches. Blass encouraged everyone to read the proposed policy to see how it relates to teaching and research activities and to assess the nature of checks and balances it provides. Comments should be provided to Blass, who will have the Research Council consider them. J. Poore encouraged everyone to protect his or her own files and to have backups.

Legislative Committee (M. Combs)
Combs reported that the committee's first meeting was with State Senator Ben Atchley. Attendance and the discussion were good. Efforts are being made to have Congressman Duncan attend a meeting of the committee. Combs has informed student political organizations of the committee's activities. B. Glenn noted that the Senate webpage has links to information on how to contact legislators and others.

Motion on Intercampus Connector (B. Postow)
Postow called attention to the proposed resolution (distributed with agenda) and moved that the resolution be adopted. The motion was seconded. Postow gave her time to J. Nolt, who provided some history of the connector project and argued in favor of the resolution. There was no debate. The resolution was approved unanimously.

Senate Recognition of D. Dobbs (M. Miller)
Miller read a resolution recognizing the work of former parliamentarian Dobbs and presented to him a framed copy of the unanimously approved resolution. Dobbs also was presented a plaque. Dobbs thanked the Senate.

President's Report (M. Papke)
Papke called attention to the availability at the meeting of copies of a list of members of three new ad hoc committees and to the change (described in the minutes of the most recent Senate Executive Committee) in how minutes of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee are approved. She also reviewed how certain activities of the Faculty Senate should proceed.

Chancellor's Report (W. Snyder)
Snyder read two statements, each of which is reproduced here:

Status of Internal Investigation of Academic Assistance to
Student Athletes

Provost John Peters and I met last week with Associate General Counsel Ron Leadbetter to get a status report for presentation to the Faculty Senate today concerning the investigation being conducted by Mr. Leadbetter into academic assistance to student athletes. I share with you today the latest information I have on the investigation.

Mr. Leadbetter indicated that the investigation is moving rapidly toward conclusion. The time required to complete the investigation will depend on the number of persons yet to be interviewed by Mr. Leadbetter. Since each interview can potentially lead to other persons that need to be interviewed, a precise completion date cannot be given at this time. A written report of the investigation will be made public at the completion of the investigation.

There are two aspects to the investigation, (1) a determination of whether NCAA rule violations have occurred and (2) the policies and practices concerning academic assistance to student athletes, i.e. such questions as who should provide the assistance, what training is necessary, under what conditions should the assistance be provided, who should have oversight responsibility for the assistance, etc.

Mr. Leadbetter reports that the investigation to date has not discovered any NCAA rule violation. The investigation has discovered a difference of opinion concerning item two above. Provost Peters and I with the assistance of UTK faculty and UTK administrators are committed to conduct an analysis of policies and practices concerning academic assistance to student athletes. We will commence this analysis as soon as the written report from Mr. Leadbetter is available.

Salary Increases Effective August 1, 1999

I wish to share factual data and comment on the salary increases given to some faculty, exempt staff, and non-exempt staff effective August 1, 1999.

There are two numbers representing the total salary pool for the Knoxville campus that have been reported in the press. Both numbers are based on salaries that were changed between July 1, 1999 and August 1, 1999. The salary pool number $3,124,223 includes raises based on merit, gender equity, racial equity, job change to a higher paying job, salary change due to a job audit resulting in a job reclassification. There are 909 individuals on this list. The salary pool number $2,451,810 includes raises based on merit, gender equity, racial equity. There are 814 persons on this list.

A law was passed in the 1999 session of the Tennessee General Assembly requiring the boards of both the UT System and the SBR system to approve all salary increases given to faculty and staff. The UT Board of Trustees had access to the list of all individuals who received a salary increase between July 1, 1999 and August 1, 1999. The Board approved the salary increases for the Knoxville campus on October 8, 1999.

I wish to share the data for the 814 persons who received a salary increase based on merit, gender equity, or racial equity.

Total pool distributed	$2,451,810
Total faculty receiving salary increase	386
Total non-exempt staff receiving salary increase	256
Total exempt staff receiving salary increase	172
Total merit pool, all categories	$2,023,287
Total equity pool, all categories	$428,523
Average percentage increase, all categories	6.8%
Percentage of persons in each category receiving increases
Faculty	30%
Staff non-exempt	12%
Staff exempt	16%

I would like to make several comments concerning these salary increases.

1. The inadequacy of our salary base for faculty and staff is well known to anyone who will take the time and energy to inform themselves of the need.
2. The $2,451,810 came from the tuition increase paid by students this fiscal year since there was no increase in the state appropriation. If the State of Tennessee had funded higher education adequately over the past several years, we would not be discussing this issue today.
3. The UTK central administration has had salary improvement for faculty and staff as the number one priority for use of new funds for several years. It could not come as a surprise to anyone who has been attentive to the articulation of our priorities. The Trustees asked at the June 1999 meeting how we would use the revenue generated by the tuition increase, and we had salary improvement as the number one priority. They not only endorsed this priority but raised the question of allocating even more of the new funds to salary improvement than we proposed to the Board.
4. Our salary need is based on the market competition and not the salaries of other state employees. Just as we have variations in average faculty salaries by academic discipline, there are variations among state employees, both circumstances dictated by the market.
5. I disagree with the objection to these salary increases being ill-timed. I believe that this is precisely the time when salary increases should be given. With the general malaise and great uncertainty about the future of funding of higher education in Tennessee, we should do everything possible to send a message to our best performing faculty and staff that their services are valued and important to the future of this university.

The current controversy associated with the salary increases is just the latest example of how the inadequate funding of higher education by the State of Tennessee results in our quarreling over the distribution of an inadequate funding base. I would remind us of three measures of the inadequacy of funding by the state of Tennessee.
1. The THEC formula justifies $164 million for UTK for next year, and our current state appropriation is $150 million.
2. To have per student funding from state appropriation plus fees equal to the level of funding in Georgia and North Carolina would require an increase of $45 and $50 million respectively.

The upcoming special session of the Tennessee General Assembly is very critical to our future, and I urge everyone to communicate with their representatives the need for responsible action resulting in some form of tax reform to generate more revenue for all state services, particularly higher education.

When Snyder finished reading his statements, he asked for questions. B. Blass asked for more details on the distribution of raises. Snyder responded that faculty received $1,441,000, non-exempt staff received $413,000 and exempt staff received $597,000. Snyder also noted that no raises in athletics came from the tuition increase. In response to a question from B. Lyons, Snyder said that salaries within a discipline at UTK are compared with salaries in the same discipline at other institutions when inequities are considered. In response to a question from H. Pollio, Snyder said he is planning to send letters to some legislators and others to present facts and to refute "wrong-headed" thinking. In response to a comment describing how parts of the university are reacting to the raises for administrators and others, as reported in the local newspaper, Snyder reiterated his belief that administrators generally perform well and are as deserving of raises as others.

Provost's Report (J. Peters)
Peters complimented Snyder on his efforts and then recalled that Snyder committed last year to providing $800,000 to the thematic or focus areas. Peters reported that the funding will come from the tuition increase. He described elements that have been looked for in the proposals from the focus groups. He reported that the groups will now become "interdisciplinary councils" and will make recommendations for the distribution of funds. Individual groups will receive $25,000 to $175,000.

Peters next turned to the implementation of the cumulative-review-of-faculty process. C. Woods and others will soon have the Faculty Evaluation Manual ready for distribution. About 120 tenured faculty must be reviewed each year. As indicated last year, $320,000 in raise money will be provided to reward those who receive better evaluations (this year's funding will be used for faculty development or some other purpose which directly benefits faculty).

Minutes of the Faculty Senate meeting of September 20, 1999, were approved unanimously.

Bylaws Committee (B. Glenn)
Glenn called attention to proposed bylaws changes distributed with the agenda. He noted that the revision of Article III, Section 2, Paragraph F (2) should begin with "(2)" before "The Executive ..." The proposals will be voted on at the next Faculty Senate Meeting.

International Education Committee (B. Gould)
Gould called attention to the committee's report distributed with the agenda and noted that the committee wants to try to identify good candidates for international education awards early in their careers.

Teaching Council (M. Combs)
Combs briefly reviewed a summary of a survey of faculty attitudes concerning CTEP. He noted that instructors may need to be informed how best to use the CTEP forms and that there is a need for a faculty CTEP oversight committee.

Motion concerning Professor Linda Bensel-Meyers (B. Glenn)
Glenn briefly reviewed the history of the resolution and noted that it concerns both Professor Bensel-Meyers and academic integrity. J. Moran noted that he does not know Professor Bensel-Meyers and, therefore, does not know that he can support the resolution. After voting to close debate, the Faculty Senate voted to approve the resolution.

Faculty Evaluation Manual (B. Glenn)
Glenn presented the following resolution:

Resolved, That the Faculty Evaluation Manual and all later revisions of the Manual should be submitted to the Faculty Senate for approval.

In response to a question from B. Bates, Glenn said that he felt the policies of the document could be implemented by November 1, 1999, with Senate consideration given later. In response to a question from M. Miller, Glenn said he would like to see the manual brought to the Faculty Senate at its next meeting, not a year later. After voting to close debate, the Faculty Senate approved the resolution.

President's Report (M. Papke)
Papke reported that she met with President Gilley to discuss faculty participation in the special session of the legislature. She recommended to him that faculty not participate in an organized way since they have plenty to do on campus. Papke also reported that J. Trahern will be the faculty representative on the Administrative Streamlining Committee and that both President Gilley and Commissioner Saltsman, Sr., of the Department of Transportation have provided assurances that more discussions will be held about the final design decisions for the campus connector. Finally, she reminded everyone about the Faculty Senate Newsletter with its symposium on governance and reports on committees.

Chancellor's Report (W. Snyder)
Snyder reported on details of his transition from being Chancellor. His comments on this matter and on four themes President Gilley has articulated are reproduced here:

Comments Made at Faculty Senate Meeting
November 15, 1999
Bill Snyder, Chancellor

I want to share with you the details of my transition from being Chancellor. I met with President Gilley on June 26, 1999, shortly after his appointment as President had been announced. I briefed him on what I considered the pertinent issues facing UTK. I also told him that I would be ready to announce my retirement as Chancellor at a time convenient for him. The convenient time for the transition has been determined to be December 31, 1999.

Effective January 1, 2000, Provost John Peters will become Acting Chancellor. Provost Peters and I are working together on the transition. President Gilley has asked me to serve as Acting Vice President from January 1-June 20, 2000, in the position formerly held by Homer Fisher who retired October 31, 1999. He has also asked me to continue serving as Acting Vice Chancellor for Information Infrastructure for UTK until a permanent person has been chosen to assume those responsibilities. I have agreed to carry out both of these assignments. I will then transition to a part time faculty position in the College of Engineering on July 1, 2000.

The themes of emphasis for UT that have been articulated by President Gilley UT are: (1) emphasis on quality in all that we do, (2) emphasis on utilization of information technology, (3) emphasis on outreach/service/engagement with the world beyond the campus, and (4) sound fiscal management. I would like to focus some comments on this latter theme as it related to the issue of administrative costs. President Gilley has announced a goal of reducing administrative expenditures in the entire UT system by $30 million over a five-year period. A letter to the editor of the Knoxville News-Sentinel yesterday stated, "The university turns around and gives raises mostly to administrators who keep promoting themselves and inventing new positions so that their increased responsibilities will call for more money in their pockets." The writer of the letter also said, "We don't need to pay administrators who are incompetent or out of touch with the university community." I suggest a tempering of the rhetoric about administrators with a focus on the facts related to administrative salaries.

Before we can determine how much we are spending on administration, we must define an administrative position. For the purpose of sharing some facts with you today, I will define an administrative position as a non-faculty staff exempt position. I have analyzed all non-faculty staff exempt persons on the UTK payroll as of November 10, 1999 and discovered the following facts.

Analysis Of Non-Faculty Staff Exempt Positions At UTK As Of November 10, 1999

Total head count--580
Total FTE--564.21
Total payroll--$28,056,121
Average 12-month salary--$49,726
Average AY equivalent salary--$39,781
Total FTE by functional area
Instruction	81.68
Research	29.89
Public Service	9.21
Academic Support	80.90
Student Services	143.42
Institutional support	133.71
Physical plant	28.40
Service centers	13.00
Women's athletics	44.00

A demagogue is defined as "a person, esp. an orator or political leader, who gains power and popularity by arousing the emotions, passions, and prejudices of the people." I believe that demagoguery has been practiced recently over the administrator issue, especially the salaries of administrators who make over $100,000. At UTK, 33 people have salaries over $100,000. Fifteen of these are academic deans or associate deans, four are MDs in Student Health Services, and two are in Women's Athletics which is totally self supporting with subsidization from Men's Athletics and the Student Service Fee. The top salary, excluding men and women's athletics, on the Knoxville campus is $162,960. This salary is that of an academic dean and if $7,979 higher than the salary of the Chancellor. I endorsed this salary and have no problem at all with the salary of an academic dean being higher than the salary of the Chancellor.

My point in sharing this much detail about administrative salaries is to inform the university community with facts. The reduction of administrative expenditures proposed by President Gilley will involve a reduction in certain support services, and the campus must decide in the months ahead which services will be reduced or eliminated.

Tax reform continues to be the most important issue affecting UT in my opinion. The fiscal future of UT is still in doubt and will remain so until the regular session the General Assembly produces the budget for FY 2000-2001.

The Faculty Senate has played an important role in addressing many campus issues and will continue to do so in the future. I consider it a privilege to have served as Chancellor for the past seven-and-a-half years and to have worked with you to make UTK a better university. I encourage you to continue to work cooperatively with Provost Peters as you have with me. I look forward to continuing to serve this university from a different forum. Thank you for your commitment, and best wishes to you during the period of change that lies ahead.

Provost's Report (J. Peters)
Peters reported that Snyder has agreed only to a reception in honor of him and his wife. He also reported that the main priority of President Gilley remains "making the case" in Nashville. Peters feels that students, staff and faculty who have gone to Nashville to speak to legislators have been effective, but more work is needed.

Peters reminded everyone that the latest issue of Notes from Academic Affairs addressed the distribution of funding provided to thematic areas. He also reported that the process of cumulative reviews of faculty is ready to commence.

Peters next said that it is time for SACS reaccreditation. He will appoint a study director and a committee to handle the preparation. The SACS visit will occur in April, 2001. The focus is expected to be on quality and output assessment.

Finally, Peters noted that the president has called for a doubling of the university's external funding in seven years. There also is a call for tripling the university's number of National Merit Scholars. In addition, there are goals to increase the graduation rate and to identify and fund carefully selected areas of excellence. Peters plans to reactivate the Committee on Planning and Budgeting to have it look at the five-year plan and to incorporate into the plan the new president's goals.

Minutes of the Faculty Senate meeting of October 18, 1999, were approved without change.

Bylaws Committee (B. Glenn)
Glenn noted that proposed changes to the Faculty Senate Bylaws were distributed with the agenda for the October 18, 1999, meeting. He then briefly reviewed the five proposals. There was no discussion and the changes were approved without dissent.

Research Council (B. Blass)
Blass reported that several members of the Council met for about two hours with President Gilley to discuss policies and procedures. Blass suggested that the Faculty Senate might have several of its members meet with the president. Blass next reported that the Council is scheduled to discuss the Tennessee Public Records Act, which makes essentially everything about a faculty member's record, including his or her research files, available to the public. He also called attention to the final draft of the Acceptable Use Practices document (distributed at meeting) and asked for comments and suggestions; he believes that this version is fairly reasonable. The report was taken as approved.

Teaching Council (M. Combs)
Combs reported that the CTEP Oversight Committee has met and will welcome comments, concerns, complaints, etc.

Ad Hoc Committee on Technologically-Enhanced Instruction (M. Papke)
Papke reported on behalf of M. Peterson that the committee is active and much information is available on the Faculty Senate website.

Faculty Senate Executive Committee (M. Papke)
Papke asked for comments and questions about the minutes of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee meeting of November 1, 1999. There was no discussion.

Good of the Order: Faculty Evaluation Manual (C. Woods)
Woods briefly described the history of the manual, which treats annual evaluations of probationary faculty, tenure and promotion considerations, annual evaluations of tenured faculty, and cumulative evaluations of tenured faculty. The document addresses process, policy, and procedure. Several faculty groups have had an opportunity to suggest changes. Some matters are still under discussion. The document is available on the Academic Affairs webpage. It was noted that the policy behind the document does not change, but the implementation procedures described in the document will continue to evolve.

B. Lyons recalled his recent email message to senators concerning the composition of the faculty review committee which will deal with a particular faculty member. Woods expressed his views that a separate committee will be formed for each review case and that each department or unit should have the flexibility to decide how review committees are composed. J. Peters commented that the manual is a "best practices" document.

F. Davis commented that often now departments are organized for administrative convenience, rather than by academic areas. He asked whether consideration is being given to reorganizing departments to provide greater homogeneity in them, so that faculty really are reviewed and judged by their actual colleagues. Peters noted that some departments have subgroups that handle reviews for their members and then report to the entire department. M. Miller commented that the manual leaves considerable flexibility to colleges and departments. Blass commented that there should be a way for a faculty member to complain that the composition of the committee precludes a fair hearing. Peters suggested requiring that at least one member of each review committee come from a list of faculty proposed by the reviewee.

In response to another comment from Lyons, Woods said he does not believe that the cumulative review eliminates the existing peer review of teaching. Lyons expressed concern about the workload on faculty. Woods responded that departments can decide how to handle peer and cumulative reviews. Peters said he would like to reach agreement on how to lighten the load on faculty and administrators in the area of reviews.

Papke expressed hope there could be further discussion next term.

President's Report (M. Papke)
Papke briefly reminded everyone of the recent forum on streamlining. She then announced that she has appointed senators in each division to act as caucus leaders.

Provost's Report (J. Peters)
Peters distributed some materials on recent events important to the institution. He expressed disappointment that the press did not cover the events to the extent they deserve. Peters noted that more than one hundred students attended the governor's State of the State address last Monday. The Trustees meeting in Memphis last week was followed by the governor's forum on higher education. Many participants supported greater state investment in higher education. Peters briefly reviewed the governor's budget proposal items related to higher education. He noted that about $7.8 million of the almost $14.6 million proposed for enrollment/other operating would come to the "main campus." The proposals assume a 5% fee increase, but the board will have to consider any fee changes. In response to a question Peters said that budget planning on campus will start with the assumption of a flat budget in an effort to be realistic while remaining optimistic. In response to a question from J. Trahern, Peters said he hopes that salary increases for promotion and for positive cumulative reviews will be funded from sources other than the proposed 6% salary improvement.

Peters next turned to a progress report from the UT Committee for the Future. D. E. Olesen of Battelle is the chair of the committee, which is charged with assessing UT now and identifying how it can become a top 25 public university. The report includes five key ranking parameters and information on how UT compares with the top 25 average for each parameter. Strategic priorities from the top 25 review are to improve quality of undergraduates, enhance faculty quality and performance, reinvigorate the research program, build selected graduate and professional programs and increase UT revenue from all sources. Another report is due in March. Concern was expressed about the report's apparent emphasis on science and technology.

Peters noted next that he had distributed the first six pages of the streamlining report and that the entire report may be obtained by going to the UT homepage on the web. The Administrative Streamlining Committee was chaired by Bill Rice. Its report was approved by the Board of Trustees. Peters described the post-consolidation organization of UT and briefly reviewed recommendations for the main campus administration. He concluded by reiterating that President Gilley is willing to discuss all these topics. B. Blass reported that Gilley had indicated that the streamlining would occur primarily above the college level. In response Peters noted that he thought colleges would want to review their administrative organizations.

Minutes of the Faculty Senate meeting of November 15, 1999, were approved.

Educational Policy Committee (L. Bensel-Meyers)
Papke noted that the committee's report was distributed with the agenda. The report includes committee approval of the Graduate Council Minutes of June 24, 1999, September 9, 1999, and October 28, 1999, and of the Undergraduate Council Minutes of September 23, 1999. The report was approved.

Faculty and Staff Benefits Committee (C. Thompson)
Thompson reminded everyone of the materials distributed with the agenda. He asked everyone to work toward getting out of committee House and Senate bills concerning a retirement funds matter. He then turned to a resolution (distributed with the agenda) concerning state support for the purchase of drugs by retirees. The resolution was approved.

Ad Hoc Committee on Technologically-Enhanced Delivery of Instruction (M. Papke)
Papke reported on behalf of M. Peterson. She noted that the committee's first report was distributed with the agenda and that this committee is making progress in that one member has been appointed to the Intellectual Properties Committee of the Information Technology Task Force, three members are attending meetings of the Information Technology Round Table, and another has been appointed to the Information Technology Round Table.

Faculty Senate Executive Committee (M. Papke)
Papke noted that minutes of the committee's meeting on January 24, 2000, were distributed with the agenda and asked for questions or comments. There were none.

Legislative Committee (M. Combs)
Combs reviewed activities of the committee and announced that the committee will have a lunch meeting with Congressman Duncan on February 28. Any Senator who wishes to attend should email Combs. At Papke's request Combs also announced a forum on CTEP at 3:30 Wednesday, February 9, in the UC.

Nomination Committee (C. Wrisberg)
Wrisberg announced that K. Greenberg and M. Combs are the nominees for president-elect.

B. Glenn spoke about the announcement that the Pediatrics Department, UT Medical Hospital, will be eliminated by July, 2001. He asked that Dr. Sandra Loucks of that department be allowed to speak. She then read a statement which is included here:

I appreciate this opportunity to speak to you. As Bob Glenn mentioned, I am on the faculty of the Graduate School of Medicine, which is the teaching arm of what was the University of Tennessee Medical Center. I'm here to relate information concerning recent developments on our campus about which I hope you'll be concerned. We knew when the University made the decision to lease the university teaching hospital to an outside group that there would be changes, but you may recall that we were assured that there would not be major changes in the hospital's mission. It is now clear that there are major changes underway, and I think you will want to know about them. Not only are the main campus and the medical center geographical neighbors, but I understand that in the new organization of the university, Memphis, Knoxville and the Space Institute comprise the University of Tennessee.

First of all, you should know that there was what was described to me as an across the board 25% salary reduction for faculty of the Graduate School of Medicine as of July, 1999. The reason given was that state funding for the Graduate School of Medicine was inadequate, and the new hospital management had no intention of supporting the educational mission.

The recent news for the Department of Pediatrics, where I teach, was even worse. We were suddenly told in a meeting Wednesday, January 26th, that the Department is to be closed and that the tenure of faculty in that Department will therefore be terminated. We were told that the closure was for financial reasons, although no formal declaration of a state of financial exigency as outlined in the faculty handbook has been made. Although media reports indicated that faculty would be assigned other duties at the hospital, my understanding is that former faculty might have the option of becoming salaried employees of the hospital, with their salaries contingent on their generating patient fees. No mention was made of attempts to reassign faculty to other academic duties.

Please keep in mind, too, that the announced closure is planned for July, 2001. Postgraduate education and training for residents in Pediatrics is a three-year program. We have been told that residents whose training will not be completed by that time should look for other programs; although told in the initial meeting that the UT SYSTEM--Memphis and Chattanooga--would absorb them, later exploration of this possibility proved futile. First year residents have been subsequently advised to leave but little or no assistance is being provided. Thus, these residents will be at risk of completing their training in an unaccredited, ad hoc program, delaying the completion of their training for at least a year, or there may be a remote possibility of their staying on in an accredited but skeletal makeshift program. A failure to deliver on our academic commitment to these young physicians should be of concern to all of us as faculty of the university.

Now I'd like to speak personally.
My choice to follow an academic path goes back to my first faculty appointment at the University of Texas twenty-six years ago. I have been on the faculty of the University of Tennessee for over eighteen years. I have pursued an academic career, not because it seemed most lucrative, but because I care about what I take to be the mission of the university:-teaching and research. These recent events make me begin to wonder how deeply the institution that employs us cares about its faculty or the students and residents who have trusted us.

Dr. Sandra Loucks
February 7, 2000

In response to a question from B. Lyons, A. Burstein said that the approach to this matter may indeed lead to censure by the AAUP. Papke observed that it is not currently clear exactly what procedure should be followed in deciding whether a program will be eliminated. B. Glenn noted that there are questions in the areas of governance and education. He proposed a resolution calling for postponement of the elimination of the Department of Pediatrics until July, 2002. P. Hoeyng suggested that the resolution should be more general. F. Davis suggested that the Faculty Affairs Committee should investigate whether there is a due process policy and, if there is, whether it was followed in this case. B. Lyons replied that there is a process and procedures are spelled out. Blass suggested that the original resolution should be voted on since it is clear and straight forward. Papke noted that the objection to the resolution is that it asks only for more time. Glenn commented that the intent of the resolution was to say that if the elimination is to occur, then it should not occur until July, 2002.

P. Hoeyng moved that the resolution be amended to say:

Resolved, That the UT Faculty Senate deplores the process used to discontinue the Department of Pediatrics at UT Medical Hospital and urges that the decision be rescinded in order to permit adequate consultation with the faculty of the Department concerning:
	(1) Whether there is an educational basis for the decision;
	(2) Whether there are alternatives to closing the Department;
	(3) Whether there are possibilities for retraining or relocating the faculty in the Department; and
	(4) How the current residents in pediatrics can complete their programs without interruption.

The amended resolution was passed unanimously.

President's Report (M. Papke)
Papke reminded caucus leaders that new senators should have been elected by now. She also asked all senators to vote for members of the Committee on Committees. She reported that President Gilley has asked the Faculty Senate to begin a revision of the Faculty Handbook this summer. She then read a letter from B. Rice concerning the recent decision to eliminate the Department of Pediatrics, UT Medical Hospital.

President's Report (J. W. Gilley)
Gilley reviewed some of the events at the recent Board of Trustees meeting in Memphis. He noted that consolidating several campuses and institutes decreases the need for an extensive systems-wide administration. He briefly discussed the relation between the consolidation and the accrediting of various units. In addition, he noted that various matters of governance need to be worked out. He reported that it will take about two years for the full installation of the SAP program for managing the university. Gilley then briefly described the governor's budget proposals for higher education and efforts being made with legislators. Priorities of the university include faculty and staff salaries and equipment. Gilley plans to recommend a simplification of the budget formula. He noted that planning is being coordinated not only across the University of Tennessee, but also with the Board of Regents schools. Students and alumni also are being encouraged to promote the case for higher education.

In response to a question from F. Davis, Gilley said that adopting SAP does not automatically mean layoffs. He did note that individuals who are trained in SAP can obtain employment elsewhere at much higher salaries.

Minutes of the Faculty Senate meeting of February 7, 2000, were approved with the deletion of "he hopes" in the next to last line of the first paragraph under "Provost's Report" and with the change from "Burnstein" to "Burstein" in the first line after the statement by Sandra Loucks under New Business.

Nominating Committee (C. Wrisberg)
Wrisberg thanked the committee and then invited M. Combs and K. Greenberg, the two candidates for President-Elect, to make brief statements. Written statements by the candidates were distributed at the meeting with the ballot. Combs spoke briefly about integrity. Greenberg noted that the university is in a time of great change and spoke of the need to work in a collaborative way. P. Hoeyng asked both candidates for their ideas about changing how the Senate operates. Greenberg said she is keeping an open mind and would like to approach that matter in a collaborative way. Combs noted that he believes it is possible to strengthen the committee structure so that faculty opinions carry more force.

Educational Policy Committee (M. Papke)
Papke read the report which states that minutes of Graduate Council meetings of December 9, 1999, and January 27, 2000, were approved on March 6, 2000, and minutes of the Undergraduate Council meeting of January 20, 2000, except for material related courses proposed by the College of Human Ecology on pages 12,670-12,672 [HRD 320, HRD 325, HRD 330, HRD 452, HRD 415, HRD 455, HRD 471, HRD 473, AND HRD 475] were approved on February 7, 2000.

Bylaws Committee (B. Glenn)
Glenn noted that the material on proposed changes (distributed with agenda) will be voted on at the next meeting. He then turned to a request (distributed with agenda) for a mandate to streamline the Senate Bylaws. He noted that the Bylaws currently contain references to offices that no longer exist and to activities that no longer can be done. He also noted that structural changes in the organization of the Senate could strengthen the Senate and its voice. B. Blass agreed that there are needed changes and expressed the view that important changes need to be discussed thoroughly and widely. Glenn agreed. Papke noted that much of the Bylaws is very difficult to interpret. The resolution for reviewing the Bylaws was passed.

International Education Committee (K. Greenberg)
Greenberg briefly discussed the statement proposed by the committee to replace the statement about the committee in the current Bylaws. The proposal will be voted on at the next Faculty Senate meeting.

Budget Committee (T. Boulet)
Boulet discussed the report (distributed at the meeting). He noted that salaries in the report are base salaries and do not include longevity pay or other benefits. The report deals only with data provided by R. Hamilton; Boulet noted a number of other matters that one might consider.

Boulet next yielded to B. Lyons who discussed several aspects of the data in the report. He noted that the full professor mean salary is more out of line with the Southern University Group average than are mean salaries at the other ranks. Lyons then reviewed a resolution to be considered at the next Faculty Senate meeting.

B. Blass noted the desirability of having more statistical measures for the data. Lyons and Boulet responded that additional information is available for UT, but not for the SUG data. Peters noted that the administration does take account of the presence of Chairs of Excellence or Distinguished Scientists in a unit when comparing mean salaries.

Faculty and Staff Benefits Committee (C. Thompson)
Thompson reported that the State Senate and House bills allowing a lump sum distribution of retirement funds still are tied up in committee. He made a plea for Faculty Senators and others to contact the committees in support of the bills; he also provided a handout with information on whom to contact and how to contact them.

B. Blass presented a resolution (distributed at the meeting) concerning the termination of the Pediatric Residency program and its impact on shared governance. B. Glenn seconded the motion to approve the resolution. H. Pollio asked Papke to reread the letter from B. Rice which she read at the beginning of the meeting. Glenn noted that policies of the UT Memphis Faculty Handbook concerning the termination of a program were egregiously violated in this case. After much discussion it was decided to withdraw the resolution and to consider combining a statement from a document (posted on the web) concerning the matter with a new resolution prepared by Blass and Glenn and presented by Glenn. The combined statement follows:

The UTK Faculty Senate reaffirms its judgment on February 7 that the decision-making process in the matter of the pediatrics residency program was deplorable, an egregious violation of basic principles of shared governance and due process.

The Faculty Senate once again recommends that the Administration rescind the decision to terminate the pediatrics program at the UT Medical Center at Knoxville, make whole the faculty and students who have been harmed, and investigate mechanisms which will restore collegial, shared decision making to the University of Tennessee.

The Faculty Senate endorses the following recommendation:

In view of the information available to the Senate, summarized in the statement and supporting documents at web.utk.edu/~senate/PediatricsDept.html, the Faculty Senate at Knoxville exhorts the President and the Board of Trustees to appoint a commission composed of faculty, administrators, and Trustees to conduct a prompt review of the actions leading to the decision to terminate the Pediatric Residency program at the UT Medical Center at Knoxville. The commission should review compliance in this matter with Board-approved policies controlling the termination of programs of instruction, research, and service. Based on this review, the commission should make recommendations to the Board, faculty, and administration regarding any and all actions deemed necessary to restore confidence and good order. A minority report should be included if members of the Commission so desire.
     The Senate respectfully requests that it be empowered to nominate 50% of the faculty members of the commission with the other 50% nominated by the Faculty Senate at Memphis.

The question was called, debate was closed and the new resolution was approved unanimously.

President's Report (J. W. Gilley)
Gilley reported he has appointed a committee to review the matter of the elimination of the Pediatrics Department at UT Hospital. He noted that the process to identify an interim provost has begun; he hopes to appoint someone to the interim position within a week. He does not expect on-campus interviews of candidates for the provost position until next fall. He said that Provost John Peters will be on vacation after the May commencement until he becomes President of Northern Illinois University about June 1. Gilley next reported that there seems to be a willingness among legislators to help higher education, but finding sources of funding continues to be a problem. He also announced that he is appointing a Committee on Student Life and another committee to review facilities. In addition, each campus is being asked what needs to be done to improve faculty compensation and benefits.

Minutes of the Faculty Senate meeting of March 6, 2000, were approved with the correction that Palmira Brummett was present.

Ad Hoc Committee on Technologically-Enhanced Instruction (M. Peterson)
Peterson reviewed the committee's charge and activities and then noted that the committee is recommending that discussion of its report be held during the first three Faculty Senate meetings during fall term, 2000. She emphasized that the current report is not a final report and she called attention to several of the principles and recommendations in the report. B. Blass suggested that the committee should provide the Faculty Senate with a resolution incorporating the recommendation about faculty membership on University-wide committees dealing with instructional technology policy.

Budget Committee (T. Boulet)
Boulet reviewed the recommendations of the committee's report (distributed at the last meeting and with the agenda for today's meeting) and asked for endorsement of the recommendations. B. Lyons reported that J. Peters' office does not have the data on part-time instruction which the Budget Committee would like to have available. B. Blass reiterated his comment made at the last meeting that more statistical measures for the data are needed. Boulet agreed. F. Weber expressed concern about the effects of some of the recommendations on departments with very few faculty at a given rank (some recommendations apply only if there are three or more faculty at a given rank). Debate was closed and the recommendations were endorsed.

Bylaws Committee (B. Glenn)
Glenn considered separately each of the committee's recommendations. The first, to delete reference to THEFA, was approved. The second, to revise the membership paragraph for the Executive Committee, elicited some discussion. Blass expressed concern that not including ex officio members, such as the provost, would hinder communication between the administration and the faculty. Glenn responded that non-members may be invited to attend and that he would expect the provost to be invited. Papke noted that it took many years for the Senate to become the Faculty Senate and that she sees benefits in having the Executive Committee consist only of faculty. Blass then noted that some committees do not meet and their chairs probably will not attend Executive Committee meetings. M. Miller spoke in favor of a mechanism to have those committees that do not function go out of business. Glenn reminded everyone that the entire Faculty Senate structure is to be reviewed. H. Pollio spoke in support of an "us-versus-them" strategy. The second recommendation was then approved. The third recommendation, to delete references to "chancellor" and to use more generic terms, was considered next. Blass expressed concern that some of the proposed changes are not clear. J. Poore said he would rather be unclear than dead wrong. M. Miller expressed his view that it might be better to wait until the administration has determined the labels it will use. Debate ended and the third recommendation was approved. The fourth recommendation, concerning the distinction between "election" and "appointment" when referring to committee members, was approved after Glenn explained that a faculty member who is not a senator, but chairs a Faculty Senate committee, is not allowed to vote during Faculty Senate meetings.

International Education Committee (K. Greenberg)
Papke asked for discussion of the committee's report which was distributed with the agenda for the March 6, 2000, meeting and was discussed at the meeting. There was no discussion and the recommendation of the report was approved.

Nominating Committee (C. Wrisberg)
Papke announced that K. Greenberg will be President-Elect during 2000-2001 and President during 2001-2002.

Teaching Council (W. Park)
Park reviewed the Teaching Council's report (distributed with the agenda) and said the committee is not asking for any action today. A resolution seeking endorsement of the recommendations of the report will be considered at the next Faculty Senate meeting. J. Poore noted that student assessment data are mandated to be used in personnel decisions here, unlike what he suspects is the case at the University of Washington. He also noted that the system may be validated at UW but, so far as he knows, has not been validated here.

Ad Hoc Committee on Evaluation of Administrators Process (N. Cook)
Cook said she would hold a motion on the committee's recommendations until the next meeting. She then briefly reviewed the committee's report and its three recommendations for simplification, streamlining and improvement. She noted that Gilley wants the process to continue and to become a faculty/president process.

A representative of the Party of Darkness reported that at a meeting tomorrow night the PoD will propose a voting council composed of students and faculty to replace the Student Government Association and the Faculty Senate. He asked for input from faculty.

President's Report (M. Papke)
Papke reviewed the Faculty Senate's activities of the year and its continuing challenges. She noted that the future remains the Senate's to help shape.

President's Report (J. W. Gilley)
Gilley noted that many of the University's challenges will continue more than one year. He believes progress on improved funding is being made in Nashville. He reported that the Campus Facility Planning Committee already is at work and efforts to streamline the administration are proceeding. In response to a question from P. Brummett about why faculty learned first from the local newspaper about New College, the proposed internet-based degree-granting institution, Gilley reviewed the reasons such an organization is needed. In response to a question from M. Combs about the use of future raise funds to address salary compression problems, Gilley said he expected some portion of any raise pool to be distributed across the board and the remainder to be distributed by colleges and departments as they see fit.

Minutes of the Faculty Senate meeting of April 3, 2000, were approved without change.

Ad Hoc Committee on Evaluation of Administrators Process (N. Cook)
Cook yielded the floor to committee member R. Yoder who moved adoption of the committee's recommendation. The motion was seconded. After one question the motion was passed.

Ad Hoc Committee on Technologically-Enhanced Instruction (M. Peterson)
Peterson noted that faculty at the University of Tennessee are not opposed to the use of technology in the delivery of instruction and presented information which supports that assertion. She also noted that faculty were encouraged by the administrative streamlining effort and hope that any new operation involving online instruction will be placed appropriately within the administrative structure. She stressed the importance of academic matters to faculty and of faculty contributions to and oversight of academic matters. She then reviewed the committee's resolution (distributed with the agenda). She said the words "if appropriate" at the end of item 2 of the resolution are to be deleted. P. Hoeyng moved adoption of the resolution; his motion was seconded. B. Blass expressed his view that it is imperative that the resolution be passed. After a few additional comments, the resolution was approved without objection.

Athletics Committee (P. Pierce and D. Buehler)
Pierce reviewed the activities of the committee which led to the committee report Recommended improvements in the tutoring, grade change, and learning disability programs at the University of Tennessee Men's and Women's Athletics Departments (distributed at the meeting). She also read several of the recommendations in the report on the topics of tutoring and grade changes. Buehler then reviewed the part of the report on learning disabilities. He noted that the committee believes the Faculty Senate should consider the report and then forward it to the administration and to the Athletics Committee with a request that a response be provided to the Faculty Senate for each recommendation in the report. P. Brummett expressed concern with the approach of the report and moved that the Faculty Senate Athletics Committee be charged with considering some of the things it said in the report that it had not done, namely, the advising of student-athletes and a thorough investigation of specific allegations of misconduct, in particular those of L. Bensel-Meyers. Her motion was seconded. D. Thompson spoke in favor of the report and said it should not be held up because of particular cases from several years ago. Bensel-Meyers reported that her investigations indicate that problems continue today. Papke noted that her understanding of the first recommendation is that academic oversight of tutoring in the Athletics Department should be the responsibility of a faculty member whose position would be in the Office of the Provost. Blass noted the need for more detailed information concerning the data comparing athletes and the student body at large. Brummett's motion was approved. The report of the Athletics Committee will be sent forward by Papke.

Educational Policy Committee (L. Bensel-Meyers)
Bensel-Meyers reported that the committee has approved the minutes of the Graduate Council meeting of March 9, 2000, and of the Undergraduate Council meetings of March 16, 2000, and April 13, 2000. The Faculty Senate approved the report.

Research Council (B. Blass)
Blass reviewed a summary of activities of the Research Council. The summary was distributed at the meeting. The summary was accepted.

Teaching Council (W. Park)
Park recalled that the Teaching Council's report was distributed with the agenda for the April 3, 2000, meeting and then noted that the recommendations were distributed again with the agenda for this meeting. He then reviewed those recommendations. He noted that faculty at the University of Washington are required to use the student questionnaires in at least one course per year. Some colleges and departments there require greater use, particularly by tenure-track faculty. Park presented a resolution for approval of the recommendations in the report. E. Drumm said his department would like to retain in the result reports percentile rankings and comparisons of individual course means with overall department, college and university means. Park responded that such data might be provided in a database. M. Combs asked how the recommendations concerning implementation and administration are to be handled. It is expected that the Teaching Council and the administration will have to work together on those recommendations. Park's resolution was approved with one vote against.

Committee on Committees (B. Glenn)
Glenn noted that committee assignments for next year were made available at the meeting. The assignments were approved.

B. Glenn reported that J. Gregor of Computer Science has added a search engine to the Faculty Senate website.

Glenn then introduced a resolution written by N. Cook with the assistance of S. Kurth. The resolution is:

Resolved: That the Faculty Senate endorses The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Affirmative Action Plan and recommends that it be adopted as fully as possible in the new plan being designed for The University of Tennessee.

Blass spoke in favor of the resolution. J. Trahern observed that units not accustomed to following the process will have to be educated about it, so that they do not violate it and thereby endanger funding of other units. The resolution was approved.

P. Hoeyng proposed a resolution that the Faculty Senate supports the efforts by the Campus Workers for a Living Wage to have the University provide a living wage for its workers and protection from blood-borne pathogens for UT housekeepers and custodial staff. There was a second. T. Plank observed that it is important to know the cost to the University before acting. Hoeyng withdrew his resolution and Papke said the Faculty and Staff Benefits Committee would be asked to investigate these matters.

B. Glenn next discussed four action items concerning the pediatrics residency program at UT Medical Center. The items were distributed at the meeting. The first item asks the Board of Trustees to endorse the principles of shared governance in the 1966 Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities. Glenn accepted a proposal from D. Leatherman to replace "endorses" with "adopts." The modified resolution was approved. The second action item concerns discontinuation of programs and was approved unanimously. The third action calls for a Board-directed investigation of the decision to terminate the pediatric residency program. S. Kurth and C. Wrisberg expressed concern that not much is to be gained by further investigation. After some additional discussion, the resolution was passed. The fourth resolution requests that any Board-directed investigation of the decision to terminate consider damages done to student candidates, offer an apology and reimburse them for travel expenses. Additional wording to include interns and residents in the reimbursement statement was accepted by Glenn. The modified resolution was approved.