FACULTY COUNCIL
Minutes
August23, 2012
Present: Mohammed P. Akhter, Thomas R. Baechle, Kirk W. Beisel, Lisa L. Black, Charles S. Bockman, Olaf E Böhlke, Laura L. Bruce, Susan A. Calef, Lucinda R. Carroll, D. Roselyn Cerutis, Bartholomew E. Clark, Thomas F. Coffey, William M. Duckworth,Pamela A. Foral, Corey L. Guenther, William J. Hunter, Maorong Jiang,Bridget M. Keegan, Sandor Lovas, Jeffrey J. Maciejewski, Mark A. Malesker, Edward T. McGonigal,Philip J. Meeks,Nicholas A. Mirkay, Edward A. Morse, Michael G. Nichols, Karen A. Paschal, James E. Platz, Enrique Rodrigo, Lori B. Rubarth, Sonia M. Sanchez, Margaret A. Scofield, Sanjeev K. Sharma, Garrett A. Soukup, Dustin J. Stairs, Patrick C. Swanson, Jos V. M. Welie, Mike D. Weston, Tammy O. Wichman, Marlene K. Wilken, Jinmei Yuan.
Absent: Mohammed P. Akhter, Sylvanus Ayeni, Stephen W. Leslie
Excused: Marcus W. Balters (proxy, Kalyana C. Nandipati), Karl A. Bergmann (proxy, George W. McNary), Cindy L. Costanzo (proxy, Dianne Travers-Gustafson), John A. Deskins (proxy, Charles B. Braymen), Thomas L. Lenz(proxy, Jon Knezevich), Matthew T. Seevers (proxy, Ken M. Washer)
Guests: Fr. Joseph Oduor, S.J.
Call to Order:
Dr. Thomas F. Coffey, President of the University Faculty,called the August 2012 meeting to order at 3:00 p.m.
Approval of the Agenda for the Present Meeting:
The agenda for the meeting of the Faculty Council was approved unanimously as distributed.
Introductions:
Members of the Faculty Council introduced themselves to those present.
Election of the Secretary of the Faculty Council:
Dr. Bartholomew E. Clark of the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions was elected by general consent to be Secretary of the Faculty Council, and will in that capacity serve also as the representative of the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions to the Executive Committee of the Academic Council
Approval of Minutes:
The minutes of the Meeting of the Faculty Council of April 26, 2012 were approved unanimously.
Election of Members to the Executive Committee:
The following members of the Faculty Council were elected by general consent to be members of the Executive Committee of the Academic Council:
Arts and Sciences: Dr. James E. Platz
Business Administration: Dr. William M. Duckworth
Law: Dr. Nicholas A. Mirkay
Dentistry: Dr. D. Roselyn Cerutis
Medicine: Dr. Garrett A. Soukup
Nursing: Dr. Marlene K. Wilken
SPAHP: Dr. Bartholomew E. Clark (ex officio)
Recommendation for Election of Secretary of the Academic Council:
Dr. George W. McNary was recommended unanimously by the Faculty Council to be nominated for Secretary of the Academic Council.
Recommendation for Appointment of Parliamentarian:
Dr. Philip J. Meeks was recommended unanimously by the Faculty Council to be appointed as Parliamentarian of the Academic Council.
Minutes of the Academic Council from April 26, 2012:
The Faculty Council briefly discussed possible implications of the Provost model.
Meeting Dates for the Faculty and Academic Councils:
Dr. Coffey announced the meeting dates for the 2012 – 2013 academic year.
Report on Phi Beta Kappa:
Dr. Bridget M. Keegan reported that Creighton University has been approved to be the home of a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Of the 43 institutions that applied during the triennial cycle, only 3 were selected. Creighton’s is among a select group of new Phi Beta Kappa chapters.
Old Business:
There was no old business.
New Business:
Dr. Coffey mentioned that last year the Faculty Council chose five areas on which to concentrate; committees were formed for each of these. These were: 1) the Committee on Catholic Identity, 2) the Committee on Interaction of the Faculty with the Board of Directors, 3) the Committee on Salaries and Salary Compression, 4) the Committee on Support and Space for Community Building Opportunities for Faculty Members, and 5) the Committee on Benefits. There was a short discussion on the outcome of the work of these committees and on the possible areas for focus in the coming year. Dr. Coffey said that he would distribute a list of priorities to the members of the Council and asked the members of the Council to respond with suggestions on such priorities.
The Faculty Council discussed concerns regarding what developments may ensue concerning salaries and benefits. Questions were also raised concerning how the Faculty Handbook and University Statutes should be revised to accommodate both the Provost model and the Creighton Medical Center merger with Alegent Health. Additionally, concerns were raised about the need for consistency among academic units regarding mechanisms for obtaining outside evaluative letters and for internal deadlines in the rank and tenure process. The gradual shift in workload resulting from having the dossiers converted to electronic format by support staff to having faculty members perform these tasks was also raised; originally the submission was in paper format and converted by the staff in the respective Deans’ Offices. The current system is not only time-consuming for faculty members but could pose difficulties in consistent formatting of the dossiers in their electronic versions.
Report of Committee on Support and Space for Community-Building Opportunities for Faculty Members:
The Committee’s report, delivered by its Chair, Dr. Barbara M. Harris, contained the following key elements: 1) The renovated Irma’s Bistro is now designated as theFaculty Commons with approximately one-half of the $30,000 budget for improvements having been expended to date; 2) One emphasis of the redesign was to create areas to accommodate intentional and organic conversations – the southeast corner of the faculty commons is a semi- private area with a wide-screen television, conference table and 12 to 14 chairs; 3) Father Lannon has been very supportive of this renovation and will host a social event at Irma’s on September 13, 2012 to celebrate its official opening on the following day; 4) This area is designated for faculty – students and staff are welcome as invited guests of faculty members; 5) Hours of operation with food service will be from 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Monday through Friday with menu items in the $6 to $10 range; 6) Free coffee will be available all day; 7) The Committee needs a group to take over and provide oversight and advice on this newly reopened and renovated facility. Faculty members are strongly encouraged to show their support for the Faculty Commons through their patronage.
Announcements:
Dr. Bartholomew E. Clark is now a Presidential appointee to the University Committee on Benefits (3-year term, 8/20/12 through 8/20/15) and will serve as liaison to the Faculty Council.
Adjournment:
The Faculty Council adjourned at 3:49 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Bartholomew E. Clark, Ph.D., Secretary
Faculty Council