University of Idaho General Faculty Meeting – April 27, 2004 – Page 1

REGULAR MEETING OF THE

FACULTY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO

Tuesday, April 27, 2004

3:30 p.m., JanssenEngineeringBuilding – Room 104

Provost Brian PitcherPresiding

  • Call to Order
  • In Memoriam
  • MinutesMeeting of February 19, 2004
  • Announcements
  • Special Orders

Report from the Faculty Council

[Begins on Page 3]

I. Proposed Changes to the Faculty-Staff Handbook.

  1. Section 1550. Policies and Procedures
  2. Section 1590. Academic Unit By-Laws
  3. Section 3520. Faculty Tenure
  4. Section 3710. Leave Policies for All Employees

II. Proposed Changes to the University of Idaho Catalog.

  1. Regulation B-7. Registration of Lower-Division Students in Upper-Division Classes
  2. College of Graduate Studies. Probation, Disqualification, and Reinstatement
  3. Graduate Council. Graduate Admission Requirements
  4. Start Date of Spring Semester

III. Proposed New, Changed, Eliminated Degree Programs.

  1. FC-04-017. College of Natural Resources/Forest Products: Elimination of the Pulp and Paper Technology Option.

IV. Proposed Changes in University Standing Committees Structure and Function.

  1. Disabilities Affairs Committee
  2. Facilities Scheduling Committee
  • Provost’s Remarks
  • Adjournment

Bill Voxman

Interim Secretary of the Faculty

(885-6151)

117 faculty members constitute a quorum.Those who are recognized by the president for the purpose of speaking should identify themselves by name and discipline or position.

University of Idaho

Special Meeting of the Faculty Minutes

February 19, 2004

Call to Order. Interim President Gary Michael called the meeting to order at 3:40 p.m. in room 104 of the JanssenEngineeringBuilding. The attendance of 90 faculty members did not constitute a quorum. However, the President opened the meeting to a general discussion of the items on the agenda.

Announcements. Jeff Bailey, Vice-chair of Faculty Council and Chair of the Committee on Committees, indicated that there were still a number of Faculty Council committee vacancies and encouraged those present to serve on one or more committees.

Personnel Files. Danielle Hess from the UI Counsel’s office gave a brief history of the evolution of UI policies regarding personnel files. She said that the UI relies primarily on SBOE policies. UI policy FSH 3040 was deleted in 2002 to reflect the Idaho Public Records Law and changes in SBOE policies that severely limit the contents of closed files. This change was approved by the Faculty Council at its 2001-2002 Faculty Council Meeting #19, April 16, 2002. Hess indicated that the current location(s) of personnel files is not ideal. Departments, colleges and the provost’s office each maintain a file for members of the faculty. In addition, Human Resources maintains a file dealing with benefits, long-term disability, etc. Typically, department files are the “heaviest.” College files generally contain fewer documents than do department files and the provost’s office files often contain fewer documents yet. Hess said that an individual’s official file includes all the existing files. All employees have the right to inspect and copy their files, subject to the public records law. Employees also have the right to request amendments to the files if it is established that the files are inaccurate or incomplete.

Hess suggested that if there was a desire to change the UI’s current personnel files policies, a committee consider and recommend possible changes. With regard to the proposed personnel files changes brought to the floor by Idaho AFT President Nick Gier (Professor Emeritus of Philosophy), Hess questioned the practicality of notifying an employee in writing each time a document was added to his/her file or asking permission of an employee in order to copy any file documents. She also pointed out that the UI could not declare what is admissible or inadmissible in court regarding the contents of a file.

Professor Gier said he had not been aware of the changes made in 2002 to the UI personnel file policies and was also unaware that files were kept in the provost’s office. He described the role he had played in developing the UI files policy, and in light of Hess’s comments suggested that this issue should be referred to the Faculty Affairs Committee.

President Michael asked if the university might not be better served by using electronic files. In response to an assertion that he had not acquiesced to a request for providing the personnel file of Glenn Grishkoff, Provost Pitcher said that he had received a weekend email from Professor Gier concerned about “stray documents” coming into Grishkoff’s file. Pitcher pointed out that there were multiple locations and files. Gier stated that there were plans to resolve the issue with a suit; as a result, Pitcher suggested it would be best that Grishkoff’s attorney contact the UI counsel about obtaining the complete file of related documents. Gier reiterated his surprise to learn that files were kept in different locations. He suggested that there be an annual check to assure that files are in good order and that more attention be given to the adequate maintenance of personnel files.

Faculty Governance and Academic Freedom. President Michael reminded those present that it would not be appropriate to discuss the particulars surrounding any specific case. Gier stated that an attorney had been retained to represent Grishkoff and that he (Gier) was confident that if the case goes to trial, a jury would be favorably disposed towards Grishkoff’s position. Gier then gave an historical overview of AFT successes in representing faculty during the past several years. He placed special emphasis on the dollar amounts (totaling approximately $1,800,000) involved in the cases where the AFT’s position prevailed. In stating that the UI should not have to undergo more costs of this nature, he asked President Michael to reverse his decision in the Grishkoff case and allow Professor Grishkoff to finish his probationary period. President Michael did not respond to this suggestion in light of his earlier remark of the inappropriateness in discussing any specific case.

In response to a question how the Grishkoff case applied to academic freedom, Gier said that faculty members should be able to pursue research, teaching and creative activity in any way they choose. Moreover, a faculty member’s colleagues should be the determining factor in deciding whether the faculty member should be retained. David Giese, professor of art and design, who chaired Grishkoff’s third year review, said that Grishkoff had 100% support from the Department of Art and Design and that those making this decision had had over 280 years of teaching experience.

There were no more comments from the floor and the meeting was adjourned at 4:25 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Bill Voxman, Interim Faculty Secretary

I. Proposed Changes to the Faculty-Staff Handbook.

I. A. Section 1550.Policies and Procedures. The faculty council passed a motion to incorporate the following as a new section in the Faculty-Staff Handbookat its April 13, 2004 meeting.

Draft Policy Development Statement and Process

  1. General:This chapter contains the process applicable to theadoption of new or amended University-wide policies and procedures.

A-1.Adopting Policies:All University-wide policies shall be adopted in a common manner and format, in order to promote consistency amongst University-wide policies and to insure that there is general knowledge within the campus community of how to adopt a concept into policy and how to access the policy-making process.

A-2.Context of University Policies:All University policies fall within a greater hierarchy of laws, statutes and regulations. The policies are subject to compliance with laws and regulations instituted by higher governing authorities in the following order of hierarchy:

1.Federal laws and regulations

2.State laws and regulations

3.Board of Regents/State Board of Education policies and procedures

4.University-wide policies and procedures

5.Divisional/College policies and procedures

6.Departmental policies and procedures

B.Definitions

B-1.Draft policy format:the form in which all proposed new and amended University policies shall be submitted for review and approval.The draft format is set out in Appendix XX to this chapter.

B-2.Joint Policy Committee:shall consist of the chair of the University of Idaho Council (UIC), one of the co-chairs of each of the UIC standing committees, or their designees, and the chair and vice chair of the Faculty Council and the Faculty Secretary, or their designees.

B-3.Minor amendment:anychange to an existing policy that is limited to making the policy or policies consistent with controlling legal authority, including Board policy, or making a clerical change or correction.

B-4.Non-substantive amendment:any change to an existing policy that clarifies the policy without changing the intent or character of the policy.

B-5.Policy:A governing principle that embraces general goals and mandates or constrains actions.All proposed policies should include any procedures necessary for implementation.

B-6.Policy Coordinator:position designated as responsible for coordinating, assisting with, and tracking all University-wide policies.

B-7.Procedure:A statement(s) that prescribes specific actions to be taken to implement established policies.

B-8.Responsible unit:An office within the University with primary responsibility for a specific area of focus.An example of a responsible unit is the

office of Human Resources, which has primary responsibility for employment, benefits, and training and development issues.

B-9.University-wide Policy:A policy that has application across the institution.

C.Creation or Amendment of University-wide Policy

C-1.Initial Policy Development

i)A person(s) with a policy concept or proposal shall discuss the policy with the responsible unit administrator having responsibility within the subject area of the proposed policy.The responsible unit administrator shall designate a person or persons to review and help develop and draft the proposed policy; or

ii)A committee of either the Faculty Council or the UIC may, on its own motion or at the request of another person(s), develop and draft a proposed policy.

iii)Upon completion of the draft proposed policy, the responsible unit administrator or the committee chair shall submit the policy in draft policy format to the Policy Coordinator.

C-2.Policy Review, Comment, and Approval

i)Policy Coordinator:Upon receipt of a proposed new or amended policy, the Policy Coordinator shall review the policy to insure that it has undergone the necessary level of review, is in the proper format and, if an amendment, to determine whether the amendment is a minor amendment.

a)All proposed new policies and amendments, other than minor amendments, shall be referred to the Joint Policy Committee.

b)All minor amendments shall be approved by the Policy Coordinator once in final form and, if of general interest, forwarded to UIC and Faculty Council as an information item.

ii)Joint Policy Committee:Upon receipt of a proposed new or amended policy from the Policy Coordinator, the Joint Policy Committee shall review the policy to determine whether the policy requires approval by the Faculty Council, UIC or both, and if an amendment, to determine whether it is a non-substantive amendment.

a)All proposed new policies and amendments, other than non-substantive amendments, shall be referred to the appropriate reviewing body.Policies addressing matters of faculty governance shall be referred to the Faculty Council.All other policies shall be referred to the UIC.Policies that include elements within the purview of both councils shall be referred to both the Faculty Council and UIC.

b)All non-substantive amendments shall be reviewed and approved by the Joint Policy Committee.At the committee’s discretion, it may refer any non-substantive amendment to the appropriate reviewing body, in which case the policy approval process shall be the same as for all other new policies and amendments.

iii)Review by University of Idaho Council and/or Faculty Council

a)Policies referred to either council shall be reviewed by the council or referred to the appropriate committee (review committee) within that council.

b)Policies that are referred to both councils, shall be reviewed simultaneously within each council, unless otherwise decided by the Joint Policy Committee.

iv)At a minimum, the review process shall include general notice of the policy, and an opportunity for those interested in the policy to comment on the policy.The review committee shall seek to inform and solicit comments from the appropriate individuals or groups/committees on campus, including the groups and individuals most affected by the proposed policy.

v)The review committee shall review the comments, make recommendations on the policy based on its review and the comments received, and incorporate any revisions into the draft policy.

vi)The review committee shall submit its recommendation and the revised policy to its governing body (Faculty Council or University of Idaho Council) for the governing body’s review and decision, consistent with the process of each council.

vii)Once review of a policy is complete within the Faculty Council or the University of Idaho Council, the policy shall be referred to the Policy Coordinator who shall transmit the policy to the President for approval and signature.The President’s office shall forward policies to the State Board of Education and Regents of the University of Idaho for notification and approval, as necessary.

viii)A policy that has been referred to both the Faculty Council and the University of Idaho Council for joint review, shall be referred to the Policy Coordinator at the completion of each council’s review and decision making process.The Policy Coordinator shall work with both councils to coordinate the review, reconcile the policy, and, if necessary, re-submit revisions for review by either or both councils.Once each council has completed its process, the Policy Coordinator shall transmit the policy to the President for final approval and signature.If the councils have been unable to reconcile the policy through the review process, the Policy Coordinator shall submit each council’s version of the policy to the President with an optional explanation from each council of why the policies differ.

ix)Once the President takes final action on a policy, the Policy Coordinator shall place the results of the final action as an information item on the next available agenda of both the Faculty Council and the UIC, and of the Staff Affairs Committee and the Associated Student University of Idaho (ASUI).(See FSH xxxx for time periods for Presidential action on Faculty Council items).

D.Policy Implementation:All new and amended policies shall go into effect on July 1, or January 1, whichever arrives first after final approval, unless otherwise specified in the policy.The Policy Coordinator shall track all new and amended policies approved by the President and make the new policy available on the web by the effective date.

Request for UI Policy and/or Procedure

Addition, Revision, and/or Deletion

Faculty/Staff Handbook [FSH]  Addition  Revision  Deletion

Title:

Administrative Policy & Procedures Manual [APPM]

 Addition  Revision  Deletion

Title:

Original Date Submitted to

Policy Coordinator:

Responsible Unit and/or Committee:

Contact Person/Department:

Telephone and Email:

I.Policy/Procedure Statement: Briefly explain the purpose of proposed addition, revision, and/or deletion to the Faculty/Staff Handbook or the Administrative Policy & Procedures Manual.

II.Reason/Rationale: Reason this addition, revision, and/or deletion is necessary?

II.Fiscal Impact: What fiscal impact, if any, will this addition, revision, or deletion have?

IV.Related Policies/Procedures: Describe other policies or procedures existing that are related or similar to this proposed change.

V.Tracking :

FSH Addition/Revision/Deletion

 Minor AmendmentChapter:

APPM Addition/Revision/DeletionTitle:

 Minor AmendmentChapter/Section:

[Official Use – Completed by Policy Coordinator]

Unit and/or Committee / Approve / Disapprove /

Signature on file

/ Date
Joint Policy Committee /  / 
University of Idaho Council /  / 
Faculty Council /  / 
General Faculty /  / 
University President /  / 
SBOE /  / 
Policy Coordinator (Publication date) /  / 

I. B. Section 1590. Academic Unit By-Laws.The faculty council unanimously passed a motion to incorporate the following as a new section in the Faculty-Staff Handbookat its March 23, 2004 meeting.

Each academic unit will develop a set of bylaws, setting forth the rules by which the unit is governed [see 3560, E-1]. The majority of the faculty of the unit, the unit administrator, the Dean of the college, and the Provost must approve the bylaws and any revisions. The bylaws will undergo review and be re-approved at least every five years and a copy shall be sent to the Office of the Faculty Secretary. Unit bylaws must be consistent with College bylaws and the Faculty-Staff Handbook, and in the event of conflict, the unit bylaws are subordinate.

Each unit’s bylaws must contain the following information:

  1. the mission statement of the unit, including the objectives of the unit and its role;
  2. policies on unit governance, including rules of order, meeting procedures, quorum, attendance at meetings, student representation, and voting rights;
  3. the organizational structure of the unit, including the responsibilities of the unit administrator and the constitution and function of committees, their terms, and selection procedure;
  4. specific departmental procedures, in addition to Human Resources procedures, by which faculty and staff searches and hirings are conducted;
  5. the unit’s criteria and procedures for annual performance evaluationand third-year review;
  6. the process for negotiation of annual position descriptions;
  7. the unit’s promotion and tenure guidelines [see 3140, B-1] and procedures; and
  8. the procedures for amendment of the bylaws.

I. C. Section 3520. Faculty Tenure. The faculty council unanimously passed a motion to change FSH 3520 to better reflect SBOE policy at its April 13, 2004 meeting.