PAT Meeting
March 17, 2006
Page 2
President’s Advisory Team Members in attendance:
Alice Bahr, Dean, Libraries and Instructional Resources
David Buchanan, Provost
Richard Culver, Director, Media Relations
Jason Curtin, Director, Alumni Relations and Annual Giving
Jane Dané, Dean, Enrollment Management
Janet Dudley-Eshbach, President
Len Foxwell, Assistant to the President for Government and Community Relations
Tom Jones, Dean, Henson School of Science and Technology
Jeff Boyer for Donna Keener, Director, Human Resources
Paul Land, Director, Auxiliary Services
Betty Crockett for Greig Mitchell, Vice President, Administration and Finance
Denise Rotundo for William Moore, Dean, Perdue School of Business
Ellen Neufeldt, Vice President, Student Affairs
Timothy O’Rourke, Dean, Fulton School of Liberal Arts
Carol Wood for Dennis Pataniczek, Dean, Seidel School of Education and Professional Studies
Maarten Pereboom, President, Faculty Senate
Beth Depot for Jennifer Poole, President, Student Government Association
R. Bryan Price, Director, Institutional Research, Assessment and Accountability
Rosemary Thomas, Vice President, University Advancement
Jerry Waldron, Chief Information Officer
Ellen Zinner, Assistant to the President
Guests: Ron Dotterer, Chair, SU Steering Committee for Middle States Re-accreditation
Whitney Adams, Journalism student
Edwin Cowell, Dean of Students
1. President’s Report - President Dudley-Eshbach:
o President Dudley-Eshbach introduced Edwin Cowell, the new Dean of Students.
o Whitney Adams, a Communication Arts student, accompanied the President today as part of an assignment in her Journalism class.
o On the recommendation of the University Forum’s Employee Relations Committee, the Human Resources Office has undergone an external assessment review. An action plan will be developed in the coming months.
2. University Governance:
o Faculty Senate - Maarten Pereboom:
i. At the last Faculty Senate meeting there was discussion concerning students evaluating faculty members. No consensus was reached. There was also conversation about expectations on promotion, tenure, and merit and the amount of time and weight should be placed on teaching, scholarship, and research. It was noted that peer review is a valuable tool, particularly for new professors who may later be judged for tenure and promotion from these same peers. This initial peer review would give them valuable insight on what could later determine their success in gaining promotion and tenure.
3. Update on legislative session - Len Foxwell:
o This has been a good year for public higher education. Salisbury University in particular is budgeted to receive a 15% increase in the operating budget. The capital budget for Salisbury University was a great success, with funds allocated for the new TETC building and planning funds for a new School of Business. However, there is a challenge to show restraint in the event some funds may have to be given back in future years.
o There will be no tuition increase for in-state undergraduate students in 2006-07.
4. Middle States update - Dr. Ron Dotterer, Chair, Middle States Self-Study:
o The Middle States Evaluation team gave their oral report on March 8. Salisbury University did very well, with only one recommendation, compared to five recommendations ten years ago.
o General Education was the only area of concern for the team, specifically concerning the need to map general education outcomes to ensure that the aspects the institution is seeking are occurring. They noted that SU should “close the loop,” taking assessments and incorporating them back into the process.
o All suggestions provided by the team were helpful and positive and were aimed at making Salisbury University even better.
5. Campus-wide Budget and Planning committee - President Dudley-Eshbach:
o There was discussion concerning creating a campus-wide budget and planning committee that would assist administrators determining where resources should be allocated. There are a few committees on campus that discuss fiscal management, but no one committee takes into consideration all information that is available, specifically concerning strategic and master planning.
o Chairs of the Long Range Planning Committee, Enrollment Management Team, Space Committee, and Fiscal Advisory Team were suggested as possible members to this new committee. An effective number would need to be no more than 12 members.
6. Next meeting: The next meeting of the President’s Advisory Team will be on Thursday, April 20, at 10:00 a.m.