Summary of December 13, 2004Staff Senate Meeting

The meeting was called to order at 2:39 PM.

The Senate approved meeting minutes from November 8 and October 11, 2004.

Faculty Senate Representative Dr. Bob Staat reported on issues discussed at the December Faculty Senate Meeting.

  • Mordean Taylor-Archer made a lengthy report on the Diversity Survey. About 25,000 were sent out and only 3200 (13%) were completed. The top three issues were Race, Gender and Sexual Orientation. Of the respondents, 84% thought U of L was responsive to Diversity and 79% thought U of L promotes diversity. A follow up question about the diversity survey resulted in an answer that diversity will be continuously monitored and surveys will be ongoing in the future with controls.The results were 62% from students and only a few hundred from faculty and staff.
  • Provost Willihnganz spoke for President Ramsey. With respect to the budget, there is an $18 million difference in funding. The Administration is putting together a group of “Thinkers” to seek ways to increase revenue. They will also examine what U of L does and how important each function is to U of L’s mission. Service Departments will be evaluated for efficiency and Legal Affairs will be improved.
  • Dr. Ramsey is working with the State in an effort to restore $39 million in budget cuts.
  • U of L is seeking to have the Council for Postsecondary Education rearrange our benchmark institutions using aspirational benchmarks. An aspirational benchmark is another university that is what we want to be. We look for schools we want to be like or emulate their success. We would use those as benchmark institutions to measure ourselves against. We are doing this to change how we are judged by and our funding formulated by the CPE. UK is doing the same thing.
  • Searches: VP Health Affairs – Candidates to be evaluated and some selected to be flown in for “Airport Interviews” in January. Then finalists will be selected for campus interviews. The A & S Dean Search Committee is together. The Law School Dean Search will start in the spring. The Medical School Dean Search is on hold until VPFA is selected. A Senator reported that the Chair of Surgery asked Staff for representatives to help interview each candidate. Staff was invested in the process and the Dean welcomed the input. Dr. Staat reiterated that Dr. Ramsey and Dr. Willihnganz are committed to shared governance.
  • Health Insurance planning to begin in January.
  • U of L’s emphasis on research: is the community getting the idea that U of L = Research, but educating students is also a goal and part of our mission. The Provost wants to make sure that we reemphasize undergraduate teaching and not lose sight of that part of the mission.
  • Athletic Association – Athletics is essentially self-funded - very little money comes to Athletics from the general fund. None of the major Coach’s salaries funded through general fund. Nothing impinges on the scholastic budget. There was a question about who started funding athletics and shouldn’t they be giving money back to the University. Dr. Ramsey discusses this, and would like Athletics to be able to reimburse the university, but it is at a break-even point right now.
  • Dr. Staat and the Faculty Senate wished everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Student Senate RepresentativeJustin Morehead reported that SGA was working with Athletics to change the way that athletic event tickets were bought and distributed. They want to do away with the ticket campout and be more like other Universities in the Big East. This is being done because of the move to the Big East, which is expected to increase demand. Student tickets are always sold out. Graduate and Professional Student Season Tickets are not affected by this decision.

The Plan which has not been totally finalized:

  • Season Tickets will be sold on a general admission policy. Red Shirts and L-Raisers (students who go to games besides men’s football and basketball, make signs, etc.) will have preferred seating in the front rows of the Student Section. General Admission will start right behind the L-Raisers.
  • Students will have to have ID to get into the Student Section with their ticket.
  • Student guest passes will be eliminated. This is due to a number of students who buy guest tickets and scalp them each year.
  • Faculty and Staff who are working on undergraduate degrees will be able to get tickets for themselves.

SGA is also working with the Parking Office in an effort to create a new parking pass allowing for students only to park in the garage on Belknap.

If you would like to contact him, Justin’s email is

Vice President for Business Affairs, Larry Owsley

Mr. Owsley had another meeting to attend and could not be at the Staff Senate Meeting.

Staff Senate Chair’s Report

Bill Forman reported that the Executive Committee had dinner with President Ramsey, Provost Willihnganz and VPBA Owsley. They like to meet with the Senate leadership in a more social setting to get to know everyone. Topics covered included the budget, annual performance reviews and the performance review pilot projects. They also had extensive discussion about supervisor training since that is a major staff concern.

30th Anniversary - The Administrators want to throw a reception in honor of the 30th anniversary of the Staff Senate. The date will be April 11th, 2005 at the SpeedMuseum after the Staff Senate Meeting. Invitations will be forthcoming, but the Senate is greatly appreciative of this reception.

U of L Mission Statement – The old mission statement from 1997 was lengthy and needed revisions for Southern Association if Colleges & Schools (SACS) Accreditation. The proposed revision is up for approval by the Board of Trustees:

The University of Louisville shall be a premier, nationally recognized metropolitan research university committed to advancing the intellectual, cultural and economic development of our diverse communities and citizens through the pursuit of excellence in five interrelated strategic areas: (1) Educational Experience, (2) Research, Creative, and Scholarly Activity, (3) Accessibility, Diversity,Equity,and Communication, (4) Partnerships and Collaborations, and (5) Institutional Effectiveness of Programs and Services.

A motion was made that the Staff Senate endorse the proposed mission statement as written and after discussion, the motion passed with a majority vote.

Associate Vice President of Human Resources, Julien Carter reported that his HR update for November would be forthcoming and available at the HR Website at:

  • Open enrollment went well overall and several glitches were worked out. Over 95% of the problems with open enrollment were answered by HR Staff within 11 hours. There will be a debriefing next week.
  • Over 3200 people took the Health Risk Assessment from Gordian. Those in the moderate and high risk groups will get letters in January. Phone calls to establish goals will be made to those who do not respond to the letters.
  • Dr. Stamford and the Health and Sports Sciences (HSS) sent out a survey last week and have had over 600 responses so far.
  • U of L is working with the Mayor’s Healthy Hometown program working out buddy partnerships since people are three times more likely to would out 30 minutes a day if they have a partner or group to work out with.
  • In January, planning will start for the 2006 Health Plan year. The first issue will be the plan design items…what would you like to see?
  • RFP will go out for Health Insurance administration and Pharmacy Plan. Would like to get 2006 plan rates out in spring-summer 2005.
  • Looking into Retiree Health Benefit issues, supplemental benefits such as long-term care, prepaid legal plans, short-term disability, etc.
  • 2004 W2s will be in the mail in mid January. Reprints or duplicates will be available after 1/28/05.
  • New Employment Verification Service coming in January 2005 – available 24/7/365.
  • Chard Snyder will be new Flexible Spending Vendor and their forms are available on the HR Forms Website
  • For spending other than co-pays, keep your receipts to be turned in to Chard Snyder. Make sure that you are keeping receipts and filing things on a timely basis.

Standing Committee Meetings and Reports

Credentials & Nominations – Loren Beard

The following appointments were recommended by C&N and passed by the Senate:

Senator Michael Ben-Avraham was appointed to C&N

Senator Susan Walker was appointed to FEW

Three At-Large Medical School Seats were filled by election:

2006 – Senator Missy Klotz

2005 – Senator Barbara O’Daniel-Munger

2005 – Senator Rebecca Stutsman

Two 2005 At Large Seats were voted on during the Senate Meeting:

Senator Wanda Taylor

Senator Kim Holzclaw

Senate Vice Chair Bev. Daly reported that there was a resolution to the Fringe Benefits Committee situation. For the remainder of the year, Sherry Robinson, Donna Bottorff and John Ralston would be Ex-Officio members of the Human Resources Advisory Committee.

Other Standing Committee and University Wide Committees will be available on the Staff Senate Listserve.

Santa Claus appeared near the end of the meeting and wished everyone “HO HO HO, Happy Holidays”!!

Having no more business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 4:18 PM.

Staff Senate Officers for 2004-05

Chair – Bill Forman 852-0996

Vice Chair – Bev Daly 852-8360

Sec/Treas. – Brent Fryrear 852-2956

Senate Office - Robin Emond-Durham – 852-6713

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