Faculty Council Meeting
250 Student Union
February 9, 1999
President Halligan called the meeting to order with the following members present: Arquitt, Bertholf, Bost, Carlozzi, Cole, Dawson, Eastman, Edgley, Gregson, Hallgren, Hoffer, Hsu, Johannes, Kimbrell, Locy, Martin, Miller, Moder, Montgomery, Peck, Rhoten, Sanders, Scott, Sisson, Tilley, Warde, and Wilkinson. Also present: Bateson, Beer, Birdwell, Clark, Collins, Harp, Holmes, Jones, Robinson, Tye, Watkins, and Wilmeth. Absent: Daugherty, Gedra, and Krenzer
HIGHLIGHTS
- Introduction of New Parking Manager, Geary Robinson
- Update on Campus Building Programs
- Report of Status of Faculty Council Recommendations
- Reports of Standing Committees
- RULES AND PROCEDURES
- STUDENT AFFAIRS AND LEARNING RESOURCES
- Reports of Liaison Representatives
- New Business
÷ Chuck Edgley reported the committee had met with Anne Matoy about a change in the university HRS software. In the change of the software some of the titles may temporarily be incorrect. So, if you get a printout that has you listed as a groundskeeper or assistant football coach do not worry about it. The system will eventually get it all corrected since there is a shell running over this that contains the correct information.
Dr.Edgley brought the following recommendation. The Faculty Council Recommends to Pres.Halligan that:
A statement be added to the end of the first paragraph in the Faculty Handbook, Appendix D, Sec. 3.2 on Sabbatical Leaves as follows:
Faculty members on or returning from sabbatical leaves will participate in raise programs according to departmental criteria and shall not be penalized for being on sabbatical during the evaluation period. There have been scattered reports form across campus which suggest that some faculty members are being penalized on raises when they return from sabbatical leave. Because such penalties defeat much of the incentive (and therefore the benefits) for taking sabbaticals, a statement is needed in the Faculty Handbook prohibiting such a disadvantage from accruing to faculty members participating in the program. Recommendation passed.
Dr.Sanders reported that the Faculty Committee proposes that the Faculty Council establish an ad hoc committee to study the university Sabbatical Leave policy and to return within a specified period (3 months or 6 months) with recommendations to modify the current policy as appropriate. Dr.Sanders added that he had received several communications of concern on the subject and did a pretest of a survey instrument on it. There is clearly frustration amongst the faculty on the current policy or on its implementation.
Some results of the survey are: Sabbatical leave is seldom used by most faculty, reasons include personal cost, family conflicts, lack of administrative support and program/departmental commitments. Faculty generally recognize the benefits of sabbatical leaves including professional advancement, support of changing focus, self-renewal, improved grantsmanship, and enhancement of the university.
Faculty perceive the following institutional disincentives: little institutional help, lack of information, lack of support statements, lack of funding, difficulty in finding a replacement, requirements to leave campus, and a requirement to apply over one year in advance. Faculty have questions regarding the varying interpretation of sabbatical leave policy by different departments. and colleges. Dr.Edgley pointed out that it is ironic that at a time when business and industry are discovering the benefits of sabbatical leaves that academia, where it all began, is filled with disincentives and barriers to such leaves.
Dr.Johannes added that the committee should include one of the deans, since it seems that it is always the deans that stop these. Dr.Edgley said there are great inequalities in the way sabbaticals are administered.
The major problem is that a large department that has many resources can better afford to send people on sabbatical than a small department that has a large teaching load. It seems that there should be a pool of money that people have an equal opportunity to apply so that people in small departments would not be at such a serious disadvantage. Dr.Sanders added that in the short time the committee had discussed the issue several ideas arose that would be low cost ways to improve the system. Dr.Johannes pointed out there was a committee looking at sabbaticals in the College of Engineering.
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