University System of Georgia Faculty Council (USGFC)

url:  http://info.gcsu.edu/intranet/univ_senate/USGFC/index.htm

DRAFT Minutes for the 25 February 2011, meeting of the USGFC Advocates

10:00  Call to Order  Dr. Craig Turner of Georgia College & State University, co-chair of the USGFC, called the meeting to order.

10:04  Agenda  A motion to approve the tentative agenda of the 25 February 2011 as circulated was made, seconded, and discussed. During discussion, it was noted that the times on the agenda were tentative and that in particular the starting time for the Academic Affairs Report might be delayed from the tentative time advertised on the agenda contingent on the presence of Dr. Linda Noble. The motion was approved. (Link to tentative agenda in pdf format)

10:05  Minutes  A motion to approve the minutes of the 19 November 2010 meeting as corrected was made, seconded, and approved. (Insert link to final minutes for 19 November 2010.)

10:07  Welcome   Dr. Turner welcomed everyone and asked each member present to introduce herself or himself. Site lead, Dr. Doug Moodie, of Kennesaw State University also welcomed those present to Kennesaw State University and shared information relative to lunch and other meeting logistics. Guests and USGFC voting members or designees in attendance at some point during the meeting day are as shown in the following table. The codes used in the “Break-Out” column reference the break-out groups formed later:  B = Bylaws, FF = Formula Funding, SC = Summer Compensation.

10:10  Proposed Bylaws Revisions [DRAFT 19 Nov 2010]  Six USGFC advocates had documented, via an email sent to the USGFC listserv prior to the meeting, that their respective faculty governance unit had endorsed the revisions to the USGFC Bylaws proposed at the 19 Nov 2010 meeting. These six institutions are College of Coastal Georgia, Dalton College, East Georgia College, North Georgia College & State University, Valdosta State University, and Waycross College [Insert link to six email endorsements]. In addition, the USGFC advocates from five other institutions [Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Georgia Gwinnett College, Georgia Perimeter College, Georgia Southern University, and South Georgia College] reported from the floor of the meeting that their respective faculty governance units had also endorsed the proposed revisions.

A friendly amendment regarding a concern about electronic attendance was proposed and withdrawn in favor of an alternate motion which was seconded.

The alternate motion to amend, specifically Motion USGFC.02-25-2011.001: To replace the phrase “in attendance” with the word “voting” in Article IV, Section 4, was made and seconded. After some discussion, a motion to call the question was made, seconded and approved after which a vote was taken resulting in the USGFC action to approve Motion USGFC.02-25-2011.001.

Another motion to amend, specifically Motion USGFC.02-25-2011.002: To replace the word “must” with the word “should” in Article IV Section 2, was made and seconded with an immediate vote [no discussion] resulting in the USGFC action to approve Motion USGFC.02-25-2011.002.

A motion was made and withdrawn to change Article IV Section 3 to read “At least 50% of the voting membership from each tier in physical attendance or electronic form shall constitute a quorum.”

A motion to table, specifically Motion USGFC.02-25-2011.003: To table the bylaws discussion and ask a break-out group to consider quorum, electronic voting, electronic presence and voting prior to a meeting and report back later during this meeting,  was made, seconded with a vote [after some discussion] resulting in the USGFC action to approve Motion USGFC.02-25-2011.003. One participant noted that in Robert’s Rules of Order in the section on special rules of order there are issues with electronic voting.

10:35  Identification of Break-out Group Discussion Topics  Dr. Turner led the discussion to identify such topics. After some discussion, Motion USGFC.02-25-2011.004  To consider 1) the Bylaws, 2) Formula Funding, and 3) Summer Compensation for the self-selected break-out sessions was made, seconded and voted on resulting in the USGFC action to approve Motion USGFC.02-25-2011.004.

11:15  Break-Out Sessions [Part I]  Those present were invited to self-select a break out group and move to the area of the meeting space designated for that group. The break-out group each advocate selected is reflected in the “Break-Out” column of the table above in the 10:07 Welcome section of these minutes. The break-out group codes are: B = Bylaws, FF = Formula Funding, SC = Summer Compensation.

12:15  Lunch  Box lunches were provided to participants who took some time to eat and network.

12:45  Academic Affairs Report  Dr. Linda Noble, Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs in the Academic Affairs Division of the University System of Georgia, gave her report including information on the following items.

A.     With the leadership transition in the USG office, including the current search for a new Chancellor as well as the impending departure of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer, Dr. Noble indicated that there could be a reorganization that might impact the designated liaison to the University System of Georgia Faculty Council.

B.     The consideration of a new Learning Management System (LMS) is currently underway with a task force populated by faculty, staff, and student representatives from each sector, although not from each university. Surveys and other forums eliciting input from faculty have been conducted and any questions should be directed to Dr. Donna Llewelyn, Director of Georgia Tech’s Teaching and Learning Center. The five finalists selected from an initial list of twenty-six candidates for further review are Moodle, Sakai, Desire to Learn, Pearson, and Blackboard 9. Vendor demos are scheduled for March. Dr. Carver, the USG CIO, is also collecting price options from each vendor as well. Input is requested from all interested. “Sandboxes” are being set up with each account to give access for system members to play there and to test the products; each institution will select faculty and staff to test the LMS candidates. A full rubric is also being provided. Dr. Noble stated that final decisions will be informed by budget, implementation and support issues as ITS must be able to support the new system. The Task Force’s recommendation and the final decision is anticipated by early May. Once the decision is made, purchase and implementation will be phased in with a small group of institutions in the fall [2011], followed by another group next fall [2012] after institutions opt in. By Fall 2015 all should be using the new platform. Not all campuses use the common LMS now, and the use of the new LMS is required of an institution only if the institution desires centralized technical support. Dr. Noble noted that the vendors’ pipeline of communication is exclusively through the task force; so, if your institution is being contacted by any one of these vendors, please contact her or Dr. Llewellyn. The system would try to support course content and Dr. Noble suggested that within ten years all would migrate to the new system; however, mobility of current files is a huge issue under consideration.

C.     Dr. Noble reported that the USGFC is now listed as a Regents’ Advisory Committee on the USG website. The list of current faculty representatives per institution will also be included there along with a link to the current USGFC website presently hosted at Georgia College & State University. She suggested that the Chair and Chair-Elect of the USGFC work to develop a good relationship with the future Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs.  [Link to USGFC website as a Regents' Advisory Committee]

D.     Dr. Noble circulated a list of the current USGFC representatives requesting each individual present to review the entry for her/his institution and update the information as necessary.

E.      She reported also that the Chancellor search is progressing and indicated that the next USG Chancellor could be announced as early as May 1.

F.      In regards to a question about TAP, Dr. Noble will follow up, but for now there is no change. The BOR needs to approve any changes such as credit hours. Individual institutions may select to charge faculty. Normal fees are covered, but online programs do not allow for any alternatives at this time.

G.     The Total Rewards steering committee (made up of Regents) is looking at benefits. The reality is that the liability and cost of health care is up and the system cannot sustain the current trajectory and must address gaps. The committee will make recommendations regarding: 1) number of plan options, 2) employee/employer contribution ratio (currently 30/70), 3) retiree health benefits. An informational report is to be made at the April 2011 BoR meeting which one may watch via a weblink. It was noted that the BOR meetings always open with a prayer followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

H.     The USG strategic plan has not been reconsidered since the economic downturn, but the System Council on International Education is revisiting their specific goals and targets. The international education strategic plan must be revised to allow for greater institutional flexibility. All institutions must work on Retention Progression Graduation (RPG).

1:20  Break-Out Sessions [Part II]  More time was provided for break-out groups to continue their work.

2:35  Reports from Self-Selected Break-out Groups

                Summer Compensation  Timothy Brown of South Georgia College reported out for this break-out group. Information will be requested via an electronic survey, distributed via the usgfc listserv, on rate of pay for summer teaching, how this pay is generated, how priority for summer teaching is determined, what courses [core, major, etc] tend to be taught in the summer, and what duties/services (if any) are expected of faculty during the summer. Some faculty who are not under contract in the summer are still required to advise students. Timothy Brown of South Georgia College offered to implement the electronic survey and collect data on USG institution summer offerings to create a centralized bank of information on summer offerings for use as both a tool for student advising and as a resource for faculty/staff interested in TAP. [Link to the Centralized Bank of Summer Offerings]

                Formula Funding  Jeffrey Dorfman of the University of Georgia reported out for this break-out group. The following resolution was made [not requiring a second as several voting members were on this break-out group] and approved. This resolution is available electronically in both MSWord and pdf formats.

                Bylaws  Craig Turner of Georgia College & State University reported out for this break-out group. A set of proposed revisions [available electronically in both MSWord and pdf formats] in response to the items listed in Motion USGFC.02-25-2011.003 cited above in the 10:10 session of this meeting was put on the floor for consideration. A motion, specifically Motion USGFC.02-25-2011.005: The current co-chairs [Dr. Combier and Dr. Turner] implement an asynchronous electronic vote on the Proposed Bylaws Revisions 25 Feb 2011 [circulating this document to the USGFC email listserv as soon as possible following the 25 Feb 2011 USGFC meeting] with the ballot for voting members to be opened no earlier than April 18, 2011 with a one calendar week window in which to cast a vote was made and seconded and voted on resulting in a USGFC action to approve Motion USGFC.02-25-2011.005.

                A motion, specifically Motion USGFC.02-25-2011.006: The current co-chairs [Dr. Combier and Dr. Turner] ensure the implementation, as soon after the bylaws vote as is feasible, of an election [preceded by a call for nominations] for USGFC officers [Chair and Chair-Elect] to serve during the 2011-2012 academic year was made and seconded and voted on resulting in a USGFC action to approve Motion USGFC.02-25-2011.006.

3:10  Next Meeting  North Georgia College & State University was the only institution that was offered as the host site of the fall 2011 USGFC meeting during the month of November 2011. Those present unanimously accepted this site and Dr. Elizabeth Combier and Dr. Robert Fuller will ensure that the appropriate arrangements are made for a USGFC meeting in Nov 2011 at North Georgia College & State University. Other institutions, specifically Valdosta State University, were going to check with appropriate personnel at their institution and perhaps offer their campus for consideration as host for a future meeting.

3:15  Adjournment. Dr. Turner thanked all attendees for their attendance and participation. He also expressed gratitude to both Doug Moodie and Kennesaw State University for hosting this meeting. A motion to adjourn was made, seconded and approved. The meeting adjourned at 3:19pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Elizabeth Combier