Below you will find a draft version of the faculty meeting---questions and
answer meeting held today at 3:00 P.M. Please inform me of any mistakes in
these minutes and I will incorporate them in the final version. I submit
them now to inform faculty who could not attend today. There will also been
minutes available from the councils.
The minutes of the September 9 meeting (again a draft version) will be sent
out tomorrow (computer problems). My apologies.
RichardRice
Faculty Secretary
Draft Version
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Faculty Minutes
September 11, 2003
This meeting, called by Faculty Secretary Richard Rice, was organized by
Professor Marvin Ernst, President of the Faculty Senate, and various
employee groups to offer a question and answer forum for Chancellor Stacy.
It began at 3:03 P.M. in the Benwood Auditorium. As a joint meeting, the
normal protocols for a Faculty Meeting were suspended. It should be
considered a continuation of the September 9, 2003 meeting where questions
about salaries and the UTC budget process were deferred until today.
Prof. Ernst opened the meeting explaining the cooperative effort to hold
such a question and answer meeting. Questions were solicited in writing,
some will be answered privately in email, but this session will be
professional.
Ernst said that $600,000 in carry-over funds will be given to divisions to
spend at their discretion; $250,000 for salaries to go to the divisions as
a result of the Budget Committee meeting today.
This morning at a meeting the Chancellor agreed to open communications, and
Vice Chancellor Richard Brown also pledged to open discussion. This meeting
is a beginning, not an end. Open communication and process should be based
on priorities and not on someones individual will. We will try to
reestablish trust at UTC.
There are two parts in today's format: questions that have been identified
will be put to Chancellor Stacy and then there will be 2-3 follow-up
questions from the audience before moving on to the next question. If there
is time at the end, further questions will be possible. Prof. Ernst said he
would moderate and cut-off personal issues and ensure questions will not be
longer than the answers.
Julia Cronin noted that $75,000 awarded today for salaries are not part of
the nine administrative raises.
We hope to restore unity. UTC unique in that we do have a voice in budget
matters.
Prof. Ernst: Minutes will be distributed by the councils.
Stacy: Thanks for opportunity. I will enjoy interaction. I have tried to
assist in planning and mission, big goals. I am a gather of resources, on
road to best liberal arts school in America and engaged with the community.
Teaching and learning are important. Ultimately the classes and students
are the goal.
Q: Is there a plan to address all campus units?
S: We will be better if we look at all units of the university. We asked
Richard Brown how we project revenue to have sense of future costs. There
is little to cut. Dealing with a reduction of $.5 million in budget is
difficult. It is unique to ask the campus community to decide the budget in
committee.
Q: PDQs were done in past, but no response nor monetary improvement resulted.
S: Compensation has been across the board (modest) and promotions, equity,
and other individual rewards. Low paid non-exempt staff will be first to be
improved.
Q: What about technology funds? A millions and a half each year are spent.
S: We have tried to access technology, and have to decide when enough has
been spent.
Q: We hear a lot about communication via the media instead of on campus.
S: If it is everybody's business it is nobody's business. I meet each week
with administrators and other councils. I think this is a proper concern. I
am sorry about weak internal communication. We will look at that.
Q: Do we have to have $225,000 a year for the Mocs Express and Aramark?
S: We do not subsidize Aramark. Parking has been reduced and a Carta
shuttle service initiated. Some faculty enjoy the Mocs Express, but we will
look again as some parking has been restored. [about 15 in audience
indicated use of the bus shuttle]. It is part of the mission as well a
budget item.
Q: How do you handle units where income falls short of expectations?
S: Simcenter and this building are building on strengths for the future. I
do not see more that 4-5 niche Ph.D. programs at UTC. We see computation
will be important to all hard sciences, so we are doing computational
engineering first with Oak Ridge support on the information highway.Lupton
provided start-up funds to allow other academic efforts. A group of experts
have been assembled with no immediate competition except Caltech and Bochum
Germany. It will provide new programs for other sciences. We used $2.5
million from the Lupton funds. We have not had Ph.D. levels, and trailed
UTK in salaries. We will now get Ph.D. level state funding. Beyond two
years, and if the state cuts funds, where will the money come from? UC
Foundation will back up this program if needed to provided continuity.
Q: Why isnt Joe Johnson down here?
Ernst: We did not invite him, but he should come down here in the future.
S: I think it is good that Joe Johnson is where he is. His first staff
meeting was a relief and he will not waste money [as the last President].
Q: Simcenter is important, but it is a question of priorities. Is it worth
it to offer that kind of money for a new program at the expense of existing
programs? Should not everyone have a fair salary?
S: We have a variability of salaries, but recruitment requires paying
higher market rates leading to compression. But if we want a renaissancewe
have to pay market rates. The Simcenter has to been a splendid program.
This will dramatically change UTC in a small niche, but with intent to
disrespect faculty who have labored for years. We dont pay anybody enough.
We are closer to the AAUP mean, but at grievances harm to those with lower
salaries.
Q: We dont pay anyone enough? What about administrators?
Q: If the Simcenter does not support itself, will not the UC Foundation
support not take money from other programs?
S: Yes the center needs to become self-supporting, but any program has to
have security of continued funding.
Q: What about Occupational Therapy?
S: The accrediting program wanted a better and more costly program.
Q: How much do we subsidize Aramark?
Vice-Chancellor Brown: Students voted for imposing a food service fee. The
compromise was that all students should pay, not just dorm residences.
[What were the options?]
Q: What about the process of raises and why some areas are cut back while
some non-academic areas see increases?
S: Raises came to me as a recommendation and adjustment to exempt personnel
to determine equity with peer institutions. It was a target group that
needed attention. The year closed with some extra money. They deserved it.
Q: There has been a lot of questioning about peer salaries. Professor
Garretts numbers on Raven were much less than Chancellor Browns figures.
Could you not look into these numbers?
S: Your 100% salary is AAUP average. We will find it. They were in
Chronicle recently.
Prof. Ernst : We will look at this issue and get some real figures.
Q: When will we reach the mean of AAUP salaries?
S: We have a five year goal, including adjuncts.
Q: What was the source of funds to increase salary lines to increase
special assistant and assistant to the Chancellor positions?
S: Dr. Shearer was at the Dean' level, and half his salary comes from my
office. Missy Crutchfield has cried each day, and I reget that too. We
wanted an internal ombudsman person. We wanted to add new roles for the
position: fund raising, alumni magazine writing, television programs better
than Channel 3, marketing, governmental relations; all skills that changed
the position. We had four finalists in the search, and it was sized at
$76,000, but our best candidate was paid more than that and was expecting a
raise. We needed to fix the television situation which justified $12,000 more.
Q: Don't we have a Development Office for some of this?
S: We have vacancies in that office, University Relations, and other offices.
Q: We lay off people who have been here 20 years because we dont have money
keep them&.Some are forced to go on flex time while your assistants salary
went up!
S: I didn't lay off people to make ends meet. Cuting $5 million was painful.
Q: I feel devalued since my program has not been funded at previous levels.
S: I am sorry for offense and do not intend to devalue personnel. I hope
one event in one year does not define me. I value what you do in student
services.
Q: Is the hiring freeze for faculty only? What about staff?
S: We tried to freeze everything in Spring, but then reality set in; we had
to take care of incoming students, so we funded counseling for Student
Affairs. It is selective. New positions freeze is still keen, but
replacements are considered according to needs. The Vice President for
Development is essential as we enter a new funding campaign. So we are
mostly frozen, but continuing to battle to restore faculty. The Provost
thinks there will be $5-6 million more needed for faculty next year.
Q: Why are staff with excellent EDOs not rewarded?
S: It is a question of available money. We would like to do more. Faculty
get $2,000 tipin PTR, and we would like to do more for staff.
Q: The bottom are in the bottom and need raises!
S: Yes, let's deal with those.
Q: We have been told over and over to cut costs and cut costs and your
actions seem to disregard staff year after year. Those with outstanding
awards do not get rewards. No one cares about us, and we make nothing while
Missy Crutchfield is hired!
S: Yes.
Q: How do we keep good staff from leaving?
S: We are in this together. The Budget Committee looks at the options and
difficult choices for allocation. We cancelled the Dickerson visit which
would address priorities.
We have to decide. We have to get more money or cut expenditures. Everyone
is looking for ways to cut expenses. We want to invest in people and we
will try harder.
Q: If a department saves $50,000 how come that money goes elsewhere? I have
got a 32 cent raise in four years!.
S: I hope you get a raise.
Ernst: I want to end the formal part.
S [to the audience]: I am sorry if I offended you, but please help me get
the institution back towards its potential.
Ernst: I thank the Chancellor for the formal questions.
Q: We still have confidence, and what about extra service pay and
in-kinds. We have earned $ ¾ million since May, and I could not get extra
service pay. What about this 20% limit on extra service pay. Indirects take
from us resources we need. Send a message that would let us earn.
S: Good plan, I will examine this when I find out. I like your ability to
earn. I like the entrepreneurial spirit. I will get a straight answer [from
Knoxville].
Q: Even if a salary increase is not possible, what about the insurance
increase?
S: We did put $1 million to help with the increase last year and we will
try to help as much possible. The Budget Committee will look at this.
Q: The facilities area has a reduction in positions constantly over the
years while we have more buildings to service.
S: It is the $5 million that prevents us from maintaining staff in
maintenance to service the physical plant.
Q: Can we not have a goal on your "report card" of 50% of the budget for
the instructional part of the budget?
S: This would be a great goal. Most institutions like us have about 40%.
Ernst: This is just a beginning. All councils are committed to
communications and will see that actions follow promises.
Prof. Ernst Adjourned the meeting at 4:25 P.M.
Respectfully Submitted,
Richard Rice
Faculty Secretary
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