Texas Tech University Faculty Senate
Meeting #283, Dec. 10, 2008

The Faculty Senate met on Wednesday, Dec. 10, in the Senate Room in the Student Union Building, with President Sandy River presiding.

Senators in attendance were:  Farmer, Hamed, Hill, Blake, Cox, Hart, Harter, Held, Iyer, Jeter, Opp, Rahnama, Rugeley, Tacon, Weinlich, Pasewark, Ritchey, Claudet, Crews, Fox, Hendricks, Pratt, Giesselmann, Helm, Mengel, Blum, Colwell, Sharp, Oliver, River, Rosen, Soonpaa, Peoples, Gelber, Mann, Santa, Smith, Meek, Syma 

Senators excused:  Koch, McComb, Smithey, Wong, Boal, Lakhani, Matis, Lauderdale, Paschall, Barnes-Burroughs, Reed, Spallholz, Warner, Wilde

Senators not excused:  Johnson, Wilson, Rex, Anderson, Drager, Rainger, Roeger, Toda, Sobolewski, Ashby-Martin, Tomlinson, Binkley, Skerik, Shacklette, Williams

I.	Call to Order: Sandy River, President, at 3:18 p.m.

II.	Recognition of Guests: Dean Pam Eibeck, Engineering; Laura Heinz, University Library; Stefan 
	Estreicher, Ron Mitchell, Ron Nail, Lawrence Schovenec, Amanda Hinojosa, Vicki West, William
	Westney – members of the Revenue Enhancement & Allocation Task Force; Associate Vice-
	Provost Gary Elbow, Vice-Provost Valerie Paton

III.	Approval of Minutes: Meeting # 282: Nov. 12, 2008.
Senator Meek requested that Resolutions passed at Faculty Senate Meetings be posted with the monthly Minutes. President River agreed, and the November Minutes were approved with that addition.

IV.	Speaker: Pam Eibeck, Revenue Enhancement and Allocation Task Force
Eibeck announced that President Bailey established the Revenue Enhancement and Allocation Task Force to develop a decentralized budget management plan for the university. This budgeting structure will better enable Texas Tech to meet its mission and strategic goals by enhancing its revenues and strategically allocating those revenues. The enhanced revenues
	will support Texas Tech University's efforts to become a national research university.
According to Eibeck, referring to the hand-out she presented at the meeting, the revenue and allocation model will:
•	Be transparent--people will understand what is being done with the budget and why;
•	 consistently and fairly implemented;
•	Incentivize revenue generation--new revenues generated will primarily return to the unit generating the revenues, thereby incentivizing a unit to enhance revenues. Units will know in advance how such distributions will be calculated.

	The goals for the new budgetary model are to:
	a. Establish transparent reporting and equitable resource allocation policies campus-wide.
b. Provide performance incentives for academic and other units that are consistent with achieving   excellence in TTU's mission and objectives.
	c. Assure academic units' budgets are tightly aligned with the strategic goals of the institution.
d. Create and implement a system under which revenues generated by each unit, along with costs associated with each unit will be locally managed. Net revenue above and beyond expenses incurred will accumulate to the benefit of the unit generating such revenues.
e. Protect the viability and quality of programs aligned with the mission of the University that do 	 not generate sufficient revenues to be self-supporting.
f. Implement improved data systems and business processes to facilitate both revenue and budgeted expense management.

Eibeck noted that to accomplish its goals, the Task Force will require access to data for reporting, and prediction, some of which will not be available until Banner is up and running fully.

The President has charged the REA Task Force to prepare a plan for the new budgetary model while also developing mechanisms to incentivize increased formula fund generation while we are in the transition period.
	Accomplishments by the REA Task Force thus far include:
•	identifying the Revenue Center Management (RCM) budget model as the best decentralized budgetary structure to meet these goals;
•	benchmarking public universities that have implemented RCM;
•	understanding the revenue streams to Texas Tech University and identifying the ones that can be allocated to generating units; and developing an incentivizing financial model for the summer semester.

Eibeck admitted that coming to an understanding of the revenue streams at the various units of the university has been a big project. For the future, the Task Force hopes to have a report out by May '09 with actions to take, based on available data. Next year, they plan to figure out the details of those actions. It will most likely take 3+ years to completely implement the proposed change in budget planning.

A discussion ensued about the proposed revenue from summer teaching. A couple of Senators questioned whether faculty would be pressured to give up valuable research time to do this. Several Senators were also concerned about how the Task Force will be able to protect
the viability and quality of programs that do not generate sufficient revenues to be self-supporting (see e. above).
Eibeck stated that the university must have a system in place--a committee made up of faculty and administrators--to look at the revenue streams of such units, and make recommendations. The process will be repeated every 5 years or so, so that there is room for flexibility in the system.

Senator Held expressed concern about the university's past history of "sweeping accounts." Eibeck stated that the upper administration must not do this. Local control must be maintained. If cuts become necessary, those involved should be able to decide where the cuts must be made.

	Eibeck also said that we need to become smarter at finding ways to increase government 	funding, such as increasing our number of graduate students.

Senator Held suggested that the Task Force bring the Teaching Academy into the decision-making area of this process. 
Eibeck stated that a large number of faculty are involved in the Task Force, but that if the Faculty Senate wants the Teaching Academy actively involved they should send a request to Sandy (as President of the Faculty Senate), and she can send the request on to President Bailey. She also said that potential problems related to the Revenue Enhancement and Allocation Initiative are being openly talked about, and that there are a number of sub-committees still to be set up, so there is still room for much more faculty involvement.
Senator Held also questioned whether the stated goal of "40,000" students is not counter to the present goals of the Task Force. Eibeck suggested that this is an appropriate question to bring to President Bailey.

V.	Old Business
	There was no new news on any old business.

VI.	Committee Reports
Study Committee A was asked to look into the Senate membership rotation, since it is not currently set up according to the dictates of the Constitution. Senator Peoples stated that the Study Committee has come up with some proposed revisions to the Constitution that will be discussed at the Senate meeting in January.  They were sent out with the agenda for today’s meeting.

Study Committee B presented a few changes to OP 32.03, on Academic Deans, Associate or Assistant Deans, and Department Chairpersons. (See document sent out prior to Faculty Senate meeting, by President River). Senator Jeter stated that the thinking behind the changes is that the Committee wants to formalize evaluation measures. Committee B studied the changes proposed by the local AAUP chapter last spring and made a few suggestions themselves.  They recommend that the Faculty Senate approve their report with the recommended changes to the OP. During discussion, it was suggested that the full name of the College of Engineering be included.  Senator Held moved that the committee reconsider the OP and insert language to allow for action to be taken, should an administrator be found not in compliance with the dictates of the OP. This motion was seconded by Senator Rugeley, and the motion was passed by the Faculty Senate.  Study Committee B will reconsider the OP and report back to the Senate.

VII.	New Business

	Guest Valerie Paton: SACS Accreditation
Vice-Provost Valerie Paton announced that the full SACS Commission voted to find Texas Tech in compliance, although privately, she was told that the university is only in minimal compliance. She stated that the university (which never lost its accreditation) has been removed from probation.

The university has tried to put together a structure to support what we need, so that we can continue the assessment process, and continue to be in compliance with SACS.

There are some critical issues that need to be dealt with. Paton believes that the faculty needs to be empowered; faculty issues will be brought to the faculty.

Paton thanks the Faculty Senate, AAUP, the faculty, and the university administration. Without their help and support, the work would have been impossible.

Resolution of Appreciation for Return to Full SACS-COC Accreditation Status
Vice-President Susan Mengel read the following Resolution, which was prepared by the Faculty Senate Agenda Committee.

“WHEREAS, many individuals, specifically SACS-COC officials and Texas Tech University faculty and staff members, are involved with the SACS-COC Accreditation process, including among them . . . and
WHEREAS these individuals have worked diligently and effectively in the SACS-COC Accreditation process; and
WHEREAS Texas Tech University has created an assessment process that provides meaningful data on learning outcomes that will help to provide continuous improvement in our general education courses; and
WHEREAS, SACS-COC probationary status is rescinded for Texas Tech University as of Dec. 9, 2008; therefore
BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Faculty Senate, meeting this 10th day of December 2008, expresses its appreciation for the service of these individuals and its gratitude for their work in maintaining Texas Tech University in its full SACS-COC accreditation status; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT copies of this resolution be distributed to the attendees of the Assessment Symposium of Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008, 1:00pm: President Guy Bailey, Chancellor Kent Hance, Interim Provost Jane Winer, Vice-Provost Valerie Paton, Dr. Joe Silver of SACS-COC, and members of the Texas Tech University Board of Regents.”

The Resolution was voted on and passed. It will be distributed.

VIII.	Announcements

	Senator Blum, liaison to the Student Union Building Advisory Board, announced that an 8% 
	increase has been recommended in student union fees. This amounts to $7.84 per semester.

Senator Blum also announced, as the representative of the Faculty Senate on the VP for Research Search Committee, that applications are currently coming in. The Search Committee plans to hold DFW interviews with the top candidates at the end of January, and bring the top choices to campus in early to mid-February.

President River announced that Nancy Reed, who has been an active member of the Faculty Senate over the years, is retiring at the end of the semester. 

President River announced that the nominations committee will be contacting members of the Faculty Senate in January. She asks that members seriously consider running for office.

IX.	Adjournment
	The Faculty Senate Meeting was adjourned at 4:21 p.m.

LMM