Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., December 1, 2008
B5 Jessup Hall
Present: Rose Friedrich, Jim Lindberg, Robert Sayre, Richard Lynch, Nancy Sprince, Hyman Joseph, Pat Kelley, David Carew, Carl Orgren, Jerry Walker, Kenneth Hubel.
Absent: H.D. Hoover, Phillip Cummins, George Lance, Carol Fethke, Tony Franken.
Call to Order: Meeting was called to order by President Patricia Kelley.
Action on Minutes: Minutes of the November 3, 2008 meeting were approved.
NEW BUSINESS: President Kelley led a discussion of Provost Loh’s draft Strategic Initiatives 2009-2014.
Issues suggested for forwarding to Provost Loh include:
• Further open discussion of process, noting difficulty with oaks/houseplants analogy
• Representation of Emeritus faculty on committees developing the Strategic Initiatives process
• Attention to prevention in clinical and translational medical research
COMMITTEE REPORT:
• Faculty Council/Senate: Rose Friedrich reported on November 18, 2008 meeting.
• Sexual assult policy currently pertains only to student-on student misconduct. Faculty misconduct policy will be dealt with in upcoming meeting.
• Board of Regents concerns include Iowa grads leaving the state and the perennial notion of duplication of efforts of Regents institutions.
• Searches are in motion for General Counsel, VP for Strategic Communications, VP for Student Services and Chief Diversity Officer.
UIRA: Rose Friedrich reported (based on Phil Cummins’ attendance) discussion on a dues increase (no action); future programming including Dick Stevenson’s January 21 presentation on mortgage-backed securities; further study by the Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee of flexible benefits plan.
Annual Meeting: No report.
Elections: No report.
Hancher: No report.
Libraries: No report.
Website: No report
Big Ten Meeting: No report.
Research Council: Ken Hubel reported on a joint meeting of the Research Council and Associate Deans for Research and Graduate Studies on November 18, 2008. discussion included:
• Plan for December meeting with President Mason on budget issues and plans for increasing the number of faculty lines.
• New NIH rules capping salary support of grants at 50% and limiting renewals to one in order to maximize the quality of initial submissions and emphasize innovative hypotheses.
Senior College: Nancy Sprince indicated that evaluation of courses shows excellent progress. The Spring schedule will go to the printer in December, 2008.
Funded Retirement: Hy Joseph noted that annual registration forms show a modest increase in University subsidy for retired faculty health benefits.
Guest Speaker: President Kelley introduced Mike O’Hara, President of the Faculty Senate. O’Hara is meeting with a variety of collegiate leadership groups during this period of multiple traumas affecting the University.
Issues before the Senate include:
• Faculty civility, behavior towards colleagues, staff and students, is difficult to regulate given the multiplicity of cultures, local control and academic freedom. These issues have been under discussion for three or four years. The Senate and Council will shortly propose new policies.
• Honorary degree policy discussions attempt to find a balance between philanthropy and general contributions of a candidate to the University’s mission.
• An unusual number of administrative searches are in process. As a result, the search for VP for Research is on hold.
• A recent meeting of CIC presidents and faculty senate officers at the University of Michigan noted incidents in which faculty members have been sanctioned for speaking out against administrative actions. Perhaps a new committee should be formed to revisit academic freedom issues in order to protect faculty’s right to express views counter to administration.
• Strategic Initiatives efforts were characterized by O’Hara as keeping the existing strategic plan, with the addition of initiatives to identify major strengths for further concentration of resources and sustainability as a new area of development.
• O’Hara’s interaction with the Emeritus Council concluded with a general discussion of sexual harassment—its causes and potential processes for managing investigations and sanctions.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:00 A.M.
Next Meeting: Monday, January 5, 2009, B5 Jessup Hall
Respectfully submitted,
Carl Orgren for Tony Franken, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., November 3, 2008
B5 Jessup Hall
Present: Kenneth Hubel, Carl Orgren, Phillip Cummins, Robert Sayre, Jim Lindberg, Nancy Sprince, George Lance, David Carew, Pat Kelley, Richard Lynch, Jerry Walker, Hyman Joseph, Carol Fethke, and Tony Franken.
Absent: H.D. Hoover, Rose Friedrich.
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Patricia Kelley.
Announcements: The speaker for the January meeting will be the Joan Kjer of WSUI. Kelley asked for suggestions from other individuals for speakers be sent to her.
Guest speaker: Pat Kelley introduced Wallace Loh, the executive vice president and provost of the University of Iowa. She summarized many of Professor Loh’s accomplishments prior to coming here, which involved multiple posts at several institutions.
Provost Loh noted that he is now in the learning phase of trying to understand how the university runs. He is looking for ideas both for transitory and long term problems at the University of Iowa with suggestions for their solution. He noted that he had his “educational roots” in Iowa. Vice President Loh delivered an informal session, responding primarily to questions from the audience. Some points made included the reduction in state funding for the university. He indicated that this creates a problem in that it lessens the “full public benefit” of offering an education to the people of the state, which he thinks is part of our heritage for the people of Iowa.
He further noted that 48% of the students at UI are from out of state, and that their tuition increase will be 7%; at the same time there is a big increase in student aid proposed. He indicated that he is familiar with working with a group such as the Iowa Board of Regents. Loh commented that the emeritus faculty have many resources and at the same time can be independent. He would appreciate input from us on changes proposed in the strategic plan. His philosophy would be to emphasize “mighty oaks” as well as educating all people. He proposes keeping the funding available for quality faculty by increasing the number of nontenured track lecturers, etc. to assistant teaching. He sees this as a part of President Mason’s plan for 100 additional faculty. Another aspect of the plan being studied is to assess the PhD programs for quality, and therefore, for continued funding. He noted that research support could be a requirement for tenure in some colleges at the university but not in all. He felt this is generally a part of the culture of the specific college. Provost Loh noted a need for increasing collaborative efforts among departments and across colleges to increase research at our institution. As others have mentioned, he noted the tremendous support for higher education as a percentage of assets by the people of Iowa. He described the problem of K-12 education in our state and elsewhere as being a major issue in the USA and thinks that there may be a role for the university to assist here, particularly in developing programs for science teachers.
Following Dr. Loh’s presentation, Patricia Kelley indicated that we would ask for the Provost’s suggestion for the strategic plan to be distributed to members of the Emeritus Faculty Council.
Action on the Minutes: Minutes of the October 6, 2008 meeting were approved except for changing the name of the “Association of Retired Officers of Education” to “Association of Retired Officers of Higher Education”.
Additional Announcements: President Kelley noted the web address of the AROHE as www.arohe.edu. If individuals want further information on the organization, please contact Kelley at vkelley279@msn.org, and she will send a copy.
There was subsequent discussion among the emeritus faculty council members about possibilities of having more contact with emeritus faculty in the Iowa City area for increasing their service to the university.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Faculty Council/Senate: Bob Sayre noted recent meetings the group considered a stronger ethics and behavior program, and several other small items, as well a closed session in which the Emeritus Faculty representative was not included.
UIRA: No report.
Elections: No report.
Retirees Website: No report.
Research Council: Ken Hubel noted at a recent meeting of the Research Council there were suggestions for an administrative assistant for post-doctoral and other graduate students which would include having a paid permanent advocate in the Graduate School office. There was also a call for promoting scholarly and personal responsibility in research, with applications to be studied by departmental task forces.
Senior College: Dick Lynch noted that all courses currently running have received very high ratings. He asked committee members for suggestions for speakers for the Senior College.
Annual Meeting: George Lance indicated that this will be June 15.
Hancher: No report.
Libraries: Nancy Sprince reported that there had been a recent discussion of flooding effects on the libraries (no loss of material). They are now working on access to material in the upper levels of the Music Building and the Art Museum. Another big issue currently under study is the copyright implication of Google’s book copying service. Other items under discussion included delivery of books through campus mail and the privacy issue of library users as related to Homeland Security.
Retirement and Insurance: No report.
Upcoming Big Ten Meeting: This will be held August 14-16. All are invited without registration fee, although one must pay for meals. Kelley noted a need for volunteers to serve as drivers for guests coming to the meeting.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:00 a.m.
Next Meeting: Monday, December 1, 2008, B5 Jessup Hall.
Respectfully submitted,
Tony Franken, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., October 6, 2008
B5 Jessup Hall
Present: Patricia Kelley, Rose Friedrich, Jerry Walker, Hyman Joseph, James Lindberg, Nancy Sprince, Phil Cummins, David Carew, Carl Orgren, Robert Sayre, Kenneth Hubel, and Tony Franken.
Absent: Carol Fethke, Richard Lynch, HD Hoover and George Lance.
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Patricia Kelley.
Action on the Minutes: The minutes of the September 8, 2008 meeting were approved.
Announcements: Data on the council members was distributed to the group; this consists of name, phone number, email address, etc. Patricia Kelley announced that the new University Provost will attend the next meeting of the Emeritus Faculty Council and, because of schedule, will speak from 9:30am to 10:00am. She requested that everyone be on time for this presentation.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Faculty Council/Senate: no report
UIRA: no report
It was noted that the communications of timing of meetings of that group needs to be improved. Phil Cummins will follow up on this.
Elections: no report
Retirees' Web Site, Handbook, and Annual Meeting: Reports of these committees were combined. As the details discussed are present on the website. The bylaws of the Emeritus Faculty Council were distributed, with some changes suggested. One was article four, paragraph 3 item B. “Elections will occur” was changed to “elections of officers.” And item D, “except for the secretary” was the new wording. The council moved and approved these proposed changes unanimously. They will not take effect until they are distributed for approval by the entire emeritus faculty.
Research Committee: no report
Senior College: Nancy Sprince attended a recent meeting. She noted that the Senior College made a five thousand dollar donation to the UI Foundation for Flood Relief. Eight of the nine classes for this fall are being held; a family emergency resulted in cancellation of one.
Hancher: no report
Libraries: no report
Retirement and Insurance Committee: no report
Hyman Joseph indicated that the new rates will be coming in November.
Big Ten 2009 Planning Committee: Carl Orgren said that members of the Emeritus Faculty Council will be asked to assist at the time of the meeting with activity such as meeting guest at the airport. Planning is moving along. Pat Kelley noted she will be attending a meeting of a similar organization, Association of Retired Offices of Education, and will bring back information regarding that meeting.
Guest Speaker: Pat Kelley introduced Pamela White, the Interim Director of UI Art Museum and permanent Director of the Pentacrest Museums. Ms White informed the council about several items including firm support for keeping the Jackson Pollock painting. The museum of art will not be returning to the current building (location to be determined after decisions on flood mitigation); the current building will be used for music classes. Many art museum collections are available for specific educational needs, with a number of activities and exhibits now taking place with number of sites allover UI. Questions from audience: risk management will be major player in future use activities, she discussed flood activities, noting all artwork was saved, but all paperwork (such as records of purchase, etc.) were lost. The theme is to have art activities be part of the university, related to research, education, and “community” service.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:00 a.m.
Next Meeting: Monday, November 3, 2008 at B5 Jessup Hall
Respectfully submitted,
Tony Franken, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., September 8, 2008
B5 Jessup Hall
Present: Kenneth Hubel, H.D. Hoover, > Rose Friedrich, Jim Lindberg, Nancy Sprince, George Lance, David Carew, Pat Kelley, Richard Lynch, Jerry Walker, Hyman Joseph, Carol Fethke, and Tony Franken.
Absent: Phil Cummins, Susan Johnson, Carl Orgren, and Robert Sayre.
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Patricia Kelley.
Action on the Minutes: Minutes of the July 7, 2008 meeting were approved.
Announcements: Kelley noted that a number of members were away because of other obligations at this time. She passed on a request from Phil Cummins, inviting members to the September 21 meeting of the Triangle Club, with speakers Doctor and Mrs. Poinsett. She noted that the Emeritus Faculty Council meetings for the remainder of this academic year will be in the classroom in Jessup Hall.
COMMITEE REPORTS
Faculty Council/Senate: Rose Friedrich reported on her attendance at the meetings of August 26 and September 2, 2008 of the faculty council and the faculty senate. The concept of a research track faculty line proposal led by the College of Medicine was approved. The faculty were encouraged to ask constituents to participate in a working in Iowa survey that hopes to provide a snapshot of working at the University. The University is in the early stages of the developing a new strategic plan. A committee will be formed to begin the search for Vice President Research.
Elections: No report
Retirees Website and Handbook: George Lance led the discussion of the value of the listserv which is now inactive. Lance noted that most of the information on the listserv is available elsewhere at the University. He personally feels that there is no need to reactivate it. The group in attendance were in agreement.
Research Council: No report.
Senior College: No report.
Annual Meeting: George Lance gave the report of the committee headed by Carl Orgren. It was felt that June is the best time for the annual meeting, with no formal Emeritus Faculty Council meeting at that time. A motion was made that there be no June, July, or August meeting of the Emeritus Faculty Council unless circumstances required it. This motion passed unanimously.
Hancher: No report.
Libraries: No report.
Retirement and Insurance: Hyman Joseph noted that the flexible benefits proposal is still in flux, and there will be no annual meeting of the UI benefits section with the faculty.
Big Ten Planning Committee: No report.
New Business:
1-Big Ten meeting: George Lance distributed a note from Carl Orgren who had attended the meeting held at the University of Illinois August 15-17 2008. There were sessions regarding retirement planning and “maintaining a healthy mind and brain”. Orgren will expand on this at a later meeting. The meeting speakers noted that state support for higher education is reduced in almost all public higher education. Specifically at Illinois it is now 8% of the budget. Other activities included campus tours, dinner with humorous entertainment,and a report by each institution of developments on their campus regarding benefits and challenges for retirees.
2-Emeritus Software Problem: Discussion of this item was deferred until next month’s meeting. Pat Kelley did note that computer hardware can be purchased through University of Iowa by Emeritus Faculty.
Guest Speaker: Pat Kelley introduced the speaker, Edward Saunders, director of the School of Social Work. Saunders indicated that the School of Social Work developed in the 1930’s, and returned after a lapse during World War II. They have offered a masters degree in social work since 1951, a bachelors degree since 1974, and a PhD program, first approved in 1997. The School of Social Work has missions in many fields regarding education and research, including aging studies, children and their families, family services, marriage and the family, rural social work, substance abuse, and end of life care. There are now approximately 75 students in the bachelors program (all juniors or seniors), and about 225 in the MSW program. The school operates five different centers around the state, including Des Moines, Ottumwa, Sioux City, and the Quad Cities. Some faculty are at these other sites, and Iowa City faculty travel to some of the outreach programs. The faculty in the School of Social Work consist of about 18 individuals, both tenure track, as well as clinical.
About 98% of the MSW workers in Iowa are graduates of this program.
The National Research Center for Family Centered Practice, located at Oakdale, is aligned with the School of Social Work.
A number of programs in the school are funded by national agencies and foundations. These include programs in gerontology and international efforts.
Wild Bill’s coffee shop is still in North Hall, and continues to operate with some supervision by individual members of the school.
New ventures of the School of Social Work include developing a certificate of critical cultural competence, increase development of the Des Moines program, and more online courses via the internet.
Saunders’ presentation provided many questions from the audience, indicating their interest and an approval of the program.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:00 a.m. by President Kelley.
Next Meeting: Monday, October 6, B5 Jessup Hall.
Respectfully submitted,
Tony Franken, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., July 7, 2008
B5 Jessup Hall
Present: Pat Kelley, Carl Orgren, George Lance, David Carew, Tony Franken, Rose Friedrich, Jerry Walker, Carol Fethke, and guest Howard Field
Absent: Richard Lynch, Phil Cummins, Nancy, Sprince, H.D. Hoover, Kenneth Hubel, Susan Johnson, Jim Lindberg, Bob Sayre.
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Pat Kelley.
Action on the Minutes: The minutes of the June 2, 2008 meeting were accepted, subject to minor corrections such as typos.
COMMITEE REPORTS
Annual Meeting: it was noted that attendance was about the same on the 2008 and 2007 meetings, one which was held in May and another in June. There was considerable discussion regarding the timing and location of the upcoming 2009 meeting. The annual meeting committee will investigate further regarding these items and report back to the EmeritusFaculty Council at a later date regarding their recommendations. Note was made that there were some discussion of the impact of the flood on the Big Ten planning for the 2009 meeting.
Faculty Council/Senate: Pat Kelley noted she had attended a faculty council meeting on the proposed faculty benefits. She reiterated that Emeritus Faculty are not affected, with the possible exception if the retirees spouse is still a UI employee. Subsequent discussion from Carol Fethke after confirming this with administrators, indicated there would be no effect on UI retirees. Fethke will bring further information to the September meeting regarding the benefits package.
There were no other committee reports.
NEW BUSINESS
Elections: The Council welcomed new members elected by the Emeritus Faculty: Nancy Sprince from Public Health; Rose Friedrich from Nursing, Carol Fetke was appointed to replace G. Lowenberg from College of Liberal Arts. Pat Kelley announced that Jim Lindberg had agreed to be Vice President, and Tony Franken to remain as secretary. There being no other nominations, these recommendations were accepted.
COMMITEE ASSIGNMENTS
Annual Meeting: George Lance, David Carew, and Carl Orgren will constitute this committee.
Big Ten Planning Committee: Pat Kelley and Carl Orgren.
Elections Committee: Kelley reappoints Hubel, with new member Jim Lindberg.
Faculty Council/Senate: Robert Sayre and Rose Friedrich.
Hancher: Jim Lindberg and Jerry Walker will constitute that committee.
Libraries: Jerry Walker and Nancy Sprince will be the members of the committee.
List Serve,Retirees' Web Site, and Retirees' Handbook: These committees are collapsed into a single committee. George Lance and Carl Orgren will remain on the committee, with Hyman Joseph and Bob Sayre also appointed.
Research Committee: Ken Hubel, with H.D. Hoover as the new member.
Retirement and Insurance Committee: Hyman Joseph and Carol Fethke are designated.
Senior College: Richard Lynch will be appointed, as well as another person to be named.
UIRA: Appointments by President Kelley include Phil Cummins and Rose Friedrich.
OTHER NEW BUSINESS:
Campus Software Program: It was noted that Emeritus Faculty are excluded from the license with Microsoft regarding University faculty and purchase of software. The situation is such that the University would need to either license all Emeritus Faculty or no members. Negotiations are now underway with Microsoft, and these must be concluded within one year. The sentiment among the group varied from demanding such access to acquiescing to the recommendation that Emeritus Faculty be excluded. Carl Orgren will have further discussion with UI officials, and report back at the September meeting on this discussion.
Guest Speaker: Sharon Benzoni, executive director of CIVIC and the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council was the speaker. Ms. Benzoni indicated that the role of the Foreign Relations Council is primarily to provide speakers with expertise in foreign affairs, usually associated with a luncheon for members and visitors. The speakers may be local individuals or visitors from elsewhere. CIVIC, Council of International Visitors to Iowa City, coordinates visitors supported by the U.S. State Department who are in Iowa City. They are looking for volunteers to assist the program here with activities such as meetings with visitors, providing transportation, and hosting meals. It was noted that the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council receives considerable support, including office and finances from the University of Iowa. There was considerable discussion and questions from the group regarding potential for volunteer activities with CIVIC and the Foreign Relation Council.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:00 a.m.
Next Meeting: Monday September 8, 2008 in room 3111 Seamans Center
NB: there will be no August meeting. The September meeting will be in the College of Engineering conference room.
Respectfully submitted,
Tony Franken, Secretary
MINUTES OF THE NINTH ANNUAL MEETING
Association of Emeritus Faculty
May 7, 2008
Carl Orgren, President of the Emeritus Faculty Counsel introduced Jordan Cohen, Interim Vice President of research. Vice President Cohen welcomed the emeritus faculty to the meeting, and noted that the campus, faculty, regents, and everyone seemed to be calming down now and making progress.
Introduction of council members: Carl Orgren introduced the members of the Emeritus Faculty Council in attendance.
Report of the election committee: H.D. Hoover introduced the new members of the Emeritus Faculty Council.
Report of the Emeritus Faculty Council of 2007-2008: President Carl Orgren indicated that meetings of the faculty council are open and all emeritus faculty are welcome. He noted that there are a number of good speakers throughout the year, and that summaries of the speakers’ presentations can be found in the faculty council minutes of the monthly meeting.
Phil Cummins made a short presentation regarding the Triangle Club and its monthly meeting. They are soliciting new members.
Orgren described the committees of the Emeritus Council and some of the items discussed:
a. From the faculty senate; the new faculty research track, smoking and alcohol policies of the university and arming of the campus police.
b. From the finance/insurance committee; numerous changes in the benefits program, none of which had direct relevance to retirees.
Tom Conway described the activities of the senior college of last year in which many emeritus faculty participate, both as lecturers and attendees. Conway outlined some of the new programs for the coming year. He further noted that attendance continues to increase, so they are now approximately 500 participants per year. The hope is that this activity will ultimately evolve into a faculty club building.
Carl Orgren discussed the upcoming 2009 meeting of the Big Ten Retirees Association in Iowa City. Sarah Wolfson is the organizer of the meeting. The emphasis will be on academics.
George Lance was recognized as being responsible for the emeritus faculty survey and the redo of the retirees handbook.
Carl Orgren noted that 2/3’s of the respondents of the faculty survey participate in activities with the university. And many also are involved in community activities. A total of 12 FTE positions are filled by the activities of the emeritus faculty.
A moment of silence was held for deceased emeritus faculty members.
A list of these members is part of the agenda of the meeting.
Audience comments: Jim Spratt wants to familiarize the current board of regents with a booklet written by Howard Bowen when president of the university. It was known as the “green book”. It was suggested that anyone with this document please contact Jim Spratt.
Passing of the Gavel: Carl Orgren passed the gavel to Pat Kelley as the incoming president of the Emeritus Faculty Council. Kelley reinforced the idea that emeritus faculty are welcome to attend the council meetings.
Questions from the audience: Question was asked regarding adding or subtracting emeritus faculty from the listserve. Carl Orgren noted the difficulties of editing such information in a purely volunteer organization, that is without any additional support. A member noted that a deceased faculty member, Michael Balch needed to be on the list of emeritus faculty who died this last year. Pat Kelley asked the group for ideas or people for speakers at the meeting. Hope Solomon noted that emeritus faculty are not eligible for discounts on software purchases from the university.
Speaker: Bill Hausler introduced our speaker President Sally Mason to give the “University of Iowa Annual Report #1”.
President Mason said that one of her first priorities was “lots of listening” as to how the university works, and for hopes and dreams for the future. She noted a number of issues had been “saved” for the incoming president. So her learning curve had to be steep so that decisions could be made. The shared government system here at the university made such decisions easier.
Examples included the campus wide smoking ban, comprehensive safety/security plan, research track faculty policy, a ten year self survey (preparing for a North Central Association accrediting visit) with resulting ten year accreditation. She further discussed athletic challenges, commenting on our national championship in wrestling and three UI coaches earning big ten coaches of the year. She mentioned some of the individual student athletes.
President Mason participates in a number of outreach events throughout the state and even nationally, allowing her and members of the UI foundation to meet with alumni, friends, legislators, and lobbyist. She was impressed to find that the support for education in Iowa is greater than that in other states where she has had experience, and that there is a favorable atmosphere for donations. Our strategic plan in place, The Iowa Promise, is being adhered to. She and other planners are working with the Board of Regents to develop a subsequent strategic plan.
Some accomplishments and aims for the future included increasing access to the university for students by lowering financial burdens while maintaining quality, a need to raise the salary of faculty as a quality measure (noting an average 7% increase last year). She mentioned that the faculty has shrunk by about one hundred over the last few years, and this hopefully will be remedied soon.
Some facilities coming online in the last year include the Iowa Institute for Medical Discovery, the college of Public Health building, the campus recreation/wellness center, and a new boat house. There is a plan for healthcare needs at the university hospital complex. The Carver Hawkeye Arena facelift, and improvements in the Dental Sciences building are underway.
President Mason hopes for many more accomplishments in the future, particularly related to leadership activities such as our new provosts, as well as vice presidents for research, dean of the college of public health, the hospital ceo, and the dean of the college of medicine.
Finally, President Mason noted the sustainability issue regarding the university. Some new items here include creating a sustainability office, a focus on bio- renewable resources, and adding five new faculty positions in the sustainability area.
Questions from the audience included: Jim Spratt noting the research information regarding the flat budget of the NIH, Phil Cummins advocating a faculty club and Carl Orgren asking about diversity issues.
The meeting was adjourned at approximately 11:10 a.m., to be followed by lunch and fellowship hour.
Respectfully submitted,
Tony Franken, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 10:00 A.M., May 7, 2008
Levitt Center
Present: H.D. Hoover, David Carew, George Lance, Jim Lindberg, Carl Orgren, Kenneth Hubel, Pat Kelley, Jerry Walker, Bill Hausler, Tom Conway, *Richard Lynch, *Nancy Sprince, *Rose Friedrich, Debbie Millsap, Phillip Cummins, Tony Franken
*Newly elected members of council
Absent: Susan Johnson, Hyman Joseph
Call to Order: President Carl Orgren called the meeting to order. Orgren introduced new members: Richard Lynch, Nancy Sprince, and Rose Friedrich. Orgren asked for suggestions for the vice president and president elect offices via e-mail to Pat Kelley.
Minutes: The minutes from the prior meeting were approved as submitted.
Faculty Council/Senate:There were no recent meetings of the faculty council, therefore no report.
Retirement/Insurance Committee: Pat Kelley noted that there was considerable activity regarding changes in benefits, but that these do not affect retirees.
UIRA: No report
Election Committee: H.D. Hoover noted that Bob Sayre and Jim Lindberg have been re-elected. Carl Orgren noted that Gerhard Loewenberg had resigned from the counsel, a new member from the liberal arts faculty will be appointed.
Emeritus list search/website:George Lance announced that paths to the website are present at several places within the University website. The retiree’s site has had 2,300 hits so far. There was recent publicity in FYI regarding this site so that more traffic is anticipated.
Senior College: Tom Conway announced there were several new classes to be offered in the fall. Examples included “It’s the law”, “Reprise” an international writers program class, “Latin American economy”, Nancy Andredsen presenting “Introduction to neurosciences”, and “Advanced football 102”. One can get on the list for mailing by contacting the alumni association at 335-3204, or through www.iowalum.com/srcollege .
Annual Meeting: Bill Hausler indicated the new site for the meeting today at the Levitt Center seemed an improvement over previous sites of the Emeritus Faculty Association meeting.
Research: Ken Hubel noted that the Liberal Arts and the College of Medicine have different types of research efforts. He believes it would be wise to have representatives of both colleges on the committee as well as to have continuity of representation.
Hancher: Jim Lindberg representing indicated there is no recent report.
Libraries: Carl Orgren reported that enhancement of the electronic catalog is becoming quite expensive. Thesis are now available electronically. And students would like to have the library open 24/7.
New Business: Carl Orgren noted a request from one emeritus faculty member to obtain a faculty discount on software. Unfortunately the contracts of the University with the software makers do not allow for that. He reminded us that electronic access to library material continues for emeritus faculty without a fee.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:50 a.m.
Next meeting: September 8, 2008, 9:30 – 11:00am, B5, Jessup Hall
Respectfully submitted,
Tony Franken, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., April 7, 2008
B5 Jessup Hall
Present: Tony Franken, Robert Sayre, David Carew, H.D. Hoover, George Lance, Carl Orgren, Tom Conway, Hyman Joseph, Pat Kelley, Jim Lindberg, Marion Johnson
Absent: Bill Hausler, Phillip Cummins, Susan Johnson, Kenneth Hubel, Gerhard Loewenberg, Jerry Walker
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Carl Orgren.
Speaker: Carl Orgren introduced Joan Cook, Director of Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of Elder Services, Inc. Ms. Cook’s presentation was primarily on RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program). She noted that there are over 700 such programs in the United States. The primary mission of RSVP is to connect senior volunteers for purposeful volunteer activities. The Iowa City area includes the four counties adjacent.
Ms. Cook shared several volunteer activties possible. These included serving as mentors in reading in the schools, as well as individual instructors for school children, as well as in programs for elderly and at-risk populations. Community volunteer activities are in such organizations such as the Red Cross and Salvation Army, as well as the Free Medical Clinic. Public safety volunteers can become involved with the police department administrative activities of Iowa City, Coralville and the sheriff’s office. At the University of Iowa, volunteers participate in mock trials at the law school, as volunteer patients for med students, and with the digital library project. Volunteer activities for the care of the elderly include assistance such as visiting, transportation, meals, tax help.
Following Ms. Cook’s presentation there were numerous questions and enthusiastic responses from the audience.
Action on Minutes: The minutes of the March 3, 2008 meeting were approved.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Faculty Council/Senate: Carl Orgren reported on a recent meeting of the Faculty Senate, at which the speaker was the chair of the Board of Regents. He spoke about central issues to the university such as the need for more communication among all groups, and the problem of decreasing support from the state. Other matters occurring in the meeting included change in policy on consensual relationships for the university, and the DEO periodic reviews.
Pat Kelley reported on a recent meeting of the Faculty Council, noting changes in the Operations Manual to better define issues of clinical faculty and like appointments. She also noted activities regarding reducing the display and availability of social security numbers.
UIRA: Marion Johnson noted that the recent survey of UIRA members had a low response rate. Among the suggestions received were for special interest groups, periodic speaker at meetings, and expanding the news in the UIRA newsletter. This organization plans to ask the central university for support of the upcoming meeting of the Big 10 Retirees Association.
Elections Committee: Carl Orgren noted that there were many volunteers for positions in the upcoming election.
Webpage and Retirees Handbook: George Lance indicated that the administration was working on more publicity to increase awareness of the website.
Research Council: No report.
Senior College: Tom Conway noted the program was running well. They are always in the market for new speakers. They are now firming up the fall courses.
Annual Meeting: Carl Orgren noted the next meeting will be the annual meeting of the Emeritus Faculty on Wednesday, May 7 in the Levitt Center. Preceding the general meeting will be a 30 minute meeting of the Emeritus Faculty Council. The speaker at the meeting will be President Mason.
Hancher Committee: No report.
Library Committee: No report.
Retirement/Insurance Committee: Hyman Joseph indicated that there is continuing discussion of flexible benefits among the group. The theme seems to be “reducing benefits”.
Big 10 2009 Planning Committee: No report.
New Business:
1. Tom Conway suggested that a speaker from the “Life Long Learning Institute” of the College of Public Health would be of value.
2. Note was made of the recent death of Phil Cummins’ wife.
3. Tony Franken brought up the question of publicizing the Emeritus Faculty Council meeting so that interested emeritus faculty could attend, when the speaker is of interest to them.
Next meeting: Wednesday, May 7, 2008, 9:30 – 11:00am in Levitt Center. (Note the change in day and location.)
Respectfully submitted,
Tony Franken, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., March 3, 2008
B5 Jessup Hall
Present: Tony Franken, Robert Sayre, David Carew, Kenneth Hubel, H.D. Hoover, Gerhard Loewenberg, George Lance, Tom Conway, Hyman Joseph, Pat Kelley, Carl Orgren, Jerry Walker
Absent: Bill Hausler, Marion Johnson, Jim Lindberg, Phillip Cummins, Susan Johnson
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Carl Orgren.
Action on Minutes: The minutes of the February 2008 meeting were accepted as distributed.
Faculty Council/Senate: Pat Kelley noted three principal items from the recent Faculty Council meeting. Elizabeth Altmaier, the representative from athletics, discussed restructuring of the NCAA on a national level. Jim Throgmorton presented a program to make the campus more sustainable: green, social justice, etc. Interim Provost Lopes discussed a committee that had been set up to evaluate proposals on when and how to cancel classes. She noted that there were many problems with this. Bob Sayre had no report as the Faculty Senate had not met.
UIRA: No report.
Elections Committee: H.D. Hoover noted that we are on target.
Webpage and Retirees Handbook: George Lance noted that there had been no major changes in recent weeks.
Research Council: Ken Hubel indicated there was no report.
Senior College: Tom Conway announced that the group was working on next fall’s program. They are looking for volunteers to serve as lecturers. The number of attendees to Senior College continues to increase. Approximately 500 people will participate this year. Senior College activities will be part of the Iowa presentation at the 2009 Big Ten meeting of retirees.
Annual Meeting: No report.
Hancher Committee: No report.
Library Committee: Carl Orgren noted that the storage facility is still in the planning stage. There has been a recent academic review of the university libraries. The main emphasis of the review is that these are insufficient funds for needed changes, particularly for the remodeling of Hardin Library. Attendance is increasing at the Main Library; the biggest new need is for Sunday morning. There is also a need for group projects space.
Retirement/Insurance Committee: Hyman Joseph noted that the Dental III program will be eliminated; Programs I and II remain. There is continued discussion regarding changes in flexible benefits. The committee voted down a proposal that faculty have a mandatory contribution of 1% to an SRA.
Big 10 2009 Planning Committee: Carl Orgren noted that Sarah Wolfson is chairing the planning of the meeting, emphasizing academics. The meeting will run Friday through Sunday morning. The nature of the Sunday morning session is still to be determined, perhaps to be about the Senior College.
Speaker: David Thayer, president of the Gray Hawks and retired emeritus faculty member from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and theater arts, was the speaker. Thayer indicated that there are about 400 members of the UIRA. There is some concern regarding this small number. Their activities consist of a program every three to four weeks, usually, but not always, associated with university activities. The planning committee is appointed by the President-Elect of the UIRA. Last year the social hour associated with the UIRA activities was discontinued. This was probably a wrong decision. Other activities include an annual banquet and dinner, and an annual picnic with entertainment.
The newsletter is a positive aspect of the UIRA. It has in the past been predominantly a notice of upcoming events. On a recent questionnaire, there was noted to be sentiment for adding more information to the newsletter, including university activities, death notices, and retirees’ current activities.
Thayer noted that the initial orientation of the UIRA, as recalled by Sam Becker, was that it was to serve as an advocacy organization for retired staff. Current examples of this are negotiating for parking for retired staff and the use of the library.
There were several questions from the committee after Thayer’s presentation. It was estimated that about one-third of the UIRA membership are emeritus faculty. There is no fiscal support for the UIRA from the university, and we’re somewhat behind our peers in that respect. Thayer indicated that the Senior Center keeps a list of volunteer activities so that the need for this in the UIRA is limited. H.D. Hoover suggested that the UIRA might negotiate for support from UI Foundation. Several comments from the audience indicated that there are a large number of activities at the Senior Center which do not need to be duplicated by the UIRA.
New Business:
1. Carl Orgren passed out copies to the attendees of the by-laws of the Association of Emeritus Faculty, the UIRA homepage and by-laws of this organization, and the homepage of the Retirees Handbook. These handouts are to be part of the archived minutes of the meeting, but not to be distributed as part of the minutes.
2. Carl Orgren reminded the group of the 2008 annual meeting and election on Monday, May 12, 2008.
Next meeting: April 7, 2008, 9:30 – 11:00am in B5, Jessup Hall.
Respectfully submitted,
Tony Franken, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., February 4, 2008
B5 Jessup Hall
Present: Tony Franken, Marion Johnson, Kenneth Hubel, H.D. Hoover, Gerhard Loewenberg, Jim Lindberg, George Lance, Pat Kelley, Carl Orgren, Phillip Cummins, Jerry Walker, Susan Johnson
Absent: Tom Conway, Hyman Joseph, Bill Hausler David Carew, and Robert Sayre
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President, Carl Orgren. He introduced the speaker of the day, Tom Rocklin, Vice Provost of the university.
Provost Rocklin gave an excellent discussion of student profiles and student successes (success being keeping students here till graduation). He noted that approximately 17% of students drop out in year one, and that about 2/3 graduate within 6 years. There are several approaches to working with students, to keep them in school. Examples include increasing financial aid, more advisors for minority and first generation college students, involving students in student organizations, and like activities.
Provost Rocklin noted that the Provost’s website describes student profiles in great detail. Handouts given as part of his presentation included the first year student profile, information on the student success team, and preliminary discussion of “The Message” project (a statement on what it means to be an undergraduate at The University of Iowa). The handouts are included in the minutes.
There was lively discussion among the group after Provost Rocklin’s presentation. He encouraged interested individuals to send comments to him, particularly regarding “The Message” project.
Action on Minutes: The minutes of the January 7, 2008 meeting were approved without correction.
Faculty Council/Senate: Pat Kelley reported on the Faculty Council meeting of January 22, 2008. She noted that the majority of that meeting was spent on the discussion of the proposed research track. Although the proposal was approved, the discussion regarding the proposal was lively.
Modification of the “Herd Book” publication to increased privacy of faculty and students, as well as revisions in the consensual relations policy was discussed.
Provost’s Office: Susan Johnson, from the Provost’s Office, discussed with the council categories for consideration of appointment to the Emeritus Faculty.
UIRA: Marion Johnson reported that the UIRA wanted clarification regarding representation of that organization on the Senior College Committee. Carl Orgren indicated he would discuss the situation with Al Hood and Tom Conway. Marion Johnson noted that membership in the UIRA was declining.
Elections Committee: George Lance noted that the usual sequence of nominations for the Emeritus Council starts in April, followed by submission of nominations in June. This will be advanced, to coordinate with the earlier annual meeting in 2008.
Webpage: George Lance announced that the webpage is now functioning and can be accessed via a search the university site for “retirees”, or through Google/UI/retirees. George Lance suggested combining the webpage and the retiree’s website committees to oversee further development of this site.
Research Council: Ken Hubel reported that the major discussion at this meeting was regarding research faculty. He thinks that the research council was opposed to this.
It was noted that graduate student funding was changed, from being a block grant with decisions on a departmental basis to distribution of such funds by the Dean’s Office. Ken Hubel made the council aware of a project to expand The Natural History Museum with a section on environmental, cultural, and global activities.
Senior College: No report.
Hancher Committee: No report.
Library Committee: No report.
Retirement/Insurance Committee: No report.
Big 10 Meeting: No Report.
New Business: None.
Next meeting: March 3, 2008, 9:30 – 11:00am in B5, Jessup Hall.
Respectfully submitted,
Tony Franken, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., January 7, 2008
B5 Jessup Hall
Present: Carl Orgren (President), David Carew, H.D. Hoover, Marion Johnson, Hyman Joseph, George Lance, Jim Lindberg, Bob Sayre, Jerry Walker, and Tom Conway (Secretary, Pro Tem).
Absent: Phil Cummins, Tony Franken, Bill Hausler, Ken Hubel, Patricia Kelley, and Gerry Loewenberg.
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Orgren who introduced our speaker, Nancy Foster. Nancy is a TIAA-CREF consultant at the Coralville, IA office serving the University of Iowa and other colleges in eastern Iowa. She was formerly the Assistant Directory of the UI Human Resources office.
The TIAA-CREF Coralville office opened on August 16, 2005 in a 2,260 square-foot facility at 327 2nd St., Suite 103. This office is one of two in Iowa, the other is in Ames. There are 40 such regional TIAA-CREF offices nationwide. Nancy’s office has 10 staff members who assist clients in wealth management and estate planning.
There are many options for TIAA-CREF participants and also for other members of the community not affiliated with TIAA-CREF. The University of Iowa Human Resources office maintains a useful list of FAQ’s (frequently asked questions) on their website: https://hr.uiowa.edu/benefits/benefits-overview/ui-retiree-benefits. This website does a good job explaining many of the TIAA-CREF financial options available to UI faculty and staff.
Some of us were not familiar with newer TIAA-CREF offerings such as a money market fund yielding 4.6%, CD’s, and brokerage services.
Individual counseling sessions are available and may be booked by calling the Coralville office at (319) 356-8010, toll-free at (866) 842-2977, ext. 7010, or online at www.tiaa-cref.org/moc/ .
Action on Minutes: Minutes of the December 3, 2007 meeting were approved.
Committee Reports:
Faculty Council and Senate. ( Kelley, Sayre) The last meeting was cancelled due to the ice storm.
Liaison to UIRA. (Johnson) Cummins attended the last meeting.
Elections. (Hoover, Hubel) Planning for the next election will start in February.
Retirees’ Website (Handbook). (Lance, Carew, Joseph, Sayre) The site is ready to go online, but we need a name for the site. [NOTE: On January 16, following the meeting, an e-mail to the Council from Lance stated that the Retiree’s Handbook can be accessed by an “A-Z Search under “R” from the UI website.]
Research Council (Hubel, Conway) No report.
Senior College. (Conway, Hausler) Brochures for the spring 2008 courses were distributed to the Council. One course is already filled and the others are filling nicely. Registration for the courses can be done by mail, phone or online at www.iowalum.com/srcollege .
Annual Meeting. (Lance, Hausler) Plans are getting started.
Hancher Committee. (Lindberg, Walker) No meeting.
Libraries Committee. (Walker, Loewenberg) No meeting.
Retirement and Insurance Committee. (Joseph) No meeting.
Big 10 2009 Planning. (Kelley, Orgren) Meeting will be next week.
New Business:
President Orgren asked for suggestions for speakers at future meetings.
Materials were distributed listing the dates and times for a number of activities associated with Human Rights Week during and following Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Next Meeting: February 4, 2008, 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. in room B5, Jessup Hall.
The speaker will be Vice Provost Thomas Rocklin.
Respectfully submitted,
Tom Conway, Secretary Pro Tem