Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., December 3, 2007
B5 Jessup Hall
Present: Tony Franken, Hyman Joseph, Carl Orgren, Jerry Walker, Pat Kelley, George Lance, Jim Lindberg, Robert Sayre, David Carew, Phillip Cummins, H.D. Hoover, Kenneth Hubel, Tom Conway
Absent: Bill Hausler, Gerhard Loewenberg, Marion Johnson
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Carl Orgren. He then introduced the speaker of the day, H.D. Hoover, a member of the Emeritus Faculty Council, and participant in the Center for Educational Testing.
H.D. Hoover gave an interesting presentation on the Iowa testing programs, featuring E.F. Lindquist’s leadership as well as that of Albert Hieronymus. These two individuals were the principal entrepreneurs of The University of Iowa regarding technology transfer, beginning in the 1930’s. The program started as an annual academic meeting for Iowa high school students. From this developed the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills in the 1930’s. This eventually became a nationwide test. Other developments included the GED program, and eventually the National Merit Scholars program, the Optical Scanner (for scoring), with eventual spin off of businesses. These include Pearson Technologies and ACT. Income from these programs still provides funds for The College of Education.
There were several interesting questions, comments, and reminiscences following Hoover’s presentation.
Action on Minutes: The minutes of the November 5, 2007 meeting were approved.
Faculty Council/Senate: Pat Kelley reported on a meeting of the Faculty Council on November 13. The most controversial item was reported by Vice Provost Rocklin. The College Portrait Project. This project involves participating universities with on-line portraits of the schools for prospective students to compare and assess. There are three parts to the portrait – the first is basic data such as that reported In US News and World Report, the second is student engagement, and the third involves testing randomly selected freshmen and seniors on standardized tests to measure writing skills and critical thinking.
Bob Sayre reported on the recent meeting of the Faculty Senate where the portrait was again discussed. He also reported the Student’s Success Team Project, to let students know what is expected of them. He noted that there was near unanimous approval of the no smoking policy by the senate.
UIRA: Carl Orgren noted that there are several projects being developed for UIRA individuals. There has been further discussion of organizational goals and a need to extend the membership of that group.
Elections Committee: No Report.
Webpage: George Lance noted that the webpage is now available. The address is http://www.uiowa.edu/retiree https://uira.org.uiowa.edu/ Lance noted that a search thru Google or Yahoo will not find the website, but it can be found thru Internet Explorer or Netscape. Corrections, suggestions or comments regarding the material would be welcome. Comments should be sent to george-lance@uiowa.edu.
Research Council: Ken Hubel reported that the council discussed further the role of research faculty at the university. The guidelines will be by college rather than university wide. Appointment duration for research faculty will be dependent upon external funding and tenure apparently not available for faculty in this category alone. These faculty will have a teaching role, being determined by each college. Each college will determine the percentage of research faculty as compared to tenured faculty, beginning at approximately 10% of faculty.
Senior College: Tom Conway reported that the spring program is now developed and will soon be posted on the web. Subjects for the spring meeting included:
- Darwin, Marx and Freud
- HIV Prevention through the Arts
- Tapping into Ancient Wisdom: The Books of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes
- Contemporary Poetry: A Conversation with Marvin Bell
- The Art of Hindu India: The Gods, Their Myths and Their Worshipers
Annual Meeting: No Report.
Hancher Committee: No Report.
Library Committee: Carl Orgren noted that there have been discussions regarding accommodation of handicapped individuals. At the moment, using personal assistants seems to be the methodology for handling this. There is some thought about offering 24 x 7 access to the library, a procedure in place by about 1/3 of universities nationally.
Retirement/Insurance Committee: Hyman Joseph noted that there had been series of meetings on the nature of flex benefits for University of Iowa employees.
Big 10 Meeting: Carl Orgren reported that the program is progressing quite well.
New Business: Jerry Walker led a short discussion on the changes in the athletic events brought on by participation in the “Big Ten Network”.
Next meeting: January 7, 2008, 9:30-11:00am, B5 Jessup Hall
Respectfully submitted,
Tony Franken, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., November 5, 2007
B5 Jessup Hall
Present: Tony Franken, Kenneth Hubel, David Carew, H.D. Hoover, Jerry Walker, Gerhard Loewenberg, Jim Lindberg, Robert Sayre, George Lance, Pat Kelley, Marion Johnson, Carl Orgren
Absent: Phillip Cummins, Tom Conway, Hyman Joseph, Bill Hausler
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President, Carl Ogren. George Lance introduced the speaker of the day, Dean Barry Butler of the College of Engineering.
Dean Butler gave an overview of the programs of the College of Engineering. He indicated that undergraduate education is based on a teamwork concept among the students. A rigorous core engineering program, as well as programs to develop non-technical skills is part of the undergraduate program. One program is in partnership with the College of Business, and offers an entrepreneurship certificate with an opportunity to set up student businesses. This exposes students to business through experience with local industries.
Dean Butler also spoke of the graduate educational program. He indicated that there are about 20 engineering research facilities in and around Iowa City. Besides the traditional departments in the College of Engineering, there are multidisciplinary research centers such as The Center for Computer Aided Design, The Driving Simulator, The Hydroscience Facility, The Center for Bio-Informatics, and the Medical Imaging Group. There is considerable corporate and public engagement for the graduate students on both a local basis and with an international component.
Action on Minutes: The minutes of the October 1, 2007 meeting were approved with the corrected spellings of Bob Sayre and Gerhard Loewenberg’s names and the addition of Marion Wilson’s presence at the meeting.
Faculty Council/Senate: Pat Kelley reported on the Faculty Senate meeting. She indicated there was no stand on the under 21 alcohol ordinance. The speaker at the faculty senate was Lola Lopez, our new Provost. It was noted that we are second only to Colorado with the percentage of out of state student enrollment at a public university. There was some discussion of the health insurance program. Shelly Kurtz indicated that the flex credits program is being considered for change.
Bob Sayre reported on the Faculty Council meeting. He indicated that there was considerable discussion of the under 21 alcohol ordinance, which was passed on to the Senate without recommendation. A program was given by Richard Saunders regarding changes coming in university benefits. There was some discussion of a new policy regarding publishing rights of institutional authors.
UIRA: Marion Johnson reported on Phil Cummins’ attendance at the meeting. No major issues were discussed.
Elections Committee: No report.
Webpage: George Lance indicated that progress is being made on the web page for Emeritus Faculty. The first materials will be put on the website within the month. He asked people to look at the site and make suggestions. George will contact members when the site is ready for viewing.
Research Council: Ken Hubel indicated that there had been discussion of a document regarding how research faculty fit in regarding appointments, tenure, etc.
Annual Meeting: Carl Orgren noted that the annual meeting will be held on the 4th floor in the reception room of the Levitt Center. President Mason will be the speaker. The council will meet at 9:00am, with the Emeritus Faculty meeting at 10:00am. Note that there will be no meeting the first Monday of May.
Hancher Committee: Jim Lindberg discussed a question regarding increasing Hancher event attendance among students, as well as retirees. He noted that the Joffrey events had been a great success.
Library Committee: No report.
Retirement/Insurance Committee: No report.
Big 10 Meeting: Carl Orgren asked the council for input regarding items to be put ion the meeting agenda. Particularly how to relate academics of the Big 10 to the individual universities. It was noted that the CIC consists of the Big 10 Universities plus The University of Chicago. The theme of the upcoming meeting will be “The Academic Side of the Big 10”, and will be held in August 2009.
New Business: None.
Next meeting: December 3, 2007, 9:30 – 11:00am in B5, Jessup Hall.
Respectfully submitted,
Tony Franken, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., October 1, 2007
B5 Jessup Hall
Present: Tony Franken, Pat Kelley, George Lance, Jim Lindberg, Kenneth Hubel, H.D. Hoover, David Carew, Tom Conway, Marion Johnson, Hyman Joseph, Bill Hausler, Carl Ogren
Absent: Phillip Cummins, Gerald Lowenberg, Marion Johnson, Robert Seyre, Jerry Walker
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Carl Ogren. Carl Ogren and Tony Franken introduced the speaker of the day, Dr. Michael Graham, Professor of Nuclear Medicine at The University of Iowa.
Dr. Graham illustrated many examples of Nuclear Medicine, emphasizing functional imaging. He noted that Nuclear Medicine can locate and quantify specific radionuclides in the body. Dr. Graham subsequently showed several types of Nuclear Medicine studies including SPECT (single proton emission computed tomography), PET (positron emission tomography), and PET / CT. There were several questions for Dr. Graham following his presentation from the audience.
Action on Minutes: The minutes of the September 10, 2007 meeting were approved.
Old Business: The Faculty Council – Faculty Senate. Carl Ogren had attended recent meetings of the Faculty Senate and Council. President Mason addressed the first meeting of the Faculty Senate. There was also discussion of the suggestion to arm Campus Police with guns. This was approved by at 25-22 vote. At a subsequent meeting of the Faculty Council there was a request for additional deliberation on this issue. There was also some discussion on the proposed ban those 20 and under being present in bars after 10:00PM.
There was considerable discussion among the Emeritus Faculty Council regarding the proposed alcohol ban.
UIRA – Carl Ogren reported having attended the meeting. They requested ideas for future activities for the UIRA.
Elections Committee: No report.
Webpage: No report.
Handbook: George Lance reported that the website for the Emeritus faculty is up. It will be a combined effort of the UIRA and the Emeritus Council. We need to decide what information will be put on the web-site. The Provost’s Office will populate the web-site for us. The responsibility of the material on the web-site is that of the Emeritus Council and the UIRA.
Research Council: No report. The dates of upcoming meetings were distributed.
Senior College: Tom Conway noted that the Senior College is doing well. Registration continues to grow. There is a plan to offer eight courses in the spring.
Annual Meeting: Bill Hausler noted that attendance at the annual meeting of the Emeritus Faculty is decreasing. He recommends that we ask President Mason to give a report at our next meeting. The council approved this suggestion. There was some discussion of the location for meeting. It was noted that having a meeting during the academic year was difficult because we need a large room in which lunch is also available. Bill Hausler will check to see if the Levitt Center might be available.
Hancher Committee: No report.
Library Committee: Carl Ogren discussed the upcoming cancellations of many journals, producing a savings of over $200,000. He noted that planning for an archival building for the library is still underway.
Retirement/Insurance Committee: Hyman Joseph indicated there would be no new information pertinent to the Emeritus Faculty for some time. The current discussion is flexible benefits.
Big 10 Meeting at Penn State: Carl Ogren attended the meeting. He noted that it included tours of the retirement facilities and local industries. The presentations were largely organized as wellness activities. He noted a need for such a meeting to emphasize topics of mutual interest to retiree organizations.
Big 10 2009 Meeting: Pat Kelley indicated that planning is still in the early stages. They plan to emphasize common interests of the attendees rather than entertainment. She has asked for ideas for topics of common interest.
Emeritus Faculty Survey: The survey was discussed by HD Hoover. He noted that approximately 1/3 of retirees responded. A summary of the survey will be included with the minutes. (Emeritus Faculty Community Activities). The survey indicated that about 1/3 of respondees still participate in voluntary activities within the community or at The University of Iowa. This includes teaching, seminars, and other activities, often without compensation. About 2/3 of respondees are still involved in scholarly activities: research, writing, editing and like activities; often in an area different from their previous field. Pat Kelley noted the need to distribute the report results to decision makers within the university. George Lance suggested that the summary be reported to the Provost’s Office. Carl Ogren noted that the overall activities of the Emeritus Faculty amounted to 12 full-time equivalent positions.
New Business: There was some discussion of the comments of last month’s speaker, David Soll, regarding difficulties in obtaining research support from the university administration. HD Hoover will investigate some aspects of this for discussion as a future meeting.
Next meeting: November 5, 2007 at 9:30 – 11:00 AM, room B5 of Jessup Hall. The speaker will be Dean P Barry Butler of the College of Engineering
Respectfully submitted,
Tony Franken, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., September 10, 2007
3111 Seaman Center
Present: Susan Johnson (Provost’s Office), Carl Orgren, Tony Franken, Kenneth Hubel, Phillip Cummins, David Carew, Hyman Joseph, Gerard Loenberg, H.D. Hoover, James Lindberg, George Lance, Patricia Kelley
Absent: Tom Conway, Bill Hausler, Marion Johnson, Robert Szyre, Jerry Walker
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Carl Orgren. He reminded members to suggest speakers for upcoming meetings.
The first order of business was brought up by Susan Johnson of the Provost’s Office. It was noted that Sandra Barkham had requested emeritus appointment. Also, Michael Hogan, the provost leaving The University of Iowa, has requested emeritus appointment. These appointments were approved unanimously by the members present of the Emeritus Faculty Council.
Carl Orgren introduced the speaker, David Soll, Professor of Biological Sciences. Professor Soll discussed his biological research laboratory, which has been successful over the years in producing a number of patents of intellectual property. He also described a laboratory software program for agricultural needs. He discussed in colorful fashion the bureaucracy of academic institution such as The University of Iowa, American business, and the Iowa Research Foundation. Professor Soll currently directs the hybridoma laboratory, centered at The University of Iowa, allowing the laboratory to be self-funded.
Action on Minutes: The minutes of the July 9, 2007 meeting were approved.
Old Business: The appointments of the various member of the faculty council to coordinate our relationships with numerous committees in the university were discussed and approved. A copy of these appointments is attached.
The Retiree’s website and handbook: George Lance noted there will probably be a website separate from the provost’s office. However a program associate in the provost’s office will set up the website, and we will be able to add any information we wish. A committee headed by George Lance will work further to determine the material to go on the website.
Faculty council and senate: Pat Kelly noted that the faculty council approved the recommendation of arming police officers. This recommendation was sent to the Board of Regents who will discuss the situation today and to the faculty senate on the following day.
A nationwide report on reforms suggested that for collegiate athletics is available on the website. The promotions process for adjunct faculty is being studied for standardization among colleges and departments. There is still some debate on the smoking policy.
Retirement Insurance Committee: Hyman Joseph reported the results of the recent meeting. New rates for health insurance for an individual will be $357 per month for Chip II and $375 per month for UI Choice (this is before the UI contribution). This is a substantial increase since last year. The nature of Chip II is unchanged. UI Choice will have three levels. Level three allows payment to outside providers with a 40% co-payment. Level two, is associated with Iowa providers and UIHC physicians. Level one is the policy for UIHC physician care with 10% co-pay. The out of pocket maximum is $2000 per single and $4000 per family at level three; level one is $4700.
Other Committees: No report.
New Business: The Emeritus Faculty Survey response was discussed by H.D. Hoover. Carl Orgren and Hoover will discuss the report in more detail with the council at a later date.
Carl Orgren will report on the emeritus meeting held at Penn State recently at the next meeting.
Next meeting: October 1, 2007 at 9:30 – 11:00 AM. Note the change in meeting site for October and for the future. The meetings will be held in room B5 of Jessup Hall.
Respectfully submitted,
Tony Franken, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., July 9, 2007
Information Arcade, Main Library
Present: Carl Orgren (President), David Carew, Tom Conway, Tony Franken (Secretary), Hyman Joseph, Patricia Kelley, H. D. Hoover, Kenneth Hubel, George Lance, Gerard Loewenberg & Jerry Walker.
Absent: Phillip Cummins, Bill Hausler, Jim Lindberg, Marion Johnson, Bob Sayre, Susan Johnson (Provost’s Office).
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Carl Orgren. He introduced the new members present: H.D. Hoover and Jerry Walker.
He then introduced the speaker, Brett Cloyd, reference librarian at the main library.
Brett Cloyd made an interesting presentation to the group on the facilities of the library; the presentation was arranged so that it could be followed on individual computers by the attendees. He noted that emeritus faculty has the same libraryprivilegesas “active” faculty. One hand-out referred to the circulation guidelines of the library. Another related to the on-line resources of the library. Brett Cloyd noted that the UI Library is joining the Google Book Search to digitize the contents of the library, particularly all materials in the public domain, which is before 1923.
He demonstrated several features of the web-site at the UI Library. He further noted assistance can be obtained by contacting a librarian at 335-5299 at any time. He further demonstrated the use of the INFO HAWK catalogue, E-Journals, The Iowa Digital Library, resources by subject, and research guides. Mr. Cloyd’s presentation was enjoyed by all, and followed by several questions from the audience.
Action on Minutes: The minutes of the June 4, 2007 meeting were approved as modified.
Old Business:
Annual Meeting: Carl Orgren noted that it was a successful event. The minutes of that meeting are still being prepared.
Committee Reports: There have been no meetings of the various committees since the last meeting, so no reports were made. Carl Orgren did note that he will be making appointments to various committees in the next few days and is requesting nominees for several committees: Elections, List-Serv, Hancher, and Libraries. He recalled that the group had decided not to have the University Support Committee separate, but that the council and its officers should keep in mind contacts with the Provosts Office involvement of emeritus faculty, when appropriate. Carl Orgren also asked for volunteers to be president elect of the emeritus faculty.
New Business:
1. The council was informed of a request for an exception to the guidelines for the emeritus faculty appointments for Sandra Barkan. She has been an adjunct faculty member for ten years, while working as an associate dean in the graduate college. After some discussion, there was a decision to defer a recommendation till the next meeting.
2. The manual of organization and procedure was given to new members.
3. The council agreed upon Carl Ogren’s suggestion that he write a letter welcoming new President Mason to Iowa City, and to inform her of the existence and the role of the Emeritus Faculty Council. There was a suggestion that she be invited as a speaker when time permits.
4. Carl Ogren asked each member of the council to suggest one speaker for the upcoming year, including this September.
5. The 2007-2008 meeting schedule has been distributed. Note particularly that the locations of the upcoming meetings have changed somewhat.
6. 2007-2008 Emeritus Faculty Council listing was approved.
7. Emeritus Faculty Survey. Carl Ogren and George Lance discussed the survey. It was noted that it had been prepared by George Lance after suggestions from numerous council members. We particularly wanted to generate information regarding current contributions of emeritus faculty to the university. About 1/3 of the retired faculty responded. Carl Ogren requested assistance for analysis of the results of the survey. H.D. Hoover and George Lance volunteered to assist.
Next Meeting: No August meeting. September 10, 2007 @ 9:30 – 11:00AM, @ 3111 Seaman’s Center
Respectfully submitted,
Tony Franken, Secretary
MINUTES OF THE EIGHTH ANNUAL MEETING
Monday, June 18, 2007
CALL TO ORDER: George Lance, Emeritus Faculty Council (EFC) President, called the meeting to order, welcomed the attendees, and thanked the EFC Annual Meeting Committee and its chairman Bill Hausler for arranging today’s meeting.
OPENING REMARKS: President Lance introduced Pat Cain, Associate Provost, thanking her for the support of the EFC by the Office of the Provost and reporting that she will be leaving the University of Iowa to take a position at the Santa Clara Law School. On behalf of the emeritus faculty, he thanked her for her work as Associate Provost and wished her well in her new position.
Professor Cain delivered a few remarks about the recent Presidential search and then commented about a few of the high priority projects that the Provost is working on.
ACTION ON THE MINUTES OF THE 7th ANNUAL MEETING OF JUNE 19, 2006: Minutes of last year’s meeting were approved unanimously.
INTRODUCTION OF CURRENT AND NEWLY ELECTED COUNCIL MEMBERS: President Lance introduced the members of the EFC for 2006-2007.
George Lance (College of Engineering), President
Carl Orgren (Graduate College), Vice President
Tony Franken (College of Medicine), Secretary
Tom Conway (College of Medicine)
Phillip Cummins (College of Liberal Arts & Sciences)
David Carew (College of Pharmacy)
Bill Hausler (College of Public Health)
Al Hood (College of Education)
Richard Hoppin (College of Liberal Arts & Sciences)
Marion Johnson (College of Nursing)
Hyman Joseph (College of Business)
Patricia Kelley (College of Liberal Arts & Sciences)
James Lindberg (College of Liberal Arts & Sciences)
Russell Noyes (College of Medicine)
Robert Sayre (College of Liberal Arts & Sciences)
Keith Thayer (College of Dentistry)
The College of Law had no representative this year.
Professors Hood, Hoppin, and Thayer completed their terms on the Council this year. New members for the academic year 2007-2008 are: H.M. Hoover (College of Education), Kenneth Hubel (College of Medicine), and Jerry Walker (College of Dentistry).
REPORT ON ACTIVITIES OF THE EMERITUS FACULTY COUNCIL FOR 2006-2007: President George Lance explained that the EFC represents retired faculty of the University of Iowa at the meetings of other retiree’s organizations at U.S. colleges and universities. These are:
1. Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education AROHE). The last AROHE meeting was held in October 2006. The next meeting will be in 2008.
2. The Big Ten Retirees Association. This year’s meeting will be August 17-19 at Penn State University. The University of Iowa will host the annual meeting of this group in 2009. We last hosted this meeting in 1999.
During the past year several speakers were invited to address the EFC on issues important to the emeritus faculty. These included:
Rod Lenhertz (Director of Campus and Facilities Planning)
Michael Barron (Assistant Provost and Director of Admissions)
Nancy Quellhorst (President of the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce)
Lynette Marshall (President, University of Iowa Foundation)
Robert Downer (Member, Board of Regents)
Gary Barta (Director of Athletics)
Joan Kjaer (Deputy Director of Iowa Public Radio; station manager WSUI-KSUI)
Steven Fleagle (Associate Vice President, Information Technology Services)
Newspaper accounts during the past year asked who are the emeritus faculty and questioned their roles and privileges in the University.
Emeritus status requires ten or more years of service as a faculty member at the University of Iowa before retirement. This past year two special cases were considered for emeritus status. Both had served 7 of the 10 required years, and both were highly recommended by their departments. The Council recommended to the Provost that both be granted emeritus status.
Last year it was noted that the Retirees Handbook is not current and thus not useful to retirees. Upon study by the Council and the UI Retirees Association, it was determined that the cost to revise and print the Handbook was very high. The Handbook will be replaced by a website that should be up by the end of the Fall Semester 2007. The website will make it easier to make revisions reflecting new information about TIAA-CREF, Social Security, Medicare and the like that are important to retirees.
President Lance asked Al Hood to speak about the Senior College and Carl Orgren about the University Library.
Emeritus Professor Hood was a leading force in the creation of the Senior College, now in its sixth year. The Senior College offers short courses, usually in four two-hour sessions, with a week between each of the four sessions. A group of eight or nine courses are offered in the Fall Semester and another group of courses in the Spring.
The Senior College is a good example of how volunteer emeritus faculty and staff contribute to the community, both in the presentation of the courses and in organizing the efforts of the participants. Volunteers are from the Association of Emeritus Faculty and the University of Iowa Retirees Association. Course instructors include UI faculty and staff, active or retired, as well as members of the local community. Student participants need only be of retirement age. No association or former association with the University is necessary.
The Senior College is very popular. Most courses fill up rapidly. Approximately 400 students register each semester. The only problems facing the organizing committee are (1) parking for older students, sometimes off-campus, (2) finding classrooms, especially large classrooms near parking, and (3) the mistaken perception that the Senior College is only for people associated with the University.
We are pleased that there are no problems with financing. The $30 charge per course covers a $500 honorarium to the instructors and the Alumni Association provides for the distribution of brochures, registration of the participants, and provides some of the class materials. We are also pleased that the instructors have been so generous with their time in teaching the courses. The quality of instruction has been outstanding and highly appreciated by the students.
Emeritus Professor Carl Orgren described recent activities of the University Library of interest to the emeritus faculty. These include:
1. A new storage facility is being planned. The building site has yet to be chosen.
2. Institutional cooperation by the Big Ten Universities and the University of Chicago will result in the digitization of over 10 million items in the public domain by Google. These will be available in a form that is still copyright protected and searchable as full text.
There are important changes coming to health care insurance coverage. There will be no change to the Chip II coverage; however, Chjp III will be discontinued. It will be replaced by a three tier system called UI Select. One will be able to pick coverage under one of the three tiers.
1. Allows treatment by only UI providers.
2. Treatment by UI providers or Blue Choice providers.
3. All of the above plus treatment out of state or country, with 40% co-pay.
The pricing for each tier and Chip II has not yet been determined.
QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS FROM THE MEMBERSHIP
There was a brief discussion of a few questions of members.
MEMORIAL MOMENT IN HONOR OF COLLEAGUES WHO DIED DURING 2006/2007
PASSING OF THE GAVEL
President George Lance introduced Carl Orgen as the new President of the Emeritus Faculty Council for the 2007-2008 academic year.
SPEAKER
Bill Hausler, Chair of the Annual Meeting Committee, introduced the speaker,
Lynette Marshall, President, The University of Iowa Foundation
Lynette Marshall spoke briefly about meeting the candidates for the Presidency of the University of Iowa, and mentioned her experiences in fund raising at the University of Illinois where she served for a number of years before coming to Iowa.
She is pleased that the University of Iowa Foundation has done so well with a staff of development associates that is only about half the number at other Big Ten schools.
Her activities since coming to Iowa last August have focused on potential donors in Chicago, among corporations and among students. She notes that there are 34,000 UI alumni living in the Chicago area, where there are plans for a satellite office in downtown Chicago. There is a need for additional attention to corporate donors, which will also require the addition of more development associates. Similarly more effort is needed in serving the alumni of colleges where there is a potential for increased donations. Finally, an innovative plan called “Students today, Alumni Tomorrow” will encourage student engagement in philanthropy and in civic service. She reported work on the establishment of 154 new endowed chairs.
The audience greatly appreciated Ms. Marshall’s presentation and several members talked with her following the meeting.
THE 2007 (EIGHTH) ANNUAL MEETING WAS ADJOURNED.
LUNCH AND A FELLOWSHIP HOUR FOLLOWED.
Respectfully submitted,
Tom Conway, Secretary Pro Tem
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., June 4, 2007
3111 Seamans Center
Present: George Lance (President), Carl Orgren (Vice-President), David Carew, Tom Conway, Dick Hoppin, Hyman Joseph, Jim Lindberg, Russ Noyes, Bob Sayre, Keith Thayer, Tony Franken (Secretary)
Absent: Susan Johnson (Provost’s Office), Phillip Cummins, Bill Hausler, Al Hood, Marion Johnson, Patricia Kelley
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President George Lance. He introduced our speaker, Mr. Steven Fleagle. He noted that Mr. Fleagle is Associate Vice President of the University for Information Technology Services, and is now the Chief Information Officer of the University.
Mr. Fleagle discussed the strategic plan for the campus-wide IT services. This plan was begun in 2005, and involves all colleges and administrative units, including the Hospital (except for Clinic IT systems). He noted that such campus-wide plans are rare at large academic institutions. The plan involves many management services, but also incorporates research and teaching support. For example, they have just developed a multi-institutional optical data system, making it available to researchers for access to one-another data at a number of mid-western universities. Mr. Fleagle noted that the final draft of the strategic plan is to be finalized in August. Copies of Mr. Fleagle’s slides are attached to the minutes. President Lance and the members have several questions for Mr. Fleagle. All commented that this presentation was quite informing and enjoyable.
Action on Minutes: The minutes of the May 7, 2007 meeting were approved, although noted that there were typos under Retirement/Insurance Committee, item #1 Chip III, the next sentence should read, “Those now holding Chip III may join Chip II.”
Also noted were two duplications in the Deceased Emeritus Faculty. D. Martin Jenni was correctly identified under Employee ID 1004646. He was duplicated and incorrectly identified under Employee ID 1040375. It was noted that John Conner, Employee ID 1018118 was listed twice, with a different date of death on each one.
Old Business:
Survey document: George Lance reported that the Survey of Emeritus Faculty has now been mailed. He is hopeful that we will get the substantial feedback from the survey.
Committee Reports:
Faculty Council/Senate: The report was by Carl Orgren, although Patricia Kelley attended the meeting. There was a special meeting to amend the academic freedom statement by the University. The Council recommended keeping the University of Iowa statement regarding sexually explicit material in the classroom remain intact.
Carl Orgren also reported on a visit of faculty to Northeast Iowa, which included some 20 faculty members with 2 retirees attending. Decorah, Postville, and Dubuque were visited. The primary event at each place was a 2 hour session with the superintendent of schools. It was noted that Postville has a unique situation with 70% Hispanic population, and a number of students in the private parochial schools or home-schooling. The goal of the school district is that by the end of the Eighth Grade 100% of the students will be fluent in both Spanish & English. All-in-all the trip was considered quite successful, with considerable interaction between the groups and the community.
UIRA: Carl Orgren reported that there had been considerable planning toward the 2009 meeting of the University Retiree’s Association, which will be meeting in Iowa. The group is looking for additional emeritus volunteers for this group. An email from Marion Johnson to Carl Orgren reinforced the message of the importance of the 2009 meeting.
Elections: George Lance noted that the reporting has not been finalized. There are some problems regarding the nominees in Liberal Arts and Education. Several Council members volunteered to assist President Lance in the nominations of these colleges.
Emeritus Listserv: George Lance reported a conversation with Al Hood, recommending that we postpone a decision on the elimination of the Listserv until we hear from more faculty. At the same time we will work on getting more information on Listserv.
Retirees Handbook: It was noted that Mr. Stevenson from UIRA has agreed to work with us on the handbook. More information to come in the future.
Senior College: Tom Conway described the eight courses to be available this fall.
Annual Meeting: George Lance suggested that there be presentations by members of the Council in addition to his comments. Hyman Joseph was asked to give a presentation on the health insurance status. Tom Conway or Al Hood will be asked to give a presentation on the Senior College.
Research Committee: Russ Noyes discussed three items:
- David Lightfoot for his presentation on campus in April 2007 regarding current information of the National Science Foundation, a top-level presentation.
- The Director of Sponsored Programs discussed getting documents to federal agencies on time. The problem is of a temporary overload, and they were working on a better system and more people in that office.
- The status of Junior Faculty and their productivity was discussed; particularly do they have adequate resources, time, and mentoring. We note there is a very competitive situation on a national level. The biggest support for these individuals is at the departmental level.
Hancher Committee: No report.
Library Committee: No report.
Web Page Committee: No report.
New Business:
George Lance reminded the group that 3 members will be leaving the Council, Al Hood, Dick Hoppin and Keith Thayer.
Keith Thayer noted the benefits that he has obtained during his six years on the committee. He notes particularly about leading other faculty throughout the University, attending a national meeting of retirees, and the annual meeting committee. He felt that the system we had for awhile of interviewing faculty leaving the University was of no value.
Dick Hoppin complemented the presidents of the Council on the quality of our guest speakers.
President Lance noted that he would be leaving the President’s Office and that Carl Orgren will be the President of the Emeritus Faculty Council.
Note: The July meeting is scheduled for July 9th from 9:30-11:30 am, because of the July 4th Holiday.
Next Meeting: Monday, July 9th, 2007; 9:30 – 11:00 A.M., due to July 4th Holiday. The meeting will be held in the Information Parkade of the Main Library.
Respectfully submitted,
Tony Franken, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., May 7, 2007
3111 Seamans Center
Present: George Lance (President), Carl Orgren (Vice-President), David Carew, Phillip Cummins, Tom Conway, Bill Hausler, Al Hood, Dick Hoppin, Marion Johnson, Hyman Joseph, Patricia Kelley, Jim Lindberg, Russ Noyes, Bob Sayre, Keith Thayer, Tony Franken (Secretary)
Absent: Susan Johnson (Provost’s Office)
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President George Lance.
Action on Minutes: The minutes of the April 2, 2007 meeting were approved as distributed.
Old Business:
Survey document: There was substantial discussion of the survey. The group felt that it was of such importance that it should be mailed out as a separate document, along with a cover letter, indicating a need for information regarding activities of emeritus faculty. It was seen as a way to gain information questioning the status of emeritus faculty and their privileges. Phil Cummins agreed to write a cover letter for the survey.
Handbook discussion: Carl Orgren presented preliminary information on the redo of the retirement handbook. As was noted before, most of the revisions are minor. Carl noted that the University of Iowa Retirees Association members will participate in preparation of the survey, particularly Richard Stevenson, one of the original committee members for the first handbook. Bob Sayre volunteered to help with the revision regarding language, etc. The current proposed date for completion of the survey is in June. Assuming it will be a web document, it can easily be updated. The Benefits Office at the university has indicated it will be providing new information for the handbook.
Committee Reports:
Faculty Council/Senate: Carl Orgren reported that the bulk of the meeting time was devoted to discussion of two tenure clock proposals, both of which ultimately passed unanimously. They are: a) a six year tenure clock was extended to eight years in dentistry and medicine for those with any significant patient load who are on the research track; b) be an automatic one year extension for each of two children added to the family. This applies to both husband and/or wife. Additional children of the faculty may result in a maximum of an additional two years at the discretion of the administration (such as the departmental executive officer, the Dean, or the Provost).
UIRA: Liason Marion Johnson noted that the central discussion at the recent UIRA meeting was planning for the upcoming national meeting of university retirees organizations. The meeting is set for August 14-16, 2009.
Elections: George Lance initiated a discussion about how to identify candidates for placement on the ballot. The group assisted President Lance in identifying an appropriate number of candidates for each place on the ballot.
Emeritus Listserv: Al Hood indicated that there has been no new information on the list service for approximately one and half years. It seems that the primary interest is in health insurance information and little else. He also noted that it is difficult to get an accurate e-mail list and that the current one is out of date. The consensus of the group, after listening to Al Hood, was that responsibility for the list serve, for both content and list of names, should be that of the Provost’s office. Phil Cummins will discuss this with the Provost’s office.
Senior College: Al Hood reported that the set up of courses for the fall is now complete, and a number of very interesting subjects will be offered.
Annual Meeting: No report.
Research Committee: No report.
Hancher Committee: Jim Lindberg noted that the particular item of interest of the Hancher Committee was a study of methods to increase the number of students to attend events at Hancher Auditorium.
Library Committee: Carl Orgren reported that the committee approved the library’s proposal for increasing fines on overdue books, along with a floating price for replacement of lost books. Details can be found at the library website. Final assignment of the Chemistry library location is not yet determined. It may be in the main library, as it is now, or maybe joining another existing library. The need for hard copy material in chemistry is limited, as most of their research is now done on online.
Retirement/Insurance Committee: Hyman Joseph noted the proposals from the administration regarding changes in the types of health insurance that are now proposed. UI Care and Chip III will be discontinued. This will leave employees and retirees with two principal options:
1. Chip III. Those now holding Chip II may join this group.
2. UI Choice. Members of UI Select will be eligible for this program. It includes:
a) UI Choice allows visits to the physicians and facilities at UIHC at minimal, if any, cost.
b) This program is similar to that UI Select, allowing visits to participating physicians in the Iowa City area.
c) Care outside Iowa. This program will have separate co-pays and additional deductibles. It will probably be most useful for those retirees who live out of state.
Web Page Committee: No report.
New Business:
Phil Cummins directed the attention of the committee to the Triangle Club. It is a group whose primary activities are monthly Sunday brunches with a speaker of interest, usually held at the University Athletic Club. The Triangle Club would like to broaden the base of members and proposes more contact with emeritus faculty. Eligible individuals are those with an interest in activities of the University of Iowa. There was a suggestion that this information be put on the UIRA list serve.
The 2009 national meeting, as noted above, will be co-hosted with the UIRA and the Emeritus Faculty Association. Pat Kelley volunteered to serve as our representative to the committee for that activity.
The next Big 10 emeritus organization is to be held at Penn State University. Carl Orgren will represent us there.
George Lance notified the group that Steve Fleagle, from the information technology area, will be the next speaker.
Next Meeting: Monday, June 4, 2007; 9:30 – 11:00 A.M.; 3111 Seamans Center
Respectfully submitted,
Tony Franken, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., April 2, 2007
3111 Seamans Center
Present: George Lance (President), Carl Orgren (Vice-President), David Carew, Tom Conway, Al Hood, Dick Hoppin, Marion Johnson, Susan Johnson (Provost’s Office), Jim Lindberg, Russ Noyes, Keith Thayer, Tony Franken (Secretary)
Absent: Phillip Cummins, Bill Hausler, Hyman Joseph, Patricia Kelley, Bob Sayre
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President George Lance.
Speaker: President Lance introduced today’s speaker, Joan Kjaer, Deputy Director of Iowa Public Radio and station manager of KSUI and WSUI.
Ms. Kjaer, who has been with the University radio stations for many years, is now the Deputy Director for the Iowa Public Radio network. She noted that, in response to a mandate from the board of regents, there is now integration of the various university-owned public radio stations in Iowa. This will lead to expansion in coverage in most of the state. As programming becomes more integrated, specific activities, such as classical music, will be heard statewide.
Ms. Kjaer noted that the principle of integration is to take the particular strength of each station and use such a station as a focus for programming. Although there has been some concern of the effect of this integration on listeners, the experience of a recent fund drive indicates as much interest in our stations as ever before. She further noted that listeners to public radio in the United States have increased from about 3 million twenty years ago, to now approximately 30 million.
She further indicated that both Iowa City stations now broadcast using digital technology, with a substantial increase in the quality of sound.
Ms. Kjaer’s presentation was followed by multiple questions from the group, indicating their interest in Iowa Public Radio, and our local stations.
Action on Minutes: The minutes of the March 5, 2007 meeting were approved as distributed.
Old Business: The responses of the Emeritus Faculty to the 2006 summary, as distributed, were discussed. A particular note was made that the Emeritus Faculty contribute at a minimum a hundred and seventy-six hours per week to the University involving volunteer activity, and two hundred and fifty-four hours per week on community services. Among the questions that came up to be included in the 2007 survey was the idea of polling emeritus faculty regarding their willingness to give individual lectures, probably separate from the senior college. George Lance indicated that individuals send suggestions to him regarding what should be in the survey. Russ Noyes and Al Hood volunteered to assist in generating a draft copy of the survey that will be brought to the Council for approval.
Committee Reports:
Faculty Council/Senate: Carl Orgren reported on the recent Faculty Senate meeting, including: A new report by Doug True that the UI budget seems in good shape, a proposal to make health insurance mandatory for all students was endorsed by the Senate. The Senate went on record to endorse the Council resolution to ask the Athletic Department to cease all ties to gambling. There was extensive discussion of the tenure track policy and the Senate invited Interim President Fethke to meet with either the Senate or the Council to discuss proposed reorganization of administration.
Liason to the UIRA: Tony Franken reported that the principal news from the UIRA was that health care benefits remain a problem in the fiscal arena. The University, which essentially self-insures, will lose about $8 million on health care benefits this year. It was the educated guess of the presenter that the Chip 3 program will be terminated, with the opportunity for enrollees to enter the Chip 2 (high-deductible) program. In addition, the UI Care program will probably be terminated and rolled into the UI Select program. UI Select will then have three tiers:
1. UI Care
2. The UI Select model
3. Using out-of-state providers
Elections: George Lance indicated that nomination letters would be going out in a few weeks for five positions. He further indicated that three of the current council members would have served their two full terms.
Emeritus Listserv: No report
Retirees Handbook: George Lance indicated, and subsequent discussion among the Committee agrees, that the main changes required of the Retiree’s Handbook were in the realm of TIAA/CREF. It was noted that TIAA/CREF now has specific information available on websites, some of which can be accessed through the University Benefits Office. There was consensus that the remainder of the handbook needed minimal revision. President Lance indicated he would draft an initial set of modifications to the current handbook, assisted by Carl Orgren. It was also mentioned that the handbook can probably be easily put on the University website.
Senior College: Tom Conway noted that the current courses were doing well. Most of them are filled.
Annual Meeting: Arrangements are underway. A room has been reserved. There has traditionally been a speaker from the Provost’s Office for this meeting, but it is uncertain at this time who it will be.
Research Committee: Russ Noyes noted the following from a recent meeting of the Research Council:
1. The council is considering increasing the number of people on the Committee to increase representation.
2. There has been more discussion of the conflict of interest policy.
3. The policy on research data is under discussion and how compliance efforts can be fulfilled. It was noted that the University of Iowa “owns” research data and the individual researcher must retain research results for five years.
Russ Noyes also noted that Information Technology Services is developing a plan so that such services can be reasonably uniform across the University.
Hancher Committee: No report
Library Committee: Carl Orgren noted there has been some discussion as to what items need to be stored. The library will be working primarily through individual departments to determine storage needs. He further noted there is a brochure available from the Library on procedures for donation of books to the Library.
Retirement/Insurance Committee: No report
Web Page Committee: No report
New Business:
Dr. Susan Johnson from the Provost’s Office discussed a request for Emeritus status for Dr. Sanford Markham of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Professor Jack Lilien of the Department of Biological Sciences. She indicated that both had made outstanding contributions to the University, but had only seven years time in grade when retiring. The regulations require that the Emeritus Faculty Council approve emeritus appointments if the individual faculty has been here less than ten years. By voice vote, the Council unanimously recommended emeritus status for both Dr. Markham and Professor Lilien.
Next Meeting: Monday, May 7, 2007; 9:30 – 11:00 A.M.; 3111 Seamans Center
Respectfully submitted,
Tony Franken, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., March 5, 2007
3111 Seamans Center
Present: George Lance (President), Carl Orgren (Vice-President), David Carew, Tom Conway, Phillip Cummins, Dick Hoppin, Marion Johnson, Patricia Kelley, Jim Lindberg, Russ Noyes, Bob Sayre, Keith Thayer, Tony Franken (Secretary)
Absent: Bill Hausler, Al Hood, Susan Johnson (Provost’s Office), Hyman Joseph
Call to Order: George Lance called the meeting to order and introduced our speaker, Gary Barta, Director of Athletics at the University of Iowa.
Speaker: Mr. Barta noted that he has been in athletics for over twenty years, with previous appointments at North Dakota State, the University of Northern Iowa, the University of Washington, and the University of Wyoming. He has been here since August 2006.
Mr. Barta quoted Eldon Miller, the former UNI basketball coach, saying that “athletics isn’t the most important thing on campus, but it is the most visible thing”. Mr. Barta feels that the athletic program brings great value to the University, particularly through the coaches, who are simultaneously teachers and enablers.
Strategic planning is now underway in the Athletic Director’s office, based on the mission statement and the core values system of the office. He feels that the only changes needed would be to look at the strategies to achieve excellence as indicated in those statements.
Mr. Barta lists several expectations for our Athletics Department, in some order of importance:
1. Winning – To be effective, we must win.
2. The education of young people – This is beyond the graduation rate, but an effort to make the lives of the young people involved so that they will be comfortable in society.
3. Representing the University of Iowa and the state in the right fashion –Occasional mistakes will be made. When they do occur, fix them with quality solutions.
Mr. Barta indicated his willingness to work with the faculty and administrators, but obviously the easiest group are those who are fans of athletics. Nevertheless, he is comfortable with interacting with those indifferent to athletics, and also with those who believe there is not a place for athletics in the University. Parenthetically, he is very positive on us getting a high quality president for such a great institution.
There were a multitude of questions after his presentation. Among the material covered were the positive effects of the athletic programs in recruiting minorities. There was some discussion of the Presidential Committee on Athletics, specifically that it was not a board of control. The committee is an advisory committee appointed by the president of the University. At this time, there are no perks for members of the presidential committee on athletics, such as free tickets, trips, etc. There was some discussion of the Athletic Department budget (annual $56 million), with the note that all aspects of the budget are public information. Mr. Barta noted the philosophy that there are no “minor sports”. He emphasizes excellence in all areas in which the University competes.
Action on Minutes: The minutes of the February 5, 2007 meeting were approved as distributed.
Old Business:
Faculty Council/Senate: Carl Orgren reported that there will be a bus going around the state this summer to publicize University of Iowa activities. Carl Orgren will attend as a representative of the Emeritus Faculty in this effort.
Library Committee (Orgren/Lindberg): Carl Orgren noted that budget cuts will have an effect on the library. He encouraged interested individuals to make journals and like materials which should be preserved known to the library.
Follow-up on Status of Emeritus Faculty: Carl Orgren reported his investigations indicating that granting of emeritus status is automatic for retiring faculty. Although there are administrative hoops one must jump through, these affect administrative functions such as health care and communications, but do not impact the designation of emeritus faculty. The only questionable part is determining whether a person is eligible, such as administrators who may have had some type of faculty appointment. The president of the University can make that decision and appoint emeritus faculty on his/her own.
Contributions of Emeritus Faculty: George Lance reported that the University of Iowa Foundation had information that in 2006, 364 members of the emeritus faculty donated $2.6 million to the Foundation. He indicated that the Research Office at the University does not have a database to indicate the research activities of emeritus faculty. The consensus of the group was not to become more of a public advocate for emeritus faculty at this time (see the information in the survey below).
Faculty Council/Senate: Pat Kelley noted that the NCAA advises universities not to accept gambling revenue, but this is a recommendation, not a requirement. (Gary Barta noted earlier that the University of Iowa does not accept contributions from the alcohol industry, which several universities do and is not specifically prohibited by the NCAA.) The council has decided to take no stand on the subject.
It was reported that Dean Johnsen, Chair of the Presidential Search Committee, would like more input as to what are the major questions to ask presidential candidates, and what the criteria we should be looking for. He encourages emails to him on this subject. It was further noted that three other universities in the Big Ten are searching for presidents at this time, and keeping our search committee activities secret is needed in order to be competitive. But many are still advocating campus visits of potential presidents.
There is a movement to increase the number of years in the tenure track to eight. This is felt to be particularly important to the health sciences, so that young faculty have time to get grants. It was noted that some universities are now going to twelve years. Again there is no stand on the issue at the moment.
Liason to the UIRA: Marion Johnson noted that the February meeting had been cancelled. The principal activities were conducted through email and consisted primarily of discussion of the annual dinner and the upcoming annual picnic. She noted that the UIRA now has reserve funds of about $13,900 for the upcoming national meeting support.
Elections Committee: No report.
Listserve: No report.
Retirees’ Handbook Committee: George Lance noted that discussion with several people indicated that the primary items to be updated would be financial information and health items. The handbook may develop more as a method of citing websites of interest to the emeritus faculty. Further action may be coming.
Senior College (Tom Conway): The spring courses are going very well. They are still working on the number and types of courses for the Fall. Space remains a bit of a problem. The participation of Parkview Church offering space has been particularly valuable.
Annual Meeting: No report.
Research Committee: No report.
Hancher Committee: Jim Lindberg indicated there was a survey of students underway regarding their feelings about Hancher activities.
Retirement/Insurance Committee: No report.
New Business:
There was discussion of the survey distributed with the form for the annual Emeritus Faculty meeting. After looking at the 2006 form, there were proposals to consider adding questions as to the amount of research and teaching in which emeritus faculty are involved. There were about 129 respondents for last year’s survey. Keith Thayer suggested that the results of the 2006 survey be circulated with the annual minutes. George Lance will handle this when the minutes are distributed.
Bob Sayre suggested that another area for the survey would be to find out what the needs of the emeritus faculty are. Tom Conway offered a suggestion that putting a website list of links of interest to the emeritus faculty as part of the survey. George Lance asked that concrete suggestions be sent to him about what should be in the upcoming survey.
The speaker for the next meeting will be Joan Kjaer, Deputy Director of IPR.
Next Meeting: Monday, April 2, 2007, 9:30 – 11:00 A.M., 3111 Seamans Center
Respectfully submitted,
Tony Franken, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., February 5, 2007
3111 Seamans Center
Present: George Lance (President), Carl Orgren (Vice-President), David Carew, Tom Conway, Phillip Cummins, Al Hood, Dick Hoppin, Marion Johnson, Jim Lindberg, Russ Noyes, Tony Franken (Secretary)
Absent: Bill Hausler, Susan Johnson (Provost’s Office), Hyman Joseph, Patricia Kelley, Bob Sayre, Keith Thayer
Speaker: The scheduled speaker – Linda Kopping, Coordinator of the Senior Center – was unable to attend.
Call to Order: George Lance called the meeting to order.
Action on Minutes: The minutes of the January 8, 2007 meeting were approved, except item number 3: Competition Between Regents Institutions. “Education” was replaced with “Education, Engineering”. There was a minor change to the comments by Jim Lindberg in the discussion following the presentation.
Old Business:
Website Report: President Lance has talked to a program assistant from the Provost’s Office concerning the website. She indicated there would be “no problem” in putting the information we want on the web. So the question is: What do we want on the web? There was some sentiment among the group to add information from the UI Retirees’ Association to this website. The group’s discussions regarding “benefits” would have a link to the Benefits Office.
Committee Reports:
Faculty Council/Senate (Orgren/Kelley): There was a report on the Council on Teaching. Some amendments to the manual on teaching, as well as changes in the college review process have been made and are available on the website. There has been some discussion of a smoke-free campus. There is apparently no uniform policy on how and what employee information can be released by various units of the University. There was some discussion of the techniques of fund-raising within the University.
Liason to the UIRA: President Lance attended that meeting. He noted that the annual meeting regarding benefits will be televised and taped for later availability to those individuals unable to attend that meeting. There was some discussion of the content regarding revision of the Retirees’ Handbook.
Marion Johnson noted that the meeting of the Big Ten Retirees’ Association will be on the UI campus in 2009, at a date yet to be determined.
Elections (Lance Chair): No report.
Retirees’ Handbook Committee (Hoppin): The proposed changes to the Retirees’ Handbook are still under discussion.
Senior College (Al Hood): Russ Noyes will be the representative on the Senior College Committee. Over one-half of all the Spring colleges are full. The Osher Foundation is a national organization, which sets up programs for retirement education. A decision was made that the Emeritus Faculty Council would not become involved with the proposed programs of that foundation. Instead, the requirements were such that the Center on Aging of the Carver College of Medicine has agreed to be sponsor of an Osher Foundation program and will offer a variety of educational projects to retirees and other interested members of the community.
Annual Meeting: George Lance announced that the date of the Annual Meeting will be June 18, 2007, a Monday. The speaker will be Lynette Marshall.
Research Council: Russ Noyes attended the Research Council meeting. There was discussion of the problem of responsible conduct in research. The group noted that there had been evidence of increasing problems in this area. There is some question as to whether the University of Iowa should mandate training in research ethics, but no action has been taken at this time. The comment was made by Tom Conway that plagiarism is becoming widespread throughout all universities, and there is evidence that up to 20% of undergraduate papers had some evidence of plagiarism.
The Research Committee also discussed a review of the internally funded research program and the effectiveness of the internal seed grants. These are starter grants of twenty-to-thirty-thousand dollars and are thought to be quite effective. There will be a final report in about one year.
The undergraduate research programs offer a total of about $100,000 used for undergraduates to work with faculty. There is a perception that this is quite an effective program. On March 30 there will be an exhibit at the state capitol in Des Moines on some of the results of these programs.
There was some discussion of how many emeritus faculty are involved in research. The council noted that, according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette, it’s about 100-110 people.
Hancher Committee (Jim Lindberg): No major items were reported.
Library Committee (Orgren, Lindberg): No report.
Web Page Committee (Hood, Carew): A report is on hold.
New Business:
President Lance initiated discussion regarding the possibility of developing a list of contributions to the University and the community from the emeritus faculty. There was some discussion among the group about procedures for appointment of emeritus faculty. It was noted that the president of the University can make an emeritus appointment under his/her own power.
Information will soon be available on donations to the University of Iowa Foundation from emeritus faculty. President Lance also noted that there are many hours contributed to the programs of the University and the community by emeritus faculty.
There was spirited discussion by the group on the role and position of emeritus faculty. There seemed to develop a consensus that we should attempt to get more information on current contributions of emeritus faculty, both financial and academic. We may ask the University of Iowa Foundation for a report on the total amount of contributions.
There was further discussion of having a survey of the emeritus faculty regarding contributions to the University. The consensus seemed to be that any such survey should be separate from the notification for our annual meeting, and that the survey concentrate on educational, research, and financial contributions.
George Lance will ask Debbie Milsap to send the current survey document to members of this committee for further discussion on changes.
President Lance noted he had received a telephone call and an email from an investigator in the Attorney General’s office, requesting contact to individuals with any information regarding activities in Speech Pathology in the 1930’s related to the current lawsuit.
The speakers for the next two meetings will be Joan Kjaer, Deputy Director of IPR, and Gary Barta, Director of Athletics.
Next Meeting: Monday, March 5, 2007, 9:30 – 11:00 A.M., 3111 Seamans Center
Respectfully submitted,
Tony Franken, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., January 8, 2007
3111 Seamans Center
Present: George Lance (President), David Carew, Phil Cummins, Al Hood, Dick Hoppin, Patricia Kelley, Jim Lindberg, Russ Noyes, Carl Orgren (Vice President), Bob Sayre, and Tom Conway (Secretary, Pro Tem). Jim Andrews, former member of the EFC, attended as a guest.
Absent: Tony Franken, Marion Johnson, Susan Johnson (Provost’s Office), Bill Hausler, Hyman Joseph, Keith Thayer
Introductions: President Lance introduced our speaker, Robert Downer. He holds baccalaureate and law degrees from the University of Iowa, and has earned many awards and honors including student body president and awards from the Iowa Bar Association. He has been a member of the State of Iowa Board of Regents since 2003.
Presentation of Mr. Downer: Most recently Regent Downer has been associated with the ongoing search for a new President of the University of Iowa. His presentation to the Emeritus Faculty Council, however, dealt exclusively with the Strategic Planning Process. This is a new initiative of the Board of Regents that will occur at all Regent institutions. A time schedule for this study has not been set.
Work on this topic started last July in talks with Board President Gartner, Regent Wahlert, the presidents of the three major Regents institutions and the executive secretary of the Board. Mr. Downer feels that more input is needed from all of the Regents. The present document seems narrow and hard to evaluate.
Five major issues will be addressed.
(1) Admission Standards
A new admission standard was adopted at a meeting on December 11, 2006. The previous standard has been in place for about 50 years. It stated that any student, resident of Iowa who graduated in the top 50% of an Iowa high school has automatic admission.
The new standard will be more rigorous requiring an ACT composite test score of 2.45 or higher for admission to UNI and ISU. The University of Iowa wants a minimum ACT score of 2.65. Admission will also consider class standing and evaluation of core subjects taken in high school. Scarcity of resources is given as justification for more rigorous admission standards.
The new admissions plan will not go into effect for two years so high school students can improve their positions. After some two years of experience there will be a need to evaluate the plan to see if changes are needed.
In September ACT indicated that the composite scores of Iowa students increased 0.1%, whereas the composite scores nationally increased 0.3%. Based on scores ACT felt that less than 50% of high school graduates were sufficiently prepared in algebra and biology. Mathematics and science scores were also low. When all four scores were considered, only 25% met the bench mark levels for each of the four areas.
These data suggest that remedial courses will be needed during the first collegiate year, thus extending the time required for graduation and increased costs to the State of Iowa and to a student’s debt load.
(2) How can the three Regents institutions offer the best education to all Iowans?
What programs are offered at each institution? What need not be duplicated? How does Iowa look compared with other states? One difference is that most other states have more state colleges and universities than we do.
It is easier now for students to be admitted to the three Iowa universities from community colleges. Should there be more emphasis on undergraduate education at UNI and ISU with advanced programs more emphasized at UI? One problem is that students (especially married and older students) who are bound to their community are not well served.
There is increasing competition from on-line colleges, e.g. the University of Phoenix.
(3) Competition between Regents institutions
What is competition and what is not? One problem is mission creep. Community colleges are morphing into universities.
There is alleged duplication in four large programs. These are: Business, Education, Engineering and Journalism. As yet there is no big move in reductions, but specific programs may have to be more focused than in the past.
(4) What alliances should the institutions be making, besides those with one another?
Examples might be new relationships of higher education with K-12 education. Partnerships and satellite operations are other possibilities.
(5) Building better relationships across the state of Iowa.
The focus should be on what we do, not on what we might do better.
It is expected that over the next four years there may be annual reductions of $100M in support of higher education. The institutions need to promote their activities better.
There were a number of questions and comments following the presentation that precipitated discussion. Comments by Jim Lindberg addressed problems that lead to delays in student graduation. Of particular concern is the time lost by students working for pay while taking classes.
Action on Minutes: Minutes of the December 4, 2006 meeting were approved with a minor change in the last line. Substitute 2007 for 2006.
Old Business:
Review of current web sites. The UI Retirees Association and a link to Staff Benefits can be found from the UI Home Page by either going to the Provost website, which has a link to UIRA, or by selecting R from the A to Z index and clicking on Retirees Association. The UIRA has a link to Staff Benefits.
Committee Reports:
Faculty Council and Senate. (Orgren, Kelley) The “no confidence vote” in respect to the presidential search was the major event of the last meeting.
Liaison to UIRA. (Johnson, Franken) George Lance will attend the tomorrow’s meeting. He expects there will be more dialog on updating the Handbook for UI retirees by maintaining the existing website.
Elections. (Lance, chair) No report.
Emeriti Listserv. (Hood, Lance) No significant changes.
Retirees Handbook Committee. (Sayre, Hoppin, Cummins) Nothing new to report.
Senior College. (Hood, chair) Some of the nine spring semester courses are filled, and all others are filling up nicely.
Annual Meeting. (Hausler, chair) UI Foundation president Lynette Marshall will be the speaker.
Research Council. (Cummins, Noyes) The minutes of the last meeting can be viewed on the website of the Vice President for Research by selecting Research Council. Awards will be presented at an undergraduate research forum to be held in April. There was discussion of interdisciplinary research support needed to assure security of shared research data.
Hancher Committee. (Lindberg, Thayer) No meeting.
Libraries Committee. (Orgren, Lindberg) No meeting.
Retirement and Insurance Committee. (Joseph, Kelley) No report.
Web Page Committee. (Hood, Carew) Work will be coordinated with the Handbook Committee.
New Business:
The National Retirees Association has made a request for us to renew membership. Debbie Millsap is the contact person. She will forward future communications to the appropriate person.
Jim Lindberg reported that there is a some dissatisfaction about the changes of programming on the radio stations operated by UI, UNI and ISU. It may be appropriate to have a representative from WSUI or KSUI as a future speaker.
Next Meeting: February 5, 2007, 9:30 to 11:00 AM in 3111 Seamans Center.
Respectfully submitted,
Tom Conway, Secretary