Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., December 5, 2005
Present: Al Hood, Dick Hoppin, Susan Johnson (Office of the Provost), George Lance (Vice President), Valdean Lembke, Jim Lindberg, Dee Norton, Carl Orgren, Hal Richerson, Bob Sayre, Ian Smith, Gene Spaziani, Keith Thayer, and Tom Conway (Secretary)
Absent: Charles Barfknecht, William Hausler, Marion Johnson (President)
Introductions: Vice President Lance introduced our speaker, Thomas Dean, Special Assistant to UI President David Skorton and Director of the Year of Engagement.
Presentation of Dr. Dean: The thematic view of the present year of the University of Iowa is captured in the program called The Year of Engagement. Last year was The Year of Arts and Humanities. These programs are patterned after similar ones at other universities and were designed to promote the engagement of the public in several activities of the University. Members of the Council were given copies of a document listing awards of more than $100,000 to faculty, staff and students for fifteen grants to develop programs of special interest to Iowa citizens. Some titles include: “English as a Second Language for Migrant Workers”, “Strengthening Iowa’s Charitable Community Organizations”, “The UI Citizens-Researcher Collaboration”, “Planning for Better Regions: A Biennial Summit for Policy Makers, Planners and the Public”
Dr. Dean also distributed excerpts from a talk given at the University of South Florida titled Tenets and Characteristics of an Engaged Institution. This document was a good summary of what is meant by an “engaged” institution. For example, top priority is given
by the “engaged” institution to direct interaction with external, especially public, constituencies. This engagement should be reciprocal. It is deemed that engagement is an integral part of the institution’s research and teaching, not a service activity. Consequently, faculty must be rewarded for engaged activity, especially in the tenure and promotion processes.
President Skorton identified two major areas of emphasis for members of the University community. One is to engage the public in aspects of core teaching and research that promote public health, human rights, economic development and technology transfer. The other is to become involved in volunteerism and philanthropy outside ones normal duties. President Skorton’s complete statement can be found at: http://www.uiowa.edu/president/messages/ype_case_statement _06300...
Vice President Lance thanked Thomas Dean for his presentation.
Action on Minutes: The Minutes of the November 7, 2005 meeting were accepted.
Old Business:
1. Council members were asked to consider questions and answers for distribution with the mailing for the annual meeting of the Emeritus Faculty Association in June. For example, is it worth knowing how many hours an emeritus member spends on activities of UI and on activities with the public, such as volunteering, mentoring school children, and the like?
2. Marion Johnson and Debbie Millsap will revise the roster of Emeritus Faculty Council members for 2005-2006 to reflect the year each completes their term and whether they are eligible for re-election.
Committee Reports:
Faculty Council and Senate. (Spaziani, Lance) At the Faculty Council and Senate Meetings of November, Senate President Richard Leblond reported that the Board of Regents, at their November 2-3 meeting gave the go-ahead for plans for a new College of Public Health Building. They also approved tuition increases.
The CIC Faculty Leadership Meeting, Michigan State University, Nov. 4-5. A comparison of faculty governance at member institutions concluded that the UI plan was a good one.
Laura Reed and Joni Troester are the new administrators of the Health and Wellness Program, called “Livewell”. This program starts with an on-line questionnaire that assesses the wellness of each member of the faculty and staff. Respondents are then classified in relation to health risk. According to the responses, they are assigned a health coach or directed to other beneficial health programs. This is based on models at Duke and Purdue Universities that include the entire university populations. Reed and Troester claim huge potential savings for the UI in terms of lowered health care costs. The program starts in April 2006, except for retirees and families who will be phased in later.
Liaison to UIRA. (Hoppin, Norton) The presentation by Mary Glichrist on bird flu and the tour of the laboratory went well. UIRA tours to the Iowa Technology Center, Kevin Campbell’s lab, the new art museum, and the south end of the football stadium are planned for the Spring semester.
Emeriti Listserv. (Hood, Lance) Those interested can sign up for daily news reports via e-mail or for alumni news once each month.
Senior College. (Hood) A brochure for courses of the Spring semester is in the mail. Many Fall courses were oversubscribed.
Annual Meeting. (Lembke) We need suggestions for a speaker and entertainment for the June 2006 meeting.
Research Committee. (Smith, Conway) Minutes of the November 9 meeting of the Research Council were taken from the website: http://research.uiowa.edu/vpr/rcouncil. Much of the meeting involved talks by Provost Michael Hogan and Pamela York, Executive Director of the UI Research Foundation.
Hancher Committee. (Lindberg, Thayer) No report.
Libraries Committee. (Orgren, Richerson) Some collections are being combined. The Botany and Biology collection will be together, and the Geological Sciences and Chemistry collections will be combined. A Faculty Senate resolution on scholarly publishing was approved by the Faculty Council at their November meeting. This urged faculty to be conscious of the pricing practices of journals, that they try to influence the direction of scholarly publishing, and that they retain control of their intellectual property rights.
Retirement and Insurance Committee. (Lembke, Norton) They will meet next Friday.
New Business:
Vice President Lance agreed to get information about EFC Committee and Service Assignment to the so-called University Support Committee, to which Keith Thayer, James Lindberg and Dee Norton have been assigned.
Next Meeting: January 9, 2006, 9:30 to 11:00 AM in B5 JH.
Respectfully submitted,
Tom Conway, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., November 7, 2005
Present: Charles Barfknecht, Al Hood, Dick Hoppin, Marion Johnson (President), George Lance (Vice President), Valdean Lembke, Dee Norton, Hal Richerson, Bob Sayre, Ian Smith, Gene Spaziani, Keith Thayer, and Tom Conway (Secretary)
Absent: William Hausler, Susan Johnson, Jim Lindberg, Carl Orgren
Introductions: President Johnson introduced the speaker, Barbara Bennett of the Staff Benefits Office, Human Resources Section. Ms. Bennett recently took over the position of Assistant to Richard Saunders that was formerly held by Nancy Foster.
Presentation of Ms. Bennett: Members of the Council were given copies of The University of Iowa Retirees Handbook. This 14-page document, dated May 15, 2001, was compiled by a committee of 10 faculty and staff. A number of proposed changes to the document were penciled onto the copies distributed. The most significant changes deal with the University health care plans, Medicare prescription drug programs, and the addresses and phone numbers of the new Coralville TIAA/CREF office and the University Benefits Office.
Retired faculty and staff are advised at this time NOT to accept Medicare part D dealing with prescription drug coverage. Those who accept Medicare part D coverage will be dropped from all University of Iowa Health Insurance Plans.
The TIAA/CREF office is one of only a few such offices located near colleges or universities. Our office is located at 327 Second St., Coralville, IA. The phone number is (319) 356-8010. Retirees, or prospective retirees, should call this number to book an appointment with a licensed advisor.
The University Benefits Office can be reached at (319) 335-2676. Benefit specialists are prepared to answer questions about retirement such as TIAA/CREF plans, health insurance and other benefits available to retirees; however, it is necessary to call or e-mail the office for an appointment. Additional information, including The University of Iowa Retirees Handbook, can be found at the Benefits Office website: https://hr.uiowa.edu/benefits.
President Johnson, on behalf of the Council, thanked Barbara Bennett for her presentation.
Action on Minutes: The Minutes of the October 3, 2005 meeting were accepted with a few minor corrections.
Old Business:
- Corrections continue to be made to the list of Emeritus Faculty Council members for 2005-2006. It was suggested that a change be made to the column called “Term”. It would be useful to know whether a member is serving a first of second term, when the current term started, and the year it finishes. For example, the “Term” entry for Tom Conway might be (T2)’05-’08. This shows that Conway is in his 2nd term, from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2008. Members in their first term can run for election to a second term, whereas those in the second term cannot.
- The report of the Senate committee on research funds and on research track faculty appointments is in a draft form that will be requested.
- Issues Identified on Faculty Questionnaire. The Council has already dealt with several of the activities that were proposed by faculty at the June 2005 Annual Meeting. It would be useful to develop a progress report to answer what the EFC has done in respect to each of these activities. Copies of such a report could be distributed at the next Annual Meeting when we ask again for activities to undertake during the academic year 2006-2007.
Committee Reports:
Faculty Council and Senate. (Lance) At the Faculty Council Meeting of October 4 Vice-Provost Pat Cain reported on the NCAA recertification self-study that is in progress. The report is due soon.
The CIC meeting was held at Michigan State University on Nov. 4-5.
About 5% of faculty uses the payroll deduction plan for charitable giving. This number is not an indicator of charitable giving since other contributions of money and time are not considered. No action was taken to solicit wider use of this plan by DEO’s or deans.
The Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics annual meeting will be Dec. 2, 3 in Pullman, WA. Betsy Altmaier indicated that uniform rules for all institutions are being considered. For example, a requirement that Boards in Control of Athletics have significant faculty membership as is required by the Big Ten.
The “Roads” Scholar proposal is being finalized. Newly promoted faculty and perhaps new hires may be involved in the initial offering. Future modifications are likely, and more funding is needed.
(Spaziani) Provost Michael Hogan spoke at the October 18 meeting of the Faculty Senate. His remarks dealt mostly with financial matters. For fiscal 2006, UI received about half ($9M) of last year’s appropriation. Mr. Hogan extracted about $1.3M from the budgets of colleges and departments to address high-priority needs. Other discretionary funds will come from freezes on new hires and building repair.
These funds will be applied to: (1) The restoration of faculty salaries to levels of the upper third of peer institutions. A 5% raise in average salaries is expected for the year. (2) Increasing faculty diversity, including revitalizing Afro-American and Latino Studies. (3) Re-starting and strengthening the Freshman Seminars Program. (4) Strengthening the Honors Program.
FRIC Chairman Sheldon Kurtz reported on insurance rates and TIAA/CREF. On January 1, 2006, CREF will offer up to 59 funds from which to choose! With the new enrollment period, one can buy more life insurance without proof of insurability. Medical insurance enrollment forms were mailed on November 1. Mental health care is now covered by all plans. UI Select Plan now allows compensation for genuine emergency care outside of Iowa.
There will be a premium increase of about 6% for single coverage, but coverage that includes spouse will increase 24% for Chip II and 20% for Chip III. Participants will not be charged for generic drugs. There were no changes in dental plans.
Liaison to UIRA. (Hoppin, Norton) Flu and pneumonia vaccinations went well. Richard Saunder’s talk on Medicare part D, prescription drug program attracted 350 people. Carol Fuller is the new nominee for President Elect and Chair of the Program Committee for UIRA.
Emeriti Listserv. (Hood, Lance) We need to find ways to contact those without a uiowa.edu e-mail address, especially for retirees living outside the Iowa City area.
Senior College. (Hood) Courses for the spring semester include Nick Johnson speaking on the Media, Chris Grant on women’s athletics, Tom Kent on birding, Rex Honey on migrations of people, and Miriam Gilbert on Shakespeare.
Annual Meeting. (Lembke) We need suggestions for a speaker and entertainment for the June 2006 meeting.
Research Committee. (Smith, Conway) Copies of Ian Smith’s analysis of the Sept. 19 were distributed. Please contact the web site http://research.uiowa.edu/vpr/rcouncil for the Minutes of the November 9 meeting. Smith and Conway have commitments to Senior College courses meeting at that time.
Hancher Committee. (Lindberg, Thayer) No report.
Libraries Committee. (Orgren, Richerson) Discussion of ways to reduce prices of journals and an evaluation of storage needs.
Retirement and Insurance Committee. (Lembke, Norton) The committee recommended a report to cut $40M by reducing the number of programs at UI. Next meeting is Dec. 8.
New Business:
Report on the Big Ten Conference at Michigan State. President Johnson indicated that the next meeting of the university retiree associations will be at Purdue, August 25-27, 2006. Michigan State is considering forming an Emeritus Faculty Association similar to ours. They have developed a questionnaire asking the collegiate deans for suggestions as to how emeritus faculty can help them.
Next Meeting: December 5, 2005, 9:30 to 11:00 AM in B5 JH.
Respectfully submitted,
Tom Conway, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., October 3, 2005
Present: Charles Barfknecht, William Hausler, Al Hood, Dick Hoppin, Marion Johnson (President), Susan Johnson (Associate Provost), George Lance (Vice President), Valdean Lembke, Jim Lindberg, Dee Norton, Carl Orgren, Hal Richerson, Ian Smith, and Tom Conway (Secretary)
Absent: Robert Sayre, Gene Spaziani, and Keith Thayer
Call to Order: Corrections to the Minutes of the September 12 meeting suggested by Bill Hausler will be made and the Minutes will be submitted for action at the November 7 meeting.
Introductions: Al Hood introduced the speaker. David McCartney, Archivist of the University of Iowa Library, Special Collections Department.
Presentation of Mr. McCartney: The University Archives were founded in 1931 by Ruth Gallaher. She was employed by the State Historical Society of Iowa; so, in the early years, the UI Archives were part of the State Historical Society. Her office was in the Old Capitol. The Archives collects and preserves information about the University of Iowa that is of historical, administrative, fiscal or legal value.
The Archives are useful for present and future research concerning the history of the University. Most materials are stored on the 3rd floor and in the basement of the Main Library. Departmental and administrative records are stored in the collection as are Year Books up to 1992, the General Catalog, and collections of faculty papers. The Archives no longer collects the published work of faculty and staff.
The Archives website is especially useful to those conducting historical research. It can be accessed by going to www.uiowa.edu and to the A to Z Search button. Click on the “Archives, University” entry and go to “Conducting Historical Research”.
Mr. McCartney discussed some of the problems associated with electronic storage such as decay of media and the obsolescence of software for reading digital media. As most know, the University Catalog is available only on a CD. Unlike earlier paper editions there is no data on tuition rates. It is not clear how the new versions of the University Catalog will be archived.
We were asked to offer departmental records of historical significance to the University Archives. Cathy Hagen, the Records Manager, is a useful contact for help in preparing records.
President Johnson thanked Mr. McCartney for his presentation.
Old Business:
- A corrected list of the Emeritus Faculty Council members for 2005-2006 was distributed. Ian Smith indicated that his home phone number should be changed to 466-3094 and his e-mail address to codocs@aol.com.
- The report of the Senate committee on research funds has been completed and will go to the Senate for a vote. At the time Johnson spoke with Provost Hogan the research track faculty committee was not yet appointed. Johnson will check about the status of these reports.
Committee Reports:
Faculty Council and Senate. (Lance, Spaziani) The meeting meets tomorrow.
Liaison to UIRA. (Hoppin, Norton) Flu and pneumonia shots are set for October 13. The annual meeting is on October 28. Carol Fuller is the new nominee for President.
Emeriti Listserv. (Hood, Lance) We need to find a way to contact those without a uiowa.edu e-mail address.
Senior College. (Hood) Some courses for the fall semester are full. All have several registrants. The committee is working on the spring 2006 courses.
Annual Meeting. (Lembke) Attendance was good for the 2005 meeting. The 2006 meeting will be similar, tentatively set for June 19. We need suggestions for a speaker and for entertainment.
Research Committee. (Smith, Conway) Vicki Grassian, Chemistry, chaired the September 19 meeting and introduced Meredith Hay, the new VP for Research. The annual report is on the website. The regents have asked the VP for Research about the commercial application of research and to prioritize research projects for each college as part of a campus-wide research plan.
Hancher Committee. (Lindberg, Thayer) The committee has not met.
Libraries Committee. (Orgren, Richerson) A charge to the new committee was handed out at the September 16 meeting. There are 5 faculty members, 4 student members, and 2 staff members. Thomas Charlton, Anthropology, is the chair. The collections budget was increased 5%. There was discussion about resolutions on scholarly publication passed by Berkeley, Cornell, Columbia, Wisconsin, Kansas, and Case Western Reserve. These suggest that faculty refrain from publishing in journals with high subscription charges and to restrict refereeing and editorial work to journals with low subscription charges.
Retirement and Insurance Committee. (Lembke, Norton) The committee is still working towards making recommendations about long-term care insurance.
New Business:
- Report on the Big Ten Conference at Michigan State. President Johnson indicated that the next meeting of the university retiree associations will be at Purdue, August 25-27, 2006. Michigan State is considering forming an Emeritus Faculty Association similar to ours. They have developed a questionnaire asking the collegiate deans for suggestions as to how emeritus faculty can help them.
- Further discussion of the faculty responses to what activities the EMF Council should undertake will be considered at a future meeting.
Next Meeting: November 7, 2005, 9:30 to 11:00 AM in B5 JH.
Respectfully submitted,
Tom Conway, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., September 12, 2005
Present: Charles Barfknecht, William Hausler, Al Hood, Susan Johnson (Associate Provost), George Lance (Vice President), Valdean Lembke, Jim Lindberg, Debbie Millsap (Provost’s Office), Dee Norton, Carl Orgren, Hal Richerson, Ian Smith, Gene Spaziani, Keith Thayer (Past President), and Tom Conway (Secretary)
Absent: Richard Hoppin, Marion Johnson (President), and Robert Sayre
Introductions: Vice President Lance introduced Associate Provost Susan R. Johnson who opened a discussion of the request for emeritus status for Professor Peter Getting, which was voted on later in the meeting. Vice President Lance then introduced the invited speaker, Dr. Mary Gilchrist, Director, Hygienic Laboratory.
Presentation of Dr. Gilchrist:
Dr. Gilchrist reported that the Hygienic Laboratory of the state of Iowa celebrated its 100th year in 2004. Recently the Laboratory moved from the main campus where it had been located since its inception to a larger new building on the North Liberty campus. Another new building is under construction in Ankeny, Iowa to take advantage of proximity to the state crime laboratories, the state medical examiner, and agricultural hygienics all located on the campus of the Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC).
The functions of the Hygienic Laboratory were illustrated by work done in three major areas, the Protection of Health, Diseases That Come on Wings, and Assuring Children’s Future Health.
Protection of Health
Dr. Gilchrist used prior influenza pandemics to illustrate how the Laboratory responded to a major health problem that is still with us. In 1905 the Hygienic Laboratory was only one year old, Theodore Roosevelt was president, and a steamer entered San Francisco harbor carrying rats infected with the influenza virus. But the most serious flu pandemic hit the U .S. in 1918. This so-called “Spanish flu” killed more than 20 million people worldwide and was caused by a strain labeled 1N1. The next big pandemic year was 1957, when the “Asian flu” killed about one million. This strain was H2 N2. In 1968 a half million died from the H3 N2 strain called the “Hong Kong” virus. Presently the “Avian” flu virus has caused about 170,000 deaths. This strain is transmitted from birds to humans, but, unlike the viruses of earlier pandemics, there is no evidence as yet for transmission from humans to humans.
It has been known for some time that flu viruses passed between birds (especially ducks or geese) and pigs are especially virulent for humans. Since it is a common practice on small Asian farms to grow geese and pigs in close proximity, many virulent flu viruses seem to originate in Asia. Consequently both in Asia and in the U.S. pig and poultry workers are at risk for flu and need to be tested. Duck hunters are also commonly tested for flu.
In 1972 the best way to propagate the RNA flu viruses was in hen’s eggs. Now the Hygienic Lab as well as most other labs are able to enzymatically amplify very small amounts of RNA, much as is done in forensic pathology with DNA. This allows for direct analysis of the RNA, a very rapid and sensitive technique that doesn’t require propagation of the virus in eggs.
Diseases on Wings
A number of infectious diseases are brought into Iowa on the wings of birds, mosquitoes, and airplanes. Mosquito-borne diseases such as those caused by St. Louis encephalitis, western and, recently, eastern equine encephalitis are tested for by the Hygienic Lab.
In 1999 the west Nile virus hit New York City and by September 2001 the first dead crow with west Nile disease was found in Iowa. It took only eight weeks for this bird-borne virus to cover the entire state accounting for 54 cases and 2 deaths.
The SARS virus arrived in Toronto by plane in 2003. This had been thought of as a disease localized to Asia, but modern transportation spread it quickly. The cost to the Toronto area alone was estimated as high as 1.5 billion dollars.
Other infectious viruses not usually arriving on wings are Hantaviruses associated with mouse droppings, but recently measles has come from India to Iowa by plane, brought in by one person. About 200 were exposed and three got measles.
Assuring the Future Health of Children
Neonatal screening programs
MCAD (medium-chain acyl CoA dehydrogenase deficiency) disease is a genetic abnormality characterized by intolerance to prolonged fasting, fatigue, hypoglycemia and dicarboxylic aciduria. It is severe and deadly in young patients. Although Dr. Gilchrist did not mention how her lab detects the disease, one assay is for high amounts of acyl carnitines in blood plasma.
PKU (phenylketonuria) is a genetic disease most prevalent in Caucasian populations. About 24 positives are detected annually in Iowa newborns.
Assay of ~65,000 samples from Louisiana newborns since hurricane Katrina are being accomplished by the Hygienic Lab.
Other Functions of the Hygienic Laboratory
These include the following: Safe Food testing, Pure Water testing, Clean Air testing, Homeland Security, Disease Prevention, Healthy Babies, and Education.
Vice President Lance thanked Dr. Gilchrist on behalf of the Emeritus Faculty Council for a most informative presentation.
Bill Hausler commented about the value of the long association of the state Hygienic Laboratory with the University of Iowa, particularly because of its on-campus location that allows collaboration with faculty, staff and students. One example might be the available expertise of Professor William Rhead of the Pediatrics Department on MCAD disease. Dr. Rhead is an internationally known pioneering expert on the pathophysiology of this disease.
Minutes: The minutes of the July 11, 2005 Council meeting were approved.
Old Business:
1. The Meeting Schedule for 2005-2006 was corrected to show that the date of our next meeting is October 3, not October 10.
Committee Assignments and Reports:
Faculty Council and Senate. (Lance, Spaziani). There will be a review of all charter committees. Criminal background checks at the point of hire were recommended for approval in those cases where it is deemed appropriate, e.g. people dealing with finance and security.
Liaison to UIRA (Hoppin, Norton) We are reminded of a meeting on Health Care organized by UIRA for October 28.
Election Committee (Hood) These were covered last month.
Emeriti Listserv (Hood, Lance) Names of new emeritus faculty have been added to a new list.
Senior College (Hood) Fall Semester courses are going well. Spring courses are being planned.
Annual Meeting (Lembke) No plans as yet.
Research Committee (Smith) First meeting this term is coming up.
Hancher Committee (Lindberg,Thayer). No meeting yet.
Libraries Committee (Orgren, Richerson). No meeting yet.
Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee (Lembke, Norton). The first meeting was Sep. 2. The health insurance premiums for next year have been set, but the University contribution is not known. Long term care proposals were discussed. There are now a greater variety of special CREF funds.
Ian Smith reported that the on-line Virtual Hospital is no longer supported by UI as it was in the past for about $200-300K/year
New Business:
- Report on the Big Ten Conference attended by President Johnson was deferred until next month.
- The request for emeritus status for Professor Peter Getting was approved unanimously.
- A list was distributed of 15 responses by members of the Emeritus Faculty Association to the question, “What activities should the Emeritus Faculty Council undertake?” Council members were asked to select those of most importance for consideration during the academic year 2005-2006.
- David McCartney, Archivist of the University of Iowa Library, will speak at the October meeting on saving and preserving books and other materials.
Next Meeting: October 3, 2005, 9:30 to 11:00 AM in B5 JH.
Respectfully submitted,
Tom Conway, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
July 11, 2005
Present: Marion Johnson (President), William Hausler, Al Hood, Dick Hoppin, George Lance, Valdean Lembke, Jim Lindberg, Dee Norton, Carl Orgren, Hal Richerson, Bob Sayre, Ian Smith, Gene Spaziani, Tom Rocklin (Provost Office) and Tom Conway (Secretary)
Absent: Charles Barfnecht, Keith Thayer
Introductions:
President Johnson welcomed the new Council members, James Lindberg and Robert Sayre, and asked that we all introduce ourselves. Carl Orgren introduced today’s speaker, Professor Kelley Donham of the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health in the College of Public Health.
Presentation of Professor Donham:
Dr. Donham, College of Public Health, was trained as a veterinarian; so much of his research focuses on the relationships of animal diseases to humans. He holds joint appointments in the College of Nursing and in the College of Veterinary Medicine at ISU. “Mad cow” disease was used as an example of the interplay of disease between animals and humans.
Professor Donham described several of the activities of the “Iowa Center for Agricultural Safety and Health” (I-CASH). This activity is supported by the UI, ISU, the Iowa Department of Public Health, and by IDALS. An important clinic offered by this group is a “Farm Safety Day Camp” for children aged five through 17. One goal of the camp is to lower the number of serious accidents and fatalities of farm children, which are approximately 13 per year in Iowa.
The “Agri Safe Network” now runs 22 clinics across the state. This program was patterned after similar ones in three Scandinavian countries. Over 250 nurses and physicians have been trained in agricultural medicine, safety and environmental risks. The clinical training component includes special screening services related to agriculture, the taking of occupational histories, lung function, hearing, and skin cancer, to name a few. The safety rating of farms is also a function of this Network. A safety rating of 85% or higher qualifies for reduced insurance payment.
Much of Professor Donham’s talk described the “transmitted spongiform encephalopathies” (TSE’s) of which “mad cow” disease is an animal example and Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease a human example. All of the TSE’s are caused by infectious proteins called prions. Prions are very resistant to denaturation. Disinfection of equipment or surfaces requires autoclaving at 15 psi for at least one hour or treatment with 5% hypochlorite or 0.1N sodium hydroxide solutions.
Dr. Donham answered questions following his presentation and President Johnson thanked him on behalf of the Council for his very useful presentation.
Minutes: The minutes of the June 6, 2005 Council meeting were approved.
Old Business:
- Al Hood described the results of the election of new Council members.
- President Johnson reported about the consideration of a budget from the Provost’s office for activities of the coming year. It was the consensus of the Council that a budget does not seem necessary since our modest spending has always been covered by the Provost’s office in the past.
- Bill Hausler reported on changes to the deductions for veterans on property taxes. He felt that these changes will not affect the emeritus faculty.
Committee Assignments and Reports:
Faculty Council and Senate. (Johnson, Spaziani). No meeting.
Liaison to UIRA (Hoppin) No meeting.
Election Committee (Hood) See old business above.
Emeriti Listserv (Hood, Lance) Names of new emeritus faculty will be added to the list.
Senior College (Hood) See May minutes for the lineup of Fall Semester courses.
Annual Meeting (Lembke, Richerson) The annual luncheon meeting of the Emeritus Faculty Association on June 20, 2005 was well done.
Research Committee (Smith) No meeting.
Hancher Committee (Thayer). No meetings until Fall Semester.
Libraries Committee (Orgren, Richerson). No meetings until Fall Semester.
Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee (Lembke, Norton). The committee will not meet until September.
New Business:
- President Johnson asked Council members to submit their choices for committee assignments of the 2005-2006 academic year.
- President Johnson will attend the Big Ten Retirees Association Meeting.
- The 2005-2006 meeting schedule was attached to the materials distributed at the meeting.
- Mary Gilchrist will be the speaker for the September meeting.
- A memo received from Jim Andrews suggesting the council may wish to have a representative on a committee of administrators and faculty to consider and made recommendations regarding (1) establishing non-tenured research track faculty positions and (2) establishing faculty salary incentive plans was discussed. The council agreed that President Johnson should discuss this possibility with Provost Hogan.
Next Meeting: September 12, 2005, 9:30 to 11:00 AM in B5 JH.
Respectfully submitted,
Tom Conway, Secretary
MINUTES OF THE SIXTH ANNUAL MEETING
Monday, June 20, 2005
Call to Order: President Keith Thayer called the 2005 [Sixth] Annual Meeting to order. He thanked EFC Annual Meeting Committee Chairman Charles Davidson for arranging today's splendid meeting.
Opening Remarks [Tom Rocklin, Associate Provost]: Tom Rocklin has acted as liaison to the Emeritus Faculty Council [EFC] from the Provost's Office for 2004-2005. He briefly reviewed doings of the Council over the past academic year, mentioning concerns about revisions of the UI Operations Manual's Intellectual Property Policy and other workings of the University of Iowa Research Council, and a series of very interesting speakers, almost monthly, with information relevant to business of the Council. Tom also pointed out how his experience increased his appreciation for the lifestyle and wisdom of emeritus faculty, providing insights of potential future use to him in his present "pre-emeritus" status.
Approval of the June 21,2004, minutes: Minutes of the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Association were approved unanimously. Introduction of the Emeritus Faculty Council members: President Thayer introduced members of the 2004-2005 EFC - Charles Barfknecht (Pharmacy), Sam Becker (Liberal Arts), Tom Conway, Secretary (Medicine), Charles Davidson (Law), Miriam Gelfand (Liberal Arts), Al Hood (Liberal Arts), William Hausler (Public Health), Richard Hoppin (Liberal Arts), Marion Johnson, Vice-President (Nursing), George Lance (Engineering), Valdean Lembke (Business), Dee Norton (Liberal Arts), Carl Orgren (Library and Information Science), Hal Richerson, Secretary Pro Tern (Medicine), lan Smith (Medicine), Eugene Spaziani (Liberal Arts), and Keith Thayer, President (Dentistry).
Report of the Elections Committee: Al Hood, Immediate Past President and
Chairman of the Elections Committee, named the elected members of the EFC for the 2005-2006 academic year:
College of Medicine: Tom Conway (Biochemistry) - re-elected
College of Public Health: William Hausler (State Hygienic Lab) - re-elected
College of Liberal Arts: Jim Lindberg (Geography); Robert Sayre (English)
College of Nursing: Marion Johnson - re-elected
College of Law: Pending
Leaving the Council on July 1,2005, will be Sam Becker and Miriam
Gelfand, representing the College of Liberal Arts, and Charles Davidson,
representing the College of Law.
Report on the Emeritus Faculty Council 2004 - 2005: President Thayer
presented highlights of EFC activities over the past year, naming the various standing and ad hoc committees, existence and work of Big Ten retirees organizations and annual meetings, and discussed the distinction and relationships between the Association of Emeritus Faculty - open to faculty retirees only, and the University of Iowa Retirees Association (UIRA) - open to all retired faculty and staff.
Speakers at monthly EFC meetings throughout the year included Provost Michael Hogan, Joseph Cannon (EFC representative to the UI Research Council), Vice Provost Pat Cain, Brace Wheaton (Executive Director, University of Iowa Research Foundation), David Johnsen (Dean, College of Dentistry), Judy Hurtig (Artistic Director, Hancher), Robert Downer (Interim Chair of the Iowa Board of Regents), Robert Kirby (Assistant Director of the Honors Program), Robert Wallace (Professor of Epidemiology, College of Public Health), and special guest Kris Maser (Minneapolis elder law attorney). Ms. Maser presented to both the EFC and UIRA with support from the Office of the Provost.
Memorial Moment: A list of colleagues who died during the past year was
included in the agenda package. A period of silence was observed in their honor.
Passing of the Gavel: President Thayer passed the President's Gavel to President-elect Marion Johnson. Other officers for 2005-2006 include George Lance, Vice-President, Tom Conway, Secretary, and Hal Richerson, Secretary Pro Tern.
Speaker: Donald Gumett, Physics, presented "Exploring Saturn with the Cassini Spacecraft." The speaker, subject, presentation, and enthusiastic delivery were received with admiration and fascination, and warmly appreciated by all.
Adjournment: The Sixth Annual Meeting was adjourned at 11:50 AM.
Respectfully submitted,
Hal B. Richerson, Secretary Pro Tern
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., June 6, 2005
Present: Keith Thayer (President), Sam Becker, Charles Davidson, Miriam Gelfand, William Hausler, Al Hood, Marion Johnson, George Lance, Valdean Lembke, Carl Orgren, Tom Rocklin (Provost Office and Tom Conway (Secretary)
Absent: Charles Barfknecht, Richard Hoppin, Dee Norton, Hal Richerson, Ian Smith, and Gene Spaziani.
Introduction: President Thayer introduced our speaker, Professor Robert Wallace, Director of the University of Iowa Center for Aging.
Presentation of Director Wallace:
Dr. Wallace distributed a folder containing a great deal of information about the UI Center for Aging. His introduction touched briefly on several of the topics explained in more detail in the distributed material.
The Center on Aging is an interdisciplinary resource for aging-related activities and research that serves the entire University community. Primary goals are to “broaden expertise in aging among faculty, healthcare professionals and students, and help improve the quality of programs and services provided to older Iowans.” The Center was founded in 1990 and is sponsored by the Colleges of Medicine, Public Health, and UI Health Care. Their website is: http://www.centeronaging.uiowa.edu. This website gets 25,000 hits per month.
The Center on Aging, like inter-disciplinary programs in all universities, has had difficulty thriving. The UI Center is somewhat unique in that problems of aging are found in almost every department, including clinical disciplines, whereas most other inter-disciplinary programs focus on only a limited number of programs, generally in one or a few colleges. Other universities have departments of gerontology, many in colleges of liberal arts where social and behavioral research is emphasized. The UI Center on Aging, originated within the College of Medicine, and maintains a strong focus on aging-associated clinical research and service in departments of medicine, nursing, pharmacy and dentistry. An example is a recent P-20 grant for over $2 million from the National Cancer Institute aimed at the association of aging with cancer. The Center “facilitates” $5.5M in research on campus.
The Center also provides help and expertise to the state of Iowa in dealing with state-funded facilities and support for elders in Iowa, especially those without skills, pensions, or with mental diseases. The Center does not provide clinical services, but rather coordinates resources. Center members have advised the state of Iowa on work force policies in respect to older workers, long-term care policies, and improved treatment of elders.
Academic opportunities for aging-related training at Iowa include master degrees in public health, nursing, and social work in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
President Thayer thanked Director Wallace for his informative presentation.
Minutes: The minutes of the April 4, and May 2, 2005 Council meetings were approved as were corrections made to the minutes of the March 7, 2005 meeting.
Old Business:
- President Thayer reported that Kris Maser’s presentation to the UIRA was well-received, and that it was worth the effort and expense in bringing Ms. Maser to Iowa City from Minneapolis.
- The corrected Emeritus Faculty Association Profile submitted to the Big 10 was distributed with today’s agenda.
- A list of emeritus faculty who died during the 2004-2005 academic year was distributed. Several corrections were made by EFC members. The corrected list will be distributed at the Emeritus Faculty Association annual meeting on June 20, 2005.
Committee Assignments and Reports:
Faculty Council and Senate. (Johnson, Spaziani). No report.
Liaison to UIRA (Hoppin, not present) The Council was reminded of the picnic this Wednesday at 5:00 p.m.
Election Committee (Hood, Davidson) Results of the election will be announced at the Annual Meeting, June 20. Several colleges were not represented on this year’s ballot including the Colleges of Law, Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing.
Emeriti Listserv (Hood, Lance). There was much interest in Val’s report on the meeting of the Committee on Funded Retirement and Insurance. Bill Hausler will get more information about the eligibility of veterans for increased benefits on real estate taxes in Johnson County...
Senior College (Hood) Al described the eight courses to be offered in the Fall Semester.
Annual Meeting (Davidson) The annual luncheon meeting of the Emeritus Faculty Association will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Monday, June 20, 2005 in room W401 of the Pappajohn Business Building. Don Gurnett will be the featured speaker.
Research Committee (Cannon, Smith) See Joe Cannon’s distributed copy of minutes of the May 10, 2005 Research Council meeting. This is Joe’s last report. The Council expressed unanimous thanks for Joe’s excellent analysis of so many Research Council meetings.
Hancher Committee (Gelfand, Thayer). No meetings until Fall Semester.
Libraries Committee (Orgren, Richerson). No meetings until Fall Semester.
Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee (Lembke, Norton). The committee will not meet until September.
New Business:
- The Council discussed the possible need for a Council budget. It was concluded that the Provost’s Office has given sufficient support for EFC activities and that no changes are necessary.
- Vice President Marion Johnson appealed to the Council for someone to come forward to accept the position of Vice President and President-elect, which is vacant for the coming academic year.
- This meeting was the last for Tom Rocklin. The Council has enjoyed working with Tom and wishes him well in his new activities. We look forward to meeting and working with the new Council representative from the Provost Office.
4. Mary Gilchrist was suggested as a speaker for the September meeting.
Next Meeting: July 11, 2005, 9:30 to 11:00 AM in B5 JH.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Tom Conway, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., May 2, 2005
Present: Keith Thayer (President), Sam Becker, Charles Davidson, Miriam Gelfand, William Hausler, Al Hood, Richard Hoppin, Valdean Lembke, Dee Norton, Carl Orgren, Hal Richerson, Tom Rocklin (Provost Office), Ian Smith, and Tom Conway (Secretary)
Absent: Charles Barfknecht, Marion Johnson, George Lance, and Gene Spaziani.
Introduction: President Thayer introduced our speaker, Kris Maser, an elder-law attorney from Minneapolis. She and her husband founded a law firm in Minneapolis.
Presentation of Ms. Maser:
Her talk focused on the somewhat typical legal affairs of her elderly father, who has suffered from Parkinson’s disease for a number of years. This allowed her to discuss with great insight and humor a variety of situations that are similar to the elder law problems of many people. She talked mostly about the division of an elderly person’s assets to survivors as one becomes increasingly incapacitated. One can contract for financial matters with a power of attorney, but who is the best person to manage the assets? A durable power of attorney allows the contract to continue even when one becomes incapacitated.
She discussed more complex arrangements with multiple powers of attorney. For example, the IRS power of attorney, which is accomplished using form 2848 available on the IRS web-site, allows access to all tax records. A statutory power of attorney can be set up to allow for paying bills up to a limit of $10,000, and a common law power of attorney can expand limits on spending if nursing care is required.
Ms. Maser also discussed some of the problems associated with health care such as health care directives, living wills and durable powers of attorney for health care. She emphasized that it is of the utmost importance that all potential survivors get together and talk periodically if possible so that everyone understands the wishes of the elderly individual and their responsibilities and limits in respect to living wills, health care directives, or other powers of attorney.
President Thayer thanked Ms. Maser for her fine presentation on behalf of the EFC. She presented a similar talk to the UIRA in the afternoon.
Minutes: The minutes of the April 4, 2005 Council meeting were made available at the meeting. They were tentatively approved.
Old Business: None.
Committee Assignments and Reports:
Faculty Council and Senate. (Johnson, Spaziani). See April 4 minutes detailing the last meetings.
Liaison to UIRA (Hoppin) The UIRA will establish a new fiscal year, July1 through June 30, to replace the current fiscal year that starts in October.
Election Committee (Hood, Davidson) Nominations are out. The committee meets tomorrow.
Emeriti Listserv (Hood, Lance) This afternoon’s schedule has been announced.
Senior College (Hood) The committee is working on setting up courses for the fall semester.
Research Committee (Cannon, Smith) See Joe Cannon’s distributed copy of minutes of the March 24 and April 5, 2005 Research Council meetings.
Hancher Committee (Gelfand, Thayer) This committee meets only five times each year. Often the student representatives do not attend. At the final meeting of the year financial problems persist.
Libraries Committee (Orgren, Richerson) The last meeting of the committee will be on Friday. They will draft a request for a website change to allow emeritus faculty to access library materials.
Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee (Lembke, Norton) The committee asked the President to send out a memo regarding decisions with Wellmark. In spreading the costs of large claims, over $50,000, over all the health insurance plans, it is possible that the premium for UI Select will increase. The distribution of the costs of drugs under Medicare are quite complex, particularly in how UI will be compensated for drug costs covered by the insurance company and not by Medicare.
New Business:
Sam Becker suggested Kathleen Buckwalter to speak on gerontology research at a future meeting.
Next Meeting: June 6, 2005, 9:30 to 11:00 AM in B5 JH.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Tom Conway, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., April 4, 2005
Present: Charles Davidson, Miriam Gelfand, Richard Hoppin, Marion Johnson (Vice President), George Lance, Valdean Lembke, Dee Norton, Carl Ogren, Hal Richerson, Tom Rocklin (Provost Office), Ian Smith, Eugene Spaziani, and Tom Conway (Secretary)
Absent: Charles Barfknecht, Sam Becker, William Hausler, Al Hood, and Keith Thayer.
Vice President Marion Johnson conducted the meeting in the absence of President Thayer.
Introduction: Dee Norton introduced our invited speaker, Robert Kirby, Assistant Director of the University of Iowa Honors Program.
Presentation of Mr. Kirby: The Honors Program is a University-wide organization that serves all undergraduate students, not just those in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences where the program originated. Professor Alice Fulton is the present Director. Mr. Kirby has served as Assistant Director since 2001.
Eligibility for inclusion in the Honors Program requires entering students to rank in the upper 10 per cent of their high school class and score at least a 29 on the ACT entrance examination. This past year 148 entering students were admitted to the Program. Continuation in the Program requires maintaining a B+ average. Other students may enter if they maintain a B+ average for their first two years at the University.
The Honors Program stresses available opportunities rather than stringent requirements; however, some Departments have their own additional requirements for graduation with honors. Several honors courses are offered as well as well as co-curricular and extra-curricular programs, both within and outside the classroom setting. An important feature is the availability of one-on-one advising, a particularly useful service for the large numbers of honors students who wish to take post-baccalaureate training.
The Honors Seminars cover a wide range of options to study subjects not available in the course catalog. They are taught on a one-time basis mostly by on-campus faculty, although other instructors may participate. The Seminars require active student involvement, using original source material, not textbooks. Registration is limited to about 20 students per class. Participation builds close ties with individual students and faculty with similar interests. The Honors Seminars allows approximately 300 students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences to graduate each year with honors.
Presently there are about 5,000 students in the Honors Program with about 1700 of these on probation until they bring their GPA’s up to 3.5 from the previously required 3.3. Usually about 300 students graduate each year with honors.
Following his presentation, Mr. Kirby answered questions posed by Council members. Carl Ogren asked about faculty overload, which apparently is met in several different ways depending on the particular situation, including the possibility of adding 9% of the average faculty salary. Ian Smith asked about early graduation opportunities for honors students. Mr. Kirby indicated that almost all students do a full four years even though 30 s.h. of advanced placement credit is possible. Gene Spaziani asked about using emeritus faculty for Honors Seminar courses. Emeriti have participated, e.g. a course on Gandhi. Gene also asked about honor societies. Mr. Kirby indicated that Phi Beta Kappa is connected only to students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The Honors Program, however, runs five other honor societies.
Minutes: The minutes of the March 7, 2005 Council meeting were modified to include a statement about the EFC Annual Meeting on June 20. The amended minutes will be distributed before the May 2 meeting.
Old Business:
Arrangements have been completed for the visit of Kris Maser from Minnesota to the University on May 2. She will present two lectures on Elder Law, one to the members of the Emeritus Faculty Council at our regular meeting time, and another to the UIRA in the Lindquist Center from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. See additional information in the Gray Hawk. Her visit is sponsored by the Provost’s office with arrangements made by Keith Thayer.
Committee Assignments and Reports:
Faculty Council and Senate. (Johnson, Spaziani).
Faculty Council: Marion Johnson reported on proposed NCAA changes in student- athlete performance based on the report of Betsy Altmaier, faculty representative to the NCAA. Factors considered include GPA’s, graduation rates, and length of time to graduation. Next year a loss of scholarship penalty will be enforced if conditions are not met. In the first four years only up to 10% of scholarships can be lost. Questions arose about how programs such as pharmacy (6-yrs.) will be handled in respect to length of time to graduation. Dr. Altmaier reported that UI has only one athletic program not currently meeting all criteria. Coaches have been well-briefed about requirements.
A major part of Altmaier’s report dealt with a request for approval of a 19-page document from the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics. This document includes primarily policies that have already worked well and serve as best practice guidelines. Only a few were suggested as rules or NCAA bylaws. The recommendations were in five sections: (1) Admissions, (2) Scholarships, (3) Curricular integrity, (4) Time commitment, including missed class time and scheduling of competitions, and (5) Policies concerning the office of academic advising for athletes. Because of turn around time in relation to faculty senate meetings, the document was approved and will be forwarded to the Faculty Senate.
Council approved the charge and membership for a Charter Committee on Diversity. This will be forwarded to the Faculty Senate for discussion and approval.
An anti-harassment policy was approved for forwarding to the Senate. This 12-page document covers the rationale, the policy, the procedures, and disciplinary actions. Comment was made that the policy will cover little of what is considered “hate” speech.
Faculty Senate: (Spaziani)
Faculty President’s Report. President Tachau gave a UI budget update. The State of Iowa now funds only 14% of the total UI budget. The portion of the General Education Fund supplied by the State has shrunk to 47 % of the total of $469M. The Regents have asked the legislature for $40M, a portion of which is projected to be supplied by an increase in the cigarette tax. If the $40M doesn’t come through, the Regents must further cut our budget. The professional and scientific staff is slated to unionize. If this occurs, the faculty will be last in line for salary consideration.
Criminal background checks at point of hire: Draft policy. The idea is to protect the UI and its personnel from harm while at the same time protecting privacy of individuals. The appropriate Dean or V.P. would determine which merit, professional and scientific, faculty and student staff positions are security sensitive. The policy establishes procedures that guide decisions on whether or not to conduct a criminal background check. Cost was estimated a $40 per person, $51 if at the federal level.
This matter was tabled to allow time to add language to protect foreign students and faculty.
Resolution concerning Professor Ward Churchill of the University of Colorado. A resolution was presented urging the University of Colorado to provide Prof. Churchill the full extent of due process in connection with the attempts of several in the state and on campus to have him dismissed from the faculty because of his controversial remarks about the 9/11 tragedy.
Discussion centered on whether the case represented an academic freedom issue. Several concluded that academic freedom as a defense could not apply if Churchill’s remarks were outside the context of his teaching specialties.
The resolution passed.
Liaison to UIRA (Hoppin) UIRA will not join AROHE.
Election Committee (Hood, Davidson) Work is on schedule.
Emeriti Listserv (Hood, Lance) No report.
Senior College (Hood) Smith: Courses on basketball, philosophy-religion, aging heart, and operas on Shakespeare plays were well-received. Courses on Devonian fossils, Riverside Theatre summer plays, medical ethics, and images of Iowa are well subscribed and will get underway soon.
Research Committee (Cannon, Smith) See Joe Cannon’s distributed copy of minutes of the March 3, 2005 Research Council meeting.
Hancher Committee (Gelfand, Thayer) Descriptions of the 2005-2006 events will be mailed soon. An $800K grant will support outreach programs in three Iowa towns, including Spencer and Marshalltown.
Libraries Committee (Ogren, Richerson) No meeting.
Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee (Lembke, Norton) No meeting.
New Business:
Charles Davidson was happy to learn that Coach Ferentz will continue the football scholarship of a sophomore football player required to drop out of the program due to a severe back injury.
Dee Norton suggested that Marion Johnson invite Professor Betsy Altmaier, U I faculty representative to the NCAA, to address the EFC on NCAA and Big 10 regulations in respect to scholarships and other academic requirements.
Next Meeting: May 2, 2005, 9:30 to 11:00 AM in B5 JH.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:45 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Tom Conway, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., March 7, 2005
Present: Keith Thayer (President), Charles Davidson, Miriam Gelfand, Marion Johnson, Valdean Lembke, Dee Norton, Carl Ogren, Hal Richerson, Tom Rocklin, Provost Office, Charles Barfknecht, Sam Becker, Gene Spaziani, and Tom Conway (Secretary)
Absent: William Hausler, Al Hood, Richard Hoppin, George Lance, and Ian Smith
Introduction: Gene Spaziani introduced our invited speaker, Robert Downer, Interim Chair of the Iowa Board of Regents.
Presentation of Mr. Downer: The Iowa Board of Regents consists of nine members, gender balanced with no more than five members from a single political party. Appointment to the board is for six years. Terms are announced on May 1 of odd-numbered years. Reappointment to another term is possible but has not been done in recent years. It was more common in the past. Two seats are open for appointment this year. There is considerable political lobbying for candidates; however, it is Mr. Downer’s opinion that when the board meets, issues are not decided in a partisan context despite what has been reported in the newspapers.
The Regents oversee five Iowa institutions: Iowa State University, University of Northern Iowa, University of Iowa and the schools for the blind and deaf.
A so-called transformational plan is currently being used in an attempt to get more funding into the system. Allocation of available funds requires some reallocation of existing funds in the candidate institutions. These reallocations have limits on raises in tuition and new priorities according to an index based on prior increases.
The Iowa House last week targeted $6.9M in new funds; although there remains $30M of funds not yet allocated. Additional money may come from an increase in the state cigarette tax, which Mr. Downer believes will be passed in some form.
He believes that state-supported higher education in Iowa is in pretty good standing. For example, for each Iowan who leaves the state to attend college, 2.4 people from out-of-state come to Iowa for their education. Nevertheless, he is concerned that Iowa is the number two exporter of people with college degrees, only Pennsylvania exports more. Mr. Downer feels it is important that more and better jobs need to be created to keep these talented people in Iowa.
Several questions were asked by council members. Sam Becker inquired about plans for combining aspects of the three university-operated radio stations. Downer maintained the importance of each station retain a close relationship to happenings at their institution. If expansion occurs, it must include service to those regions not presently served, in particular the people of western Iowa. A question by Charles Barfknecht about the term limits of student members of the Board was explained. It is important that student members be enrolled in one of the state universities during their tenure on the Board; however, they may be allowed to serve one year immediately following graduation when they need not be registered. Perceived institutional redundancies were discussed following Tom Rocklin’s question. Mr. Downer insists that any Iowa institution called a university must have a college of arts and sciences. He also favors the present arrangement of separate colleges, or schools, of education, engineering, business and journalism at each university.
Minutes: The minutes of the January 31, 2005 Council meeting were approved as modified.
Old Business:
- President Thayer confirmed that Kris Maser from Minnesota will visit the University on May 2 when she will present two lectures on Elder Law to the members of the Emeritus Faculty Council and to the UI Retirees Association.
- Keith stated that an application has been made to the Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education (AROHE) on behalf of the Emeritus Faculty Council.
Committee Assignments and Reports:
Faculty Council and Senate (Johnson, Spaziani). Gene reported on the Faculty Senate meeting of February 2. The Regents will meet in Iowa City on April 14. They will discuss consolidation of the business functions of: public radio, motor pools, internal auditing and risk management. The senate accepted an amendment to the draft on promotion and tenure stating that Assistant and Associate Provosts may participate in deliberations as members of their departments but not as members of the Provost staff. Wording of the sexual harassment policy will include full-time advising staff. Wording for job announcements for administrative executive and managerial positions must require demonstrated experience with or commitment to diversity in the work place.
Liaison to UIRA (Hoppin, not present)
Election Committee (Hood, Davidson) Work is on schedule.
Emeriti Listserv (Hood, Lance) Members not present.
Senior College (Hood) Courses on basketball, philosophy-religion, aging heart, operas on Shakespeare plays, Devonian fossils, Riverside Theatre summer plays, medical ethics, and images of Iowa are well subscribed and so far have been exceptionally well received.
Research Committee (Cannon, Smith) See Joe Cannon’s handout of the February 10 meeting devoted almost exclusively to the University Library.
Hancher Committee (Gelfand, Thayer) Confidentiality limits full report. Financial problems remain.
Libraries Committee (Ogren, Richerson) See Cannon’s report of the Research Council meeting of February 10.
Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee (Lembke, Norton) The Wellmark contract is still at an impasse. Other institutions have pulled back from Wellmark. Large (>$50K per incident) insurance claims are spread between policies, including UI Select, to minimize risk. On January 1, 2006 “generic” drugs will be provided free of cost to policy holders. Savings of several million are expected. Proposals on long-term care policies will be presented by 13 companies by March 31. UI must make a decision to the Federal Government on how they will handle charges for prescription drugs under part D of Medicare.
New Business:
Keith Thayer agreed to edit the Emeritus Faculty Association profile for submission to the Big 10.
Dee Norton agreed to contact the Honors Program Director to speak to the Council at the April meeting.
Next Meeting: April 4, 2005, 9:30 to 11:00 AM in B5 JH.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:20 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Tom Conway, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
Monday, January 31, 2005, 9:30 –11:00 AM
Present: Keith Thayer (President), Charles Barkknecht, Charles Davidson, Miriam Gelfand, Al Hood, Richard Hoppin, Valdean Lembke, Carl Ogren, Hal Richerson (Secretary Pro Tem), Ian Smith, Gene Spaziani, and invited speaker Judy Hurtig, Artistic Director, Hancher Auditorium.
Absent: Sam Becker, Tom Conway, William Hausler, Marion Johnson, George Lance, Dee Norton, and Tom Rocklin, Provost Office.
Presentation by invited speaker Judy Hurtig: President Thayer introduced Ms. Hurtig. She gave a general overview of the Hancher staff and "family" and problems with a perpetually strained budget, made worse by UI's current financial situation. The events this year are exciting, and programming is shaping up nicely for the next. Programs are scheduled from September through April while avoiding university breaks, intramural and other UI needs – in particular those of the Music and Dance Departments – which can be problematic
International programs and Broadway Musicals are predictably popular and well attended. Only one Broadway Show was scheduled this year because of complications; three are planned for next year. Attendance has been somewhat low for classical chamber music and jazz events, but will be continued. Clapp and other facilities are being used for anticipated smaller audiences.
Hancher acoustics were discussed. The auditorium was built primarily with orchestral/band productions, stage musicals and other large group presentations for which Hancher is well suited. Plays and other productions that depend largely on the spoken word encounter acoustical problems in various areas, especially parts of the balcony and lateral areas on the main floor.
In closing, she pointed out that those who enjoy events of the type brought to Hancher are enthusiastically encouraged to show their interest and support (bodily and financial) by attending such events.
Council members expressed thanks to Ms. Hurtig.
Minutes: The minutes of the December 6, 2004, EFC meeting were approved as written.
Old Business:
1. Report on Triangle Club Support.
The question is on the current agenda of the Faculty Council.
A committee is to be appointed by the Assistant Provost to determine faculty interest and in feasibility of Triangle Club resuscitation.
2. Status of bringing Kris Maser, Minneapolis lawyer specializing in elder law to UI campus.
President Thayer reported that on initial contact Ms Maser had reservations because she is not licensed in Iowa. This appears to be no problem (Charles Davidson). The information will be relayed to her and further attempts be made for her to spend a day on campus. Presentations to the UIRA, EFC and/or the annual meeting of the Emeritus Faculty Association were suggested.
Committee Assignments and Reports:
EFC Annual Meeting (Davidson, Lembke, Richerson): Tentative date is June 20, 2005, in John Pappajohn Building, Donald Gurnett, speaker – details being finalized.
Faculty Council/Senate (Johnson, Spaziani): No report.
Liaison to UIRA (Hoppin): There was a budget discussion at the December meeting.
Emeriti ListServ (Hood, Lance): Newsletter was transmitted in December, little new since.
Senior College (Hood): Al will be relinquishing the chair after this year. EFC members expressed their appreciation for his excellent leadership and hard work, and for the consistent excellence of offerings. All is going well with the winter's courses – 6 of the 8 offered are full.
Research Committee (Cannon, Smith): Report is attached to the agenda package.
Hancher Committee (Gelfand, Thayer): A notice to our representatives was received indicating that all of the Committee's doings are strictly confidential; a signature was requested to assure compliance. Since the situation is unclear to the EFC, clarification will be sought from the Hancher staff.
Library Committee (Ogren, Richerson): Scheduled to meet February 11.
Retirement and Insurance Committee (Lembke, Norton): The committee meets 5 times a year, so there is no current report. Council members expressed great interest in future deliberations of this committee.
New Business
1. Emeritus Status for Retirees.
The agenda package contained two items on this subject that raised questions about where indicated changes originated, whether recent, their significance, and need – if any for discussion or action by the EFC. It was the opinion of the EFC members present that we had previously dealt adequately with the topic.
2. Membership in and attendance at annual meetings of the Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education (AROHE).
President Thayer raised a question about policy in sending a delegate from the EFC to annual meetings of the association, and who it might be. The plan in place is to send the immediate past president of the EFC. The UIRA may participate separately.
3. Speaker/Guest suggestions for future Emeritus Faculty Council meetings.
A. Bob Downer on present workings of the Board of Regents.
B. Presentation by the new Dean of the Graduate College.
C. Director of Admissions on the question of restricting admissions.
D. Presentation by Wellmark of its position on UI & UIHC coverage.
Several EFC members volunteered to contact appropriate individuals in turn.
Meeting was adjourned without objection at 11:05.
Next Meeting – March 7, 2005 – 9:30 to 11:00 AM – B5JH
Respectfully submitted,
Hal B. Richerson, Secretary Pro Tem