Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
8:30 – 10:00 A.M., December 6, 2004
Present: Keith Thayer (President), Charles Davidson, Miriam Gelfand, Al Hood, Richard Hoppin, Marion Johnson, George Lance, Valdean Lembke, Dee Norton, Carl Ogren, Hal Richerson, Ian Smith, Tom Rocklin, Provost Office, David Johnsen, Dean of the College of Dentistry, and Tom Conway (Secretary)
Absent: Charles Barfknecht, Sam Becker, Gene Spaziani, and William Hausler
Introduction: President Keith Thayer introduced our invited speaker, David C. Johnsen, Dean of the College of Dentistry.
Presentation of Dean Johnsen: Dean Johnsen described a number of recent events and activities of the College of Dentistry. He emphasized prominent work done by faculty in education, service and research that have established the College as one of the very best dental colleges in the United States. In particular, UI dental research is supported at a very high level, within the top 10 or 11.
There has been a long history of productive research with the UI College of Medicine especially in the area of cranial and facial research that recently emphasizes the roles of genetics in clefting. For example, studies in collaboration with Jeff Murray in Pediatrics are focused on defects in an array of particular genes from different cultures that seem to be associated with clefting.
Cooperative work with the College of Pharmacy and Pediatric Dentistry has led to the development of gels impregnated with antibacterial agents that when applied to teeth suppress the activity of cariogenic bacteria. Other work is studying host defense mechanisms associated with combating periodontal disease with the aim of developing immunologic therapies for these diseases.
Dean Johnsen told us that his College has 90 full-time faculty, approximately 75 students in each entering class and about 70 dentists in residency programs for which they have had training programs for over 25 years. At least 10 Iowa-trained dentists presently serve as deans in other dental colleges.
Over the years, the number of female dental students and female faculty has increased dramatically to where approximately 45 per cent of the entering classes are now female students.
President Thayer, on behalf of the Council, thanked Dean Johnsen for his very useful and informative presentation.
Minutes:
The Minutes of the November 1, 2004 Council meeting were approved as written.
Old Business:
The presentation of Bruce Wheaton at the November 1, 2004 meeting was discussed as were the handouts distributed at that time. The consensus was that some of our questions still need answers. The most recent version of the University of Iowa Intellectual Property Policy has been presented to the Faculty Council and Senate and approved with minor revision. It is unlikely there will be any change to this document until a new Vice President for Research is appointed.
President Thayer drew the Council’s attention to the Final Report of the Task Force on Emeritus Faculty, dated April, 1998. This document was distributed at the October 4, 2004 meeting of the EMF by Vice Provost Pat Cain. Many of the recommendations of the Task Force have been accomplished, including the establishment of an emeritus faculty council. However, the University may still have need of a faculty club. Vice Provost Cain has a keen interest in the development of such a club. This precipitated discussion of the Triangle Club, its history, value and problems. Whereas some universities have active and popular faculty clubs, the clubs of others are not as useful. Keith Thayer suggested that we cooperate with Pat Cain on determining whether there is a strong interest for a UI faculty club and, if so, how such a club might be developed to best serve the faculty.
Vice President Marion Johnson gave a more complete report of the October 8-10, 2004 meeting of the Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education (AROHE) held in Nashville. Participants from several universities attended. In general, the retirement organizations at these institutions are associated with either the provost’s office (faculty retirees) or with a department of human resources (faculty and staff retirees). Two successful programs are at Emory University and the University of Southern California. Handouts were distributed detailing many of the activities of these two programs. Some organization give merit awards, most have newsletters. V.P Johnson strongly recommends that the University of Iowa join AROHE.
Committee Assignments and Reports:
Faculty Council and Senate. (Johnson, Spaziani). Next meeting is Jan.18. Support of United Way was encouraged. The intellectual property document was approved. Parking rates will increase; there is a need for more ramps. Liberal Arts students want a higher computing fee. Tom Rocklin commented that the Regents need to control fees, so it’s not likely there will be an increase for LA students.
Liaison to UIRA (Hoppin) Discussion of the transition between boards. Art Cantor described how UIRA was started.
Emeriti Listserv (Hood, Lance) Newsletter is going out. It will include the Fulbright Scholar program.
Senior College (Hood) The Middle East and the testing courses were highly rated. Spring course mailing will go out this month. There will be courses on basketball, philosophy-religion, aging heart, operas on Shakespeare plays, Devonian fossils, Riverside Theatre summer plays, medical ethics, and images of Iowa.
Research Committee (Cannon, Smith) See Ian Smith’s handout.
Hancher Committee (Gelfand, Thayer) No report. Will meet December 7, 2004.
Libraries Committee (Ogren, Richerson) Minutes of the November 12 meeting were distributed. Planning for off campus dense-storage facility.
Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee (Lembke, Norton) a summary of the December 3 meeting of FRIC was distributed. Dee Norton initiated a discussion of how best to make accurate reports based on the minutes of the committee meetings, which usually are distributed long after the meeting was held. The consensus of the Council seemed to be that monthly reports at the Council meetings be brief and summarize the most important or topical issues. Committee minutes might be made available when they arrive or to correct an earlier statement.
New Business:
President Thayer asked for suggestions for speakers at future meetings. Judy Hurtig, Program Associate, Hancher Auditorium, will speak at our next meeting, January 3, 2005, 9:30 -11:00 a.m., B5 JH.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:10 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Tom Conway, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
10:00 – 11:30 A.M., November 1, 2004
Present: Charles Davidson, William Hausler, Al Hood, Richard Hoppin, Marion Johnson, George Lance, Valdean Lembke, Dee Norton, Carl Ogren, Hal Richerson, Ian Smith, Gene Spaziani, Keith Thayer, Tom Rocklin, Provost Office, Grainne Martin, Sr. Assoc. General Counsel for Research, Bruce Wheaton, Exec. Director UI Research Foundation, and Tom Conway (Secretary)
Absent: Charles Barfnecht, Sam Becker, and Miriam Gelfand
Introduction: President Keith Thayer introduced Grainne Martin and our invited speaker Bruce Wheaton, Executive Director of the University of Iowa Research Foundation.
Mr. Wheaton had been invited to explain the past, current, and proposed operations of the University of Iowa Research Foundation so that the Council might better understand the consequences of changes proposed in the recent draft of the University of Iowa Intellectual Property Policy.
Mr. Wheaton explained that the University of Iowa Research Foundation (UIRF) was formed in 1981 as a not-for-profit corporation that operates much like the University of Iowa Foundation, the organization that helped found it. The Charter of the UIRF says its mission is to manage intellectual properties, including patents, created by UI students, faculty and staff as part of their association with the University. The intent is to maximize for public benefit the works of UI students and faculty, with commercialization a means to this end.
Three charts were distributed that showed 10 year trends in invention disclosures received, patent applications filed, and patents issued. The number of patents issued increased from about 19 in FY95 to about 38 during the years of FY 00 to FY04, where they have remained about the same. A fourth chart of total annual income over the same 10 year period showed constant income of about $0.75 million from FY95 to FY98, followed by a dramatic and continual rise in annual income to a peak of $9.5 million in FY04. Total income for the 10 years was $42.7 million. Legal fees are the biggest cost against income.
The Research Foundation Board of Directors presently has 14 members, headed by UI President David Skorton. Bruce Wheaton is the Secretary/Treasurer. The Colleges of Law, Pharmacy, Engineering, and Medicine are represented as well as the State of Iowa Board of Regents, the UI Foundation and other entities. It is my perception that when a Vice President for Research is in place, President Skorton may leave the Board, and the VP for Research will be President of the Board. Mr. Wheaton indicated that the Board is an advisory board for the VP for Research.
In the year 2000 a decision was made not to waive patent rights to those whose disclosures were rejected for patent application. This action became very contentious; consequently, the committee charged with drafting the new policy has taken it out of the present draft. A very recent change has also removed a committee that had been called the Disclosure Committee in earlier drafts. This committee had been charged with studying rejected disclosures to determine whether the University wanted to retain rights to the invention instead of waiving its rights to the inventor. The functions of the “old” Disclosure Committee as proposed in the new draft (which we have not seen) will be assigned to the Patent Advisory Group, which is a sub-committee of the Intellectual Property Committee. The Intellectual Property Committee is appointed by the VP for Research following advice from the Faculty Senate, the Staff Council, and the Student Senate.
Gene Spaziani asked Mr. Wheaton to “walk us through” the series of steps that are taken in applying for a patent. Mr. Wheaton referred us to an application form that can be found on the UI website. The formal witnessed disclosure is assigned to one of five members of his staff who hires a patent attorney for a patentability assessment. In earlier years there was a Patent Committee with members from the faculty, staff, and students. The Patent Committee studied applications for their scientific merit and suitability for patent application. Now the Research Foundation hires a patent attorney to judge patent suitability. The Research Foundation staff decides on patentability and defendability. If appropriate, a provisional patent application is filed. Staff also determines potential rights based on how the research was funded, public or private. The staff asks the inventor to suggest companies that might license and market the invention.
During the presentation Council members asked several questions of Mr. Wheaton. His answers too many of these questions are part of the above summary.
A five-page undated document titled “Revised UI Policies on Intellectual Property Background, Rationale and Highlights” was distributed without comment. It appears to be the charge to the ad hoc committee responsible for revision of the University of Iowa Intellectual Property Policy.
A short business meeting followed Mr. Wheaton’s presentation.
Minutes: Minutes of the meetings of October 4 and 11, 2004 were approved as written.
Committee Assignments and Reports:
Faculty Council and Senate (Johnson, Spaziani). Council met in October. Next meeting is November 16. A report of Faculty Senate meetings on Sept. 7 and Oct. 19, 2004 were distributed.
Liaison to UIRA (Hoppin) President Paul Collins withdrew. Sara Wolfson is the President elect.
Emeriti Listserv (Hood, Lance) The e-mail list is up to date.
Senior College (Hood) Rex Honey’s course on the Middle East was attended by 120 at the North Ridge Pavilion in Coralville. The venue was barely suitable, but the course was excellent. The Nazi Germany course was over subscribed. Sam Alford will conduct a basketball course in the Spring.
Research Committee (Cannon, Smith) Ian Smith will take Joe Cannon’s place at the next meeting.
Hancher Committee (Gelfand, Thayer) Nor report.
Libraries Committee (Ogren, Richerson) Minutes of the October 8 meeting were distributed. Two brochures “Creating Change” and “Open Access” will be mailed to the faculty.
Retirement and Insurance Committee (Lembke, Norton) Requests for changes in health benefits have been mailed.
New Business:
Because of the late hour, a report from Marion Johnson on the AROHE Conference of October 8-10, 2004 will be given at the next meeting.
Gene Spaziani suggested Judy Hurtig, Program Associate, Hancher Auditorium, as a speaker for our next meeting
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:45 a.m.
Respectively submitted,
Tom Conway, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
10:00 – 11:30 A.M., October 4, 2004
Present: Sam Becker, Charles Davidson, Miriam Gelfand, Bill Hausler, Richard Hoppin, Marion Johnson, George Lance, Valdean Lembke, Carl Ogren, Hal Richerson, Ian Smith, Gene Spaziani, Tom Rocklin, Provost Office, and Tom Conway (Secretary)
Absent: Charles Barfnecht, Al Hood, Dee Norton, Keith Thayer
Minutes: Minutes of the meeting of September 13, 2004 were corrected to show that the following members were in attendance: Richard Hoppin, Valdean Lembke, and Gene Spaziani.
Introduction: Vice President Marion Johnson conducted the meeting in President Thayer’s absence. She introduced our invited speaker Vice Provost Pat Cain, who spoke about the Final Report of the Task Force on Emeritus Faculty, dated April, 1998. Copies of this report had been distributed earlier to members of the Council.
Presentation of Vice Provost Cain: The distributed document consisted of a two-page Executive Summary of the Final Report followed by the complete 14-page Report. The 16 recommendations of the committee focused on three main areas: A. Continued participation in University service, teaching and research, B. Facilitating Retirement, and C. Post-retirement issues and needs.
Pat emphasized her own ideas on how emeritus faculty might continue to contribute to the University. Among these were taking on service assignments and participating in the review of University units, such as Department reviews and reviews of interdisciplinary facilities, e.g. the Art Museum.
Vice Provost Cain was particularly keen about the establishment of a Faculty Club for the entire University, located centrally near adequate parking, and in a new building with facilities that would stimulate and encourage faculty interaction and cooperation. She has seen the value of such clubs at other universities.
Another capital improvement project suggested was the construction of a Living Retirement Complex for both faculty and emeritus faculty.
V.P. Johnson thanked Pat on behalf of the Council and suggested that it would be a good idea to provide all new EFC members with a copy of the Task Force’s 1998 Report.
There also was discussion of recommendation number 5 that called for the availability of some research funds for emeritus faculty.
Old Business:
- The enclosed and corrected FINAL roster of Council members with preferred e-mail addresses was approved.
- V.P. Johnson announced that she will represent the Council at the AROHE (Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education) meeting in Nashville on October 8-10.
- There is no information on response by Dick Caplan about the Council’s decision not to pursue a formal policy on emeriti auditing UI courses.
- George Lance reported on a preliminary document from the Intellectual Properties Committee describing changes to University policy on disclosures that the University decides not to support for patent. Such disclosures will revert to the investigators following University approval. George described a long phone conversation with Bruce Wheaton about this document, which still needs some changes before going to the Faculty Senate. See below for more on this topic.
Committee Assignments and Reports:
Faculty Council and Senate (Johnson, Spaziani). No report.
Liaison to UIRA (Hoppin) No meeting yet.
Emeriti Listserv (Hood, Lance) Most of the e-mail list has been updated.
Senior College (Hood) Bill Hausler reported that interest remains high.
Research Committee (Cannon, Smith) V.P. Johnson distributed copies of Joe Cannon’s 3-page report of the September 23rd meeting.
Hancher Committee (Gelfand, Thayer) No meeting yet.
Libraries Committee (Ogren, Richerson) No meeting yet.
Retirement and Insurance Committee (Lembke, Norton) The Committee met on Friday. Requests for changes in health benefits will be mailed out in November. Rates for health care will increase, for example, from $196 to $223 per month. University subsidy levels are not known yet. If they do not change, a person with CHIP II will see payments increase from $67 to $103 per month. There was nothing new on long term care.
Ad hoc Research Committee (Hausler, Smith, Barfknecht) Bill and Ian distributed a summary of a meeting on Sept. 16. Following discussion, Tom Rocklin suggested that the EFC may need to address the concerns about patent disclosure rather promptly if we want input to the document that the Intellectual Property Committee is readying for submission to the Faculty Senate. Accordingly, V.P. Johnson called for a special EFC meeting on Monday, October 11, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. to discuss this topic. Details and location of the meeting will be forthcoming.
New Business:
Members are urged to transmit their views by e-mail to the ad hoc Research Committee before the October 11 meeting. It is hoped that consensus on a number of concerns can be achieved and a list of these presented to Bruce Wheaton before inviting him to address the Council.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:02 a.m.
Respectively submitted,
Tom Conway, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
8:30 – 10:30 A.M., September 13, 2004
Present: Keith Thayer (President), Charles Barfknecht, Charles Davidson, Miriam Gelfand, Bill Hausler, Al Hood, Marion Johnson, George Lance, Dee Norton, Carl Ogren, Hal Richerson, Ian Smith, Lee Anna Clark (Provost Liaison for Tom Rocklin) and Tom Conway (Secretary)
Absent: George Lance, Carl Ogren
Minutes: Minutes of the meeting of July 12, 2004 were approved as distributed. Bill Hausler wished to confirm the comment by Provost Hogan that “Iowans do not know how good they are.”
Introductions: President Thayer introduced our invited speaker Joe Cannon, who has been providing excellent written reviews of the deliberations of the Research Council.
Presentation of Professor Emeritus Cannon: Joe first spoke about the reaction of the Research Council to the cuts in funding proposed by the General Education Task Force to the Art Museum and the Natural History Museum. Council members from the College of Liberal Arts were adamant about the essential roles both museums play in their teaching and research.
They were even more concerned about the $200,000 cut to the University of Iowa Press, which sparked three members to compose letters to their Departmental executives objecting to the proposed cuts and speaking to the importance of the UI Press to the prestige of our University.
Of most interest to the Emeritus Faculty Council is the presumed failure of the University in encouraging, evaluating and protecting the intellectual property rights of the faculty and staff. A major concern is the apparent inactivity of the Intellectual Properties Committee, which hasn’t met for some time. It is unclear as to who comprises this committee. Also, it is not generally known whether a “Patent Advisory Group”, appointed about a year ago, has not ever met, nor is it known who makes up this group. We are concerned about the perceived “secrecy” surrounding disclosure protocols and whether review of patent disclosures is done by people with the appropriate scientific expertise.
Bill Hausler asked whether records or minutes were kept of the earlier committee meetings of about 5 years ago. These records might give some insight into what was accomplished earlier and why the procedure does not seem to be working now.
President Thayer asked Professors Barfknecht, Hausler, and Smith to act as a sub-committee to pursue this question.
Old Business:
President Thayer asked members to carefully look over their entry on the Roster of Council Members that was attached to the mailing from the Provost’s office, make any necessary corrections and mail the corrected Roster to him.
The final draft of Committee and Service Assignments for 2004-2005 was distributed. Alternates will serve when the primary designee is unavailable.
Al Hood reported on the results of the Survey from the Annual Meeting in June 2004. Several new names were added to the Listserv. The request for volunteers to conduct oral histories of their Departments yielded 51 names. Some volunteered to present Senior College courses. Sixteen offered to help UI outreach with a number of activities including TV teaching.
Al also described a letter by an ad hoc committee of University staff requesting emeritus status for scientific research staff and research engineers. This has been discussed by Faculty Senate officers, but it has not been presented as yet to the Senate. Lee Anna Clark told the Council about the organizational efforts of these groups and suggested that they would be best served by separate status. All non-faculty emeriti could organize on their own and promote causes they have in common.
Committee Assignments and Reports:
Faculty Council and Senate (Johnson, Spaziani) Not aware of a meeting; however, Lee Anna Clark reported that a recent meeting dealt with three recommendations of the General Education Task Force in finding ways to accommodate $12M in budget cuts. These were: (1) Reduce accumulated vacation time from two years to one year. (2) Require employment of 3 years or more for the employee to retain the UI contribution to his\her TIAA-CREF retirement account upon leaving. (3) Change the Flex Benefits (mostly for health care) for those in the DINK status, dual incomes no kids. These are partners with no children. It is proposed that only one partner, instead of both, would get the added benefits of this “status”.
The committee report on guidelines for tenure track and clinical track promotions was approved and will go to the Colleges.
Liaison to UIRA (Hoppin) No meeting yet.
Emeriti Listserv (Hood, Lance) There are now 260 e-mail addresses on the Listserv.
Senior College (Hood) Enrollment in the Fall classes is going well. The course, “Reflections of Pre- to Post-World War II Germany” is filled, and the course “Challenges in the Middle East” is almost filled. An early Spring course will feature Sam Alford explaining basketball rules and strategy.
Research Committee (Cannon, Smith) See above. For more information see Joe’s report of the May 2004 meeting that was distributed with the June EFC Minutes.
Hancher Committee (Gelfand, Thayer) not met yet.
Libraries Committee (Ogren, Richerson) Budget cuts of $430,000 have been partially off set by other funds; however, 12 open positions will not be filled this year. The library has added a Middle East section. There are continuing storage problems. On line open access to some journals may help reduce some costs of journal subscriptions.
Retirement and Insurance Committee (Lembke, Norton) Rates for health care have been projected. It is likely that BlueCross/Blue Shield rates will increase. Payments to Medicare will increase ~17%, whereas Social Security benefits will increase ~3%. For some people this will represent a net decrease in monthly benefits.
New Business:
- President Thayer asked Council members to suggest speakers for the October and later meetings. One suggestion was to hear from some of the new Deans.
- Keith Thayer discussed a request brought to him from Dick Caplan on behalf of some one else for allowing emeritus faculty the opportunity to audit UI classes. Sam Becker suggested that this may best be done by individuals contacting the Departments or instructors themselves instead of having a blanket policy. It was the experience of some Council members that individual contacts worked well at least during the years that they were employed by the University.
- President Thayer, with three other University of Iowa representatives, attended the annual meeting of Big 10 retired faculty associations August 20-22 in Minneapolis. The meeting was attended by representatives from all Big 10 universities except Northwestern, which does not have a retired faculty association. Keith thought that Iowa is the only Big 10 School with an Emeritus Faculty Council. He was especially impressed by the presentation of Chris Maser, a Minneapolis lawyer in private practice who specializes in the legal problems of elders. There was a great deal of interest from the Council in either bringing Ms. Maser to Iowa City for a talk or finding a local attorney with similar clientele. Lee Anna Clark agreed to look into the matter further.
- A representative has not been selected as yet to attend the October 8-10 meeting in Nashville of the AROHE (Association of Retiree Organizations in Higher Education). A volunteer would be most welcome. Expense money is available.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:15 a.m.
The next meeting is scheduled for October 4 at 10:00 a.m. in B5 JH
Respectfully submitted,
Tom Conway, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
10:00 – 11:30 A.M., July 12, 2004
Present: Keith Thayer (President), Charles Barfknecht, Charles Davidson, Miriam Gelfand, Bill Hausler, Al Hood, Marion Johnson, George Lance, Dee Norton, Carl Ogren, Hal Richerson, Tom Rocklin (Provost, Liaison), Ian Smith, and Tom Conway (Secretary)
Absent: Sam Becker, Richard Hoppin, Valdean Lembke, and Gene Spaziani
Minutes: Minutes of the meeting of June 7, 2004 were approved as distributed.
Introductions: President Thayer welcomed Provost Michael Hogan who introduced himself to each member of the Council. Council members introduced themselves to the group indicating their former departmental association. Provost Hogan also introduced Tom Rocklin, Associate Provost for Faculty Development, who will serve as liaison to the Council.
Presentation of Provost Michael Hogan: Provost Hogan spoke of his earlier association with the University of Iowa and about his prior work at Ohio State University, commenting about similarities and differences between the two institutions. He asked the Council to describe some of their previous and ongoing projects. President Thayer asked Al Hood to explain the origins and successes of the Senior College. Keith Thayer thanked the Provost, on behalf of the Council, for his presentation and for the opportunity to get to know him better.
Election of Council Officers 2004-05: The Nominations Committee presented a proposed slate of officers for the coming academic year. Marion Johnson – Vice President; Tom Conway – Secretary; Hal Richerson – Secretary pro tem. Further nominations were called for from the floor. None being presented, a motion was made to accept the Nominations Committee report. A unanimous ballot was cast to elect. Al Hood automatically continues as Past President.
Old Business:
Al Hood thanked Bill Hausler and the Annual Meeting Committee for making the Annual Meeting this June an outstanding success. In particular he was pleased with their selection of Bob Hibbs as the featured speaker. Bill commented that we need a procedure to formally acknowledge speakers in the future. Although Bill has written to thank Mr. Hibbs, we should look into the possibility of offering an honorarium to speakers at our Annual Meeting who are not, nor were previously, associated with the University.
Marion Johnson reported on the results of the election of new Council members.
The question of retired Librarians eligibility for membership in the Emeritus Faculty Council was discussed again. Al Hood reminded us that the Manual of Procedure of the University lists librarians with faculty as emeriti. This topic will be considered again as will any need for change of the Council’s name.
Dee Norton reported that the College of Liberal Arts is not yet ready to implement the Fall Workshops planned for faculty considering retirement in the coming year. Several emeritus faculty have shown an interest in participating in these workshops to share their experiences in easing the transition to the retired state.
Committee Assignments and Reports:
Faculty Council and Senate (Thayer, Spaziani) There were no meetings this period.
Liaison to UIRA (Hoppin) No report.
Emeriti Listserv (Becker, Hood) There are now 222 e-mail addresses on the Listserv, but they are not associated with a name because of a software change. It was suggested that e-mail messages be sent to all addresses asking for the associated names and any other missing information.
Senior College (Hood) The pre-announcement has been mailed. The jazz course had to be cancelled.
Research Committee (Cannon) Joe Cannon has agreed to serve for another year. We are all very grateful for his excellent reports and thorough analysis. Charles Barfknecht agreed to ask Joe to attend the September meeting to advise us as to the best strategy for proposing changes to the University Operations Manual in respect to Intellectual Property.
Hancher Committee (Thayer) No report.
Libraries Committee (Richerson) There was no meeting this period.
Retirement and Insurance Committee (Lembke) No report.
New Business:
- Committee Assignments. President Thayer discussed the distributed DRAFT of Proposed Committee and Service Assignments for 2004-2005. Every member is on at least one committee. He asked all members to consider possible changes that better fit their interests or expertise. The final assignments will be circulated after the September meeting.
- Speakers or Guests for future meetings. Suggestions are welcomed. We hope that Joe Cannon will attend our next meeting in September, or a later meeting, to participate in discussion of problems associated with the development, use, and ownership of intellectual property within the University.
- Attendance at off-campus meetings. Keith Thayer, with three other University of Iowa representatives, will attend the annual meeting of Big 10 retired faculty associations to be held August 20-22 in Minneapolis. A representative has not been selected as yet to attend the October 8-10 meeting in Nashville of the AROHE (Association of Retiree Organizations in Higher Education). A volunteer would be most welcome. Expense money is available.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:20 a.m.
There will be no meeting in August.
The next meeting is scheduled for September 13 at 8:30 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Tom Conway, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30-10:55 A.M., Monday, June 7, 2004
Present: Al Hood (President), Sam Becker, Tom Conway, Charles Davidson, Bill Hausler, Richard Hoppin, Marion Johnson, George Lance, Valdean Lembke, Edward Mason, Dee Norton, Carl Orgren, Eugene Spaziani, Keith Thayer, Lee Anna Clark (Liaison), and Keith Guillory (Secretary)
Absent: Charles Hale and Hal Richerson
Minutes: Minutes of the meeting of May 3, 2004 were approved as distributed.
Old Business
Election Results: President Hood announced the results of the mail ballot sent to members of the Association. The proposed change in the by-laws was approved overwhelmingly (164-2 with 3 abstentions). The following persons were elected to the Emeritus Faculty Council: Keith Thayer (Dentistry), Al Hood (Education), Charles Barfknecht (Pharmacy), Miriam Gelfand (Liberal Arts and Sciences), Richard Hoppin (Liberal Arts and Sciences), and Ian Smith (Medicine).
Annual Meeting: The Annual Meeting will take place on June 21, 2004 in room W401 of the John Pappajohn Business Building. It is estimated that 50-60 persons will attend. The featured speaker, Bob Hibbs, will present an illustrated lecture entitled, “A Tale of Antique Town and Gown.” Provost Michael Hogan may make a brief appearance at the meeting if he can get away from the Regent’s orientation session that is scheduled for the same time.
Member Survey: There were 140 responses to the member survey that accompanied the ballots for Emeritus Faculty Council. Fifty persons indicated that they would be willing to assist in the oral history project. Fifteen volunteered for outreach activities. Most of the respondents provided Email addresses, but some may be difficult to contact since their names were separated from their survey responses when the luncheon reservation forms were separated from the surveys.
Clarification Needed: There was an inquiry from the Office of the Provost concerning emeritus librarians who were not faculty members when they retired. Are they eligible to participate in the Annual Meeting and other activities of the Association of Emeritus Faculty of the University of Iowa? According to the Operations Manual, members of the library professional staff are eligible for automatic conferral of emeritus standing on retirement. The question arose as to whether the names of the Emeritus Faculty Council and the Association of Emeritus Faculty would have to be changed if librarians were admitted to these groups. Further discussion on this matter was deferred until a later meeting.
Committees/Assignments/Reports
Liaison to UIRA:
Professor Richard Hoppin reported that there will be no additional meetings of the UIRA Board of Directors until September. There was some discussion of the matter of compensation for participants in events sponsored by the UIRA. The annual picnic is scheduled for Tuesday, June 8.
LISTSERV:
President Hood will add new Email addresses to the LISTSERV.
Senior College:
Some of the programs scheduled for next academic year will be included in the University of Iowa's “Year of the Arts and Humanities.”
Research Council:
Professor Joseph Cannon’s submitted two reports to the Council, however, these were inadvertently left out of the packets members of the Council received. His reports will be considered at the next Council meeting.
Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee:
Professor Valdean Lembke circulated his report on the last meeting of the Committee. One of the major issues had to do with requests from some retirees to be permitted to continue to participate in the UI Select program. Another issue discussed was a request from retirees who had dropped their UI coverage but later wished to resume coverage. The Emeritus Faculty Council was requested to review this issue. President Hood reported that the overwhelming majority of the responses he received from his request for comments on this matter indicated a preference that the policy remain the same, i.e. that persons not be permitted to resume coverage once it is dropped. Also discussed was the issue of identifying vendors for long term care policies and the issue of whether rates could be increased for persons who opt for this kind of coverage. Apparently group rates, but not individual rates, can be increased. Fewer vendors for this kind of coverage have been identified than had been previously anticipated. It is hoped that a vendor can be selected this fall.
New Business
Council Officers: The Nominating Committee (Al Hood, Keith Thayer, Keith Guillory) met and developed recommendations for a slate of officers (Vice-President, Secretary) to be submitted to the Council at its July meeting. Nominations from the floor also will be accepted.
Speakers/Guests: Provost Michael Hogan has been invited to attend a future meeting of the Council. Names of other potential guests should be submitted to President-elect Thayer.
There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 10:55 A.M.
The next meeting is scheduled for July 12 at 9:30 A.M.
Respectively Submitted,
Keith Guillory, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30 – 11:00 A.M., May 3, 2004
Present: Al Hood (President), Tom Conway, Dick Hoppin, Bill Hausler, George Lance, Val Lembke, Edward Mason, Dee Norton, Carl Ogren, Hal Richerson, Eugene Spaziani, Keith Thayer, and Lee Anna Clark (Liaison)
Absent: Sam Becker, Charles Davidson, Keith Guillory, Charles Hale, and Marion Johnson
Minutes: Minutes of the meeting of April 5, 2004 were approved as amended be Lee Anna Clark whose office will make the corrections.
Old Business
Annual Meeting notice and ballot:
Bill Hausler reported that the program is on schedule for the Annual Meeting. Bob Hibbs, the featured speaker, will present an illustrated lecture titled, “A Tale of Antique Town and Gown”. The meeting is scheduled for June 21, 2004 in room W401of the John Pappajohn Business Building.
President Hood distributed a draft of a ballot that will be enclosed with the announcement of the Annual Meeting mailed to all members of the Association of Emeritus Faculty. This ballot proposes a change in the Manual of Procedure of the Association that relates to the definition of Emeritus Faculty. Presently membership in the Association of emeritus Faculty is limited to those who were eligible to vote for the election of members to the University of Iowa Faculty Senate at the time of their retirement. Since the University Operations Manual has a different and more detailed definition of Emeritus Faculty, the Council proposes that our Manual of Procedure be changed to define Emeritus Faculty according to the University’s Manual of Procedure.
Suggestions were made to correct typos in the ballot. A draft of the reservation form and the survey to accompany the letter announcing the annual meeting had been circulated along with the agenda for this meeting. Several suggestions were made to this form including the fact that the announcement of the meeting should show clearly to whom checks for the luncheon are mailed.
Liberal Arts faculty:
No information has been received from the College of Liberal Arts concerning the Council’s role in the development of a program for Liberal Arts faculty who are considering retirement. This program is still in the planning stage.
Committee/Assignments/Reports:
Faculty Council/Senate: Gene Spaziani reported that the Faculty Senate meeting of April 17, 2004 was devoted largely to final committee reports and to the election of officers for the 2004-2005 academic year. The Motion Summary report is designed to track motions of the Senate so they do not disappear from attention. Guidelines for Promotion and Tenure clarified, updated, and edited. The ad hoc Committee to Review Committees proposed two important changes: (1) that the name of the Faculty Welfare Committee be changed to the Faculty Policies and Compensation Committee to better describe their functions, and (2) a new Committee on Awards and Recognition be formed.
Gene brought our attention to an exceptionally good speech by Katherine Tachau, the new Faculty Senate president. The text of her talk can be found on the Senate website and will also be printed in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Liaison to UIRA: Dick Hoppin stated that interactions with the UIRA are running smoothly.
Emeriti Listserv/Website: Al Hood said that all newly retired faculty U of I e-mail addresses would appear on the listserv unless a person chooses NOT to be listed. Presently there are 168 names on the listserv. This change should result in a more complete list, which is important in anticipation of the larger number of early retirements expected this year.
Senior College: “Dean” Hood was delighted with the success of the programs offered this spring. Miriam Gilbert’s Shakespeare course was well liked by the 40 to 50 registrants. The same can be said for the nature program at Kent Park. Tentatively, offerings next Fall may deal with jazz, the Hoover Museum, the rise and fall of Nazi Germany, the Middle East, readings by international writers, contested elections of the 1900’s, educational testing, and a reprise by two old geologists.
Annual Meeting Committee: See the summary above.
Libraries Committee: Last month’s meeting was cancelled.
Research Committee: Professor Cannon’s report was attached to the agenda. In his report of a very recent Committee meeting (which will be distributed at the June meeting) he states that emeritus status for research scientists appears to be a dead issue.
Retirement and Insurance Committee: Val Lembke informed us of an upcoming meeting to review the potential insurance companies for health insurance and to consider revisions to CHIP I, II, III, e.g. high deductible plans.
Al Hood called the University Benefits Office to ask about the new medical prescription drug cards. That Office indicated that emeritus faculty will not need these cards since all CHIP programs cover prescription drugs.
New Business:
The recent solicitation for nominees to the Emeritus Faculty Council resulted in some new names; although nominees are still needed for a couple of colleges. Present Council members who have agreed to stand for re-election received lots of nominations.
Gene Spaziani, as well as others, was disappointed with the poor coverage by local newspapers of the election of Professors Kevin Campbell and Peter Greenberg to the National Academy of Science. Following the meeting Lee Anna Clark discovered that the press release that came out of the University was quite detailed. The local newspapers apparently chose to go with brief stories not recognizing the significance of membership in the National Academy of Science.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 10:50 A.M.
Respectfully submitted,
Tom Conway, Acting Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30-11:05 A.M., Monday, April 5, 2004
Present: Al Hood (President), Tom Conway, Charles Davidson, Charles Hale, Richard Hoppin, Marion Johnson, George Lance, Valdean Lembke, Edward Mason, Dee Norton, Carl Orgren, Hal Richerson, Keith Thayer, Lee Anna Clark (Liaison), and Keith Guillory (Secretary)
Absent: Sam Becker, Bill Hausler, and Eugene Spaziani
Associate-Provost Lee Anna Clark made a presentation entitled, “Changing Faculty Trends.” She showed slides of data related to faculty resignations broken down in categories including clinical track vs. tenure track; resignations by rank (assistant, associate and full professor); data regarding reasons for resignation, etc.
President Hood reported that the terms of Council members Charles Hale, Richard Hoppin, Keith Thayer, Edward Mason, and Keith Guillory are scheduled to expire this June. He asked those who are eligible to serve an additional term to let him know if they wish their names to be included on the ballot that will be mailed out this month.
Minutes: Minutes of the meeting of March 1, 2004 were approved as distributed.
Old Business
LISTSERV Newsletter:
President Hood reported that the LISTSERV Newsletter is now being distributed to 168 persons. Additional Email addresses will be solicited when the mailing goes out announcing the Annual Meeting.
Archives Oral History Project:
Members of the Council offered a number of suggestions regarding names of persons who should be interviewed for this project and names of persons who might be willing to organize the interviews.
Committees/Assignments/Reports
Liaison to UIRA:
Professor Richard Hoppin announced that President Hood has agreed to serve as chair of the Senior College Program Committee for one more year only. The UIRA is considering a possible change in the definition of the term, “emeritus”. A proposal has been made to extend emeritus status to persons who previously held appointments as staff scientists. These persons wish to have access to library materials over their home computers. Current library contracts with database providers only allow such access to those who have active appointments to the faculty. It could be costly to extend the privilege to additional users. The Council has previously discussed this proposal and did not support it.
Faculty Council/Faculty Senate:
Professor Keith Thayer reported on the Faculty Council’s discussion regarding reviews of collegiate deans. The Council recommended that the reviews take place at 6-year rather than 5-year intervals. They also discussed the salary incentive plans currently under consideration in a number of colleges and departments. Action on this matter was tabled until the next Council meeting. A recommendation regarding criminal background checks at the point of hire was approved and forwarded to the Senate.
Faculty Senate:
Professor Eugene Spaziani attended the Faculty Senate meeting held on March 23. Regents President Owen Newlin discussed problems resulting from the decrease in state funding. He pointed out that the universities now operate with a state subsidy that is approximately half that provided three years ago. The balance of the meeting was spent discussing the final report of the ad hoc committee on Amended Procedures for the Periodic Review of Collegiate Deans. After a bit of fine-tuning the report was approved for submission to President Skorton.
Senior College:
President Hood reported that his committee is working on next fall’s program. Attendance at Senior College sessions has fallen off a bit, but current enrollments are approximately 30-50 persons. The next group of lectures is entitled, “Iowa, A Living Tapestry” and the speaker is Mr. Brad Friedhof, a naturalist for the Johnson County Conservation Board. Also underway is, “The Making of the Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival.”
Annual Meeting:
The Annual Meeting of the Association will be held in Room W401 of the John Pappajohn Business Building on June 21, 2004. The meeting will be followed by a luncheon. Iowa City historian Bob Hibbs will be the featured speaker.
Research Council:
Professor Joseph Cannon’s written report on the activities of the Research Council was circulated to the Council members and its receipt was acknowledged with thanks to the author. Comments were made earlier related to the issue of emeritus status for scientific staff retirees which was also discussed by the Research Council.
Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee:
Professor Valdean Lembke attended the March meeting of the Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee. A subcommittee is continuing to discuss the issue of insurance coverage for long term care. Letters have gone out to vendors, and from the responders the subcommittee will select 4-5 to make presentations at sometime in the fall. It is hoped that a vendor can be selected by January 1.
New Business
Association Mailings:
An announcement concerning the Annual Meeting will be sent out soon, together with a ballot related to the proposed change in the by-laws to define who is eligible for membership in the Association. Also included might be a request for updated Email addresses, ideas for Senior College course offerings, volunteers to teach Senior College courses and invitations to participate in the oral history project.
Professor Keith Thayer reminded members that volunteers will be needed to fill the positions of Vice-President and Secretary when those positions must be filled in June.
Attention was directed to the Fulbright Senior Specialists program. This program is open to retired faculty who are willing to spend 2-6 weeks abroad. Information about the program is available at the web site: http://www.cies.org/specialists/
Raoul Kirkendahll has received inquiries concerning the development of a workshop for prospective retirees. He invited interested persons to attend a forthcoming meeting of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Executive Committee in early May. Professors Norton and Orgren agreed to participate.
There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 11:05 A.M.
The next meeting is scheduled for May 3 at 9:30 AM.
Respectively Submitted,
Keith Guillory, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30-10:25 A.M., Monday, March 1, 2004
Present: Keith Thayer (Vice-President, presiding), Tom Conway, Charles Davidson, Richard Hoppin, George Lance, Valdean Lembke, Edward Mason, Carl Orgren, Hal Richerson, Lee Anna Clark (Liaison), and Keith Guillory (Secretary)
Absent: Sam Becker, Charles Hale, Bill Hausler, Al Hood, Marion Johnson, Dee Norton, and Eugene Spaziani
Associate Provost Lee Anna Clark was scheduled to make a presentation, “Changing Faculty Trends,” but asked that her presentation be delayed until the April meeting. Members congratulated Dr. Clark on her recent designation as a Collegiate Fellow in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.
Minutes:
Minutes of the meeting of February 2, 2004 were approved as distributed.
OLD BUSINESS
Vice-President Thayer asked for volunteers to serve as alternates to represent the Council on University Charter Committees. Professor George Lance agreed to serve as an alternate on the Committee on University Libraries. Professor Carl Orgren will serve as an alternate on the Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee. Professor Tom Conway will serve as a second alternate on the Research Council.
Committees/Assignments/Reports
Faculty Council:
Professor Eugene Spaziani provided the Council with a detailed written report of the Faculty Council Meeting that was held on February 3, 2004. Topics discussed were the report from the Board in Control of Athletics (BICOA) regarding their response to the policy statement: Framework of the Coalition of Intercollegiate Athletics; the report from the Task Force on Student Arrest Rates; the incentive policy for salaries in basic science departments; and revision of the University of Iowa policy on conflicts of interest in employment (nepotism).
Faculty Senate:
Professor Thayer reported on the activities of the Faculty Senate at their meeting on February 10, 2004. The Senate’s discussion mirrored the subjects mentioned in the report on the Faculty Council. The Senate approved the BICOA report and forwarded it to President Skorton for his consideration. The nepotism issue was discussed at length and the Committee on Conflicts of Interest in Employment was asked to address the issues raised. In particular, concern was expressed regarding expanding the definition of nepotism to include not only relatives, but also close friends, because many DEOs might be considered close friends of their faculty., but these relationships should not be included in those to be addressed by the policy.
Research Council:
Professor Joseph Cannon’s written report on the activities of the Research Council was circulated to the Council members and its receipt was acknowledged with thanks to the author.
Committee on University Libraries:
Professor Hal Richerson met with members of the Committee on University Libraries. He reported that there are fourteen vacancies in the library staff and because of funding cutbacks these positions are not being filled. Matters related to copyright issues were also discussed. There was considerable attention paid to the projected schedule for capital improvements. A packet has been prepared and priorities are being set for the proposed expenditures. There is an urgent need for additional storage space for storage of older books and journals. A facility capable of storing 1.5 million volumes is needed with an estimated cost of $3-4 million. A high priority is remodeling of Hardin Library for the Health Sciences. Plans call for enclosing the stairway leading to the Veterans Administration Hospital, and converting this into usable library space. Estimated cost of this remodeling is $12-$18 million. Major improvements in the Main Library are needed. These are estimated to cost $61-$92 million.
Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee:
Professor Valdean Lembke attended the February meeting of the Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee. As reported previously, TIAA-CREF has decided to sell their long-term care business to Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife) and will no longer accept applications for this product. UNI will drop long-term care coverage for their employees. ISU will join the University of Iowa in seeking to identify a program to provide long-term care for employees. There are 116 eligible companies to consider. A committee has been appointed to explore this issue. The University of Iowa Benefits Office is exploring the possibility of offering a health-care program having a higher deductible provision so as to provide insurance at a reduced cost.
NEW BUSINESS
Web Site:
Ms. Deb Tiemens has revamped and expanded the Emeritus Faculty Council website and members are asked to visit that site and send comments to Ms. Tiemens.
Patents:
Professor George Lance observed that the policy on patents in the University Operations Manual is followed by the statement: “Page last updated January 2004 by Office of the Vice President for Finance and Operations.” However, the question was raised regarding whether this policy is the one currently under discussion by various campus groups. Dr. Clark responded that the phrase quoted refers to the entire Manual, and that the patent policy in that document was last amended in September, 1993. Revisions in the patent policy have not yet been finalized.
There being no further business the meeting was adjourned at 10:25 A.M.
The next meeting is scheduled for April 5 at 9:30 AM.
Respectively Submitted,
Keith Guillory, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
9:30-10:35 A.M., Monday, February 2, 2004
Present: Keith Thayer (Vice-President, presiding), Marion Johnson, George Lance, Valdean Lembke, Dee Norton, Lee Anna Clark (Liaison), and Keith Guillory (Secretary).
Guest: C. Edward Shreeves, Associate Director, University Libraries and Director, Collections and Information Resources.
Absent: Sam Becker, Tom Conway, Charles Davidson, Charles Hale, Bill Hausler, Al Hood, Richard Hoppin, Edward Mason, Carl Orgren, Hal Richerson, and Gene Spaziani.
Vice-President Thayer introduced C. Edward Shreeves, Associate Director, University Libraries and Director, Collections and Information Resources. Mr. Shreeves circulated information to the Council regarding the increases in prices for journal subscriptions, books, and monographs. He noted that serial expenditures have increased by 227% from 1986 to 2002. The price of monographs has increased by 75%. Many organizations that formerly published their own journals have turned over the rights to their journals to large publishing houses such as Elsevier, Kluwer, Wiley, etc., which are charging higher subscription prices, particularly for scientific journals. He also addressed the question of electronic journals and their cost relative to the print versions. He made a number of suggestions regarding how faculty could direct their publications to open access journals and how they can protect their copyright privileges.
Minutes: Minutes of the meeting of January 4, 2004 were approved as distributed.
Old Business: Vice-President Thayer asked for volunteers to serve as alternates to represent the Council on University Charter Committees. Professor Marion Johnson volunteered to serve on the Hancher Auditorium Committee. Although it is not a Charter Committee, Professor Dee Norton expressed an interest in participating on the Senior College Program Committee. It was suggested that the request for alternates be put up on our Listserv to recruit persons who are not members of the Council to serve in that capacity.
Included with the minutes was a draft of a letter which President Hood plans to send to Deans and Department Chairs regarding ways that emeritus faculty can contribute to their departments and ways that departments can provide services to emeriti. It was suggested that a note be added to the effect that departmental secretaries can access lists of emeritus faculty from the Provost’s office.
Committees/Assignments/Reports
Vice-President Thayer pointed out that Xeroxing service is available to emeritus faculty in Room #605 of the Jefferson Building. The committees from which we receive reports were generally inactive during the winter recess.
New Business:
President Al Hood has been working on the oral history project. Persons with long experience at the University of Iowa who would be interested in participating in this project should contact Professor Hood at ajhood@inav.net.
Associate Provost Lee Anna Clark agreed to make a presentation at our March meeting entitled, “Changing Faculty Trends.” It is hoped that Provost Designate Michael J. Hogan can be prevailed upon to address the Council at some time during the fall semester.
Professor George Lance raised again the question of the University’s Intellectual Property policy. In particular he pointed out the discrepancy in the treatment given applicants for patents as compared with persons who copyright their intellectual property. He compared patent policies at sister universities such as Wisconsin, Stanford, Iowa State, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with Iowa’s policy. He observed that their patent policies are somewhat less restrictive than ours.
Professor Marion Johnson asked that Professor Val Lembke, who serves as an observer on the Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee, keep the Council apprised concerning the impact that recent prescription drug legislation will have on the Medigap coverage now available from Wellmark.
There being no further business the meeting adjourned at 10:35 A.M.
The next meeting is scheduled for March 1 at 9:30 AM..
Respectively Submitted,
Keith Guillory, Secretary
Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes
8:30-9:50 A.M., Monday, January 5, 2004
Present: Al Hood (President), Charles Hale, George Lance, Valdean Lembke, Edward Mason, Carl Orgren, Hal Richerson, Keith Thayer, Lee Anna Clark (Liaison), and Keith Guillory (Secretary)
Absent: Sam Becker, Tom Conway, Charles Davidson, Richard Hoppin, Bill Hausler, Marion Johnson, Dee Norton, and Gene Spaziani
Minutes: Minutes of the meeting of December 1, 2003 were approved as distributed.
Old Business: President Al Hood reported that Emeritus Faculty Council members have begun participating as observers on three UI charter committees, and that he has contacted persons on those committees to ensure that our representatives receive notices of meetings and meeting agendas. Professor Keith Thayer is serving as our representative on the Hancher Auditorium Committee. Professor Hal Richerson is serving on the University Libraries Committee. Professor Val Lembke is serving on the Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee.
President Hood circulated a draft of a document which he plans to put up on our Listserv regarding participation of emeritus faculty in three different outreach efforts in which University faculty, specifically including emeritus faculty, have been invited to participate. These include the speakers’ list, teaching of classes designed for the K-12 grades in “underserved areas” of Iowa, and participation in interviews on the local Iowa City cable TV station. Several suggestions were offered for additions and revisions to President Hood’s document.
Committees/Assignments/Reports
Faculty Council/Faculty Senate:
President Hood provided the Council with a report that was distributed at the Faculty Council meeting of December 9, 2003. The report dealt with the deliberations of the Recreational Services Committee. They reported that construction of the large athletic complex originally planned for the area adjacent to the Hawkeye Hall of Fame on Melrose Avenue has been delayed and scaled back. The scaled back facility, to cost $12 million, will include new tennis courts (indoor and outdoor), indoor turf for field hockey and some storage buildings for Touch the Earth equipment rental for students. A comprehensive recreation center, which will include a swimming pool, is now planned for a site on the East Campus and likely will be paid for by student activity fees. In addition, the Committee reported that plans for renovation of Kinnick Stadium are proceeding.
Senior College: President Hood circulated the winter 2004 issue of “Spectator” which contains an article entitled, “After Retirement—Still Learning Something New Every Day.” The article contains information about the Senior College. He also provided copies of the brochure listing programs scheduled for January until May 2004. Professor Bill Hausler’s plans to sponsor a session of Senior College at his retirement community in Naples, FL have encountered a snag. The community’s lawyer raised a number of objections to the event being held at that location.
Annual Meeting: Plans for the Annual Meeting are proceeding. Robert Hibbs, a local author and historian will be the featured speaker. Professor Hausler is soliciting ideas for entertainment at the meeting. One suggestion was to work through Professor Soper to see if the Maia Quartet in which his daughter plays violin was a possibility.
Research Council:
Professor Joseph Cannon’s report on the University of Iowa Research Council meeting of December 3, 2003 was received by the Council and prompted discussion regarding his continuing concerns related to the University’s Patent Policy. There is a committee working on a revision of this policy that was shared with Faculty Council last spring and further revisions have been made based on feedback received. However, there is no firm timetable for completion of their work and no details of the nature of the ongoing discussions with the University of Iowa Research Foundation are available currently.
Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee:
Professor Val Lembke attended the last meeting of the Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee. Two issues dominated the discussion: TIAA-CREF has decided to sell their long-term care business to Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife) and no longer will accept applications for this product. Currently some 80 University of Iowa customers are enrolled in this program. A sub-committee will be appointed to study how this change will affect University of Iowa participants.
A letter from TIAA-CREF to “Prospective Customers” of this service dated December 21, 2003 is at: http://www.tiaa-cref.org/ltc/letter.html
The second topic discussed was the Medicare prescription drug benefit that was enacted by Congress and approved by the President. This new program is scheduled to begin in January 2006. Just what effect it will have on supplemental care (Medigap) policies is yet to be determined.
New Business:
President Hood distributed a draft of a document containing some suggestions concerning services that could be provided to retirees by colleges and departments. The idea of providing such a document to deans and department chairs was endorsed by the Council. Members provided a few suggestions that might be incorporated into the letter that President Hood will write.
President Hood asked for suggestions of persons the Council could invite to future meetings. One possibility would be a report from personnel at the University Library concerning the effect of budget cuts on acquisitions. Since the Provost’s office has provided support for the Council’s activities it was suggested that it would be appropriate to extend an invitation to the new Provost shortly after the appointment is announced.
There being no further business the meeting adjourned at 9:50 A.M.
The next meeting is scheduled for February 2 at 9:30 AM.
Respectively Submitted,
Keith Guillory, Secretary