Meeting Minutes 2011

Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes

Monday, December 5, 2011
2520B UCC

Members Present: Laird Addis, Lorraine Dorfman, Claibourne Dungy, Rose Friedrich, Gary Gussin, Al Hood, H.D. Hoover, Ken Hubel, Norbert Malik, Ray Muston, Jack Rosazza, Nancy Sprince, Jerry Walker

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 9:30 a.m. by Vice-President, Ray Muston.

Speaker: Susan Buckley, Vice President for Human Resources

Susan Buckley provided an overview of the division of Human Resources. Human Resource areas include: benefits; payroll for 27,000 employees/month; labor relations covering three labor unions; immigration services for faculty and staff; disability services for faculty and staff; compensation and classification of staff; employment services which includes veteran’s issues, family services, threat assessment, and health and productivity. Health and productivity receives much emphasis. Another emphasis is addressing areas of organizational effectiveness and providing consultation in areas of dysfunction. In addition, faculty and staff may seek out individual counseling for personal issues.

The Information Technology unit of human resources focuses on finance, business service, human services, e.g. self-service, electronic workflow, whereby many applications are integrated. Finally, cultural linguistic services are provided to increase the ability for those who have difficulty with English to be more productive.

VP Buckley addressed the University of Iowa Workforce by Age Category. Fifty-two percent of University of Iowa faculty are 50 years of age and older. Colleges that have a significantly greater number of older faculty include: the College of Dentistry with 65% who are 50 years of age and older; College of Law is similar to Dentistry with 68% above the age of 50. According to VP Buckley, the College of Nursing has the most challenging problem related to workforce age with 76% of their faculty 50 years of age and older.

The importance of strategic staffing was stressed. Future needs can only be met through conscious decisions that may require shifts in strategy. Making these changes may be difficult. Workplace redesign includes people, structure and technology. VP Buckley discussed the “early retirement” decision as an example of strategic staffing. Prior to the decision within a college, the question was asked whether the college could afford to lose the talent that would occur if the person retired early. Transfer of knowledge is more difficult with higher level knowledge. She posed the question, “How can we do a better job of exiting?”

Specific programs and assistance for retirement preparation are available. Each year the Staff Benefits Office offers a seminar for faculty and staff, 55 years and older, who are considering retirement. It is a daylong seminar, covering multiple topics that help explore the many possibilities of retirement planning. They also provide 1:1 consultation for discussion of retirement issues. In a typical year staff meet with approximately 300 employees. The University offers 51 short courses each year for financial planning that primarily address retirement concerns. Counseling is also available for staff and faculty in the Employee Assistance Program. Counselors are available to meet with retirees for the first 90 days after retirement and will help them find resources in the community.

Currently there is a phased retirement program open to both staff and faculty. Flexible scheduling is also a possibility within departments, but is generally used for short-term planning.

VP Buckley then responded to questions from emeritus faculty council members:

Introduction of UIRA Liaison: Ray Muston introduced Nancy Williams as a UIRA liaison to EFC.

Minutes: The EFC October 3, 2011 minutes were reviewed. Suggestions for revisions in wording include: In co-ed flag football the words women participants (will be substituted for girls). See paragraph on Recreational Services p.1. Laird Addis’ name will replace Ken Hubel’s name as the person who submitted the Hancher Committee report (p.2). The October minutes were approved with corrections.

The EFC November 7, 2011 minutes were reviewed. Suggested revisions include: Laird Addis will be recorded as being present at the meeting and Gary Gussin will be noted as absent. Laird Addis’ submitted the Hancher Report (p.4). The November minutes were approved with corrections.

Committee Assignments
Laird Addis is the primary representative to the Campus Planning Committee.

Program Committee: Dr. Susan Schultz, psychiatry, has agreed to present the program to EFC in February. Rose Friedrich will be her host. Jack Rosazza will contact Susan to determine her computer needs for the presentation. He will then contact Brenda Bradley in the Provost’s office to ensure the necessary equipment is available.

April and May are still open for speakers. Jack Rosazza inquired if the council wanted a speaker for the monthly May meeting, since the annual meeting is May 14, 2012. It was the consensus of the council to schedule a speaker for May.
Plans are under way for the annual meeting. A number of names were presented to the council for consideration and discussion. Two speakers were selected from the list as the top choices. Ken Hubel offered to contact the speaker who received the most endorsement from the group.

University Retirement Dinner: Nine retirees were honored at the University of Iowa retirement dinner and program, November 28, 2011. The retirees were accompanied by colleagues from their departments who presented brief backgrounds of their service and achievements. Ray Muston and Carol Fethke attended this event on behalf of the Emeritus Faculty Council.

Ad Hoc Committee on Health and Wellness: The Ad Hoc Committee on Health and Wellness met with Brian Kaskie who is putting together some materials for the committee. They will meet with Richard Saunders on Wednesday, December 7. The committee is seeking clarification and understanding of the health care benefits that retirees receive.

Future Leadership of EFC: It is proposed that next year’s president and program chair be elected at the February meeting. This will facilitate an easier transfer of duties and responsibilities for the next academic year. Each council member is encouraged to consider volunteering for a leadership position.

Committee Reports

Faculty Senate: Gary Gussin reported that the agenda for the December 6, 2011 Faculty Senate meeting includes an update from the Funded Retirement and Insurance Charter Committee; an overview of the Electronic CV; a decision on the Research-Track Promotion Policy; and decisions regarding the Anti-Harassment Policy Revisions.

University Library Committee: Norb Malik summarized the highlights of the University Library Committee meeting on November 11, 2011. Most of the meeting related to the study carrels located on 4th and 5th floors of the main university library. These carrels are primarily intended for the use of graduate students working on dissertations, but some faculty and emeritus faculty have also signed out carrels for work on special projects. Relocations necessitated by construction led to a general review of carrel usage.

Senior College: Al Hood stated that there will be 10 spring offerings for the Senior College. Gary Gussin, a new member of the Senior College, remarked how impressed he is with the tireless efforts that members of the committee put into planning senior courses.

Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee: Gerald Rose attended the December 2, 2011 FRIC meeting and submitted the following report:

Long Term care discussion continued. Metropolitan has 43 participants; John Hancock has 943. Rate request by Hancock has not yet been acted on.

Discussion about covering the cost of vitamins continued without resolution. Richard Saunders will provide more information at the next meeting. The most interesting point raised was that the insurance programs are becoming less and less determined by avoiding major losses and more and more a form of compensation for less costly losses (e.g., wigs).

A uniform system for treating all prescription orders the same for everyone was moved and approved.

Long term disability and supplemental life insurance recommendations from John Hancock were discussed. The first was to set a cap on the length of time during which mental health benefits could be collected. Most employers use a 24 or 36 month cap. A 24 month cap would save the U of I about $500,000 annually. This proposal was rejected.

The second proposal was to consider capping the amount of coverage one could purchase under the U of I’s supplemental life insurance plan. Again, most employers do this but the U of I has not. Data and methods for implementing this recommendation will be considered at a future meeting.

Campus Planning Committee: Laird Addis reported on the November 30, 2011 meeting of the Campus Planning Committee. Rod Lehnertz reported on the various sites under consideration for a new UI student garden. Bob Brooks, assisted by a person from Shive-Hattery, reported on plans for improvement of the T. Anne Cleary Walkway. Rod Lehnertz reported on the status of plans for the construction of the new Hancher Auditorium, the new Voxman Music Building, the new Visual Arts Building, the new West Campus Residence Hall, and the new UIHC Melrose Parking Lot.

Research Council: Jack Rosazza submitted summaries of November 10 and December 8, 2011 Research Council meetings.
Reports were received from various subcommittees. The Authorship policy developed by the Research Council has been approved and included in the University Operations Manual. Brief reports from ongoing work from Publication Waiver, Centers/Institutes and Undergraduate Research subcommittees were received. The Regents in their meeting last week indicated that all named centers would have to be approved by the BOR.

The VP for Research and Economic Development search progress was outlined. An ad is forthcoming shortly. This search is in the early stages. Dean David Johnsen and Kevin Leicht of the CLAS Dean Search committee visited with the Research Council to obtain inputs on research/scholarly qualities of the university for candidates, and on problems faced within the research community. This search expects to have candidates in within two months and a dean candidate recommended by July.

Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 11:10 a.m.

Next Meeting: The next Emeritus Faculty Council meeting will be Monday, February 6, 2012. Location 2520B UCC. Speaker: Dr. Susan Schultz, professor of psychiatry.

Respectfully submitted,

Rose Friedrich

Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes

Monday, November 7, 2011
2520B UCC

Members Present: Lorraine Dorfman, Claibourne Dungy, Carol Fethke, Rose Friedrich, Gary Gussin, Al Hood, HD Hoover, Ken Hubel, Pat Kelley, Norbert Malik, Ray Muston, Jack Rosazza, Gerald Rose, Nancy Sprince, Jerry Walker, Tom Weingeist

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 9:30 a.m. by President, Carol Fethke. She thanked Jack Rosazza and Ray Muston for chairing the meetings in her absence. Tom Weingeist, College of Medicine representative, was introduced as a new EFC member.

Minutes: The September minutes were approved at the EFC October meeting and will be posted on the EFC website. Since copies were not available at this meeting, the October minutes will be approved in December.

Distribution of Minutes: EFC members agreed that e-mailing the minutes to members is preferable to mailed minutes. Carol Fethke requested updated e-mail addresses for all EFC members. These will be forwarded to Brenda Bradley in the Provost’s office.

Committee Assignments: Carol Fethke asked committee members to identify the “primary” person for committee meeting attendance, since all committees except one, have at least two volunteers. The following schedule was identified:

Program: Jack Rosazza
UIRA Liaison: Jerry Rose
Senior College: HD Hoover, Al Hood, Claibourne Dungy, Gary Gussin
Faculty Senate/Council: To be identified
FRIC: Jerry Rose, Bill Buss
Hancher: To be identified
Recreational Services: Jerry Walker
Research Council: Jack Rosazza and Ken Hubel
University Libraries: Lorraine Dorfman
Campus Planning: To be identified
Lectures: Pat Kelley

Follow-up/planning for future speakers:

Summaries of the comments of EFC program speakers will be posted on the News Page of the EFC Web Site with the permission of the presenter and after the presenter reviews the content.

Susan Buckley, Vice President for Human Resources, will present the program in December. Emeriti faculty suggested the following topics/issues for consideration in her presentation:

Currently there is lack of inclusion of retirees in decisions related to benefits, etc. How can retirees have more participation in the decisions that affect them?
It was questioned whether we are functioning effectively as advocates for emeriti? For example, wellness is not promoted among those who are retired. It was noted that emeriti pay the same rate as the general public to use the new Wellness Center and may serve as a deterrent to using the center.
Emeriti, as a group, have no vehicle to communicate with each other.

Dr. Susan Schultz will be invited to present the program in February. Rose Friedrich will contact Dr. Schultz and report her availability back to the program committee.

As a follow-up to the discussion in the October meeting, representatives of the UIRA board will be invited to regularly attend the EFC meetings as observers.

Attendance at AROHE and Big Ten Meeting

There was consensus that emeriti attendance at both the Big Ten Meeting and AROHE (Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education) are important and should be continued. Nancy Sprince and Carol Fethke will meet with the Provost and request continued funding for membership in both organizations. They will also inform the Provost of the intent to have representatives from EFC attend both meetings.

Follow up on Frequently Asked Questions

Carol Fethke reiterated there is a need to post information related to emeriti health care, recreational services, and research related questions etc. on the EFC Web Site. She suggested the Research Council representatives (Jack Rosazza and Ken Hubel) draft a response to the research questions associated with space needs and salary.

An Ad Hoc Committee of UIRA and EFC members has been formed to focus on retiree issues related to FRIC. UIRA members of the committee are Ken Kuntz, Rick Borchard and Nancy Williams; EFC members are Carol Fethke, Ray Muston, Jerry Rose, and Bill Buss. The committee has submitted a list of questions to Richard Saunders and is looking forward to further communication regarding FRIC issues. Also, the Ad Hoc Committee has scheduled a meeting with Brian Kaskie on November 14 to identify possibilities for collaboration on retiree issues.

Committee Report

The following reports were submitted by email:

UIRA Board Meeting: Jerry Rose attended the November 8, 2011 UIRA Board Meeting.
Programs for the coming months include: the topic of January’s program will be long range planning in Iowa City and Johnson County; February’s program will be on flood mitigation and the U of I art building; and the annual meeting will be in April at the U of I Athletic Club.

There is $6,223 in the checking account and $13,471 in reserve accounts. Dick Stevenson certified that the accounts were in good order. Jean Hood is preparing a history of UIRA. The new brochure for the Senior College will be ready in January. UIRA representatives to the joint EFC-UIRA Committee on Retiree Health and Wellness will be Richard Borchard, Ken Kuntz, and Nancy Williams. The EFC’s invitation to have a representative of the UIRA attend EFC meetings was accepted and two UIRA board members will serve that role. The next meeting is December 13, 2011.

Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee: Jerry Rose attended the November 4, 2011 FRIC meeting.

Dr. Rami Boutros who heads all “off campus” UIHC operations presented an overview of the Iowa River Landing (IRL) project. It is expected to open for patients in mid-2012 and will have most of the same clinics as the main hospital. General Pediatrics and General Internal Medicine will be moved from the main hospital to IRL. There will be no emergency or quick care facilities. Free parking is in the adjacent ramp and there will be two Cambus stops plus shuttle transportation. Hours will be longer than they have been at the main hospital. Construction and operating costs are expected to be covered by expanded numbers of patients; health insurance rates should not rise. The project will relieve overcrowding of some clinics at the main hospital. Many patients’ doctor(s) will serve at IRL as well as in the main hospital. The most advanced imaging technologies (e.g., MRI) will not be available at IRL until there is sufficient demand. Dr. Boutros welcomes questions and comments from patients, employees and (presumably) retirees.

John Hancock’s request for a 40% increase in long term care insurance rates has not yet been acted upon by Iowa regulators. Like most insurance companies, John Hancock is leaving the long term care field so a search for new companies has begun.

The remainder of the meeting involved a discussion of the value of insurance for vitamins. It was noted that recent studies have shown there is little or no value, and possibly some risk, associated with taking daily multi-vitamins. Studies focused on the value of calcium supplements have shown some benefit only for women over 60 but the value for men has not been examined. There are now about 2,000 women 60 or older in our current plans. Experience indicates there are about four hip fractures each year among that group. Given the low cost of acquiring calcium supplements over the counter, the expected small proportion of potential beneficiaries, and administrative costs of targeting a subset of employees the general sense was that coverage for calcium was not needed. More generally, given the tenor of the discussion, it appears unlikely that vitamin coverage will be added to university health insurance plans.

The next FRIC meeting will be December 2, 2011 at 11:30 AM.

Research Council: Jack Rosazza submitted the following report for the Research Council meetings on October 13, 2011 and November 20 2011.

Albert Segre is chair of the council. Notes from the October 13 meeting minutes summarized discussions in various areas including the conflict of interest (COI) policy. Associate Vice President for Research Walker defined COI in research as personal financial profit that could bias research outcomes. UI has 4 offices/areas that manage conflict of interest, and efforts are underway to consolidate required faculty disclosures into a single electronic system to reduce faculty burden. Charlotte Talman, Director of the COI in Research Office, gave an overview of the NIH’s rule changes (implemented by 8/24/12).

JJ Jimenez, Interim Director of Research Information Systems, demonstrated the online eRouting form for the Research Council. eRouting was officially launched August 1st.

Assoc. Provost Rice, spoke to the Research Council, addressing any further questions about cluster hiring and providing feedback to the Council on the cluster hiring process. It’s felt that the collective experience of the Council will be helpful to the Office of the Provost with regard to cluster hires.

The November 10, 2011 Research Council meeting focused on the Undergraduate Research Faculty Survey, shared credit and authorship policy.

Recreational Services: Jerry Walker, a member of the recreational services committee, provided his e-mail correspondence with Vice President Doug True regarding his inquiry into the question of “Live Well Membership Incentive for retired faculty and staff”. VP True’s response is as follows:

“Any distinction for emeritus faculty would need to be made for all UI retirees. That principal was recognized when in the original rate setting process UI retirees were offered the same base rate as current faculty and staff – eg. $300 per year for individuals. Second, we were very concerned about extending the offer to non-employees when the temporary incentive was offered to avoid difficulties with local health clubs and the state law and rules about competition with the private sector. And, third, the health care cost of our faculty and staff is a big driver of expense within UI budgets, and we wanted to reinvest in a focused way to impact this group. Granted, the retiree population does receive a post -retirement health benefit, but that benefit is not linked to health care costs in the way it is with the active faculty and staff population.”

“I looked very hard at the proposition of providing the temporary incentive to retirees, but in my judgment the current policy should remain – that is, no temporary incentive to retirees but with retirees receiving the base rate of active faculty and staff now and in the future.”

Hancher: November 16,2011. Hancher director Chuck Swanson informed the committee that about 3000 tickets had been sold for the Boston Pops performance of 27 November, fewer than hoped but enough to make the event a success.

He then described in detail the Hancher-sponsored program on 29 November – 3 December 2011 called Iowa and Invisible Man: Making Blackness Visible, and noted other Hancher events of the fall season.

Swanson also mentioned the hoped-for decision of FEMA in December of what obligation it will assume toward the new Hancher auditorium. If that decision comes, the University will be able to go to the Regents in February for approval of what is called the “schematic design” of the new building, not that of the building itself but of its various operations. Finally, it was announced that the previously-scheduled meeting of the committee in December has been cancelled and that the next meeting will probably be in late January.

Speaker: Joan Cook, Director, Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), Elder Services, Inc.

Joan Cook’s Topic was “RSVP: Connecting People to Purpose”

RSVP, a program of Elder Services, Inc., is a Corporation for National and Community Service program that is nationwide. There are 730 programs in the nation and 22 programs in Iowa. RSVP has been a program of Elder Services since 1990.

RSVP recruits and links persons 55+ with volunteer opportunities and promotes older adults as a rich resource. RSVP connects volunteers with the needs of children, elders, and non-profit organizations by combining the talents of older adults with the needs of the community. Over 50% of RSVP volunteers work in Impact Based Programs with outcome measures. For example, in the school system, evaluation of progress includes surveys of students, teachers, and RSVP volunteers.

School Programs: 141 RSVP volunteers provided 4,876 hours assisting students in reading, writing, and public speaking in FY ’11. Specific programs include:

Reading Together strengthens reading skills and comprehension by matching tutors with second grade students to improve fluency and comprehension. Third grade students focus on literal and analytical comprehension while strengthening vocabulary. The tutor reads a book to the student and the student reads a simpler book with the same theme.
Speak Up! is an intergenerational public speaking course for fifth grade students that teaches them how to write and give a speech. Pre- and post-testing demonstrated that 74.6% of students felt more comfortable in giving a speech after the training and 71.5% improved their speaking knowledge.
South East Junior High Tutoring provides 7th and 8th grade students who are reading far below grade level an opportunity to meet one-on-one with a RSVP volunteer who reads with the student. The volunteers have been able to help student make dramatic progress in reading levels in just one semester.
Pen Pals correspond throughout the school year with 1st and 2nd grade students at Horn Elementary School.

Nonprofit organization that are linked with RSVP volunteers include:

Public Safety organizations with RSVP involvement are:

Iowa City Police Department
Coralville Police Department
Johnson County Sheriff Department
Small Claims Mediation

RSVP volunteers serve as volunteer patients for Carver College of Medicine and the Wendall Johnson Speech and Hearing Center. Learning outcomes for students include knowledge of health needs of older adults; experience in working with older adults and increasing skill with interventions.

Assistance to elders includes programs and services that help older adults to remain in their homes:

Volunteer activity may either be ongoing (i.e. regular schedule at one or more locations) or occasional (as needed). In addition, the volunteer has an opportunity to select group or individual projects.

During the past year 40,153 hours were donated by RSVP volunteers. Specifically 14,047 hours for activities with youth; 13,373 hours donated for helping older adults; and 12,733 hours donated to non-profit organizations.

Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 11:10 AM

Next Meeting: The next Emeritus Faculty Council meeting will be Monday, December 5, 2011. Location 2520B UCC. Speaker: Susan Buckley, Vice President for Human Resources.

Respectfully submitted,
Rose Friedrich

Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes

Monday, October 3, 2011
2520 UCC

Members Present: Laird Addis, Bill Buss, Lorraine Dorfman, Rose Friedrich, Gary Gussin, Al Hood, HD Hoover, Pat Kelley, Norbert Malik, Jack Rosazza, Nancy Sprince, Jerry Walker

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 9:35 a.m. by EFC member, Jack Rosazza.

Minutes: The minutes of the September 12, 2011 meeting were approved as distributed.

Committee Reports

Faculty Council: Gary Gussin reported that the agenda for the October 4, 2011 Faculty Council includes discussion of the lecturer/senior lecturer position and a decision regarding the tenure-clock extension policy revision.
Senior College: Al Hood reviewed the status of the Senior College courses. The fall courses are well attended and two were completed the first week in October. The courses for spring are already planned. The challenge is finding adequate classroom space. Overall, the Senior College is doing very well financially and is totally self-supporting.

University Library Committee: In response to an emeritus faculty member’s inquiry regarding electronic access to library materials, Lorraine Dorfman contacted Kelly Avant. Email clarification from Ms. Avant said “Emeritus faculty should still be able to use their hawkid and password to get to library resources. If they have questions, they should contact our Circulation department, 5-5912.”

Recreational Services: The following is a summary of the Recreational Services Committee meeting on September 23, 2011. Jerry Walker reported that the new recreation building had high usage. The number of visits to the facility/year varied among the constituents: students 930,000; faculty and staff 210,000; community members 43,000; alumni 24,000; and retires less than 6000 visits/year. Overall there were approximately 1,300,000 visits during the year. Harry Ostrander, Director of Recreational Services reviewed the need for more outdoor and indoor fields. The outdoor tennis courts will have to be replaced. Parking for the recreation building will become an issue when construction begins west of the building for the new football indoor facility. Classes fill up quickly such as Yoga/Mind Body. In co-ed flag football girls are being tackled too frequently.

Research Council: Jack Rosazza summarized the highlights of the Research Council meeting on September 15, 2011. The council met to sort out responsibilities for the year. Work will continue on three topics that are in different stages of development from last year’s council. These are:

Centers and Institutes Subcommittee: A draft policy reviewed by last year’s Research Council is ready to move on for further review and approval.
Undergraduate Research Subcommittee: Bob Kirby will give an update and next steps, etc., on this subcommittee at the next meeting.
Authorship Guidelines Subcommittee: A draft Authorship Guidelines policy written last year has been forwarded to the Faculty Senate for review and approval.

Goal setting for 2011-12: Four topics are of interest to the Research Council this year and will be covered in future meetings:

eRouting and credit assignment
Conflict of Interest policy and new NIH requirements
Internal Funding Initiatives (IFI)
Cluster Hires –Cluster hires as a topic could be coupled with the fairness of how Career Development Awards (CDAs) are awarded.

Publication Waiver Subcommittee: The Publication Waiver Subcommittee reviews and provides governance on grant and contract publication waivers ad hoc. Subcommittee memberships were established. Next Research Council Meeting - October 13: 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Hancher Committee: Ken Hubel provided a summary of the Hancher Committee meeting on October 21, 2011. Director Chuck Swanson reports: (1) the University hopes to present the “schematics” (kinds and areas of operation) of the new Hancher in February to the Regents for its approval, provided an agreement with FEMA on funds is reached by the end of December; (2) the new Hancher will have more kinds of operations than the old, including increased use by the School of Music and other University units; (3) Hancher events of the 2011-12 season so far have been well-received and well-attended; (4) the Hancher staff hope to develop means of having its various activities evaluated by the people involved in them; and (5) ticket sales for the Boston Pops concert of November 27, 2011 (the most expensive event ever staged by Hancher) are going well, but it is hoped many more will yet be sold.

Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee: William Buss submitted the following report on his attendance at the FRIC meeting, October 7, 2011. The meeting was chaired by Nancy Davin.The Committee voted to eliminate the availability of Dental Plan # 1, in effect merging the two currently existing plans into Dental Plan # 2, effective in 2013. The change will not affect coverage or premiums for those now in Plan # 2 and will raise the premiums and increase the benefits for those now in Plan #1. A summary comparison of the current two plans and the merged plan is attached.

There was a long discussion of the possible coverage of vitamins to be taken orally (apparently continuing an earlier discussion which covered injectable vitamins). A confidential chart showing some vitamins which were covered or not covered was distributed and collected at the end of the meeting. As a generalization, few vitamins are now covered and those which are covered are subject to significant limitations, specifically including a requirement that, whether or not they are available over the counter, they be prescribed on the basis of a specified medical condition. Paul Katz gave a presentation on the basis of which he recommended that Calcium and Vitamin D be covered when based on an analysis that such medication would tend to prevent fractures. Part of the discussion considered the necessary trade-off between the cost of the medication and the cost of repairing fractures.

There was a long discussion of the importance of prescriptions being written DAW (Dispense As Written), because variations in “coding” can result, to some extent within the discretion of the pharmacist, in significant variations in cost, insurance coverage, and the content of the medication (which, in some circumstances, may vary depending upon whether an over-the-counter medication is dispensed – even pursuant to a prescription-- as compared to a medication that may dispensed only by prescription).

Dr. Rami Boutros, Executive Medical Director for the Off-Site Ambulatory Care Program, who has been hired to facilitate the movement of facilities from local to off-site location, will give a presentation at the November meeting. FRIC members were encouraged to develop questions for him that would cover important matters and issues. In that connection, a number of questions were raised at the meeting concerning the pending relocation of UIHC services to locations that will require an automobile drive for access and a greater time away from normal work schedules.

Possible Speakers for Future Emeritus Faculty Council Meetings
Jack Rosazza presented a list of possible speakers, drafted by members of the program committee, for Emeritus Faculty Council monthly meetings beginning in November and ending May 2012. There was consensus that speakers should address substantial issues that are relevant for emeritus faculty. Following a lengthy discussion, names were selected from the list of persons who represent specific aspects of the University that directly affect retired faculty. Joan Cook will speak on November 7, 2011, and Richard Fumerton on March 5, 2012. Others to be lined up by members of the Emeritus Faculty Council (EFC) are Susan Buckley, VP for Human Resources; Susan Schultz, Professor Psychiatry; Margaret Crocco, Dean Education; David Johnsen, Dean Dentistry and recently named Chair CLAS Dean Search Committee.

The program committee also asked the council to discuss ideas for a special speaker for the annual meeting in May 2012. The committee had tentatively listed several persons in leadership positions, both within the University and State of Iowa for consideration. The purpose of the presentation/speaker for the Annual Meeting was discussed. Appealing to a wider audience of retired faculty was stressed. Addressing a major issue, such as health care, was also suggested. The names on the list were reviewed, but no decision was made regarding whom to invite.

Frequently Asked Questions Worksheet
Jack Rosazza reviewed the task for the EFC web site that involves creating a list of frequently asked question with answers that have been researched by members of the EFC according to their committee assignment and/or interest. He also reviewed the printout from the Staff Benefits Website that included several categories of questions that retirees frequently ask including: University Retirement Plans; Saving Extra for Retirement; and Retirement from the University.

In preparation for this meeting, the program committee drafted a retiree “Frequently Asked Questions” Worksheet. It was organized into 5 major topics: (1) Retiree Perks, (2) Wellness Programs, (3) Retiree Insurance, (4) Financial Issues, and (5) Senior Services with subtopics for each area. Before work began on the project, a wide variety of concerns were expressed. Lorraine Dorfman stated that many of the topics were covered in the Retiree Handbook and thought this list would be redundant. On the other hand, Gary Gussin noted that a lot of people do not know about University resources. Because the topics cover multiple areas, Jack Rosazza suggested that this task could require multi-meetings and continued work over a period of time. Several proposed that the work could better be accomplished by a subcommittee of interested EFC members rather than the council as a whole. Laird Addis reminded the group that the Provost sends a letter and the Retiree Handbook to those who are about to retire. Follow-up discussion recommended that this information from the Provost’s office be sent to retirees several months before retirement to provide needed information about resources. As a result of the discussion, there were many questions unanswered about creating a Q&A website page. Jack Rosazza will communicate these concerns to Carol Fethke, EFC president.

Other
Gary Gussin reported that he sent a letter to the Provost asking him to consider including a retired professor as a non-voting member of the Liberal Arts Dean Search Committee. He felt that this could broaden the perspective of the search committee. To date, he has not received a response to his request.
Rose Friedrich noted that the UIRA Directors would welcome an invitation from EFC to have a representative attend our meetings. The consensus of the EFC was to invite a person from the UIRA board to attend our meetings as an observer. It was suggested that EFC president, Carol Fethke issue the invitation.

Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 10:50 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Rose Friedrich

Next meeting
November 7, 2011
2520B UCC

Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes

Monday, September 12, 2011
2520B UCC

Members Present: Laird Addis, Bill Buss, Lorraine Dorfman, Claibourne Dungy, Rose Friedrich, Gary Gussin, Al Hood, HD Hoover, Ken Hubel, Pat Kelley, Ray Muston, Jack Rosazza, Jerry Rose, Nancy Sprince, Jerry Walker

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 9:30 a.m. by Vice President, Ray Muston. The new council members who were in attendance were introduced.

Minutes: The minutes of the May 2, 2011 meeting were reviewed. Although the minutes were approved at the Annual Meeting, May 11, 2011, an editorial change was suggested by Gary Gussin. Under the item, Annual Spring Meeting, Nancy Sprince’s last name was omitted. The change will read: “President Nancy Sprince will make brief remarks at the annual meeting.”

Report of Big 10 Retirees Association Meeting

Nancy Williams, president-elect of the UI Retirees Association, reported on the Big 10 Retirees Association meeting that she and Ken Kuntz attended in Madison, WI, August 2011. All Big 10 universities, including Nebraska, were represented, with the exception of Northwestern. The theme was Building Bridges: Staying Connected in Retirement, and featured presentations such as Staying Engaged: Good News for the Aging Brain, Volunteering on Campus: Staying Connected and Pitching In, and Building Bridges. As a group exercise, a model program for campus volunteerism was developed.

A survey was conducted about the structure and focus of the member associations. Data were collected on how the organizations are structured, staffed, funded, what they offer members and how they communicate, and perhaps most importantly, what are their relationships to university administration. This information, along with other minutes and reports from the meeting, will be sent to Carol Fethke and Ray Muston.

At the business meeting, it was moved and seconded that the conference be held every other year, rather than annually. Some send representation to AROHE which meets in even years, and don't feel they can afford to do both (Minnesota, Northwestern and Nebraska belong to AROHE). Nancy reported comments from the discussion: members stated that they felt the Big 10 organizations are more like each other than other campuses around the country, and the Big 10 is more balanced and inclusive than AROHE. The vote was 18-3 in favor of continuing annual meetings.

Topics of discussion during the business meeting included communication, ways to increase membership, special interest groups, and initiatives to raise money. This discussion, along with the sharing updates, gave organizations an opportunity to learn new ideas, or get feedback on questions they had. Nancy and Ken wanted to learn more about membership directories, and which universities allow representation on retiree benefits committees, so they were able to make contacts to further those interests. The conference is a perfect place to learn new things that have been tried and tested by similar organizations and they came back with ideas to bring to their board for further study.

A highlight of the campus tour was a visit to the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, a private-public partnership for interdisciplinary biomedical research institutes.
The next Big 10 Retirees Association Conference will be August 3-5, 2012 at The Ohio State University.

Following the presentation, several EFC members raised concern about lack of voice as an emeritus faculty council representative to the University of Iowa Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee (FRIC). Nancy Sprince reviewed the results of her meetings with Sheldon Kurtz and Tom Rice, November 2010, requesting an enhanced role and involvement for emeritus faculty on the FRIC committee and referred faculty to the minutes of December 6, 2010 for a summary of these meetings.

Committee Assignments

Pat Kelly noted that she had not been given a committee assignment and volunteered to substitute as secretary when Rose Friedrich is absent from the meetings. Gary Gussin, a member of the Senior College Committee, inquired about the schedule and tasks required by senior college members. There was general consensus that this committee requires long hours of intensive work in creating the schedule and making the detailed arrangements for the classes offered fall and spring semesters.

The importance of informing committees of EFC representation was emphasized. Nancy Sprince stated that she notified each committee contact person about EFC representation during 2010-2011 and requested the names be added to the specific committee e-mail list.

Committee Reports

The following reports were submitted by email:

Senior College: Over 350 are registered for the eight fall courses. Three are already underway and the other five begin during October. The committee is now exploring topics and instructors for the spring 2012 semester. Submitted by Al Hood

UIRA Director’s Meeting: UIRA Directors met on September 13, 2011. This year’s president is Ken Kuntz and the president elect is Nancy Williams. UIRA would welcome an invitation from EFC to have a representative attend our meetings. Fall programs include:

September 15, 2011, Coralville Library: Music School and Hancher developments
October 4, 2011, new Carver-Hawkeye addition: pizza luncheon and tour of new facilities
October 20, 2011, flu clinic from noon to 4 p.m. at the Credit Union. There will be an opportunity for retirees to complete a free fitness test that can be used to measure progress from year to year
November 9, 2011, Iowa City Library: electronic resources

The Big 10 Retirement Association Conference was attended by Nancy Williams and Ken Kuntz. They were impressed with the University of Wisconsin’s Institute for Discovery. Other notable aspects include OSU’s substantial support of its retirees, printed brochures for retirees at several schools, sessions on the aging brain and volunteerism opportunities for retirees, and OSU’s programs on taxes and estate planning.

The deadline for submissions to the next edition of the Grey Hawk newsletter is September 23, 2011. Contact the new editor, E. Ann Ford at 354-1834 or e-ann-ford@uiowa.edu.

Joe Joynt, Treasurer, reported a checking account balance in excess of $6,000 and savings in excess of $13,000. The UIRA operates as a non-profit organization and has a tax account number used for purchases. Dues, currently $10, remain among the lowest of Big 10 retiree organizations.

Membership totals 753 individuals; 67 of whom are new. First year memberships are free. A spreadsheet containing membership information has been developed. There is also an email list used to distribute The Gray Hawk newsletter for those who opted to avoid snail mail delivery.

The UIRA webpage (https://uira.org.uiowa.edu/) is up to date. If you have questions about it contact Feather Lacy at Feather-Lacy@UIowa.edu.

Penny Hall researched the Iowa Highlanders, located several members and collected old uniforms that were sold for about $4,000 to be used for new Highlander programs or uniforms.

Jean Hood, past president, reported that the revised Administrative Handbook should be ready by the next meeting.

Submitted by Jerry Rose

Funded Retirement and Insurance Committee: The past year’s experience and 2012 projections for health and dental insurance plans were presented and discussed at the September 9, 2011 meeting. The main points were:

Chip II continues to serve only 458 participants. One Chip II plan, employee and spouse, has only 30 participants (in contrast to UI Choice with over 9,200). The possibility of combining it with the Chip II family plan was discussed. At some point in the future Wellmark may decide Chip II is not a viable program. Or it could end if the U of I modifies UI Choice to accommodate some of the concerns expressed by Chip II participants.

UI Choice revenues were smaller than expenses so next year’s costs to the U of I will rise 6.5%. Participants should not experience greater costs due to the U of I subsidy. There was no discussion of possible revisions in UI Choice. Health insurance plans cost the U of I about $84 million; dental plans about $5.5 million.

A summary of dental insurance rates and coverages was provided. Dental II costs and rates have been very stable; 2012 rates will remain unchanged from 2011. Rates for single and employee + spouse Dental I coverage will increase in 2012. There are about 4,500 participants in Dental I and 6,000 in Dental II. It was noted that it would be economically advantageous to the U of I and most Dental I participants to combine the dental plans or switch to a hybrid version of current plans. More participants in Dental I than in Dental II hit their out of pocket maximums. Although Dental II costs about $7/month more, co-pay and other provisions of Dental II are more favorable for most people than those of Dental I.

John Hancock’s request for a 40% increase in long term rates remains under review at the state insurance commission. It is anticipated that higher rates will be approved, but not 40%.

Joan Troester presented a comprehensive overview of the U of I’s wellness programs. Half of a person’s health status is due to behavior and a majority of health care costs are due to lifestyle factors. Even though chronic diseases and catastrophic illness consume half of health care costs, only five percent of the population is treated for these problems. In contrast, 80% of the population at low or moderate risk consumes only 20% of health care costs. High risk and acute cases constitute 15% of the population and consume 30%. Absenteeism is positively related to an individual’s number of risk factors.

Obese workers file workman’s comp claims at twice the rate of those with health weights. The average numbers of days of lost work are about 184 and 14 respectively (each year). Medical claims average about $51,000 and $7,500 respectively.

Data used to manage wellness services are acquired from personal health assessment questionnaires, and data from medical and pharmacy sources, workers comp, leaves, and disability among other sources. A large number of U of I and external programs are involved. Substantial emphasis is placed on environmental factors to encourage healthy life styles and keeping healthy people healthy. Examples: maps of campus walking routes, lactation rooms, shower facilities, bike paths and recreational facilities are provided. Good nutrition is encouraged by advising U of I people of the fat, sugar, sodium, grain and fruit content of offerings. Child and elder care resources, a smoke free campus, drug enforcement, and anti-violence programs are among other efforts.

Benefits for employees include 100% coverage for preventive services, free generic drugs and immunizations, individual health assistance 24/7, and disease management. A 2011 recreation management incentive pilot program covers half the cost of single membership (for $12.92/month and a required personal health assessment and a minimum use of facilities at least 52 times during the year). Incentives include up to $300 reimbursement for nicotine replacement therapy and $15 for meeting (statewide) Live Healthy Iowa program goals.

For more complete information contact Joan Troester at Human Resources.

Submitted by Jerry Rose

Other Business

Ray Muston suggested the EFC council members develop for the EFC October meeting a list of questions and answers for those approaching retirement. This information could then be added to the web site. President Carol Fethke had spoken with Richard Saunders, who was enthusiastic about the idea. She had provided topic suggestions such as: library services, health coverage for health insurance beyond the UI policy, health coverage while traveling, ID cards, computer assistance etc. As a first step Ray Muston put together a beginning list of 20 questions that he distributed to council members. Jack Rosazza, a member of the Program Committee expressed concern that some of the categories were beyond the scope of this council. Each council member was asked to consider what questions/answers should be included in the list in preparation for the October meeting.

Speaker: Brian Kaskie, Health Management and Policy, College of Public Health

Professor Brian Kaskie’s topic was “Successful Aging within Academic Institutions. He shared background information leading to the study supported by a grant from TIAA-Cref. His executive summary follows.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

During the fall of 2010, the University of Iowa surveyed 187 human resource specialists (HRS) from academic institutions across the United States. The purpose of this survey was to collect information on attitudes, programs, services, and role accommodations for aging employees and identify retirement pathways offered to faculty and staff.

The results indicated the majority of HRS held positive attitudes toward aging workers. However, less than 5% identified issues pertaining to aging faculty and staff as a top institutional priority. Nearly three out of four HRS indicated their institutions offered wellness programs, but a smaller proportion offered wellness programs more relevant to aging employees. The most popular retirement counseling programs concerned financial aspects of retirement while fewer addressed the non-financial aspects of retirement. The institutions were less concerned with providing workplace accommodations.

The most common retirement pathway offered to faculty and staff was to facilitate individual retirement and then rehire individuals on a temporary or part time basis (aka, retire and rehire). Early retirement options were offered by 66% of all institutions and the least common pathway was phased retirement, offered by only half of all the institutions.

There was little correlation among programs and retirement pathway offerings. Institutions that rated highly on wellness programs or retirement counseling services did not always offer a variety of retirement pathways. Most universities and colleges took a piecemeal approach in accommodating and transitioning aging employees; developing their responses to immediate demands rather than executing a strategic plan.

The lack of planning continues despite the fact that the academic workforce is aging at a faster rate than the U.S. workforce as a whole and that expenses related to an aging workforce constitute one of the largest institutional budget line-items contributing significantly and directly to challenges with budgets, benefits, and staffing. Leadership at many academic institutions appears to be missing this link.

So what separates institutions that have responded to the challenges and opportunities presented by the aging workforce? The first distinguishing feature is campus leadership committed to addressing the aging workforce. The second distinction is the allocations of administrative and financial support to staff that develop and coordinate campus activities. Neither of these can achieve a successful outcome without the other, as both institutional leadership and staffing resources are necessary.

Once leadership and staff are in place, the institution can develop a variety of approaches to promote workplace longevity and facilitate viable retirement pathways. Focusing on the development of programs that promote workplace longevity and provide employees with information that aids their decision-making about retirement will go a long way toward maintaining healthy and engaged employees who pursue a more predictable retirement pathway. Promoting workplace longevity and facilitating viable retirement pathways also will go a long way in helping academic institutions find a long-term solution to their most pressing challenges. (For a more detailed report of the study please refer to the web site linkhttp://provost.uiowa.edu/faculty/emeritus/docs/Kaskie.pdf

Following his presentation, Professor Kaskie requested support of the Council in promoting and sustaining the study at The University of Iowa. The general reaction of those present was positive. The Council will receive more specifics from Professor Kaskie when the next phase of the study is ready to go.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 11:00 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Rose Friedrich

Next meeting
October 3, 2011 (20 Questions for Retirees)
2520B UCC

Minutes for the AEF Annual Meeting

May 16, 2011

Call to Order: Meeting called to order by President Nancy Sprince at 10:16 AM

President Sprince welcomed members and thanked Carol Fethke and her committee of Clai Dungy and Jack Rosazza, and Brenda Bradley from the Provost’s Office for planning the day’s program, and also Associate Provost Tom Rice for his support for the EFC and for the annual meeting.

Members of the Emeritus Faculty Council were introduced: Laird Addis, Lorraine Dorfman, Clai Dungy, Carol Fethke, Rose Friedrich, Kenn Hubel, Pat Kelley, Al Hood, Jim Lindberg, Norb Malik, Ray Muston, Jerry Rose, Jack Rosazza, Jerry Walker.

Welcome: Associate Provost Tom Rice gave a welcome from the Provost’s office and summarized some of the University’s activities:

Enrollment is up, not quite as much as desired but still enough to set a new enrollment record. The University has become a magnet institution for out-of-state and international students. Retention is also up.
There is an unprecedented amount of building going up on the campus. In addition to all of the buildings being replaced from the flood, there are two new residence halls being planned, a Dentistry addition going up, and a possible new building to house psychology and other units in the not-too-distant future.
There is increasing collaboration among the three Regents’ institutions.
Cluster hiring is going well; three are in place and two more are about to be announced.
Non-tenure-track appointments are increasing but not as rapidly as we would like.
He has made use of the survey that was conducted by the Emeritus Faculty Council and the Provost’s Office.

Election: Pat Kelley gave the report on the recent Emeritus Faculty Council elections:

Nursing – Rose Friedrich, re-elected.
Public Health – Nancy Sprince, re-elected.
Law – William Buss, elected.
Liberal Arts – Gary Gussin, elected.
Medicine – Clai Dungy, re-elected. Ton Weingeist, elected.

EFC Report: President Sprince reported on the activities of the Emeritus Faculty Council during the past year and thanked members of the EFC and Provost’s Office staff for their activities and support.

In the survey last summer, 443 emeritus faculty were contacted and 158 (36%) responded. One half of the respondents live in Iowa City most of the year. They were generally satisfied with their involvement with the University (84%), with 11% wanting more. About half are involved with their departments and with local, national, and international activities. The most important concern was any change in health or retirement benefits. Also, 37% would like to participate in committees that interest them at the University. In an additional survey, there were 20 responses regarding suggestions for changes in health care insurance and these were forwarded to the FRIC Committee.

The website for the Council has been revised and improved by Ray Muston and Provost Office staff. The website includes direct links to interest areas such as health insurance information, the UI Retiree’s Handbook, news items of interest to retired faculty, and a link to enable retirees to update their contact information. Minutes of all Council meetings continue to be posted and another page highlights current examples of emeritus faculty who are serving the University in various ways.

An easy way to access this website is go to the A-Z search on the UI Home Page, select E and from the E list, click on “Emeritus Faculty Council.” The direct website is http://provost.uiowa.edu/faculty/emeritus
Lorraine Dorfman revised and updated the Retirees’ Handbook this year with many new entries useful for retirees. The Provost’s Office has provided all new retirees with a hard copy of the Handbook.
The Emeritus Faculty Council supported continuing developmental leave assignments for active faculty by working with the Associate Provost and the Office of Governmental Affairs to contact legislative representatives and Governor Branstad. The program continues with changes including a cap on the number of assignments.

The Emeritus Faculty Council has observers or representatives for a number of University committees. Present Sprince summarized some of the information that was recently reported to the Council:

FRIC Committee

Retiree premiums for coverage are based on costs of the University’s retiree pool.

There are pending increases in long-term care insurance (amount unknown). Decision is under consideration at Iowa Insurance Commissioners’ Office.

The program of early retirement requests was closed in 2010.

There is a proposal to end the retiree paid up life insurance, to permit retirees to purchase life insurance coverage instead. Decision is under consideration as an inter-institutional policy.

Chip II is retained for another year and the Committee is considering whether the University needs another type of coverage especially for those not accessible to UIHC. It researched and considered a range of changes in coverage including: complementary alternative medicines (botanicals, manipulation, mind/body, etc., some of which is approved already), other parts are being monitored for safety and effectiveness. Also considered were weight loss drugs (no); wigs (decision pending) and coverage for medically prescribed vitamins (approved for a specified list).

The University will restore the full TIAA/CREF contribution to employees with paychecks of 8/1/2011.

Senior College

This year the Senior College provided 9 courses each semester. This spring semester has 450 registered and there was a waiting list for four of the nine courses. With the University’s increased undergraduate enrollment, classrooms holding 50 to over 100, needed by the Senior College, are becoming difficult to obtain.

UIRA

The UIRA and the EFC had agreed that more collaboration is desirable and are considering a joint program next year.

Hancher

There are plans for a big Hancher program late in November 2011 – the biggest Hancher program yet. Announcement will be made shortly.

Faculty Senate/Council

These bodies have dealt with a number of issues including faculty governance regarding student athletics including student absences from courses, standards for online courses, and gender equity in athletics at UI; research track promotions policies; the Alcohol Harm Reduction Plan; and the post-tenure review policy. A Threat Assessment Team and a Web Accessibility Project were established. An Ombudsperson report was received citing more incidences of lack of civility in faculty and staff behavior and problems with supervisors.

Research Council, Recreation Services Committee, Library Committee

See summaries on their websites.

The floor was opened for comments or questions: An e-mail has just been received regarding the renewal of parking passes. Applications can be accomplished on-line only and some members reported problems they experienced in the on-line process.

President Sprince then passed the gavel to Carol Fethke, each thanking the other for their different accomplishments during the past year.

There was a moment of silence in memory of the 25 faculty colleagues who died during the past year.

Speaker: President Sprince introduced Gary Fethke, the former Dean of the College of Business and former acting University President (now beginning a two year phased retirement).

His topic: Emerging New Financing of Higher Education

The academic core of the University

The University of Iowa can be viewed as a small academic core that receives some public funding surrounded by and tied to a whole variety of non-profit enterprises that earn their own funds – residence halls, athletics, UIHC, bookstore, funded research. The academic core is shrinking relative to these other enterprises. Instructional costs are declining, other costs are increasing. The Provost’s Office controls only 20% of University funding.

Public funding of Higher Education

The decline in public funding of higher education should not be seen as only temporary due to the recession. Instead it should be viewed as permanent. Public funding in Iowa is below the national average and is continuing to erode.

Tuition has increased and here this has lead to a reliance on non-residence tuition. Resident tuition is the lowest in the Big Ten, non-resident is among the highest. In 2010, Iowa had 53% non-resident students. There will be increasing competition for non-resident students, on both national and international levels. Major universities are beginning to emerge in China. There will be more competition from community colleges, for-profit universities, and internet institutions.

His Recommendations

Charge tuition more in line with program costs. Undergraduate tuition subsidizes graduate and professional programs. Dentistry and Medicine receive the greatest subsidies, Liberal Arts and Education the least.

Reduce the number of programs. The University cannot provide everything to everybody.

Raise admissions standards. Allow the three Regent’s institutions to have different admissions policies.

Concentrate on what makes Iowa distinctive. Competition should be facing East –Wisconsin, Illinois, etc.

Questions and comments were received from those present until time ran out and were continued at lunch.

Al Hood – Temporary Recorder

Note: Minutes of the Monday, May 2, 2011Emeritus Faculty Council meeting were distributed by e-mail to all members for changes and/or comments. None were received. The minutes stand approved as distributed.

Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes

Monday, May 2, 2011
2520 UCC

Members Present: Laird Addis, Lorraine Dorfman, Carol Fethke, Rose Friedrich, Ken Hubel, Pat Kelley, Al Hood, Jim Lindberg, Norb Malik, Ray Muston, Jerry Rose, Jack Rosazza, Nancy Sprince, Jerry Walker

Minutes: The minutes of the April 4, 2011 meeting were approved as distributed. (Hubel Motion Second by Kelley)

Officers for 2011-12

Tom Rice, Associate Provost, reminded us that Carol’s service as president will mean we have two representatives from Business on the Council since Carol will serve and Jerry Rose continues for one more year.

Laird Addis questioned whether we have nominations from the floor at general meeting? It was concluded the Council selects its own officers after Council elections are completed.

Officers should, according to by-laws, include President, Vice President, and Secretary. We still need a secretary of record. Carol Fethke will serve as president and Ray Muston as vice president.

Carol Fethke suggested we have a secretary term of service by semester. We have three meetings per term, which seems reasonable. Rose Friedrich expressed a willingness to serve as secretary for the fall term.

Elections

The elections committee will be meeting this afternoon to count ballots (May 2). They will call those elected to confirm their service and letters will then be sent to all candidates. Those elected will be announced at the annual meeting.

Annual Spring Meeting

President Nancy Sprince will make brief remarks at the annual meeting. Each member of Council should email a summary of items to be included in her remarks from respective assignments. Cooperative programs/efforts with the University of Iowa Retirees Association will be included.

A lunch menu has been confirmed for the meeting and all new retirees will be invited and will receive a copy of the Retiree’s Handbook from the Provost’s office.

Gary Fethke will speak to the general membership.

Committee Updates

Committee reports were submitted by email and included as attachments to the minutes for the meeting.

Other Business

President-elect Carol Fethke asked if we should wait until fall for committee assignment or would it be better to volunteer for service now to avoid the lag in the Fall? It would still allow for new members to select their preferred choice. Carol will forward an email to all so we can review the needs and notify her of their preference.

It was suggested that we plan one common program or event with the retirees association. For example, a selection of half hour sessions that people could rotate to--topical interests in form of “mini conferences.” Al Hood noted that volunteer organizations often show up and try to recruit volunteers at such an event. Ray Muston suggested topics that retirees have already requested including wellness programs, health benefits, retirement planning, etc. would be useful.

onReview of the Role of the Council

One excellent email had been received from a member about the purpose and direction for the Council. Carol Fethke expressed hope that others would share their suggestions by email as well
Nancy Sprince reported that we had hoped as part of new communications scheme we could have members visit with deans and department heads to solicit perspectives of how emeritus faculty might serve. Jack Rosazza suggested we review how other institutions involve emeriti. Lorraine Dorfman noted much is dependent upon what happens at department level to involve emeriti. Ray Muston suggested a number of people might be interested in assisting in areas beyond their original department or discipline.
Ken Hubel questioned whether more structure or process is needed to involve emeritus faculty. If someone really wants to volunteer, they can go to their department and say they have skills and are willing to volunteer. Laird Addis felt that Deans might remind departments that emeritus faculty may be a resource available to help with programs and activities. Ken Hubel repeated that action is really at the department level and gave an example of an annual luncheon in medicine where emeriti are informed of activities and have a chance to volunteer.

Jack Rosazza reminded the group that we are the retired FACULTY Council. Consequently, our activity should be focused on interaction with existing faculty. How can we relate to issues or needs with existing faculty?

Carol Fethke questioned whether the Retiree’s Handbook serves as an adequate bridge for retirees or would another initiative also be useful?

Ken Hubel read the descriptive role of the Council published in the bylaws.

Speaker: Barry Butler, Interim Provost, UI

Provost Butler began his comments with a brief overview of his background at The University of Iowa.

He came to the university in 1984 following completion of his PhD at the University of Illinois. For the past 10 years Butler has served as Dean of the College of Engineering. He was named Interim Provost in 2010 and has enjoyed serving faculty and students in that role. His comments included a strategic overview of the status of the university and the role of the Provost in implementing the Strategic Plan. (See http://provost.uiowa.edu/ for a complete copy of the strategic plan in PDF format)

The Strategic Plan was introduced the day Butler first came into office. In very short order, he was given responsibility for its announcement and implementation. We were reminded of the timeliness of the strategic plan following the great flood of 2008, the great recession of 2008-10 and the challenge of the comprehensive campaign 2010-2016 now underway. His presentation focused on four major pillars of the strategic plan.

The first pillar of the Strategic Plan is Student Success. Key efforts include:

Early Intervention
First Year Seminars
Living-Learning Communities
TILE Classrooms
Transition to College.

Early interventions programs have already increased retention rates of entering students. In one year, retention of first year students increased from 83% to 86.6%. Consequently, our enrollment is expected to increase even more than projected previously.

First year seminars have been in place now for three years. The goal is to develop small communities of students (no more than 20) in a one-hour class around a variety of interests. Butler teaches one on Wind Energy Technology. Another example is a medical professor who teaches a seminar on History of War. A few emeritus faculty teach in this program.

Living-learning communities are intended to focus on academic engagement in and out of class. This program started about seven years ago with a program for Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) in Burge. Six or seven centers will be active next fall. Experience and research demonstrates that this concept works.

Enrollment will be increasing as increased retention rates play out and new student recruitment continues.

A second major pillar of the strategic plan is focused on new knowledge and practice. Implementation of “cluster hire” hires to address “grand challenges” include The Aging of Minds and Brain, Digital Public Humanities, and Water Sustainability. Current efforts include identifying next clusters. For more information on current clusters, seehttp ://provost.uiowa.edu/clusters/

A third pillar of the plan, New Frontiers in the Arts, is manifest in current challenges rebuilding the Arts campus ---with Vice President of Finance. For example, academic implications of splitting the physical locations of Hancher and the School of Music are complex. Obviously, this is a significant piece of the comprehensive fundraising campaign as well.

The last major leg of strategic initiative is public engagement. Nursing is an excellent example of the effectiveness of this direction. They have developed a network of partnerships around the state that have extended cost-effective opportunities for nursing students while addressing critical health care services for all Iowans. In engineering, we are working with Iowa Lakes Community College in wind energy. We have found that we could improve transfer articulation and eliminate approximately half semester of credit for those who want to continue on for a four-year program.

The comprehensive fund-raising campaign is, of course, crucial. If you view the campus as it now exists and consider what we would be like without gifts and philanthropy, many programs and facilities on our “map” would not exist. We are increasingly dependent upon the philanthropy of our alumni and friends to sustain our mission.

Following his presentation, Dr. Butler responded to questions from Council members.

Faculty Senate issues and concerns. The new Senate president (Richard Fumerton) is eager to work with this Council to review areas of common interest and concern. A current issue relates to tenure policy and review by Regents and state opinion leaders. These are not new concerns. It would be helpful to learn from perspectives of members who experienced similar queries in the past.

Laird Addis asked what percent of freshmen do get into first year seminars? About half of 4500 first year students get into first year seminars. What percent of new faculty hires are in clusters programs? About 6 or 7 out of seventy new hires have been in clusters initiatives. Addis felt at a time when liberal arts is so down in faculty we should be putting the majority of our resources into traditional curricula and programs rather than these contemporary clusters. He appreciated the statistics reported.

It was noted that cluster hiring is not a new strategy in our university. We have done this in Engineering as well as in “centers of excellence”. Thirty-five years ago engineers elected to create a department of bio-medical engineering, now a premier program of some of the best and brightest in our college and our university.

Jim Lindberg observed that the concept of living-learning communities is really not new. We had a program a couple of decades ago. It would be useful to revisit the strengths and limitations of that experience. Rose Friedrich recalled the historical experience of Westlawn as a living center for students in Nursing.

Dr Butler reported that there would be a center in the Union this fall as we wait for a new residence hall (Hillcrest) facility on the west side. One floor of the IMU guesthouse will be used to house one interest area.

Lorraine Dorfmann asked if there is an ongoing evaluation of this program in place. There is.
Laird Addis also raised the broader question of recording the history of the University (e.g.: the work of Stow Persons, John Gerber, D.C. Spriestersbach, publications of university history). Addis said it is a shame that we are drifting away from building an on-going history of our institution. Should we not have a process in place to record and preserve the history? One suggestion was to ask retirees to share oral histories/perspectives of the campus and programs at the time of their retirement.

Dr. Butler acknowledged that Bill Hines has just completed a History of the College of Law that is excellent. Rod Lehnertz and colleague have put together a history of architecture on campus.

Dr. Butler concurred that we should work together to identify how retired faculty can remain involved in areas of import to them and to the university.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 11:10 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Ray Muston

Annual meeting:

Date: May 16, 2011
Time: 10:15 AM
Location: W151 PBB
Program Gary Fethke, speaker

Committee Reports May 2, 2011

Hancher Committee Report, Professor Laird Addis

Director Chuck Swanson reviewed the recent visit of the Miro String Quartet, both its recital and its concerts for the nurses at UIHC and Mercy Hospital. Hancher plans to expand its hospital performances in the future

Ticket prices were announced for the big Hancher event in November, and accompanying events were indicated. The marketing director described the many ways the event will be publicized, and members suggested yet further approaches. Swanson told the committee about a $20,000 sustaining grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation that will finance the Creative Campus Institute, which will begin with a conference of various faculty to discuss ways to bring Hancher programming into their courses. Finally, another report was given on negotiations with FEMA for financing the new Hancher Auditorium.

April UIRA Board Meeting, Professor Patricia Kelly

The meeting was convened by President Hood on April 12. The general business meeting was held and Ken Kuntz discussed the past programs for the year, all of which were successful and he discussed the three upcoming programs. The May program will be at one of Dick Schwab’s barns, and June meeting will be the annual picnic at City Park at the shelter near the Riverside Theatre where participants may go to a rehearsal of Two Gentlemen from Verona and hear Ron Clarke discuss it. The annual meeting is this month, and is at the Athletic Club. Ideas for future programs were discussed and ideas should be sent to Jean Hood. Committee reports and treasurer’s report were given. There is now a list serve all can access with names and information on all members. 61% of the members now receive the newsletter by email. A committee is working on 3 changes in the by laws which will be ready for approval by the Sept meeting. Of interest to the EFC is that the UIRA wants to find more ways in which the two groups can cooperate. I pointed out that we are cooperating now with Senior College and with the web sites, plus with the OLLI issue last year.. President Jean Hood wonders about the two groups cooperating in a day long educational session on retirement or on aging.

Sincerely Pat Kelley, REP to UIRA from EFC

Senior College Report, Professor Al Hood

This spring's Senior College courses attracted somewhere around 450 registrants. Seven of the courses are completed with two continuing for another week or so. We currently have eight courses lined up for the fall semester. With increasingly larger undergraduate enrollments, large enough classrooms for our more popular courses are increasingly difficult to obtain.

Al Hood

Recreational Services Report, Professor Jerry Walker

Jerry Walker shared an outline of five and ten year capital improvement plans for recreation services reviewed at the April meeting of Recreational Services Committee.

5-Year Plan

1. Construct an Environmental Learning Center at Macbride Nature Recreation Area
2. Install artificial turf on 4 - 5 fields at the Hawkeye Recreation Fields
3. Add new lighted grass turf fields south of the Hawkeye Recreation Fields
4. Expand the parking at the Hawkeye Recreation Fields
5. Plan and construct CRWC Phase II
6. Install benches/permanent seating in the CRWC Natatorium
7. Replace three school buses used by School of the Wild/Wildlife Camps
8. Install synthetic turf at the Recreation Building OR construct a new indoor turf building
9. Resurface the Klotz Outdoor Tennis Courts
10. Purchase 1 -2 15 passenger vans
11. Replace the air conditioning in the Fitness Loft
12. Chip seal the archery parking and driveway, Bluestem Parking and main parking lot at Macbride Nature Recreation Area
13. Add digital signage to the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex

10-Year Plan

1. Plan and construct CRWC Phase II
2. Add lighting, restrooms and a storage building to the Rugby fields
3. Construct a hard surface outdoor area for in-line hockey or soccer with built-in walls and goals
4. Renovate the Macbride Raptor Center
5. Renovate the Social Center at Macbride Nature Recreation Area

The committee also reviewed proposed fee increases for Recreational Services that are expected to range from 3% to 5%.

Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes

Monday, April 4, 2011
2520 UCC

Members Present: Laird Addis, Lorraine Dorfman, Claiborne Dungy, Carol Fethke, Al Hood, Ken Hubel, Pat Kelley, James Lindberg, Norb Malik, Ray Muston, Jack Rosazza, Bob Sayre, Nancy Sprince, Jerry Walker

Minutes: The minutes of the March 7, 2011 meeting were approved as distributed.

Discussion of the Leadership and Future Role of the EFC: Members first discussed the role of President of the EFC. Al Hood said that it is not a difficult job; one of the hardest jobs is finding speakers. Pat Kelley noted that we receive a great deal of help from the Provost’s Office. One possibility is that a current member of EFC whose term is expiring can stay on an extra year as president. Nancy Sprince, the current president, said that the president usually attends a national meeting of emeritus faculty organizations. She attended the meeting this past year. There will not be a meeting next year, but there will be a national meeting the following year. Nancy noted that the president is charged with tasks such as developing the agendas for each month’s EFC meeting and tracking progress of the Committees on elections and the annual meeting.

Ken Hubel raised the question of the major function of the EFC. Social activities are taken care of mainly by the UIRA. Carol Fethke asked if we could be more of an advocacy group for emeriti, e.g., getting a better deal at the new Wellness Center. Ray Muston agreed and said this will determine the role of the President of the EFC. Nancy Sprince noted that one important achievement this year is the new EFC website. Carol suggested that we have one major goal for each year; for instance, this year it was the website, two years ago it was helping to save the Senior College. Bob Sayre noted that after 6 years on the EFC, he sees a lot of energy at the beginning of each year, but that we need to keep this energy going all year. The question was raised about how to do this, particularly since a number of the members are gone for part of the year. After considerable discussion, it was agreed that Carol Fethke will serve as President for most of next year, with Ray Muston serving as backup when she is not in town. Essentially they will alternate as needed. It was suggested that the choice for leadership for the following year should be made by mid-year next year. Ray suggested that every member of the EFC send an e-mail to Carol and himself saying what they think the top three priorities of the group should be.

Annual Meeting: Jack Rosazza raised a question about how emeriti are contacted for the annual Spring meeting in May. Nancy and Carol explained that all current and new emeriti are contacted by mail. The event is subsidized the Provost’s Office and we pay only $5.00. Pat noted that the Provost’s Office has decided in some cases whether someone should be designated as having emeritus status when it is unclear.

Committee Reports:

Election Committee: The chair of the committee, Pat Kelley, reported that nominations for new members of the EFC will be counted by the committee (Pat Kelley, Bob Sayre, and Lorraine Dorfman) on Wednesday, April 6. Then nominees will be contacted by committee members to see if they are willing for their names to be on the ballot. The committee will meet again on Monday, April 11 to finalize the list of nominees. There are two openings for the College of Medicine, and one opening each for CLAS, Public Health, Law, and Nursing. After the ballots are sent out and returned, the committee will count the ballots on Monday, May 2.

Faculty Council Meeting Tues. Mar. 8, and Faculty Senate Meeting Tues. Mar. 25, 2011: (Bob Sayre) Both meetings devoted most of their time to revisions in the policies for annual reviews of post-tenure faculty and for policies governing the Research-Track in the College of Pharmacy. Both were then approved, with minor changes in wording. There was also discussion in the Faculty Council of a new policy on Conflicts of Commitment and Interest and a new Compensation and Classification System for P&S staff, but no decisions were reached. The Senate briefly took up the first, but had no time for the second.

The remainder of the Senate meeting was devoted to reports by Michael O’Hara (former Senate and Council Chair) on a recent meeting of faculty representatives to the Big Ten and by Ellen Herman (Clinical Assoc. Prof. in the Office of Student Services and College of Education), who has been serving as Chair of the Presidential Committee on Athletics (PCA). The Big Ten meeting, Prof. O’Hara said, discussed institutional control of athletic programs, problems with academic tutoring and credits, athletic programs’ compliance with athletes’ eligibility, and issues with junior college transfers. The UI, he reported, does not have the best record on faculty governance of athletics.

Prof. Herman’s report, which was covered in the Press-Citizen on both the following days (Wed. and Thurs.), described difficulties enforcing a University policy regarding athletes’ absences from courses, efforts to set standards for online courses, and the Department of Athletics failure to notify a PCA sub-committee of an increase in ticket prices.

Hancher Committee meeting, March 23, 2011: (Laird Addis) Laird Addis and Norb Malik were in attendance, representing the EFC. A report was given on the educational activities of Hancher performers who will be in residence at various times in the remainder of the 2011-12 season. Notice was made of the events, starting in early September, that will open the 2011-12 season. Director Swanson gave an update on progress toward construction of the new Hancher Auditorium, still expected to open in 2015. This involved description of the “pre-design” stage, which involves persons representing the many aspects of the project. This should result in an estimate of costs being sent to FEMA by 1 April of this year. Finally, there was discussion of a major event that Hancher Auditorium will sponsor in November of this year.

Speaker: Dr. Robert Wallace, Director, UI Center on Aging

Dr. Wallace started out by saying there is more activity in aging (gerontology) than ever before on campus. The Center on Aging (CoA) has grown considerably, starting out in 1990 with a part-time secretary and limited support. Kitty Buckwalter took the lead initially. About 15% of the total CoA budget comes from state funds. Purpose of the Center on Aging: to support all things aging on campus, including research, education, and service. The STAR registry has 1,900 older volunteers for research studies on campus. The lifelong education program (LEAP) offers a variety of classes for seniors and had to open extra classes this year due to demand. On the policy side, the Regents asked the CoA to develop a geriatric care plan for the state. The CoA also has a registry of Iowa geriatricians. Dr. Wallace feels UI is not yet as advanced on the academic side as it is on the clinical side in geriatrics.

A number of recent changes regarding aging has occurred at UI. UIHC has been emphasizing elder care more. The CoA is trying to support gerontology more on campus; for example, there are now two CoA members on the board of the interdisciplinary Aging Studies Program, housed in the School of Social Work, and administratively in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. An exciting development is that there will be 14 new cluster hires in aging in the next few years (“The Aging Mind and Brain”) involving multiple disciplines (physiology, psychology, neurology, etc.) Additionally, Dean Maxson in CLAS has added 4 new lines in aging this year in the College. Since cluster hires are a new concept, the UI needs to learn how to manage these cluster hires. The CoA has a grant from TIAA-CREF to study aspects of faculty retirement that are of interest to TIAA-CREF.

Dr. Wallace expressed concern that the current debate over Social Security and Medicare will cause intergenerational conflict.

Discussion and questions followed. Bob Sayre asked what courses in aging are given on campus. Bob Wallace and Lorraine Dorfman, a former director of the Aging Studies Program, outlined course requirements and electives in the Program. Financial concerns: there is a small amount of money to pay staff of the CoA, who are mostly part-time. One development is that the Geriatric Education Center (GEC), supported by a federal grant, has just merged with the CoA, and the director of the GEC is now on staff at the CoA. Carol Fethke asked about national impact of research at the CoA. Dr. Wallace said he has been involved in several national studies, including the Health and Retirement Study and the National Health and Aging Trends Study. The CoA has increased emphasis on serving the state, e.g., it is involved in a consortium of aging studies programs across the state. Carol asked for suggestions regarding aging and the EFC. Dr. Wallace said one possibility was to work to try to keep older workers in the work force. He noted that in the future older people of means will be asked to pay more for Social Security and Medicare benefits. Other questions included: How are uninsured, such as prisoners or the Amish, covered for medical treatment? Right now, UIHC must cover these. Are higher socio-economic status people greater users of Medicare? No, because higher SES people tend to be healthier over the life span. Discussion then centered on the issue of increasing longevity vs. quality of life. Dr. Wallace noted that disability-free life is increasing in the U.S.

Overall, Dr. Wallace is hopeful that the new cluster hires in aging will elevate the study of aging on campus and attract more attention and funding.

Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 11 a.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Lorraine Dorfman

Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes

Monday, March 7, 2011
2520B UCC

Members Present: Laird Addis, Carol Fethke, Rose Friedrich, H.D. Hoover, Pat Kelley, Norbert Malik, Jack Rosazza, Nancy Sprince, Jerry Walker

Meeting began at 9:30 AM.

Minutes: The minutes of the February 7th 2011 meeting were approved as distributed.

Elections: Pat Kelley reported that paper ballots were required for nominations to the EFC and only ballots from Emeritus Faculty could be counted. Several active faculty had sent in e-mail nominations. Since these cannot be counted as nominations, Nancy Sprince will notify these people of our correct process for nominating new EFC candidates. Ballots were mailed with slots for CLAS, Medicine (2 slots), Nursing, Law and Public Health. Nancy Sprince asked current EFC members to step forward for the office of President of the EFC from 2011-2012. Members who had been on the EFC for at least one year had been asked to serve as Vice-President (President-elect) for 2010-2011, but no one had agreed to take on this position. New members of the EFC had not previously been asked to serve as President for 2011-2012, in hopes that a more experienced EFC member could take on that role. Two new members present stated they were also not able to serve. The third new member, who was not present, was nominated as President and supported unanimously by the EFC. Nancy Sprince will follow up with this EFC member to see if they are able to serve as President for 2011-2012.

Annual Meeting: The annual meeting will take place on Monday, May 16th, 2011 in room W151 of the Papajohn Business Building. Gary Fethke will be the speaker. Lunch will be in W401.

Future Emeritus Faculty Council Meeting Speakers: Robert B. Wallace, MD, MSc – will speak at the April 4th 2011 meeting on the topic of “Aging research and aging programs at the University of Iowa”. Bob is the Irene Ensminger Stecher Professor of Epidemiology and Internal Medicine in the Department of Epidemiology
Barry Butler, Ph.D., Interim Provost, University of Iowa will speak at the May 2, 2011 meeting.

Website: The website is ready for launch.

Career Development Assignments: Nancy Sprince reviewed steps taken with the Letter initiated by Kenn Hubel and approved by the EFC. The Governmental Affairs Office at UI indicated that “events had overtaken the issue” through HF 45 – a bill now before Governor Branstad. Nancy added the language suggested by the Governmental Affairs Office to that of the Kenn Hubel letter urging the governor to sign HF45. The language supporting our position is on pg 6 of the bill – but there are a variety of other items in the bill – any of which may be retained or not.

Agenda Item for Future Meeting: Carol Fethke suggested a discussion of the “purpose of the EFC” – it is mandated as an executive body representing all emeritus faculty. Should we be more pro-active? What issue(s) should we adopt as a goal for the next year? Working more closely with the UIRA was mentioned.

Speaker: Dr. Sean O’Harrow, Director of the Museum of Art presented a talk on the topic of “Update, Challenges and Plans for the University of Iowa Museum of Art. Director O’Harrow was born in France, raised in Hawaii and completed undergraduate and graduate degrees at Harvard and Cambridge Universities, respectively. He gained experience in museum work at both institutions, and worked in the financial industry gaining understanding of institutions, fundraising and management. He was Executive Director of the Figge Museum in Davenport prior to moving here some 15 weeks ago.

He reviewed the UI Museum of Art history beginning in 1908 with Charles Cumming, a well-known artist who established the plastic & graphic arts department. Lester Longman, beginning in 1936, further developed the BFA/MFA program in studio art, and was here when Peggy Guggenheim recognized the program and Iowa accepted the famous Jackson Pollock painting that has been much discussed. In 1969, the Elliot family bequest enabled the establishment of the Art Museum along the river that flooded in 2008 necessitating the assets of the museum to be moved to Chicago where most of the art assets were unavailable for view. The Figge Art Museum was chosen to host the UI collection in Davenport (some 10,000 works), developed storage rooms from galleries, and had allowed for the art to be properly insured.

Director O’Harrow discussed a number of issues underway in flood recovery, museum and art program planning, and concepts in moving forward. From what he understands, FEMA has never encountered the situation in which the building may be usable, but that the institution has been operationally incapacitated. Decisions on the fate of the Art Museum are to be made in Washington, DC (a few appeals have been turned down thus far, but more are possible). The Pollock debate has been revealing. Peggy Gugenheim made this donation of art as a component of art understanding and education. The Pollock as part of the art collection at Iowa is critical for teaching students about major art movements and about civilization. Iowa has long specialized in American Art. The Pollock brings fame and credibility to the institution, and puts the University of Iowa “on the map”. As a result of its superb collection, the UI Art Museum is probably among the top dozen university museums in the United States.

Sean gave an overview of where the University will go from here. A university that publishes ideas and conducts research should also do the same with art. Physical issues – i.e., buildings – are critical. Most art museums battle physical issues. The flood of 2008, while damaging, offers an opportunity to consider next steps in developing a modern museum and museum concept. Finding ways to make art more relevant for the public by integrating it into every day settings is a primary goal. Promoting art education on the broadest possible basis – challenging students to think about art – a la the collection at UIHC is an example of integrating art into public venues. The UI could become a modern, “hybrid” institution with galleries across campus, ensuring much greater exposure than art simply contained in a traditional building. Libraries, for example experience >1,000,000 visitors/year – while only a few thousand students used the art museum during an average year.

Questions centered on new locations for art, how Sean is working with the UI, alums, students, the City and others as resources in implementing his vision, and art in the community.

Email Reports of Emeritus Council Representatives to University Organizations

FRIC Report (Carol Fethke): Carol gave a verbal summary of FRIC meeting activities. CHIP II will be available for another year. Possible new plans are under consideration – but there doesn’t appear to be a need for such a plan, except for retirees living away from the Iowa City area. Weight loss drugs discussed – side effects preclude them being included in coverage. Clinic wait times as an issue and psychiatric coverage were discussed. In a report on “wellness”, health coaches are free, trainers not. Discussion on what retirees can have access to. However, retirees must pay fee for new health facility to be covered. Long term care insurance for three regents’ institutions is through John Hancock Inc for the past six years. No rate increase has been implemented to date. However, a rate increase of up to 45% is being considered. Outside review through the Insurance Commissioner will likely modulate that increase. Those joining 6 years earlier are still covered by Metropolitan Life – and their premiums may also go up. Health care premiums in general may be under discussion – a’la Wisconsin and other states undergoing various reviews to cut costs.

UIRA meeting, February 8, 2011 (Rose Friedrich): President Jean Hood called the meeting to order. Ken Kuntz, Program Chair, noted future programs including an April 4 program meeting, Rod Lehnertz speaker on topic “Post-Flood Issues at UI; May 12 program with Dick Schwab on site of one of his barns; and the annual picnic meeting in June in a shelter in City Park near the Shakespeare Stage with a presentation from someone associated with Riverside Theater. Many board members will be away at the time of the scheduled March meeting. Following discussion, it was moved and seconded to cancel the March meeting. This passed unanimously. The slate of new officer candidates will be in the March Newsletter. The current membership for UIRA includes 494 households or 674 members. Gene Spaziani has created and updated a comprehensive membership list. Nancy Williams, FRIC representative, noted that Chip II insurance will still be viable even though the numbers of those enrolled dropped from last year. Jean Hood appointed a By-Law Committee to discuss possible term changes for Newsletter Editor and Secretary as well as the possibility of formalizing the Hospitality Committee to work as a standing Committee.

Hancher Committee, February 25, 2011 (Laird Addis): At its meeting of Friday, 25 February (at which I was the only EFC member attending), the Hancher committee spent most of the time discussing the unusually big event (to be made public only later in the spring) that it has scheduled for the fall of this year. Discussion of ticket prices for the event included raising the question of whether or not Hancher should have discount prices for seniors, both for this event and in general (as it presently does). In addition, there was discussion of events to be held in connection with the demolition of the old Hancher building as well those to be held in connection with the dedication of the new Hancher building (which is expected to take place in 2015). Finally, there was a report on the educational activities to take place yet this semester under the sponsorship of Hancher Auditorium.

Election Committee (Pat Kelley): Lorraine Dorfman and Pat Kelley met with Brenda and Deborah from the Provost’s office to set up schedule for Elections. Bob Sayre, the other committee member, will return from out of town early March to join us in processing the ballots and final votes. The nomination letters have gone out to all Emeritus Faculty and need to be returned by April 4th. Persons can nominate for any of the colleges that have opening (CLAS 1; Medicine 2; and Law, Nursing, and Public Health 1 each). The committee will count the nominations and determine who will be on the ballot on April 6th, and final ballots go out about April 18th. For the election, voters can only vote from their own College. Ballots are due back on April 29th; elections committee meets on May 2nd and announcements are made at the annual meeting. All nominees are contacted before going on ballot. Pat Kelley, Elections Chair

Research Council, February 7, 2011 (Jack Rosazza): The Publication Waiver Subcommittee recently reviewed a complex publication waiver request from a College. The subaward required the UI to accept restrictive language if research results were deemed “sensitive.” The subcommittee recommended that the requested waiver be granted with conditions and potential subsequent review.
The Authorship Guidelines Subcommittee provided a draft replacement of the limited guidance on authorship in the Operations Manual. The subcommittee will formulate FAQs for the OVPR’s and Office of the Provost’s websites. It was determined that shared governance would be necessary for this level of change to the Operations Manual. This will be guided through the; (1) Office of the General Counsel, (2) Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, (3) Graduate College, (4) Faculty Council and (5) Faculty Senate for approval.

The Centers and Institutes Subcommittee is working on a draft policy. They are working on distinguishing “center” (ordinarily a subsidiary of a larger entity) from “institute” (ordinarily a larger entity which may incorporate many centers). The definition of a Board of Regent institute and a Board of Regent center is distinguished by the amount of funding and level of reporting. As policy, ISU starts specialized associations off as programs and determination is made if/as they evolve whether they become a center or institute.

A year end report detailing activities of the Research Council this year, and outlining activities that will carry over to 2011-2012 will be prepared.

Recreational Services Committee Meeting, January 21, 2011 (Jerry Walker): In the Director’s Report, Harry Ostrander described plans for Phase 2 of the CRWC – the block south of CRWC being used for recreation. All operations from the Field House would be moved over. Many new activity rooms (golf, training) and wellness services would be implemented. A variety of courts (basketball – 8), racquetball, sqäsh, badmitton, activity rooms, cycling studio) are under consideration as are new classrooms & locker rooms.

An Environmental Learning Center campaign is being spearheaded by Dave Conrads. Macbride Nature Recreation Area will play a strong role in removing “Nature Deficit Disorder”. Wildlife camps, UI School of the Wild (funded by EPA/REAP) is Iowa’s 1st NCA accredited environmental education program. New facilities – observation tower, suspension bridge, classrooms, conference rooms.

The field house alternate exit was discussed from a safety perspective.

The USA Diving Championships competition held January 30-Feb 6 was mentioned – bringing elite divers from around the country.

The Big Ten (with twelve teams????) Conference bringing campus rec staffs from throughout the Big Ten will come to Iowa City May 17-20.

Speaker – April 4, 2011: Robert B. Wallace, MD, MSc – Aging research and aging programs at the University of Iowa. Bob is the Irene Ensminger Stecher Professor of Epidemiology and Internal Medicine, Department of Epidemiology.

Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes

Monday, February 7, 2011
2520B UCC

Members Present: Laird Addis, Lorraine Dorfman, Carol Fethke, Rose Friedrich, Al Hood, H.D. Hoover, Kenn Hubel, Pat Kelley, James Lindberg, Jack Rosazza, Nancy Sprince

Call to Order: Meeting began at 9:30 AM.

Minutes: The minutes of the December 6th 2010 meeting were approved as distributed.

Elections: Pat Kelley gave a report of the Elections Committee. The current Council has an additional member from the College of Business and is missing one representative from the College of Medicine. These problems will be dealt with in the May elections. A new president and vice president of the Council will be needed for next year and volunteers are being solicited by President Nancy Sprince.

Annual Meeting: Carol Fethke announced that the Annual Meeting is expected to take place on Monday, May 16th in Room W151 (Lunch in 401) Pappajohn Business Building. Final word on the speaker will be announced shortly.

Future Council Meetings: Sean O’Harrow, the Director of the UI Art Museum will be the speaker for the March meeting. The UIHC Director of Nursing and the IC City Engineer are proposed speakers for the April and May meetings. The Council heartedly approved Carol’s efforts in obtaining these programs.

Website: Nancy Sprince displayed the new EFC website and its various features, requesting comments and suggestions. There was general agreement that the website looks good. There is a place for news items on it and members are encouraged to send such items or any updates to Ray Muston.

Career Development Assignments: Kenn Hubel circulated a draft of a letter opposing the legislative move to temporarily eliminate Career Development Assignments that he proposed be sent to appropriate legislators and officials. The Council was in favor of such a letter and members made various suggestions regarding content and persons to whom it should be sent. Kenn will circulate a revised draft.

Guest Speaker: Dr. Jordan Cohen, The University’s Vice President for Research was introduced. His topic was: “Research @ Iowa – Engaging Iowa and the World”. Last year’s total external funding amounted to $466.5 million, and has shown a consistent annual increase each year up from $1 million in 1987. Over half (66%) is from Federal Agencies and half of that from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Half of the awards are received by the College of Medicine with the next largest amounts going to the Colleges of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Engineering and Public Health.

Over $40 million was received in 2010 as part of the stimulus package (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) and this will not be repeated. Thus Iowa and other research universities are anticipating a need to provide bridge funding as the increased competition for a smaller total federal research budget will make it difficult to sustain these higher levels of funding in the next two years.

During the last five years, research grants by emeritus faculty from various colleges have totaled $2.7million in funding. Emeritus faculty could be helpful in reading and critiquing grant proposals prior to their submission.

Goals of his office include (1) Increase competitiveness for extramural funding; (2) More focus on service, education, and communication; (3) Helping shape campus research initiatives e.g. cluster hires; (4) Involving undergraduates in research; (5) Support research that creates new companies and new jobs for Iowa; (6) More effective and efficient research administration.

There are currently three cluster hire initiatives – Aging in the Mind and Brain – 14 new hires, Water Sustainability – 5 new hires, and Digital Public Humanities. At present, 37 proposals are being reviewed to choose the next cluster.

The Research Office is undertaking various strategies to improve funding including (1) supporting grant specialists in Liberal Arts, Education, and International Programs; and (2) providing internal funding for initiatives in the biological, physical, and social sciences and for the Arts and Humanities Initiative.

Another very important goal is to work with UI faculty and staff to support economic development and entrepreneurship in Iowa, including technology transfer, and by connecting the assets of the University to the needs of Iowa companies.

E-mail Reports of Emeritus Council Representatives to University Organizations: UIRA meeting, Jan. 11, 2011 (Pat Kelley) President Hood called the meeting to order. Ken Kuntz, Program Chair, noted future programs, which are listed in the newsletter and on line. One new addition is touring one of Dick Schwab’s barns in May, probably May 12, but date not confirmed. The Annual Meeting will be on April 20th. Plans for the annual picnic are still up in the air. City Park near the Shakespeare Theatre with a play is a possibility. It was also noted that OLLI is now called UI LEAP as it lost its OLLI funding.

Joe Joynt presented the budget and the organization is doing well. There has been a suggestion that a more complete budget be distributed at the annual meeting. There was a discussion of terms for various officers, especially the secretary and the Newsletter editor; the board will take up changing the bylaws to have a term for the Newsletter Editor, as none is stated now, and look into the possibility of having the secretary’s position, and maybe others with a one year term, have two years or at least renewable terms.

Dwight Jenson reported that the Newsletter is now going by US mail to 211 members while 321 are receiving it by e-mail, which saves considerable money.

The nominating committee was named by President Hood as: Sharon Sheib, Dick Dustin, Jane Jakobson, John Pryor and Sarah Wolfson. She also received suggestions for people to write a history of the organization.

Faculty Senate Meeting December 7,2010 (Rose Friedrich) The University of Iowa has developed a plan (Alcohol Harm Reduction Plan 2010-2013) to curb dangerous drinking within 3 years. UI hopes to cut the amount of drinks students have at one sitting from 7.5 to 4, the number of days out of the month students drink from 34% to 20% and drop the rate of students who binge drink from 70%, which is twice the national average and one of the highest in the country, to 55%.

The 24th Annual Report of the Office of the Ombudsperson: the Office had 517 visitors this past year, an increase of 50% from the previous year. Of this, 48% were staff and the primary concern was problems with supervisors.

The Post-tenure Review policy passed. The policy establishes procedures to be followed by the University in conducting reviews of a tenured faculty member’s performance in teaching, scholarship and service.

Meeting Minutes 2011

December 5, 2011

Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes

Monday, December 5, 2011 2520B UCC

November 7, 2011

Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes

Monday, November 7, 2011 2520B UCC

October 3, 2011

Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes

Monday, October 3, 2011 2520 UCC

September 12, 2011

Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes

Monday, September 12, 2011 2520B UCC

May 16, 2011 (Annual Meeting)

Minutes for the AEF Annual Meeting

May 16, 2011

May 2, 2011

Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes

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April 4, 2011

Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes

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March 7, 2011

Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes

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February 7, 2011

Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes

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Monday, December 5, 2011
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Monday, November 7, 2011
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Monday, October 3, 2011
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Monday, September 12, 2011
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Monday, May 2, 2011
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Monday, April 4, 2011
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Monday, March 7, 2011
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Monday, February 7, 2011
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