Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes

9:30 - 11:00 AM, December 2, 2019, 2530B UCC.

The meeting was called to order at 9:00 AM by Wanat.

Attendance: Berman, Boe, Cobb, Donham, Fleckenstein, Gilbert, Johnson, Menninger, Mitros, Shirazi, Wanat

Absent: Hines, Stoner, Valde, Vlastos

There were no notices of remembrances or of new Emeritus Faculty.

Revised minutes for October and November 2019 were approved.

Reports of EFC committees:

Discussion of Elections with Mitros.

Emeritus Faculty Lecture Series: Gilbert

Tuesday, December 10, 2019 Philip Lutgendorf

Thursday, February 6, 2020  Nick Colangelo

Tuesday, March 10,  2020 Tricia Zebrowski

Possible lecturers for April and May, 2020 are being contacted.

Reports from Liaisons with University Committees:

Campus planning by Donham,

FRIC by Shirazi,

UIRA by Cobb,

Recreation Services by Donham,

Parking by Boe. 

Senior College: considerable discussion of the most recent accomplishments of Senior College by all.

There was no Old Business.

New Business was a discussion of the changing nature of university leadership and organization as seen by representatives from different colleges.

Next meeting is February 3, 2019

The meeting was adjourned at 11:00 am.

Respectfully submitted,

Constance Berman, Secretary

Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes

9:30-11:00 AM, November 4, 2019, 2520B, UCC

Attendance: Berman, Boe, Cobb, Donham, Johnson, Menninger, Mitros Stoner, Valde, Vlastos, Wanat.

Absence: Cobb, Donham, Gilbert, Hines, Shirazi

Election of Council Members: There are two CLAS vacancies at present. Menninger agreed to help on this.

Remembrances of recently deceased emeriti/ae were made: William Lawton, Medicine, 9/18/19; John Nothnagle, CLAS 10/07/19

The meeting was called to order at 9:30 a.m. by Wanat, who welcomed John Menninger to an additional year on the council.  She brought up the discussion of academic appointments from the previous meeting and asked Menninger to act as our Parliamentarian. There was discussion of the meaning of "adjunct" and the history of changing designations in various colleges.  Johnson offered to trace its various meanings across colleges and his offer was accepted. 

Visitors arrived at 10 am: Rebecca Olson, Director of Benefits and Dana Stafford, Assistant Director of Benefits, University of Iowa, Human Resources presented information on changes in benefits' plans for emeritus faculty for 2020. EFC members raised the question of how this information changed with enrollment in Medicare A and B, and were encouraged to send any additional questions to Dana Stafford: 319-335-5711; Dana-Stafford@uiowa.edu.

October 7 minutes were discussed.

No Reports by EFC Committees were made, but that from the library committee sent by Gilbert to Berman is appended.

Next Meeting: December 2, 2019.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:00 am.

Respectfully submitted,
Constance Berman, Secretary

Attachment:  Library Committee meeting:   October 17, 2019, submitted by Gilbert:

John Culshaw, the University Librarian, opened the meeting by saying “There’s so much going on,” and most of the meeting was devoted to his report on new and ongoing projects.

1. The construction of the new Art Museum has created a lot of implications for the Main Library, primarily in terms of using Parking Lot 3.   That work will continue for 2 years, with particular disruption expected in the summer of 2020, when the work will extend to Madison Street as the old Communications building is taken down.
2. The Library is working together with the Art Museum and the Pentacrest Museum—fuller report next meeting (December 2019).
3. The Library will unveil the new portraits of past University presidents on Thursday, October 17^th in two separate ceremonies (at the Library and at Hancher).  The portraits will be on display, 5^th floor, from Tuesday, October 22^nd.   The library has developed course packs of materials related to these portraits, including assignments involving searches for background information.
4. Strategic Planning will begin in late October and extend for the rest of the calendar year.   Budget season is almost here, with the Budget Review Board meeting on November 1^st.   The question was asked:  how will the Library be affected by the new CLAS budget model?   John Culshaw responded that the Library doesn’t generate revenue, and that the University Libraries and the Law Library get about $39 million from General Education funds.   So he’s waiting to see what happens.
5. The Library has received a grant from the National Library of Medicine over 5 years, which allows the Library to share health information over a 10-state region.
6. Scanning books by Google.  This project began with Google scanning books in the collections at the University of Michigan and the University of California.   The libraries get a digital version, placed in the Hathi Trust (the name means “elephant”).   Iowa was the last of the Big 10 schools to be involved; already some 70,000 items have been scanned but there are about 150,000 more.   The library has hired a temporary employee to help.

Questions after this report included one about what kind of library parking will be available once the Art Museum construction is finished.   Evidently the lower level parking underneath the Art Museum will have fewer than 50 spaces.   At the moment, the Library has purchased some spaces in Lot 3 so that visitors to particular collections can find a space.

The Sackner Archive, with 75,000 items focusing on concrete and visual poetry, has been donated to the Library, largely because of the already existing International Dada Archive.   A major exhibit will open in April, 2020.  The committee members visited Special Collections to see some of the items in the collection.

Submitted by Miriam Gilbert

Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes

9:30-11:00 AM, October 7, 2019, 2520B, UCC

The meeting was called to order at 9:30 a.m. by Wanat, who welcomed our visitor Professor Steve Goddard, new Dean of CLAS.  Berman introduced him and we went around the table with names.

Attendance: Berman, Boe, Cobb, Donham, Gilbert, Johnson, Menninger (as visitor), Shirazi, Stoner, Valde, Vlastos, Wanat.

Absence: Fleckenstein, Hines, Mitros

Dean's Visit: The first order of business was to hear from Dean Steve Goddard, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, who spoke of his program for "Excellence, Impact, and Solving Structural Change." He stressed departmental autonomy and accountability, departments taking students into account and the search for inclusivity or diversity excellence. Dean Goddard expressed a need for more tenure-track positions.  He left at 10:15. The council then turned to other business.

Remembrances of recently deceased emeriti/ae were made: Veronica Brighton, April 29, nursing; Robert Baron, Aug. 15 CLAS; Stephen Foster; Mildred Freel, August 7, Nursing.

Minutes for September 3 EFC meeting were approved.

Election of Council Members: there are two CLAS vacancies. Menninger agreed to help on this.

Reports by EFC Committees:

FRIC Valde

UIRA Cobb

New Business: Two cases were forwarded to EFC by the Provost's office regarding granting emeritus status. Both cases were discussed. A motion and a second were made, the question called and the Council approved recommending to the provost granting emeritus status in the two cases.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:00 am.

Respectfully submitted,
Constance Berman, Secretary

Attachment: (EFC had discussed this issue earlier.)

Emeritus, Emerita and Emeriti

The Emeritus Faculty Council (EFC) members from the various UI colleges are frequently asked about the emerita designation by newly retired faculty. The UI operations (OPS) manual allows the use of emerita instead of the default emeritus as a university classification, but the university must be notified. The OPS manual does not specify a preferred method of notifying the university of the request for change of classification.
https://opsmanual.uiowa.edu/human-resources/retirement/emeritus-status-retirees

11.7 Emeritus Status for Retirees (e.)

At present the UI catalog lists no faculty member that has the emerita designation.
http://catalog.registrar.uiowa.edu/faculty/

The EFC encourages the Colleges and Departments of the university to list all their emeritus/emerita faculty on the appropriate collegiate and departmental web pages. The listings can be as simple as name, title, and email address. However, listing of a faculty member as emerita on a departmental web page has no effect on their listing in the catalog or UI directory which will retain the emeritus designation regardless of gender.

The proper use of the emeritus/emerita titles are well established in the UI editorial style guide. This document guides the proper use of these titles in all communications including web pages. The term emeriti is used to address emeritus and emerita faculty together as a group.
https://brand.uiowa.edu/sites/brand.uiowa.edu/files/ui_editorial_style_guide-9-12-2018.pdf  [https://brand.uiowa.edu/messaging] Faculty: emeritus/emerita page 29 of 39:  If your department does not list its emeriti faculty on its web page, or does not use emerita along with emeritus, the EFC would be happy to help you negotiate these changes. 
https://uiowa.edu/emeritusfaculty/

Submitted by George Johnson Oct-Nov 2019

Discussion ensued with regard to how difficult it is to keep catalogues and websites up to date.

Minutes for May 6 EFC meeting, Berman, were approved.

Minutes for May 20 AEF meeting, Gilbert, were approved as corrected.

Election of EFC Vice President and Secretary:  Gilbert as vice president and Berman as secretary were approved.

Election of Council Members: there are two CLAS vacancies at present. Gilbert is currently approaching a short list of possible members; there was some discussion of the possibility that in the case of need, it might be possible to extend Menninger's term.

Reports by EFC Committees:

  Senior College: Donham gave a report on the recent successes of Senior College.  It has moved to all on-line operation for a considerable cost-savings. All classes are full for fall semester.  There was some discussion of how to prevent no-shows and/or to limit numbers of courses in a semester in which any one person could enroll.

Emeritus faculty lectures: Gilbert reported as follows

(all in the 101 Biology Building East at 4 pm).

Tuesday, September 10:   Jeff Murray.  

"Genomic Approaches to Improving Maternal/Child Health in Africa and South Asia:  The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Approach to Science and Social Justice"

Thursday, October 17:   Lorraine Dorfman. 

"What Happens When We Retire? Professors in Retirement"

Tuesday, November 12:   Steven Burton. 

“Governing in Good Faith.”

Tuesday, December 10:  Philip Lutgendorf. 

“Chai Why? The Making of the Indian ‘National Drink’” 

And in the spring (dates to be confirmed)

February:  Nick Colangelo;  March:  Tricia Zebrowski

Emeritus Faculty Council Committee Assignments 2019/20 were discussed; currently the list is as follows:

Elections: Mitros, Vlastos

Program: Stoner (Chair), Johnson, Wanat, Berman, Fleckenstein

Lecture Series: Gilbert (Chair), Gussin (Consultant)

Communications/Website Boe (Chair), Cobb, Fleckenstein

EFC Liaisons with University committees/organizations:

Campus planning: Hines

FRIC: Shirazi, Valde

UIRA: Cobb, Vlastos

Research Council: Berman

Library: Gilbert, Johnson

Faculty Senate/Council: Mitros

Hancher: Valde

Recreation Services: Donham

Senior College: Boe, Donham, Johnson, Mitros, Wanat

Parking and Transportation: Stoner, Boe

Old Business:

There was some discussion of emerita/us designations and revised policy on emeritus status for retirees as found in operations manual update of April 2, 2019.  Johnson will provide Boe with a version for our website.

New Business:

Report on August 26, 2019, meeting with Provost:

Carolyn Wanat, incoming President, Miriam Gilbert, incoming vice President, and Connie Berman, incoming secretary of the Emeritus Faculty Committee met with the new Provost Montserrat Fuentes on August 26, 2019, from 2-3 pm.  Kevin Kregel was also present. The Provost asked each of us to tell her something about ourselves and then to describe the Emeritus Faculty Council and Association.  We described our monthly meetings and the topics we discussed with visitors we had invited: Health Care and Benefits, Emails, Parking, Emeritus/Emerita issues, the new Art museum, etc.  We also discussed the University Committees that we regularly attend: for instance, the Library.  We explained our relationship with the Senior College, with UIRA, and our series of emeritus faculty lectures.

We discussed ways in which we could be mentors on campus, and possibilities of outreach to the State, stressing that we are free agents; that is, a group no longer worried about promotion and tenure or salary increases. We thanked her for the support from the Provost's Office for our activities, discussed ways to keep them more in the loop -- for instance on announcements for lectures.

We asked the Provost to tell us a little about herself and her ambitions for making the faculty and student body more diverse.   It was a pleasant and productive meeting.
 

There was discussion of possible speakers for the year.

We adjourned at 11:00 am.

Respectfully submitted,

Constance Berman, Secretary

Association of Emeritus Faculty (AEF) Minutes

May 20, 2019, Room 2520D UCC

The meeting was called to order at 10:00 a.m. by John Menninger, the President of the Emeritus Faculty Council.  

A moment of silence was taken in honor of our recently departed colleagues who were listed on the back of the program.  William (Bill) Matthes, Associate Dean of the College of Education, who passed away on May 18, 2019, was remembered.

Council members were introduced to the AEF membership.

President Menninger reported on some of the activities of the Emeritus Faculty Council in the 2018-2019 session, focusing on issues that the Council had discussed:

          Concerns about parking at Iowa River Landing and the Main Library; the latter space has become particularly crowded since more spots have been opened up for students.   Gated lots are now fully automated and emeritus faculty must use an entrance card to get in and out.

          Health benefits.  Merit employees have been folded into UI plans, which has led to the availability of less expensive plans (with fewer benefits).  UI Choice is considered a “Cadillac plan,” and is now approaching the penalty limit, although it’s possible that Congress might raise that limit.   New Wellmark ID cards have been issued.   The ceiling on the University’s contribution to benefits for emeritus faculty will remain.

          The “emerita” designation does not appear, in the University catalogue and/or directory, but may be department-specific; that is, it’s up to the department to make such a designation.

          The library budget is not increasing, while journal subscription costs are up 5-7% per year.   The library took steps to cut those costs by eliminating titles, although approximately one-quarter of the printed titles cut will still be available through digital subscriptions.   The library has 180 student employees and is providing special recognition to those graduating.

          Emeritus status.   The EFC considered three requests for emeritus status which represented departures from the general policy (10 years continuous service at the University).   Two exceptions were recommended, one was not.

          Public Private Partnership (P3).   The University is discussing the possibility of getting an outside contractor to operate and manage selected University facilities; such an arrangement is now underway at Ohio State.  The contractor gives an up-front payment in return for an extended agreement.

          Diversity.  The new description now reads:   Diversity, Equality, Inclusion.

          Demographic Issue.   With the birth rate now lower than the replacement rate, there will be fewer high school students applying to the University, and thus there is a risk of lower numbers of students, and perhaps less prepared students.

Questions asked after the presentation of the issues focused primarily on health care.   One question asked why retirees were in a separate pool and the answer is that it’s a federal requirement. Another question was about the relatively high cost of UI Choice, which is due to the plan offering better benefits.   Given those benefits, people with more health problems tend to stay with UI Choice.   Another question concerned coverage during international travel, with one faculty member asking about the coverage before traveling and being told that there wasn’t such coverage.   That information is inaccurate, since Wellmark does cover international travel, even though Medicare does not.   Of the two Heath Alliance plans, one covers foreign travel, one doesn’t.   Professor Warren Boe, who needed the coverage after an illness in Tasmania, advised that the process of making the claim will take time, but it does work.

Election of new Emeritus Faculty Council members will take place via email notification and forms.

EFC Website:  Professor Warren Boe presented the website, and showed the variety of information and news items available on it.   The link is https://uiowa.edu/emeritusfaculty/

Emeritus Faculty Lectures:   This series, originally created by Professor Gary Gussin, and enjoying the use of the Kollros Auditorium in the Biology Building, continues.  Professor Menninger presented the list of 2018-19 lectures; Professor Miriam Gilbert will chair the committee for 2019-20.   One suggestion from the floor was that announcements include more information about the subject of the talk, and certainly that information could be included in the email publicity.

Senior College.   Professor H. Dee Hoover, Chair of the Senior College Committee, thanked his hard-working committee; the committee also includes members from the UIRA.   In 2017-18, about 1300 people enrolled in the two semesters of courses; in 2018-19, over 1800 people enrolled in 20 courses, and about three-quarters of that number were unique individuals.   This year, the Senior College publicity, brochure, and registration went online, with major help from the Center for University Advancement.   On August 1, 2019, an email will be sent to everyone who is on the Senior College list, with information and the schedule; two weeks later, the website will open up for registration.  

General questions:   One faculty member asked what kind of help/support is available from ITS for emeritus faculty?   Professor Boe mentioned that emeritus faculty still have a University email address and can use Office 365.   But if there is a problem with a specific computer, the faculty member needs to bring that machine in to the ITS Office in Old Capitol.  

After a brief break, Professor Menninger introduced the guest speaker, Dr. Lauren Lessing,  Director of the Stanley Museum of Art.   She joined the University of Iowa community in July, 2018, and is a specialist in American Art.  

Dr. Lessing’s presentation, “A Vision of the University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art,” described the recent work of the staff to define the Museum’s role as it enters its sixth decade; she also described and showed pictures (from the architects) of the new Art Museum that is due to open next to Gibson Park in 2022.   She outlined a variety of possibilities for the new museum, not just in terms of making the more than 16,000 objects more available and visible, but performance opportunities in the atrium, a partnership with the Writers’ Workshop, and, of course, overseeing the return of Jackson Pollock’s Mural, as well as a plan to bring Pollock’s Pasiphaë here from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY).    She also reported on the fund-raising campaign; $20 million has been raised, which leaves $5 million of the University’s share still to go.   Ground-breaking has been scheduled for June 7, 2019.  

In response to questions, Dr. Lessing indicated that while raising money for the new Art Museum had to be her first priority, she was also seeking endowments, setting up internships, applying to the Mellon Foundation for funding for more staff.   The Art Museum still has the smallest budget and staff among the Big 10 art museums.

The meeting ended with thanks to Professor John Menninger for his year of chairing the Emeritus Faculty and the Council.   After adjournment, the members enjoyed a buffet lunch, provided by the Office of the Provost.

Submitted by Miriam Gilbert

Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes

May 6, 2019

The meeting was called to order at 9:30 a.m. by President John Menninger.

Attendance: Berman, Boe, Cobb, Donham, Flanagan, Hines, Johnson, Menninger, Mitros, Valde, Vlastos, Wanat.

Absence: Gilbert (excused), Kuntz, Shirazi, Stoner.

The amended agenda for the meeting was approved.

The minutes for the meeting of April 1, 2019, were approved.

Professor Menninger announced a death: Deceased: Veronica "Ronnie" Brighton, College of Nursing, April 29, 2019.

Old Business:

Reports and Issues:

Hancher: Professors Valde and Berman reported that the Hancher committee meeting had been cancelled because too few could attend.

Library:   Library Committee meeting, April 18, 2019, report from Professor Gilbert; read by Professor Berman:

John Culshaw gave an update on the cancellation process.  The library staff, after consultation with faculty, has identified $685,000 worth of items to be cancelled; that includes 823 titles.   The biggest group involves 451 print journals, although Culshaw pointed out that 209 of those journals are, and will be, available electronically; the library will no longer pay for both.   Since Culshaw doesn’t expect that the library budget will be increased, this process may take place again.  The budget review board is due to meet on May 1, 2019.

Culshaw also reported on the library’s commitment to student employment; the library employs 180 students, both undergraduate and graduate, spending approximately $700,000 a year on these students; Culshaw said that the library depends on them to operate.   Since 2016, the library has developed a scholarship program, funded through philanthropic grants, and has offered 28 scholarships, all for undergraduates.   Gifts to the scholarship fund have come from library staff, and from families of former staff members; one such gift, of $10,000 for 10 years, honors Dale Bentz, who served as University Librarian, 1952-1986.   Two graduate scholarships have been funded from the UI Foundation funds.

The library has also decided to start a new tradition whereby undergraduates who have been library employees will receive a cord to wear at graduation, marking their service.  

The library is also recruiting for its Resident Librarian program, which focuses on under-represented minorities, and hires early-career individuals who have completed a Master’s in Library Science for a three-year term appointment.  This is essentially comparable to a post-doctoral position, and provides focused training for new librarians.

Faculty Senate: report on April 23, 2019 meeting, presented by Professor Mitros:

                 Items discussed included:

                 Diversity: The discussion, led by Diane Finnerty (Assistant Provost for Faculty) and Melissa Shivers (Vice President for Student Life) was the major item and took a substantial portion of the meeting. A key element of the discussion was determining the role of Faculty in advancing diversity. It was stated that there has been a paradigm shift from “Diversity” to “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion”. The stated goals are: 

1. Create and sustain an inclusive and equitable campus environment.
2. Recruit, retain, and advance a diverse campus community of faculty, staff, and students.
3. Integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion into the university’s core academic mission of teaching, research, and service.
4. Enhance campus-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion accountability, effectiveness, and collaboration. 

The Senate was directed to more detailed information at DIVERSITY.UIOWA.EDU/ACTION-

PLAN.

                 Demographic and Admission Trends: The discussion, led by Brent Gage (Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management) presented some alarming information regarding the trend towards a striking decrease in high school graduates, a trend noted to have started in 2008. Part of this is based on a decrease in “fertility rate” in the US, now 1.61 births per woman (2.01 per woman needed to maintain the population). The concern is that this could lead to significant decreases in the numbers of applicants with a consequent decrease in selectivity of students.

                 Committee on Academic Values Free Speech Document:  Voted on, passed unanimously (there had been prior discussion).

New Business: 

EFC Elections: Mitros and Vlastos, committee members, reported on attempts to get candidates.

Request for emeritus status:  Menninger had forwarded to us information on a request for making an exception to the "years in service" rule in granting emeritus status.  The candidate's strong record of exceptional service led to the Committee agreeing unanimously to granting such status in this case.

Thanks:

A vote of thanks was extended to Professor Menninger for his service.

Report/Discussion:               

Status/future of Emeritus Faculty Health Benefits presented by Richard Saunders. 

 Principal Discussion turned on several points:           

1: FRIC survey of all employees (not retirees?) revealed three things:

                 --Most were happy with current health coverage.
                 --Most often mentioned as favored benefit was free generic drugs.
                 --The most complaints appeared to come from "Merit" staff who had been added to our system after they lost the union right to bargain for anything except                            wages.  They wanted more choice and appear to have favored lower premiums and something more resembling a "catastrophic" coverage.

2: FRIC committee has lost its ability to be involved in decisions about health insurance. The decision about new choices, which has to be made by August 1 to prepare for a new enrollment season, will be made by a committee of ten financial officers of the university and two benefits representatives.

3: Without local access to UIHC it is increasingly difficult for retirees who have moved away to remain on the retiree health insurance programs.  Moreover, several very high individual claims in any one year have been putting added stress on the self-funding arrangement of our coverage.

4: The very depressing forecast is that this will only become more difficult. according to Saunders, barring the institution of a national health service, the sick and the well will increasingly be at odds about participation in and the shape of such group programs.

The committee thanked Richard Saunders. 

The meeting was adjourned at 11:00 am.

The next meeting will be the General Meeting and Lunch on May 20, 2019,

In the discussion, members asked what led to the formation of this new unit, to what extent it overlapped with other units, and what were the budgetary implications.

Professor Gilbert said that she would check on those issues. In a follow-up conversation with John Culshaw, she found that the impetus for this unit came from the Library, as a proactive move, that it was not really overlapping but essentially parallel to the Digital Studio, and that Sara Scheib, the head of the new unit, was already on staff, but now shifted to a new role. One person is being hired, a data analyst, who will be working with this unit and with others.

Hancher: Professor Valde reported on the deliberations of the Hancher Advisory Committee, especially the question of how to create more student involvement. The UISG representative felt that the brochure needed to aim more directly at students, and that working with student leaders was important, as well as trying to get the dormitories involved. Special events for the next season aimed particularly at students include a free outdoor concert on September 6th, and special tickets available for a major musical in October.

Follow-up on “best practices” issues:   Professor Johnson mentioned the College of Law’s directory which has separate listings for retired faculty, including title and email address.   Professor Boe mentioned the College of Business lunch with the Dean.

Professor Donham had spoken with the new Dean of the College of Public Health, who is interested in preparing a “best practices” statement and who will host a luncheon on April 29th for all emeriti. The Dean of Nursing has also been contacted.

New Business: The Council revisited a request by the Provost to confer emeritus status. After an extended discussion, the Council voted that this request did not justify emeritus status, considering the criteria in the Operations Manual.

EFC Elections: Three members of the Council have terms expiring and are not eligible for re-election (Flanagan, Kuntz, Menninger); three more members are at the end of their first term and are eligible for re-election (Berman, Mitros, Wanat). Professors Mitros and Vlastos will put together the election ballot, including a brief biography of each faculty member.

The next meeting of the EFC will take place on Monday, May 6, 2019, 9:30-11:00 a.m. The guest will be Richard Saunders.

The annual meeting of the entire Emeritus Faculty has been scheduled for Monday, May 20, 2019.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:22 a.m.
Submitted by Miriam Gilbert

In the second case, given some mis-communication, the council decided to wait until there was further information about what the Provost’s Office had already done before proceeding.

The next meeting will take place on Monday, April 1, 2019. The meeting was adjourned at 11:00 a.m.
Submitted by Miriam Gilbert

Emeritus Faculty Council Minutes

February 4, 2019

The meeting was called to order at 9:30 a.m. by President John Menninger.

Attendance: Berman, Boe, Cobb, Donham, Flanagan, Hines, Johnson, Menninger, Mitrose, Stoner, Wanat.

Absence: Gilbert (excused), Kuntz, Shirazi, Valde (excused), Vlastos (excused). The agenda for the meeting was approved as amended.

Minutes for December 3, 2018, were approved. The deaths of emeritus faculty were reported:

       Name                     College                                   Department               Date of Death                                                                                                                
Stephen Foster           Liberal Arts & Sciences          Art & Art History           11/26/18
Clemens A. Full         Dentistry                                 Pediatric Dentistry          12/08/18
Henry Horwitz           Liberal Arts & Sciences          History                            01/19/19
Jerry Kuhn                 Education                                Teaching & Learning      12/02/18
Thomas Lewis           Liberal Arts & Sciences          Spanish & Portuguese     12/06/18
Oliver Steele              Liberal Arts & Sciences          English                            12/05/18
Richard Stevenson     Business                                  Finance                            11/16/18
Keith Thayer              Dentistry                                  Prosthodontics                12/18/18

Clemens A. Full        Dentistry,                                Pediatric 
Dentistry                    12/08/18 Henry Horwitz          Liberal Arts & Sciences          
History                                      01/19/19 Jerry Kuhn                Education           
                     Teaching and Learning             12/02/18 Thomas Lewis           Liberal Arts 
& Sciences         Spanish & Portuguese               12/06/18 Oliver Steele             Liberal 
Arts and Sciences       English                                      12/05/18

Richard Stevenson   Business                                  Finance                               
       11/16/18

Keith Thayer

Dentistry                                 Prosthodontics                           12/18/18

Reports and Issues:

There was discussion about who lets us know about retirements and deaths.  Apparently it is the 
provost's office, but it is not clear where they get that information.

The related issue of burial insurance came up. Is it still available and can the designated 
beneficiary be changed?  Hines reported later that he had called Mary at the HR Benefits Office. 
She reported that the Death/Burial Benefit was dropped as an option for retirees in 2013. There is 
still the option to convert the group life insurance coverage at the time of retirement, but it is 
rarely utilized because it is not financially attractive. (Information about the insurance 
conversion option is available on the HR Benefits Website under Life Insurance.)

This led to health insurance, perceived need among merit staff for a lower cost option and to why 
we are split off from the regular faculty and why we are such a small pool -- about 650 policy- 
holders. It was determined that we should invite Richard Saunders for a future meeting. Wanat 
commented on our need for better explanations of health benefits. Johnson  provided a link to the 
FRIC minutes for the meeting he attended.                   
https://uiowa.edu/fric/fric-meeting-minutes-january-11-2019

Boe provided an animated description of what happens with payments when you get pneumonia in 
Tasmania. We all agreed that Boe should write a blog on this.

Stoner gave a detailed report on parking including recent changes in personnel, lack of access to 
24/7 gated lots for emeritus faculty with passes (particularly those with research labs in adjacent 
buildings) when those lots are "full;" capital projects including storm water remediation; the need 
to increase ADA spaces, the failed "shared-bicycle" program in IC, and the threat of lobbyists to 
state government promoting scooters on roads and sidewalks without liability.  (Danger to students, 
staff and emeritae/i was not a concern of legislators and university lobbyists seem to have opted 
out on this.)

Donham reported a successful meeting with the new Dean of Public Health, but also raised

variousAcornecpeorrntsoanbtohuetSgernaniotsr CbeoilnleggaerbCiotruarrsielys 
raenadssSigchnedubliynDg EcaOmse.  fIrtowmasDsounghgaemst,eJdothhnastotnh,eMViPtrfoosr,

Research should have more careful oversight and should perhaps be invited to speak with us about 
this.

2

and Wanat.  Both signup and advertising has become "on-line" in an effort to provide more people 
with chances to get into courses.

Johnson reported that his requesting that "local" IT staff adopt the Office of Strategic Communications style guidelines regarding Emerita faculty was an effective strategy.  Also that there were both bugs and bugzillas.

Diverse responses to our requests for IT help on computers were reported.

We plan to have Joe Coulter's excellent analysis from his recent emeritus faculty lecture posted on our website.

Reminders were made for the rest of the spring Emeritus/a Faculty lectures: February 12, David Hamilton;

March 14, Richard de Puma; April 9, Lorraine Dorfman.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:40 am. Respectfully submitted,

Berman for secretary Gilbert