Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 17:09:04 -0500
From: "Dr. Myron Henry" <Myron.Henry@usm.edu>


MEETING WITH PRESIDENT THAMES

Your executive officers have had but a single meeting (06-22-06) with Dr. Thames, but it was respectful and informative (a second meeting is tentatively set for this Tuesday at 2:30 pm).  Dr. Thames spent a good part of our June meeting updating us on the status of USM Gulf Coast operations.  As you have read from an earlier message from Mary Beth Applin, IHL has now advertised the position of  "Project Director for Gulf Coast Operations." 

At our request, Dr. Thames as gave us an update on the short fall for the Trent Lott building (estimated to be around six million or more?).

We asked Dr. Thames if he would accept and read articles from us on outsourcing that presented a more balanced view of the pros and cons (with some emphasis on the cons) of outsourcing (with a focus on the merits of outsourcing comprehensive physical plant services).  He agreed to accept and read the articles and share them with Dr. Meredith.  The articles were delivered to him about a week after our meeting with him.

Dr. Thames indicated that enrollment for summer school is down notably for summer.  The press has subsequently reported  that USM is the only IHL institution to have summer enrollment declines.   Dr. Thames is concerned about academic year enrollments, and mentioned the possibility of faculty teaching an "extra" class.  This lead to a discussion on projected revenues, which may be o.k. because of Katrina infusions for next year, but which may look iffy two years out.
 
We mentioned our interest in presenting at the new faculty orientation.   We have now received word that we can present, and we will try to build a short power point that represents the Senate well. 

We mentioned to Dr. Thames that we would be taking turns in representing the Faculty Senate at summer sessions of the President's Cabinet.  There have been two cabinet meetings so far, one covered by Stephen Judd and one covered by Mary Beth Applin.  The next one is scheduled for  July 31, and Amy Young will represent us at that meeting.

We asked Dr. Thames what immediate challenges he thought a new president would face, and he said the greatest immediate challenge would likely be the budget.

We raised the issue of the shared governance document, but there was only minimal discussion on that topic.  More information on that topic follows under the next heading.

SHARE GOVERNANCE POLICY COMMITTEE

In spite of the Faculty Senate's passage of a shared governance document and the efforts last spring of your president (Bill Powell) and president-elect, there is still no agreed upon shared governance document.  In fact, the Provost has formed a new 10 person (including six administrators) "Shared Governance Policy Committee."  The very appointment of this committee and an August 1 date for the inaugural meeting of the committee concerned your current executive officers.  In one email to Provost Grimes, I expressed concern  about the formation of this committee, and in a second email, I asked that the first meeting of the committee be scheduled closer to the start of fall classes.  There was no response from the Provost to either of these emails.  Bill Powell will now represent the Senate at the August 1 meeting of this new committee (which has since been cancelled and rescheduled at a later time - mba).  I have asked Bill to absolutely insist on the need for the whole Faculty Senate to review whatever draft document might emerge from this process and to remind all members of the ten-person committee that we thought we were within a few words of a shared governance last spring.

THIRD YEAR REVIEW AND PROMOTION AND TENURE

Concerns about the way the administration is interpreting third year review (almost an up or out decision in contrast to a faculty development opportunity), the two category form the Provost is using (satisfactory or unsatisfactory) for third year review, and denials of promotion and tenure when recommendations have been essentially unanimous in support of promotion or tenure are issues we as a Faculty Senate need to discuss and perhaps take on.  We can have an initial conversation on these issues at our retreat.



Myron