ANNUAL
REPORTS
2008-09
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS COUNCIL (Norman)
ATHLETICS COUNCIL (University)
BUDGET COUNCIL (Norman)
CAMPUS PLANNING COUNCIL (Norman) [inactive]
CONTINUING EDUCATION COUNCIL (University)
COUNCIL ON FACULTY AWARDS AND HONORS (University)
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL (Norman)
RESEARCH COUNCIL (Norman)
Distributed by the Faculty Senate Office
July 2009
Academic
Programs Council (norman)
2008-09 Annual
Report
Submitted by craig
w. hofford, Chair
Membership of the Academic
Programs Council (APC) includes nine faculty appointees, four student
appointees, and four ex-officio, non-voting members. Membership reached full strength by the
October meeting, thanks to two appointments made into vacant slots. The faculty members for the 2008-2009
academic year were Jerry Crain (Electrical & Computer Engineering), Donald
Gilstrap (Libraries), Karen Hayes-Thumann (Art & Art History), Craig
Hofford (Health & Exercise Science), Irene Karpiak (Educational Leadership
& Policy Studies), Misha Nedeljkovich (Film & Video Studies), Larry
Rossow (Educational Leadership & Policy Studies), Al Schwarzkopf
(Management Information Systems), and Gerard Walschap (Mathematics). The ex-officio members are Paul B. Bell (Vice
Provost for Instruction), Matt Hamilton (Vice President for Admissions and
Records and Financial Aid), Nancy L. Mergler (Senior Vice President and
Provost) and Judy K. Cain (Coordinator, C-Pub).
In addition, Jean Ware (Manager of Administration and Operations in
Admissions and Records) provided significant and appropriate administrative
support, critical to the effective operation of the Council. And, Mechelle Gibson, representing the
Provost’s Office, was able to attend and contribute in all of this year’s
meetings. Though four students were
appointed to APC (UOSA, President’s Office), none of these students attended
meetings during the year. This seems to
be the norm, not the exception, for student involvement on the Council.
Dr. Craig Hofford served as
Chair of the Council, Dr. Jerry Crain served as Chair of the Policy &
Program Subcommittee, and Dr. Gerard Walschap served as Chair of the Course
& Curriculum Subcommittee. The
Council met regularly this year in Buchanan Hall, on the first Wednesday of
each month at 1:30 p.m. (September 10, October 1, November 5, December 3,
February 4, March 4, April 1). An extra
meeting was scheduled on April 29 to accommodate the large number of program
and course requests that are typical of the Spring semester workload. The normal turnaround time once a request
reached the Council was one month.
Exceptions were typically related to requests that required additional
clarification. We were thankful to Matt
Hamilton for his divisional support of our meetings. Lunch was provided for many of our longer
meetings of the Spring semester as well as at our end-of-Fall December meeting.
The 2008-2009 will be
remembered as the most productive in recent memory. As a result of the efforts of a diverse and
committed Council, we were able to review 575 course requests and 91 program
requests. See the review numbers by
month in the spreadsheet below. Given
the significant numbers of requests, we were especially blessed to have both
Judy Cain and Jean Ware working with us, especially during March through
May. Though the Chair sent out an August
memo urging all Colleges to get their request materials to us early, human
nature again prevailed, and the workload increased as we got closer to the end
of the academic year.
Courses (C) and Programs (P) Reviewed 2008-09
|
Colleges |
Oct. 2008 |
Nov. 2008 |
Dec. 2008 |
Feb. 2009 |
Mar. 2009 |
Apr. 2009 |
May 2009 |
|||||||
|
|
C |
P |
C |
P |
C |
P |
C |
P |
C |
P |
C |
P |
C |
P |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Academic Affairs |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Architecture |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14 |
7 |
|
|
|
|
|
Arts & Sciences |
11 |
2 |
|
|
11 |
|
|
|
96 |
11 |
86 |
11 |
46 |
4 |
|
Atmospheric & Geog.
Sciences |
1 |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
7 |
|
1 |
1 |
|
|
|
Business |
|
|
4 |
5 |
5 |
|
|
|
32 |
|
13 |
3 |
3 |
|
|
CCE |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earth & Energy |
9 |
|
2 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
10 |
1 |
3 |
|
|
|
|
Education |
3 |
1 |
|
|
2 |
1 |
|
|
12 |
2 |
|
1 |
|
|
|
Engineering |
31 |
|
4 |
|
9 |
2 |
|
3 |
22 |
3 |
17 |
7 |
|
4 |
|
Fine Arts |
7 |
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
25 |
1 |
51 |
|
|
Graduate |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Honors |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
International & Area
Studies |
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
6 |
9 |
8 |
|
2 |
4 |
|
Journalism |
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
Law |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Liberal Studies |
|
|
|
|
2 |
|
13 |
|
2 |
|
|
2 |
|
2 |
|
University College/Special |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL REQUESTS |
65 |
3 |
11 |
6 |
29 |
5 |
13 |
3 |
202 |
33 |
153 |
27 |
102 |
14 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL FOR ENTIRE YEAR |
575 |
91 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three issues that surfaced
this year are worth mentioning. First,
not all requests were accompanied by support documentation from other
departments or colleges when appropriate.
This oversight led to the delay of several course and program
requests. Second, the workload continues
to be exceptionally heavy in the Spring (March and April). Third, there were at times requests that could/should
have been stopped at the departmental and/or college level for obvious
reasons. These circumstances gave the
appearance that APC was being asked to be the “bad guy” by denying those
requests. Our hope is that in the
future, we all (at each level) accept and act upon our responsibilities related
to quality control.
At the final meeting in
April, Craig Hofford was asked by consensus to continue in his role as APC
Chair for the 2009-2010 academic year.
Jerry Crain will also continue as Chair of the Policy & Program
Subcommittee and Karen Hayes-Thumann will be taking over as Chair of the Course
& Curriculum Subcommittee.
athletics
Council
2008-09 Annual
Report
Submitted by
satish kumar, Chair
The
The four Subcommittees are (1) Governance and Compliance (chaired by
Professor Fran Ayres), (2) Academic Integrity & Student Welfare (chaired by
Professor Abi Asojo), (3) Fiscal Integrity and Personnel (chaired by Mr. Eric
Johnson, OUHSC staff representative), and (4) Gender Equity and Sportsmanship
(chaired by Professor Kelly Damphousse).
The Governance and Compliance Subcommittee reviews and reports
to the Council on the University's activities and procedures regarding
compliance with NCAA and Big Twelve rules as well as University policies and
resources applied to recruiting, the granting of financial aid to
student-athletes, awards to student-athletes and others, and the scheduling of
intercollegiate games and contests, and other matters related to compliance. The Academic Integrity & Student
Welfare Subcommittee reports on admissions and academic performance of
student-athletes and makes suggestions and recommendations regarding how to
better serve the needs and interests of the student body, faculty, staff,
alumni, and community. The Fiscal
Integrity & Personnel Subcommittee reviews the Athletic Department
Budget, reviews major capital improvement needs, fund raising and development
practices, basic accounting and auditing procedures, and makes recommendations
to the President and Athletics Director in these areas. The Gender Equity & Sportsmanship
Subcommittee reviews and reports to the Council on intercollegiate sports
competition and makes suggestions or recommendations on facilities, scheduling,
recruiting, rule changes, and other matters.
In addition, this subcommittee reviews progress on the gender equity
plan and reviews diversity, dignity, ethics, and sportsmanship across all areas
of the Athletics Department.
Meetings
The full Athletics Council met five times during the 2008-2009
year: September 23, 2008, November 19,
2008, February 25, 2009, April 8, 2009, and June 9, 2009. Subcommittees met independently of the full
Council to accomplish their charges. The
subcommittees made intermittent progress reports and a final report to the full
Council at predetermined dates. Copies
of the complete final reports from each subcommittee are available in the
Athletic Department.
Membership
The 2008-2009 Athletics Council membership included:
Faculty Members:
Staff Members: Eric Johnson and Maggie
McGowan.
Student Members: Amy Beckel,
Scott Henderson, Ashley Johnson and Reed Pitts.
Alumni: Sue Lunsford, Lindy Ritz.
Ex Officio: Joseph Castiglione
(Athletic Director), Connie Dillon (Faculty Athletics Representative to the
NCAA).
Athletics Department: Jason
Leonard (Executive Director, Athletics Compliance), Gerald Gurney (Senior Associate
Athletics Director, Academics), Larry Naifeh (Executive Associate Athletics
Director), Terri Moyer (Academic Services), Greg Phillips (Associate Athletic
Director, Chief Financial Officer), and Robert Smith (Assistant Athletics
Director, Business Manager).
Secretary: Francene Monenerkit (Administrative
Assistant).
Summary
The following summarizes the
activities of the Athletics Council 2008-09.
·
The Council
approved the budget report for FY 2009.
The report noted that the Athletics Department is one of only a handful
D1-A programs that is fiscally self-sustaining.
The Department continues to contribute about $1,000, 000 a year to the
academic programs of the University. The academic enhancement fee on football tickets
will be raised from $2 to $5 per ticket for FY 2010, generating additional
income for the University. The department continues to repay the institutional
loan at a rate exceeding the loan schedule. A copy of the report is attached to
this report (Attachment A).
·
The Council was
briefed on the external audit of the Athletics Department conducted by the CPA
firm of Cole & Reed.
·
The council was
briefed on a new series of programs to increase student involvement at athletic
events including a “print at home” ticket option for students.
·
The Council
approved the gender equity report noting that the Department is exceeding goals
outlined in this Gender Equity Plan. The
committee recommended an external review of the Minority issues plan
(Attachment B).
·
The Council
approved the Governance and Compliance subcommittee report which reviewed the
rules education activities and a number of self-reported violations, waivers
and interpretations. It was noted that the University probation ends in May
2010 (Attachment C).
·
The Council
approved the Academic Integrity Report which noted that graduation rates for
the student-athlete population are improving, and
the percentage of specially admitted student-athletes has dropped slightly. The
graduation rates of our African-American student-athletes were higher than that
of the African-American students in the general student population. New limits
have been placed on student-athlete enrollment in online courses to ensure
test-taking security in these courses. The Council approved the Academic
Integrity Committee’s Policy Review Plan developed to maintain compliance with
the requirements of the third cycle NCAA certification. Under the schedule identified by the plan,
the Committee reviewed the following academic support services for our
student-athletes: academic counseling,
tutoring, assistance for special needs student-athletes, and degree selection (Attachment
D).
·
The Council
selected student-athletes to receive awards which were presented at the annual scholar-athlete
breakfast held in April 2009 (Attachment E).
·
A new
intercollegiate sport, Women’s Rowing, completed the first year of competition
with an impressive record. An excellent coach has been hired and is making good
progress in establishing the sport at the University.
(Copies of the attachments
are available in the Faculty Senate office.)
BUDGET Council
(norman)
2008-09 Annual
Report
Submitted by
KIMBALL A. MILTON, Chair
Fall 08:
September 15, 2008: No guest.
Discussed possible speakers for the year. Provost Mergler discussed outlook for the
year.
October 20, 2008: HR director Julius Hilburn discussed changes
in health care benefits, in retiree health care contributions, and in
retirement investments. Linda Anderson,
Budget Director, gave us an update on university and state budget issues. Provost Mergler discussed enrollment for next
year.
November 17, 2008: Guest: Bill Henwood, Director of Physical
Plant, who discussed the performance contract with Johnson Controls and energy
efficiency improvements at the University.
December 15, 2008: Bob Dauffenbach discussed revision of retiree
health care plan. Danny Hilliard,
Director of Government Relations, discussed the upcoming legislative session.
In the Fall, a web site for
the Budget Council (http://www.ou.edu/budgetcouncil/
) was set up, which includes the Charge of the Budget Council, the current
membership, minutes of previous meetings and guests for the upcoming meeting,
and previous reports to the Faculty Senate and to the President.
Thanks to Robert Kelly in the
Provost’s Office.
Spring 09:
Our January meeting was
cancelled due to the ice storm.
February 16, 2009: Tripp
Hall, Vice President for Development, discussed fund raising at OU.
Linda Anderson, Director of
the Budget Office, discussed the state revenue picture.
March 2, 2009: Paul Risser,
Chair of the Research Cabinet, discussed the role of the Research Cabinet, with
focus on multicampus and special initiatives.
March 23, 2009: Guy Patton,
President of the OU Foundation, discussed giving to the Foundation and
investment performance. OUF is doing
relatively well, due to a change in Investment Consultant, and is now pursuing
an aggressive reinvestment strategy.
April 20, 2009: Lee Williams,
Vice President for Research, discussed the research campus, indirect costs, and
internal funding.
We realize it is very
difficult to enact significant initiatives in this difficult budgetary
environment. We urge the University to
maintain momentum and morale to the greatest extent possible, and enact
cost-saving in a way least disruptive to the core missions of teaching and
research. We applaud the accelerating efforts to enact various energy savings
and conservation programs. We are pleased
that the changes in health care program overall seem to retain benefits at very
little change in premiums. University
development and the research climate at the university are strong.
We continue to be
appreciative of the involvement of students in the Budget Council, which
apparently has not been the case for several years.
The Budget Council reviewed
the budget and made a recommendation to the President (see memorandum below). Andrew Strout was
elected as chair of the Budget Council for 2009-10.
Voting Members of the Budget
Council for the 2008-2009 term are
Melody
Astani, Office of the Bursar
Kyung-Bai
Lee, Mathematics
Shane
Lineham, Student
Elaine
Masters, EAISS
Sue-Anna
Miller, Physical Plant
Kimball
Milton, chair, Physics and Astronomy
Donna
Nelson, Chemistry & Biochemistry
Susan
Shaughnessy, Drama
Andrew
Strout, Art
Susan
Vehik, Anthropology
Jeff
Wilson, Student
Vince
Winston, Student
**********
Memorandum
TO: President David L. Boren
FROM: Budget Council
(Norman Campus), Kimball A. Milton, chair
RE: FY2010 Budget Priorities
DATE: 5/27/09
Consistent with our charge
“to recommend and to advise the President and other appropriate administrators
on matters concerning fiscal policies and resources of the University,” we on
the Norman Campus Budget Council offer the following encouragement and guidance
in your attempt to assemble the operating budget for FY 2010. Our primary concerns this year continue to be
two components of faculty/staff compensation: faculty/staff salaries, and healthcare
coverage/costs. We recognize that the
coming year promises to be more challenging than the present one, and we urge
you to exert every effort to avoid furloughs should there be a revenue failure,
for such a step has extraordinarily severe consequences for morale, which last
over many years.
Again, we appreciate your
successful efforts to secure a salary program for FY2009. We strongly believe that a salary program
should be a regularized feature of the University’s operating budget. Given the regularity of increases in
cost-of-living and sizable health care costs, years without the salary programs
(and even some with salary programs) amount to years of a negative salary
growth, and result in decreased faculty and staff morale. We thank you for your efforts on our behalf,
and although we appreciate that such a program will not be practicable in
FY2010, we urge you to maintain morale in every other way possible.
The other area of
faculty/staff compensation that the Budget Council has identified as being
critical is healthcare costs and coverage.
The Budget Council understands that healthcare costs for the University
have gone up for reasons largely outside of your control, but this issue is
critical for all faculty and staff, especially those with families. As noted in our letter to you dated
September 24, 2007, the Budget Council strongly supported the Final Report of
the “Contribution Strategy and Health Insurance Options Committee.” We are pleased that you chose to follow the
recommendation of the Budget Council and others to phase in the program over
more than one year. The switch to Blue Cross/Blue Shield this year seems to
have gone relatively well, with apparently good coverage, and very little
change in premiums and co-pays. We remain concerned about coverage for
retirees; it is particularly imperative that those existing employees for whom
the university has made a commitment to provide retirement healthcare benefits
not be subjected to an unexpected drop in this vital coverage. We are still looking forward to the new
report of the Committee on the subject of retiree benefits.
We certainly appreciate the
budget difficulties faced in FY2009 and anticipated in FY2010. Since it still appears impossible to initiate
programs that involve significant financial resources, we applaud you for
following our advice last year to enhance the University’s programs to reduce
energy expenditures and reduce OU’s carbon footprint. Not only are these Green Initiatives imperative from the point of view of our
stewardship of the earth and the sustainability of human civilization, but it
is likely that significant cost savings can
be achieved through more conscious and efficient use of energy and
enhanced recycling efforts.
Additionally, we had also recommended that the University move toward
sustainability wherever possible; where resources continue to be limited, it
only makes sense that we encourage the wise use of those resources at all
levels of the University. We believe
that faculty, staff and students are becoming increasingly aware of resource
constraints, and now is the time to both implement and re-emphasize existing
programs where resource conservation is a central idea. OU’s leadership in moving toward 100%
wind-power generation is strongly supported by the Budget Council.
We are pleased that even in a
difficult budget year the University has made progress on nearly all fronts:
recruiting talented undergraduate and graduate students, enhancing the faculty
and teaching, improving student advising and services, and fostering
research. There is much that can be done
to maintain the momentum we have achieved even without additional state
resources; and unlike in the 1980’s, most of the rest of the nation is in worse
shape than
The Budget Council has
identified maintaining healthcare and salaries as the two most important budget
issues facing the University; however, that does not preclude other areas of
concern. Beyond the environmental
initiative, which is being implemented, library funding, faculty startup,
academic maintenance and operation, maintenance of our existing facilities, and
faculty-to-student ratio are all concerns of the Budget Council.
In conclusion, we want to
emphasize three things. First, we
continue to appreciate your efforts on our behalf in challenging fiscal
times. We realize that numerous factors
influence the operating budget and many of them are beyond your control. Second, we encourage you to continue to focus
the University’s attention on faculty and staff compensation. Third, we encourage the continued
revitalization of conservation efforts.
We hope that you find our recommendations useful.
The following are the
2008-2009 voting members of the Norman Campus Budget Council:
Melody
Astani, Bursar’s Office
Kyung-Bai
Lee, Mathematics
Shane
Lineham, Student
Elaine
Masters, EAISS
Sue-Anna
Miller, Physical Plant
Kimball
Milton (chair), Physics and Astronomy
Donna
Nelson, Chemistry & Biochemistry
Susan
Shaughnessy, Drama
Andrew
Strout, Art
Susan
Vehik, Anthropology
Jeff
Wilson, Student
Vince
Winston, Student
Continuing
Education Council
2008-09 Annual
Report
Submitted by H.
Dan O’Hair, Chair
Composition of the Continuing Education Council
·
Ex-officio,
non-voting: Nancy Mergler, T.H. Lee Williams and James Pappas
·
Faculty
Senate (Norman) Appointees: Allison Palmer, Linda Wallace, Al Schwarzkopf, and
James Bierman
·
Faculty
Senate Appointee (HSC): Stephanie Moore
·
CE&PS
Staff Appointees: Susan Grossman, Pamela Lewis, and Mark Pelfrey
·
Presidential
Appointees: Kirby Gilliland, and Dan O’Hair (Chair)
Purpose
The Continuing Education
Council (CEC) works with and supports the Vice President for University
Outreach, and reports to the Faculty Senate on matters concerning continuing
education. The Council provides a forum
for faculty and administrators to discuss all aspects of lifelong learning as
it impacts the
·
Cross
disciplinary interaction
·
Technology
transfer and its campus-wide impact
·
The
role of the university in workplace education and community/public service
·
Certification
and non-degree programming
·
Interdisciplinary
continuing education
·
Distance
education
The CEC serves a proactive
role in providing information about outreach lifelong learning to the Faculty
Senate, the Provost’s office, and the President’s office and directing campus
dialog regarding these issues. In
addition, the CEC provides substantive input and acts as a constructive sounding
board for the Vice President and CCE staff regarding outreach, distance
education, and lifelong learning programs and acidities. Finally, the CEC serves as a liaison between
the President’s office, the
2008-2009 Meeting Schedule
·
December
3, 2007: CE Council
·
February
17, 2008: CE Council
·
April
17, 2009: CE Council
·
Meetings
between James Pappas and CE-Chair are held prior to each Council meeting.
2008-09 Discussion Topics
Additional
information regarding these discussion topics is available in the minutes of
the Continuing Education Council meetings or the Fall 2008 and Spring 2009
Continuing Education Reports Submitted to the Faculty Senate Large Executive
Committee.
1. Association for Continuing Higher
Education (home office moved to OU).
2. Executive Briefing to the Board of
Regents (Dr. Jim Pappas)
3. Online Degrees and Accreditation
4. Advantages and Shortcomings of
Serving as a Large Subcontractor
5. Tour and Discussion of Boomer
Outreach Building (former Sooner Hotel)
6. Legislative Affairs (discussion led
by Cal Hobson)
7. Discussion of Organizational Chart
and CCE Programming
8. Discussion of new OU Center for Risk
and Crisis Management
9. Tour and Discussion of
10. Discussion of national Conference on
Race and Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE). Sponsored by OU CCE Southwest Center for
Human Relations Studies
11.
Distribution
and Discussion of Outreach Organizational Chart
COUNCIL ON FACULTY AWARDS AND HONORS
2008-09 ANNUAL REPORT
SUBMITTED BY STEVE HOPPES, CHAIR
1) The University Council on Faculty Awards
and Honors met on Wednesday, February 4, 2009, to consider nominees and
recommend recipients of awards. The following Council members attended the
meeting:
Steve Hoppes Rehabilitation
Sciences,
A.F. Al-Assaf Health
Administration & Policy
Kevin Haney Developmental
Dentistry
Amir Khaliq Health
Administration & Policy
S. Lakshmivarahan Computer
Science
Rebecca Phillips Nursing
Academic Program
Mike Pullin Alumnus
Nim Razook Marketing
Dan Snell History College
of Arts & Sciences
The following Council members were absent:
LeRoy Blank Chemistry
& Biochemistry College
of Arts & Sciences
Linda
Troy Schmitz Student UOSA
Appointee
2) The Council considered an outstanding
group of 52 nominees. The nominees this year were highly qualified, making this
a particularly competitive year. Our
recommendations for the 2008-2009 academic year are as follows (in alphabetical
order, by category):
David Ross
Boyd Professorship (10 Nominations Received)
Roger Frech Chemistry/Biochemistry College of Arts and Sciences
K.K. Muraleetharan Civil
William M. Tabb
Mary Z. Baker Medicine
Endocrinology
General
Education Teaching Award (1 Nomination Received)
John Cowan Physics
and Astronomy
Good
Teaching Award (10 Nominations Received)
Tohren C. G. Kibbey Civil
Trina Hope Sociology
College
of Arts and Sciences
Mark C. Bolino Management
Regents'
Professorship (1 Nominations Received)
D. Robert Mccaffree Medicine
Pulmonary
Regents'
Award for
Kevin Grasse Mathematics
College
of Arts and Sciences
S. Terence Dunn Pathology
Regents'
Award for
Chinthalapally Rao Anesthesiology
Michael Santos Physics
and Astronomy College of
Arts and Sciences
Regents'
Award for
John Albert Mathematics
College
of Arts and Sciences
Kathryn Haring Education
David M. Thompson Biostatistics
and Epidemiology
Braden Abbott Physics
and Astronomy College of
Arts and Sciences
Gary L. Loving
3) The Council elected Dan Snell,
4) The Council recommends adopting on-line
review of nomination materials through a password-protected web-site.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL (NORMAN)
2008-09 ANNUAL REPORT
SUBMITTED BY SARAH ROBBINS, CHAIR
Membership
The members of the 2008-09 Information Technology Council,
their departments, and terms:
Faculty Senate Appointees:
|
Darin
Fox |
Law |
2006-09 |
|
Suleyman
Karabuk |
Industrial
Engineering |
2007-10 |
|
Tammy
McCuen |
Architecture |
2008-09 |
|
Sarah
Robbins, Chair |
University
Libraries |
2007-10 |
|
Todd
Stewart |
Art |
2008-11 |
Staff Senate Appointees:
|
Chris
Cook |
Geography |
2006-09 |
|
Colin
FitzSimons |
Technology
Development |
2007-10 |
|
Jeffrey
Boles |
CCE
Outreach |
2008-11 |
Student Appointees:
|
Wes
Franklin |
Student |
2008-09 |
|
Edward
Jones |
Student |
2008-09 |
|
Zac
McCullock |
Student |
2008-09 |
Ex-Officio Members:
|
Robert
Kelly |
For
the Vice President & Provost |
|
Burr
Millsap |
Vice
President for Administrative Affairs designate |
|
Edward
Baron |
For
the Vice President for Research |
|
Nick
Hathaway |
President
Designee |
|
Dennis
Aebersold |
Vice
President for Information Technology and CIO |
The chair would first like to thank Information
Technology for providing valuable information to the Council during the
year. Nick Key, Matt Singleton, and Mike
Sewell have provided ongoing support by attending meetings and making regular reports. The chair would also like to thank Darin Fox
for taking minutes this year and Robert Kelly for his continued willingness to
maintain the ITC website. Finally, the
chair would like to thank members of the ITC for their active involvement in
discussions and investigations throughout the year.
Projects
& Issues
4x4 Update: IT removed
social security numbers from 4x4s during the summer of 2008. 20,000 users were
affected. IT received positive feedback for improving online security.
oZONE Sooner Student System: The oZONE portal is now live! A select few students
are already using oZONE to correct missing Financial Aid information and review
the status of their 2009-2010 financial aid. This update is the first of many
launch phases for oZONE.
When fully implemented in fall 2009, oZONE will
provide single sign-on, 24/7, Web-based access to Financial Aid, Pay, Enroll,
Student Services, D2L, and E-mail; interactive tools to network with campus
organizations like news feeds, campus calendar and more; and many other
university services and resources that students use each day. All “admin”
functions for these sites, including all CICS/TSO access will be enhanced and
integrated with the oZONE portal.
Additional information, including an up-to-date timeline
of milestones is available at ou.edu/ozoneinfo
Web Guide & Policies: Erin
Yarbrough, from Web Communications, presented the Web Guide & Policy which
was released in July 2008. It is
available online at: http://www.ou.edu/webcomm/home/web_guide.html. The guide discusses web development issues
such as usability, design considerations, optimization as well as policy
issues.
Media Sanitation Policy: The
policy addresses how University departments must remove data from media prior
to its disposal. The full policy is
available on the ITC website (http://www.ou.edu/committees/itc/).
It has been approved and incorporated into the Administrative Guide as well as
other appropriate policy manuals.
Password Expiration: State security policy requires password
expirations. HIPPA and PCI compliance
require it. Last forced change was 1-2
years ago. Password requirements will be
based on roles and access to sensitive information. There is some flexibility. Last time, benefits enrollment was
trigger. OU IT will give plenty of
notice to users.
Course Capture Capabilities: Paul Thompson, OU IT, discussed the increased interest
on campus to capture lectures and make them available online; hardware and
software solutions available.
Issues: (1) making the powerpoint
slides viewable when recording standard video from the back of the room, (2)
standardization, (3) copyright, IP, (4) accessibility, limiting access. IT will be creating a campus committee to
evaluate options and gather faculty needs. Additionally, OU IT has finalized a
contract with iTunesU for distribution of captured course materials. OU IT hopes to utilize this committee to
identify faculty already recording and distributing materials for configuring
and testing the service.
Sustainability Initiatives: President Boren has convened an OU Sustainability
Committee to ensure that the University is in compliance with environmental
initiatives and also to take the lead in implementing cost saving environmental
solutions. OU IT’s first major sustainability initiative is to standardize
computer power settings across campus for both personal and
institutionally-owned machines using a combination of automated policies and
behavioral change. With over 20,000 personal computers and more than 7,500
institutionally-owned machines, the potential positive impact of this campaign
is exciting.
Illegal Downloading:
Complaints of illegal downloading have increased dramatically since January
2008. That increase, combined with new legislation passed in the fall, has
forced OU IT, Student Affairs, and Legal Counsel to review the University’s
procedures for handling these complaints, especially for repeat offenders. To
ensure compliance with this legislation, OU IT must review the current policies
for peer-to-peer file sharing. If changes must be made, OU IT will strive to
protect faculty, staff, and student access to legal file sharing methods or
offer alternatives when possible.
Election of New Chair:
By a unanimous vote of the
ITC members, Tammy McCuen was elected to serve as Chair of the Council in
2009-10.
RESEARCH COUNCIL (NORMAN)
2008-2009
ANNUAL REPORT
Submitted by Robert
Houser Jr., Chair
The members of the 2008-2009
Research Council, their departments and terms:
Robert Houser Chemistry/Biochemistry 2006-09
Yiqi
Luo Botany/Microbiology 2006-09
Ramkumar Parthasarathy Aerospace
& Mechanical Engineering 2006-09
Suliman Hawamdeh Library
& Information Studies 2006-09
Mary Dinger Health
& Exercise Science 2007-10
Marvin Lamb Music 2007-10
Joe Rodgers Psychology 2007-10
Melissa Stockdale History 2007-10
Laurie Vitt SNOMNH 2007-10
Karen Antell University
Libraries 2008-11
Noel Brady Mathematics 2008-11
Sridhar Radhakrishnan Computer
Science 2008-11
Joanna Rapf English 2008-11
Ex-Officio Members:
T.H.
Lee Williams Vice-President
for Research
Andrea Deaton Office of Research Services
Secretary:
Linda
Kilby
Professor Marvin Lamb joined
the council in October 2008 to complete the term for Sanna Pederson.
Professors Hawamdeh, Houser,
Luo, and Parthasarathy are completing their terms at the end of the
2008-09 academic year. The 2009-2010 Chair of the Research Council
was elected at the April meeting and will be Dr. Joe Rodgers, Department of Psychology.
The Faculty Senate has
appointed David Boeck, Architecture, Liz Butler, Civil Engr/Environmental
Science, K. David Hambright, Zoology, and Karen Leighly, Physics/Astronomy to
2009-2012 terms. They will replace
Suliman Hawamdeh, Ramkumar Parthasarathy, Yiqi Luo and Robert Houser
respectively.
In accordance to the charge
of the Research Council (January 7, 2004), appointments to the Council did
include two members in each of the following six areas and one member from Fine
Arts:
a)
Engineering: Ramkumar Parthasarathy and Sridhar
Radhakrishnan.
b)
Physical
Sciences: Noel Brady and Robert Houser
c)
Social Sciences and
Education: Mary Dinger and Joe Rodgers
d)
Biological
Sciences: Laurie Vitt and Yiqi Luo
e)
Humanities and
Arts: Melissa Stockdale and Joanna Rapf
f)
Other: Karen Antell and Suliman Hawamdeh
g) Fine Arts: Marvin Lamb
Activities (2008-2009)
The primary activity of the
Research Council during the 2008-09 academic year was to advise and make
recommendations to the Vice-President for Research pertaining to expenditures
and awards under his administration, namely
a)
Small Grant
Awards (< $1,199) [increased from
$1,000]
b)
Reprint Awards
($100)
c)
Large Grants
(> $1,200 <$7,500) [increased from
$6,000]
d)
PI Investment
Awards (> $1,200< $10,000)
e)
Junior Faculty
Fellowships ($6,000)
The first two awards are
decided by the VPR directly without Council involvement; the Council decided
that the time the Council would spend on reviewing these applications did not
justify the monetary resources involved.
A summary of the Council recommendations approved by the Vice-President
for Research for the period July 1, 2008 through May 31, 2009, is attached.
Also, the Council reviewed
nominations and made recommendations to the Provost for the George Lynn Cross
Research Professorship and the Henry Daniel Rinsland Memorial Award for
Excellence in Educational Research.
In addition:
•
The
Research Council had a yearly appropriation of $130,000 plus $5,862 of
supplementary funds from FY08 carry-forward for spending in FY 2009. Awards
were made in three categories using this appropriation: the Small Grant Program
(under $1,200, handled by the VPR); the Large Grant Program (over $1,200 up to
$7,500, evaluated by the Research Council); and the PI Research investment
Program (up to $10,000, evaluated by the Research Council). The total
commitments for FY 2009 were $249,777 based on actual expenditures. Twenty (20)
awards were made in the Small Grant Program, twelve (12) in the Large Grant
Program, and two (2) in the PI research investment program. For FY 2009, 62
large and small grant applications were received.
•
The
Research Council funded 24 Junior Faculty Fellowships for a total of $144,000.
There were twenty-eight (28) Junior Faculty proposals that were not funded, and
one that was declined by a faculty member. $6,000 of residual FY09 Junior
Faculty Fellowship funds will be applied toward FY10 Research Council funding.
•
The
Research Council discussed increasing the $6,000 stipend for the Junior Faculty
Grant Program. The stipend has not increased for at least eight (8) years,
while starting Junior Faculty salaries have steadily increased. The 2009/2010
Research Council will continue to discuss alternatives, and hopes to announce
any changes to the 2010 Junior Faculty Grant stipend prior to the call for
Junior Faculty Grant proposals in the Fall 2009 semester.
•
Similar
to FY08, in FY09 the Research Council did not exhaust its budget before the end
of the year. The surplus this year is likely due to a combination of factors,
including a 16 percent reduction in submitted applications and a lower
acceptance rate compared to previous years. The Research Council was diligent
in applying high standards to the submitted proposals, and only funded those of
highest merit.
•
The
Research Council chair spoke at the new faculty orientation organized by ORA
about the Research Council, its activities, and internal funding opportunities
for faculty.
•
According
to the OU Faculty Handbook, the Research Council is responsible for reviewing
Research Faculty candidates:
“Once the academic unit has made a
recommendation and the academic dean has endorsed this recommendation, the
credentials of the candidate and the final recommendation to hire the candidate
for the research faculty position shall be reviewed by the Research Council,
whose recommendation shall be forwarded to the Senior Vice President and
Provost for review prior to presentation to the President and the Board of
Regents.” OU Faculty Handbook, 3.5.3.
The VPR recommended that the Research Council be
replaced by the VPR for this approval process since the VPR has previously made
these recommendations directly to the Senior Vice President and Provost without
consultation with the Research Council. The Research Council voted unanimously
to recommend this change.
•
The
Research Council recommended to the VPR that a file of funded proposals be kept
in the Office of Research Services, available for viewing by potential
applicants. The Research Council would seek permission from representative
faculty from various Colleges whom have received Research Council funding in
the past. Faculty would be invited to review successful proposals as a way to
improve their own proposals.
•
The
Research Council clarified with the VPR that faculty can apply for
reimbursement of Open Access and Paid Access fees from the Reprint Purchases /
Page Charges fund. Faculty should follow the procedures outlined on the VPR
webpage for Reprint Purchases / Page Charges reimbursement.
On behalf of the Research
Council, the Chair would like to thank Vice-President for Research T.H. Lee
Williams for his enthusiastic, consistent and creative support of the OU
faculty in their efforts to produce quality research and creative activity. The
Council also thanks Executive Director Andrea Deaton, Office of Research
Service, for her efforts on behalf of the Council and faculty, and Linda Kilby,
for the many contributions she made to the smooth, efficient and successful
functioning of the Council this year.
FY09 SUMMARY OF COUNCIL RECOMMENDATIONS
APPROVED BY THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR
RESEARCH
|
AWARD |
NUMBER |
AMOUNT |
|
|
|
|
|
SMALL GRANT |
|
|
|
Engineering |
0 |
|
|
Physical
Sciences |
2 |
2,400.00 |
|
Social
Sciences & Education |
1 |
1,200.00 |
|
Biological
Sciences |
1 |
1,196.00 |
|
Humanities
& Arts |
12 |
11,778.00 |
|
Other |
4 |
3,445.00 |
|
TOTAL |
20 |
$20,019.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
LARGE GRANT |
|
|
|
Engineering |
2 |
11,360.00 |
|
Physical
Sciences |
2 |
8,720.00 |
|
Social
Sciences & Education |
0 |
|
|
Biological
Sciences |
1 |
7,500.00 |
|
Humanities
& Arts |
6 |
32,215.00 |
|
Other |
1 |
4,000.00 |
|
TOTAL |
12 |
$63,795.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
PI RESEARCH
INVESTMENT |
|
|
|
Engineering |
1 |
9,696.00 |
|
Physical
Sciences |
0 |
|
|
Social
Sciences & Education |
0 |
|
|
Biological
Sciences |
1 |
7,513.00 |
|
Other |
0 |
|
|
TOTAL |
2 |
$17,209.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
JUNIOR FACULTY |
|
|
|
Engineering |
0 |
|
|
Physical
Sciences |
0 |
|
|
Social
Sciences & Education |
4 |
24,000 |
|
Biological
Sciences |
2 |
12,000 |
|
Humanities
& Arts |
15 |
90,000.00 |
|
Other |
3 |
18,000.00 |
|
TOTAL |
24 |
$144,000.00 |
|
|
|
|
|
REPRINT |
|
|
|
|
19 |
$4,754.00 |
|
TOTAL GRANTS AWARDED |
77 |
$249,777.00 |