The
Regular session – May 9, 2005 – 3:30 p.m. – Jacobson Faculty Hall 102
office: Jacobson Faculty Hall 206
phone: 325-6789
e-mail: facsen@ou.edu web site:
http://www.ou.edu/admin/facsen/
The Faculty Senate was called
to order by Professor Valerie Watts, Chair.
PRESENT: Barker
(0), Biggerstaff (2), Blank (1), Bradford (2), Brown (2), Burns (2), Caldwell
(3), Cintrón (3), Civan (2), Davis (2), Devenport (2), Dohrmann (2), Draheim
(2), Driver (2), Elisens (1), Fincke (2), Forman (0), Frech (1), Geletzke (0),
Greene (4), Gutierrez (0), Halterman (2), Havlicek (1), Hobbs (3), Houser (0),
C. Knapp (2), R. Knapp (1), Lai (2), Lewis (2), Liu (2), Marcus-Mendoza (3),
Ransom (3), Rupp-Serrano (0), Schwarzkopf (0), Striz (0), Taylor (1),
Vieux (5), Watts (0), Wheeler (0), Wood (2)
ISA representatives:
Schwiebert
ABSENT: Bozorgi
(4), Catlin (1), Cramer (3), Dewers (3), Hayes-Thumann (4),
[Note:
During the period from June 2004 to May 2005, the Senate held 9 regular
sessions and no special sessions. The
figures in parentheses above indicate the number of absences.]
________________________________________________________________________________
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Announcements:
Schedule of Senate meetings for fall 2005
Summary of Speakers Service program
Faculty retirees
Health benefits:
information about
Remarks by Athletics Director Joe Castiglione
Resolution of appreciation to faculty athletics representative Dan
Gibbens
Senate Chair's Report:
Research compliance:
IRB course
New Chemistry building
Faculty tribute
Environmental Concerns Committee membership
Web policy
Council on Campus Life
Certificates of appreciation
Election, councils/committees/boards
Election, Senate standing committees
Election, Senate Secretary and Chair-elect
Resolution of Appreciation to Prof. Valerie Watts
________________________________________________________________________________
The Faculty Senate Journal
for the regular session of April 11, 2005 was approved.
The regular meetings of the Faculty
Senate for fall 2005 will be held at 3:30 p.m. in Jacobson Faculty Hall
102 on the following Mondays: September
12, October 10, November 14, and December 12.
Summary of the activities of the Faculty Senate
Speakers Service for the past year:
From May 2004 to April 2005, the Faculty Senate office arranged for 52 faculty
and staff to give 126 talks to 52 organizations in 25 communities throughout
the state. The Faculty Senate and the
University sincerely appreciate the members of the Speakers Service who share
their expertise and knowledge with the people of
A list of the faculty who
retired during the past academic year is below.
The Faculty Senate thanks these faculty members for their dedication and
contribution to our community.
NAME |
DEPARTMENT |
RETIREMENT DATE |
CAME TO OU |
Judson Ahern |
Geology & Geophysics |
6/1/05 |
1979 |
John Cheung |
Electrical & Computer
Engr. |
1/8/05 |
1978 |
Daniel Gibbens |
Law |
6/30/05 |
1962 |
James Goldsmith |
History |
5/16/05 |
1973 |
Clark Kelly |
Music |
8/1/05 |
1980 |
James Kenderdine |
Marketing |
1/1/05 |
1969 |
Helga Madland |
Modern Languages,
Literature & Linguistics |
7/1/05 |
1981 |
Kenneth Merrill |
Philosophy |
7/1/05 |
1958 |
Richard Nostrand |
Geography |
8/1/04 |
1973 |
Kenneth Wedel |
Social Work |
1/1/05 |
1979 |
As requested at the March 21
Faculty Senate meeting, the office of Human Resources has added a link on its
web site (http://www.ou.edu/ohr/) to a
document that will assist members in using the “DocFind” portion of the Aetna
insurance web site. OHR has also
included on its web site a comparison of prescription co-pays between
Prof. Watts had asked
Athletics Director Joe Castiglione to give a report on the activities of the
Athletics Department and, in particular, the academic performance of our
student-athletes. Mr. Castiglione said
he appreciated being invited to meet with the Faculty Senate annually. He recognized Prof. Dan Gibbens (Law), who
will retire this summer, for serving intercollegiate athletics for 30
years. The leadership he has provided
for the program, for this campus and nationally is unparalleled. Prof. Gibbens is completing his last year as
faculty athletics representative for the Big 12 and NCAA. The process to replace him is going on, and
an announcement about his successor should be made soon.
Mr. Castiglione said he would
like to talk about the Athletics Department’s mission, values, and programs as
well as the key points of academic student life, financial affairs, and
student-athlete welfare. Discussing what
is on the radar screen for a campus athletics director in today’s world, Mr.
Castiglione said the development of a vision and the fulfillment of a mission
are right up on top. Core values involve
academics, student services, and student life.
He has made ongoing professional development for his staff a
priority. Such a large athletic program,
which has become a dynamic aspect of campus, deserves strong organizational support
systems, especially in today’s complicated environment. He must manage sports performance
expectations and in some cases create expectations that mirror the department’s
mission and values. Intercollegiate
athletics has many stakeholders, and it is vital to maintain relations and
communication with these stakeholders.
Facilities are an important part of the Athletics Department focus. If we are going after the best athletes, we
need state-of-the-art facilities.
Compliance issues, including the myriad policies and procedures, extend
beyond the coaching staff and student-athletes.
Performance measures and accountability for everything the department
does, rather than just a score on the scoreboard, are part of the daily
focus. Mr. Castiglione said he could he
could talk more about sports performance but had decided to concentrate on
vision, mission, core values, academics, and building the OU brand.
Vision starts with providing
the appropriate resources for student-athletes, coaches, and staff. The department supports the interest of its
fans and other stakeholders and demonstrates fiscal responsibility in all of
its affairs. The program will remain
focused on the welfare and creation of a positive environment for
student-athletes. Lessons taught through
participation in intercollegiate athletics complement the college
education. Whenever asked how far he
should look forward, he answers, “as far as we need to and as far as we can.” The Athletic Department’s mission, “inspiring
champions today, preparing leaders for tomorrow,” is an extension of the campus
mission and is integrally woven with the campus.
Core values guide and govern
all of the department’s actions all of the time. They are not shaped by public opinion. Respect, accountability for self and others,
passion for comprehensive excellence, an unwavering commitment to continuous
improvement, celebration of diversity, integrity in all affairs, and individual
talents and collective efforts create the competitive advantage and distinguish
this program from its competitors.
Turning to academics, Mr.
Castiglione said the athletic student services area has a large staff, terrific
budget and over 35,000 square feet dedicated to the support of student-athletes
and their development as a total person.
Associate Athletics Director Gerald Gurney has built a model for
programs across the country. This area
deals with assessment, counseling, life skills, development, career planning
and placement, virtually any resource that a student-athlete needs to balance
academic, athletic, and personal development.
Some people want to zero in on graduation rates as the only example of
whether the services are working. People
should understand that student-athletes are individuals with different aspirations,
talents, concerns, and shortcomings. No
one model fits everyone. The Athletics
Department becomes an extension of their family and provides guidance,
discipline, and motivation.
Student-athletes are not infallible.
That is part of the responsibility the program takes on. OU is one of the first universities to hire
an in-house licensed psychologist to help students deal with the demands of
student issues and athletic pursuits.
In the last five months, the
NCAA has brought forth various initiatives, such as academic reform. Academic progress rates are now replacing the
former language of graduation rates.
Graduation rates will still be a part of our reporting structure,
however. This year’s graduation rate was
55 percent, compared with the campus rate of 54 percent. Some anomalies are due to the turnover in
coaching staffs in the mid to latter part of the 1990s. Student-athletes who do not meet the
institutional admission standards are now carefully reviewed by a faculty
committee. That practice has brought
sunshine to the process of trying to ensure that the students can compete in
the classroom and move toward graduation.
The program is formulating an incentive to move student-athletes toward
graduation in four years. This type of
initiative would exceed conference and NCAA standards. The program is also pushing for greater
initial eligibility standards. The focus
in the last few years on GPA and core classes has been helpful but does not
necessarily keep pace with the increase in continuing eligibility standards.
Enhancing the OU brand deals
with more than just marketing. The
opportunity to represent OU extends nationally.
The most important element in strengthening the OU brand is perpetuating
the quality of staff, coaches, and student-athletes. The priority point system for tickets has
been in place since 1995. Points can be
earned by purchasing season tickets and making contributions to the Sooner
Club. An initiative for the coming year
is an incentive for game attendance.
Everyone who attends games can earn points toward season tickets,
post-season tickets, or tickets to special events. The Athletics Department matches donations of
faculty and staff, which gives them a stronger opportunity to access
tickets. Also, faculty, staff, and
students receive discounts on tickets.
The financial state of the
Athletics Department is a big focus every year and was a criticism when Mr.
Castiglione took over six and a half years ago.
For the sixth straight year, the athletic budget is balanced. The department is on track to repay all debt
that had accrued and is well ahead of the repayment schedule. The Athletics Department is growing, it has
more student-athletes than ever, its programs are bigger than ever before, and
the programs have better and more consistent success. Mr. Castiglione always has to look for ways
to manage expenses and find new sources of revenue without compromising any
commitment to the mission or values. The
Athletics Department is an entity of OU that makes it on its own without taking
anything from the campus budget. Every
dollar spent must be generated. This
coming year, the annual operating budget is expected to be over $60 million. The program has found a way to share its
success with the rest of the campus. One
way is through donations to the university libraries. Mr. Castiglione said it was a privilege and
honor to represent the University around the country. He appreciates the support from the regents,
the leadership from the president, and the faculty. Seven years ago, he said, “If we choose the
pursuit of greatness, the great will choose to pursue us.” Our record over the past five or six years is
proof that the times are changing for the better, and it is due in large part
to everyone working together. He thanked
the Senate for giving him the opportunity to speak.
Prof. Burns commented that he
had asked Mr. Castiglione last year about opening up the track to the
university community. He appreciated
that Mr. Castiglione had done that. Mr.
Castiglione replied that this campus has a sense of community, and he shares
that sense of community. Whenever
possible, he has made some other facilities available to faculty, staff and
students.
Prof. Biggerstaff said it was
commendable to try to get students to graduate in four years. However, for some degrees, it takes longer to
graduate. He asked whether safeguards
would be put in place for those types of degrees. Mr. Castiglione said he had already
acknowledged that students without extracurricular activities are challenged to
finish certain degree programs in four year.
That will be taken into consideration.
The program is trying various options, such as encouraging student-athletes
to enroll in courses when they choose to stay here in the summer. The new academic performance rates measure
student success as graduating in five years.
If a student-athlete leaves before graduating, the department wants them
to be as close to finishing as possible.
This plan is not geared to be punitive; it is incentive-based. Dr. Gurney said the NCAA rule requires
student-athletes to complete about 20 percent of the degree program a
year. It is the department’s hope to get
student-athletes to complete their degree program in four years, and if they
are here for a fifth year, to pursue a second major or graduate school.
Prof. Striz asked whether
there was any chance that ice hockey would become an OU program. Mr. Castiglione responded that it was
doubtful, but he has been impressed with the club program. There are not enough ice hockey teams in the
vicinity to compete, so it would be cost prohibitive to sponsor that sport at
varsity status. Furthermore, it is
unlikely that we would add any men’s sport in the current climate.
Prof. Halterman mentioned
that research grants have to pay a large overhead fee for items such as
utilities. He asked what was being paid
for out of the $60 million athletic budget.
Mr. Castiglione said the Athletics Department pays for anything and
everything used by intercollegiate athletics.
The department has an overhead assessment on every dollar it generates,
with the exception of financial gifts.
No money comes out of the institutional operating budget to pay for
annual expenses, except for some support for academic enhancement.
Prof. Fincke remarked that
that the former baseball coach’s racial remarks undermined what Mr. Castiglione
said about core values. She asked
whether the remarks were a mistake or a systemic problem. Mr. Castiglione said the comments were not
systemic. Human frailty can cause some
people to make a mistake in spite of being a caring individual. No one in the department is trying to excuse
the remarks. The individual has resigned
and is no longer in the program. People
should look at what the Athletics Department does in response to an error in
judgment. The program has diversity
programs in place, and there is no other department with as much diversity as
intercollegiate athletics. The remarks
do not represent the Athletics Department and, in fact, are hard to
explain.
Prof. Forman noted that some
players had avoided criminal actions being brought against them. He asked what the program was doing to teach
young athletes good manners. Mr. Castiglione
responded that each coach has very high standards of behavior
expectations. The incidents are fewer
and far between. Sometimes
student-athletes have the good judgment to steer away from situations; other
times they do not. They are in the
public eye 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and they have a higher cost to
face. The Athletics Department has them
go through a variety of educational programs.
If a situation warrants further review, the department decides on a case-by-case
basis whether a second chance is deserved.
Mr. Castiglione said the
senators could ask him other questions by phone or e-mail. He said, “We are engaged at this University
in what is going on. Likewise, we want
you to feel that there is a connection.
… There is no greater privilege
than we have had to positively represent the
The Faculty Senate approved
the following resolution of appreciation to Prof. Dan Gibbens (Law), NCAA and Big
12 faculty athletics representative, who is retiring the end of June.
Whereas, Dan
Gibbens has served the University of Oklahoma as a Law Professor since 1962 and
as the University’s NCAA Faculty Representative since 1976, in each capacity
with quiet dignity, honesty, strong leadership, compassion and clear
communication.
Whereas, while
officially representing the President’s Office and the
Whereas, Dan
was an instrumental member of the University of Oklahoma’s successful
transition from the Big Eight to the Big Twelve Conference, including the
restructuring of all the administrative and policy structures.
Whereas, Dan
is nationally recognized as a leader among academic and faculty representatives
of intercollegiate athletics, having served on seven NCAA Peer Review
Certification Teams. He has held a long
standing leadership position with the NCAA Governance Structure Committee and
is a recipient of the 2000 National Football Foundation’s “Outstanding Faculty
Representative Award.”
Whereas, he
maintains a strong teaching load within the College of Law, which includes the
development of new courses and programs, all of which garner praise, respect
and appreciation from students and colleagues alike.
Whereas, Dan
Gibbens accomplishes all of these tasks in a quiet, efficient, thorough and
highly professional manner, which reflects positively on the
Therefore Be It Resolved, that the Norman Campus Faculty Senate commends
Professor Daniel Gibbens’ leadership, contributions and service to the
Prof. Gibbens said the work
had been interesting, enjoyable, challenging, and a lot of fun. He said he appreciated the resolution from
the Senate.
“The Institutional Review
Board reports that the refresher course, which is required annually for those
doing research involving human participants, will be revised and
shortened. The biomedical portion will
be separated out. The new version should
be in place by the end of May.
“I want to thank Vice
President Nick Hathaway, Dean Paul Bell, Vice President Lee Williams, Provost
Nancy Mergler, and Mike Moorman of Architectural and Engineering Services for
their presence at the April 20 meeting regarding the new facility for the
Chemistry Department. They addressed
questions about the impact of the south campus location on transportation and
related science and engineering programs.
The faculty appreciated the opportunity to voice their concerns and hear
what stage the administration is at in the planning process. I was pleased with the exchange of
information and hope that it will continue.
“Finally, let me congratulate
our senator Susan Sharp from the Department of Sociology who received the Good
Teaching Award at the 2005 Faculty Tribute.”
The Environmental Concerns
Committee recommended that its membership be changed from 4 faculty, 2 staff
and 2 students to 3 faculty, 3 staff and 3 students (attached; see also 4/05
Senate Journal). The Senate approved the
recommendation on a voice vote.
At last month’s Senate meeting
(see 4/05 Senate Journal), the Information Technology Council proposed a Web
policy. Revisions suggested since the
last Faculty Senate meeting were highlighted (attached). The Senate approved the policy as revised on
a voice vote.
The Senate Executive
Committee recommended last month (see 4/05 Senate Journal) that the Council on
Campus Life be dissolved. The council is
not a legislative body. Its purpose was
to provide a forum to address matters on quality of campus life. It no longer serves the function for which it
was originally intended and has not been active. The Student Affairs Vice President has an
advisory council that serves the same purpose and meets regularly. The Senate approved the recommendation on a
voice vote.
Certificates of Appreciation
were presented to the following outgoing senators who completed full three-year
terms (2002-05): Khosrow Bozorgi, Steve
Bradford, Lynn Devenport, Joe Havlicek, Doug Kauffman, Karen Rupp-Serrano, Avi
Scherman, Fred Striz, and Ralph Wheeler.
Certificates also were presented to other senators who terms expired and
to the outgoing members of the Senate Executive Committee.
The Senate approved the
Senate Committee on Committees' nominations for end-of-the-year vacancies on
university and campus councils/committees/boards (attached). Prof. Knapp noted that there were still some
vacancies on the Faculty Appeals Board that would be filled in the fall. The names of the remaining volunteers will be
forwarded to the president to consider for the appointments he makes.
The Senate elected
the following faculty to fill vacancies on Senate standing committees:
COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES
Continuing
members: Keith Gaddie (Political Science),
To replace Ellen Greene
(Classics), 2005-08 term [Must have been at OU five years and hold tenure.]:
Cecelia Brown (Associate Professor of Library & Information
Studies, Ph.D. Illinois, M.L.I.S. Oklahoma, at OU since 1996)
FACULTY COMPENSATION
COMMITTEE
Continuing members:
Tyrrell Conway (Botany & Microbiology), Richard Marshment (Regional &
City Planning), Fred Striz (Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering).
To replace Eric Anderson
(Art) and Darryl McCullough (Mathematics), 2005-08 term:
Heidi Mau (Associate Professor of Art, M.F.A. Temple,
at OU since 1997)
Karl Sievers (Associate Professor of Music, D.M.A.
Missouri-Kansas City, at OU since 1999)
FACULTY WELFARE COMMITTEE
Continuing
members: Tom Burns (Sociology), Bob Dauffenbach (Management Information
Systems), Sheena Murphy (Physics & Astronomy), Pat Weaver-Meyers
(University Libraries).
To replace Lee Willinger
(Accounting), 2005-08 term:
Lee Willinger (Professor of Accounting, D.B.A.
Florida, at OU since 1990)
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, 2005-06 term, 3 vacancies
To replace Steve Bradford (History), Neil Houser
(Instructional Leadership & Academic Curriculum), Meg Penrose (Law) [Cannot
succeed themselves.]:
Tom Dewers (Associate Professor of Geology &
Geophysics, Ph.D. Indiana, at OU since 1992)
Bob Dohrmann (Assistant Professor of Art, M.F.A.
Central Washington, at OU since 1999)
Susan Sharp (Associate Professor of Sociology, Ph.D.
Texas, at OU since 1996)
Prof. Steve Bradford (Saxon
Professor of History) was elected Secretary, and Prof. Roger Frech (Professor
of Chemistry and Biochemistry) was elected Chair-Elect of the Senate for
2005-06.
The Faculty Senate approved the following resolution
of appreciation to Prof. Valerie Watts, outgoing Senate Chair:
Whereas Valerie has smoothed
the occasionally difficult transition between health insurance companies by
providing a forum for concerns to be voiced and problems to be solved,
establishing an atmosphere of trust and confidence in the administrative
officers overseeing the transition,
Whereas Valerie steered the
faculty through the labyrinth of changing retirement options, working with the
benefits office to bring a degree of clarity to often-murky waters,
Whereas Valerie has continued
to emphasize the importance of faculty compensation concerns to the
administration,
Whereas Valerie has worked
diligently and enthusiastically to strengthen support for the Faculty
Development Fund,
Whereas Valerie patiently
dealt with a variety of issues stemming from changes to the faculty handbook
and the Regents policy manual,
Whereas Valerie blended the distinctive
strengths of the Executive Committee into an effective voice articulating
faculty concerns to the Administration,
Whereas Valerie has been
especially effective in maintaining frank communications with the
administration, providing advice and counsel on complex issues,
Whereas Valerie’s leadership
was characterized by graciousness and compassion, honesty and openness,
fairness and balance,
Whereas Valerie has treated
the executive committee and assorted others to a tasteful display of her
pie-making skills,
Be
it resolved that the Faculty Senate expresses its appreciation to Valerie Watts
for her outstanding leadership and service for the academic year
2004-2005.
Prof. Roy Knapp presented
Prof. Watts with a certificate of appreciation and an engraved clock. Prof. Watts thanked everyone for their help
and participation. Prof. Knapp then
assumed the office of 2005-06 Senate Chair.
He said next year, the Senate would need to provide insight and
leadership on our health care benefit.
We should hear from the IRS as to whether current employees will be able
to choose between OTRS and the alternate retirement plan. The creation of a new college and the
subsequent reorganization will be another issue to address. He will soon solicit concerns and issues from
the senators for the Senate to consider next year.
The meeting adjourned at 4:45
p.m. The next regular session of the
Faculty Senate will be held at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, September 12, 2005, in
Jacobson Faculty Hall 102.
____________________________________
Sonya Fallgatter, Administrative Coordinator
____________________________________
Roger Frech, Secretary