November 4, 2013 Meeting of Executive Committee

1.        1:30-2:00- AULs
 
2.        2:00-2:30 -Beth Woodard-search update
 
3.        Approve Minutes from October 28
 
4.        Question Time

John Wilkin, chair; Bill Mischo, vice-chair; John Wagstaff, secretary; Tim Cole, Mary Laskowski, Nancy O’Brien, Carissa Phillips, Chris Prom, Jennifer Teper, Visitors: Beth Woodard; Recording: Kim Matherly

1.                   2:00-2:30 -Beth Woodard-search update
EC approved the GIS position description earlier in the meeting. There was discussion about the Web Content position. EC would like to see the most recent description before they approve that one.

Beth discussed the open positions and where the committees are at with each of them.

Beth was asked whether it is possible to use “open until filled” as a search end date. It is not; a specific date must be entered into the HireTouch system. However, at the direction of the Search Committee, the position announcement can be left open on the Jobs at Illinois Website and the Search Committee may continue to consider applications submitted after the “search end date” up until the position is filled – assuming that the search end date entered in the system is prefaced in the position announcement with the appropriate language, e.g., “In order to ensure maximum consideration, applications and nominations should be received by …”

2.                  Approve Minutes from October 28
Minutes were approved with changes by a motion from Nancy O’Brien, seconded by Mary Laskowski.
 
3.                  Question Time

EC discussed the process for getting Parking Lot items added to EC agendas. Those items currently there will be moved up to a future meeting.

 

Humanities Hub – John Wilkin has asked Sue Searing to draft an implementation process. In early Dec, John is having lunch with Diane Koenker, Dianne Harris, and Antoinette Burton from History to get their sense of things in regards to the needs of the History, Philosophy and Newspaper Library and will then bring any relevant suggestions back to EC.

 

Law Librarian Search – The search committee has been appointed and Bill Mischo will serve on the committee. EC would like to see a position description as soon as possible. John Wilkin said that the Dean of Law is happy with the MOU and the way things have been going between Law and the Library.

 

John Wilkin discussed the priorities planning session to be held in January 2014. He is planning to solicit topics from the Faculty and APs. He would like EC, along with the AULs to identify which topics should be discussed at the planning session. John’s plan is that the Faculty and APs will break out into working groups to brainstorm about the different topics.

 

John Wilkin discussed some of the topics covered in the Council of Deans (COD) meeting last week. The last meeting took place in GSLIS, where Allen Renear gave a very nice overview of what is going on in their school. Future meetings will be at other locations.

 

Nick Burbules, Roy Campbell and Joyce Tolliver had visited the COD to discuss the Senate Executive Committee (SEC) Task Force on Faculty Issues and Concerns. They had put forward eight “topical areas”:

1. Task Force on Salary Gaps and Inequities – a mix of Faculty and administration should monitor our progress toward achieving comparative salary equity in relation to our peers.
2. Compensation Review Committee (CRC) – create a CRC, similar to the Campus Budget Oversight Committee (CBOC), that would be charged with benchmarking all aspects of total compensation against peer institutions, analyzing trends, and making recommendations regarding the mix of benefits and salary that maximizes our ability to compete, while recognizing the fiscal constraints facing the university.
3. Integrated Benefits Handbook – the SEC should charge the Senate Benefits committee to work with AHR to compose a Benefits Handbook according to the annual budget presentations.
4. Posted Budget Data and Annual Reports – the campus and university administrations should post budget data and annual reports to provide easy access to information for governance bodies and for faculty.
5. Annual Budget Presentations – the campus and university administrations should continue the practice of giving annual presentations to the Senate with budget details including but not limited to salaries, benefits, maintenance, supplies, operations, etc.
6. Budgetary Process Statutory Requirement –deans/directors/heads, chairs are required by the Statutes (Sections lll.3.d(8)/IV.3.d.d/IV.2.d) to “prepare the unit budget in consultation with” their advisory/executive committees.
7. Facility Condition – the Campus Operations and Budget Committees together with CBOC to work with the Chancellor and Provost to publicize the campus’s strategy to bring our Facility Condition Index down to 0.1 within a period of several years.
8. Promotion and Tenure Spring Clean-request the cooperation of the Chancellor and Provost in implementing Recommendations 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, and 18, on Promotion and Tenure processes, in collaboration with appropriate stakeholder groups, including CAFT, GUP, the Council of Deans, and others as appropriate.

 

Chancellor Wise reported on the Lincoln Project (https://www.amacad.org/content/Research/researchproject.aspx?d=929), an initiative being undertaken by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, focusing on the future of public higher education, and particularly threats to the roughly 100-150 key great institutions (like Illinois).

 

The Provost emphasized working with the Senate to encourage good people to join the senate and the academic review committees.