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Faculty wishing to express comments about the meeting minutes or other concerns should e-mail the Faculty Senate Executive Committee (facsen@musc.edu) or call the Faculty Senate Office at 792-7862.

Past meeting minutes are located on the Senate website at <http://www.musc.edu/facsen>.

Tuesday, May 4

Minutes taken by Faculty Senate secretary, Debbie Carson, College of Pharmacy.

The meeting was called to order by Dr. Adrian Reuben at 7:45 a.m. on Tuesday, May 4. A quorum was established and the agenda approved as well as approval of the April minutes.

Reuben gave a review of the Faculty Senate Retreat which was held on April 14.

• 50 percent attendance by senators: We will need to send more reminders for the next retreat.
• Senators in attendance felt that the overall venue was excellent, including menu and location.

Topics for discussions included:

Recruitment, appointment, and promotion of women and minorities: The senators reviewed the questions submitted by the Ad Hoc committee, made minor suggestions, and recommended continuation of the committee’s work, including submission of questions to the Provost and determination of the level of institutional support for the activity.

Since the retreat, Dr. Deborah Carson, chair of the Ad Hoc committee, met informally with Dr. Ray Greenberg who asked to meet with Carson, Dr. Connie Best, and Dr. Barbara Tilley to discuss creation of a formal study within the University pertaining to the recruitment, appointment, and promotion of minorities. Carson will report back to the Executive Committee at their next meeting later in May. Reuben asked for volunteers to join a new Ad Hoc Committee on Recruitment, Appointment and Promotion of Minorities.

Legal counsel for advice to the senate: Senators felt that legal counsel was particularly important as we enter into the era of mergers and contracts with corporate organizations. This is also needed when the senate is asked to review and provide legal documents. Most senators saw benefit in seeking legal clarification regarding the impact on individuals within the university as merger discussions arise in the future. Senators stressed that legal counsel would not be used for individual legal problems. Methods of payment for legal counsel were undefined.

Faculty involvement in merger decisions: While several senators acknowledged involvement in discussions regarding the proposed involvement with HCA in the past, many expressed concern over a general sense of unawareness regarding the process and its ramifications. No conclusions on the best method for faculty to become involved were agreed upon. Reuben will discuss the questions with the Provost.

Membership in AAUP: The general consensus is that we do not know enough about the organization and the senate should invite a member of AAUP on campus to present to the senate at its regular meeting

Chair’s Report

Reuben reported that he had received communication from Greenberg regarding three issues: 1) Faculty Handbook: the Handbook will be brought to the May Board of Trustees meeting by Greenberg for approval. The senate voted to add a footnote of clarification regarding Appointment, Promotion and Tenure guidelines, to the following sentence:

“Administrators who serve in a supervisory role to the faculty members being evaluated for promotion (e.g. deans, department chairs) and thus have other avenues for input into the promotion/tenure process, shall be excluded from the College APT Committee”

The Senate footnote of clarification shall read as follows:

“This is not meant to exclude administrative individuals who act in an advisory position to an APT Committee (e.g. associate dean for faculty affairs in the College of Medicine).”

There are still some areas that are “work-in-progress” which will not be included in the document going to the board in May.

2) Terms of Appointment: Greenberg said that the “current version differs greatly from where the dean’s representative to the conference felt that it was headed.”

3) Mechanism for Chair Evaluation: Greenberg had several questions regarding the document sent forth by the Senate.

Reuben requested that he and the chairs of the University Affairs and Faculty Affairs meet with Greenberg soon regarding the last two issues.

Governance Committee: Dr. Francine Margolius, chair, reported that an electronic balloting system should be in place for the 1999 elections. Her committee is still working on mechanisms to establish continuity in Senate Administration, particularly to the election and tenure of the chair. Proposals will be discussed at the next Executive Committee meeting.

University Affairs Committee: Dr. Thierry Bacro reported that this committee is still working toward a mechanism to review the university budget as stated in the bylaws. Reuben has contacted Bob Gallagher, vice-president for finance, for clarification.

Academic Affairs Committee: no report Faculty Affairs Committee: see review of Faculty Senate Retreat above.

Old Business

No resolution seeking a change in budget policy that would allow the Chair of the Senate to have signature authority over the Senate budget. Dr. Donald Tyner has been contacted and his reply is pending.

Reuben is still pursuing CCIT issues concerning computer support for non-clinical activities on campus and has plans to speak with Vince Dibble, director of CCIT.

Senators are still having difficulty finding the Senate Web Page. The address is <http://www.musc.edu/facsen/> Please bookmark it for future reference.

Other business

Jacquelyn Jones will be invited to a senate meeting in the near future to discuss various human resource issues, including time cards.

Reuben reported on the Presidential search. He explained that there are two committees. The Search Advisory Committee that is composed of faculty, administrators, and community members has the responsibility of reviewing all applicants. This committee must create a “short list” of desirable applicants that will be presented to the Search Committee. Reuben expressed satisfaction with the process and thinks the search process is effective and the pool of candidates of high quality. Guidelines for Presidential credentials and responsibilities are widely available and should be on the Faculty Senate web page soon.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 a.m.

The next meeting will be June 1 at 7:45 a.m.