The meeting was called to order by the Chair at 7:45 AM in Room 125 Gazes. A quorum was present.

MEMBERSHIP ROSTER:

APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Minutes of the September 7, 2004, meeting were approved. The approved minutes are posted on the Senate’s Web site.

MEETING PROCEEDINGS

I. NEW BUSINESS

This was the first meeting of the 2004-2005 term.   Kathy Chessman, Chair, welcomed all new senators.   Election of officers was conducted by Tara Hulsey, Chair of the Governance Committee.   Officers elected for the 2004-2005 term are: Kathy Chessman, Chair, Rick Albenesius, Vice-Chair, and Mary Mauldin, secretary.  These three officers will serve as members of the Executive Committee. In addition, each college will select a Senator to serve on the Executive Committee.

Dr. Chessman reviewed the accomplishments of the past year:

• Quarterly faculty meetings were held and topics included tenure, copyright, and a town hall meeting with Dr. Greenberg and Dr. Raymond.   The last faculty meeting for the year is scheduled for October 14, 2004.   This meeting will be a panel discussion by the deans regarding the top priority for their individual colleges.
• Revised Constitution and Bylaws were approved by the Senate.
• Process initiated to improve evaluation process for Deans and Department Chairs
• Feedback provided to Dr. Raymond and President’s Council regarding the contract process.
• Vision and mission statement written for the Senate
• Faculty handbook reviewed for needed revisions; working copy of handbook available online for senators

Initial goals for the 2004-2005 were introduced for discussion by Dr. Chessman:

• Work to improve return rate for evaluations of Deans and Department Chairs.
• Address issues of faculty development in MUSC’s strategic plan.
• Increase articles in The Catalyst and Dr. Raymond’s newsletter.
• Evaluate use of PACE and make recommendations to the administration
• Ratify the Constitution and Bylaws.
• Continue to represent the Faculty Senate at Deans Council, President’s Council, and education committee of the Board of Trustees.
• Complete revision of voting system since once completed, this voting system can be used for additional faculty-wide issues.
• Monitor and improve the election process.

Trident United Way

Kat Kostera from Trident United Way asked senators to encourage faculty in their respective colleges to contribute to this effort.

Update on Search for IT Director ,  Academic and Research Systems

Dr. Chessman provided an update on the search for the IT Director, Academic and Research Systems.   The position was advertised and applications accepted for approximately 4 months.   Dr. Frank Clark and Ms. Melissa Forinash screened the applications and there are three candidates currently being interviewed for the position.

Changes to Constitution and Bylaws

Dr. Chessman provided an update on the status of the approval of the Senate’s proposed Constitution and Bylaws.   A concern was expressed through the Deans’ Council regarding three issues. The first issue is the use of the words describing the Senate’s role with the administration.   The Senate agreed to incorporate the Senate’s vision statement instead of the wording in question.   The Senate also voted to include a statement that the President of the University serves as an ex officio member of the Senate.   The third change involved the change of the word “consult” to “consider” related to negotiation processes.   All recommended changes were voted upon and approved by the Senate.   The changes will be presented at the Deans’ Council later this month.

II. OLD BUSINESS

Dean and Chair Evaluation Process proposal

Dr. Chessman reported that a survey will be conducted of all faculty regarding the evaluation process for Deans and Department Chairs.   Dr. Chessman and Dr. Raymond are consulting on this process and the survey will be conducted online as soon as possible.

Request from Senator:

A senator expressed concern about US Senate candidate Jim DeMint’s statement that gays and lesbians should not be allowed to teach in public schools.   Dr. Chessman stated that she would bring the concern to the President’s Council the following day.  The Senate formed an ad hoc committee to study the issue, and Dr. Chessman will communicate with the committee following President’s Council. Senators who volunteered to serve on ad hoc committee: Elaine Amella, Paul Gold, George Johnson, Tom Smith, Laura Cousineau, and Walter Limehouse.

Patricia Grady, PhD, RN, FAAN, from the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) will give a presentation on November 1, 2004.   This presentation will be held in the auditorium of the Institute of Psychiatry from 4:30 – 5:30 pm.

The next Senate meeting will be held on November 2 ,  2004, at 7:45 AM in Gazes Auditorium.   The agenda will be posted on the Faculty Senate’s Web site prior to the meeting.

IV. ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 AM

Next meeting: 7:45 AM, Tuesday, November 2, 2004. 125 Gazes

Respectfully Submitted by:
Mary Mauldin, Secretary to the Faculty Senate