April 5, 2001 Meeting Minutes

Academic Council Minutes
April 5, 2001
2:00 pm Hunter Hall Conference Room

Present: Faye Vowell, Tony Macias, Dr. Noack (Dr. Harmon), Bertha Benavidez, Randy Neiderman for Katherine Woodard, Dr. French, Dr. Heiner, Dr. Milligan, Deb McCormick, Dr. Muncrief, Claudia Leonard, Donna Rees 

Handouts included: Department Head Evaluation form, Budget Request 2001-2002, Academic Affairs Operational Plan 2001-2002, Faculty Annual Update of Activities for 2000-2001, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs job position and Deming-Mimbres Education Center schedule for SS 2001 and fall 2001.  Dr. Vowell asked that handouts be looked over. 

• Quality Report:  Department chairs were asked to please make an effort to collect data earlier to meet deadline for Quality Report.   

• Summer Session:  Bertha asked if students were still going to be able to take 12 credit hours.  Yes.  Dr. Milligan asked how instructors were going to be paid for the summer session.  Dr. Vowell will ask Chris Casey or Virginia Manzano how instructors will be paid for the 2001 summer session.  Student concerns about summer session included the following: 
  

  • Questions center on financial aid.  Dr. Milligan says he tells them what he knows and will send them to Mr. Kelly.
  • Workstudy money is being identified for students who will not qualify for financial aid because of the change.
  • Pell impacted students who need the financial help need to let someone know.  Financial Aid is asking students to come into their office and are talking to them individually. 
  • We are trying to forestall people who do not hear about it and need the help,
  • Summer school evaluation forms will be given to instructors to give to students.  We need to see from students what works or doesn't work.  Dr. French suggested that it could be done at the same time instructor evaluations were done.
  • Dr. Milligan asked about salary cap for summer school.  Dr. Muncrief was asked by Dr. Vowell if he would meet with her and see what would happen if cap were raised for next year. A sub-committee of Dr. Muncrief, Dr. French and Dr. Milligan will  meet in August to discuss this.  They will look data from past summer session to make recommendation. 
• Assessment for Chairs:  This Form has been used before. Dr. Vowell asked if there were any procedures written around this and was told there weren’t.  These forms will come back to Dr. Vowelland be placed in a sealed envelope; there will be a folder with a chair’s name on it. Dr. Vowell  will do a summary and take out the identifiers.  They will be discussed when MBOs are discussed in the fall.
• Dr. French announced that Jolane Culhane had passed her defense on her dissertation. 
• The Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs position was discussed.  Dr. Vowell asked that comments  bet back to her  by 8:00 am on April 6.  Dr. French will chair the search.  Other two members of the search committee are Dr. Gilbert and Curtis Hayes. 
• Adjuncts:Off-campus sites are growing rapidly, some problems communicating with our office and chair departments.  Would it be useful to have a complete schedule instead of course authorizations?  Donna Rees will give a proposed schedule and then a definite schedule. Chairs need to have lead faculty in their area touch base with adjuncts if there is a syllabus change.  Chairs and/or lead faculty need to look at student evaluations on adjunct to see if same quality of instruction is being done as on-campus.  There was discussion on adjunct recognition. Dr. Vowell agrees that we need to acknowledge an on going relationship. Bertha asked what had happened to the adjunct documentation that she and Dr. Vowell had looked at.  Dr. Vowell says that when increasing adjunct salary she will have to look at the impact it would have on the overall budget and have individual conversations with people who use this budget a lot. 

• Budget 2001-2002: Governor has until noon April 6, 2001 to veto salary bill.

• Salary bill is 6.5% for staff and 7% for faculty.
• Monies not vetoed include ITV, Child Development Center and Extended Services formula.
• Utility bill is $200,000 more than budgeted.  We will need budget at least this much next year.
• Health insurance premiums will go up again 10% to faculty and staff, but also percentage that the university underwrites will increase.
• On the plus side, the Extended Services allocation is $115,000 more this year than last year.
• As you think of building the budget for next year, look at current budget and what you absolutely need to operate on next year.  Use the  form that was handed out.  If you have any special needs, equipment and travel , please put them down.  Dr. French asked about grad assistants and workstudies.  Dr. Vowell will add to udget request form.  No increase in supply budget.
• No special projects money, Governor vetoed this. 
• Extended Services:  1.  President needs to pull back $175,000 from budget to use centrally and on campus.  2.  Dr. Vowell and Donna met to discuss projects and set enrollment targets to increasingly try to make those classes profitable as consistent with    quality.   3.  Keep a better eye on budget so that money is not lost in the black hole.  Working on an Equipment Replacement plan.  4.  If we were to replace our computers every three years it would cost us $400,000 and our total equipment budget is $200,000.  Will have to go back and do something with the plan. Repeated requests for students to travel to present papers to professional organizations.  There is no money identified for this.  Discuss on where money could be made available. Discussion on how Student Government allocates fund.
• Student Government would like to have a representative at our meeting.  The group agreed to allow this. 
ITV discussion:  1.  Major quality control in Gallup Graduate Studies Center, telephone problem. 2.  No problems in Deming. 3.  Exploring with Zia Net on opportunities for wide area network to include     Deming, T or C, Gallup and Silver City. 4.  Need alternative way to deliver classes in case something happens.  Otto will try to videotape and have speaker phone setup and waiting.