Meeting summary: Boulder Faculty Assembly

Editor's note: In addition to news coverage of meetings of the systemwide Faculty Council and Staff Council, theFaculty and Staff Newsletter posts meeting summaries or minutes as provided by councils and assemblies at the campus level. To submit material, please e-mail Jay.Dedrick@cu.edu.

Boulder Faculty Assembly meeting
March 3, 2011

For more detailed information please visit www.colorado.edu/BFA to read the most recent minutes, reports, current motions before the assembly and other items of interest to the faculty.

I. Chair's Report:

• BFA Election - Balloting (ended) March 10. The BFA will then seek nominations for BFA officer positions from among current and newly elected BFA members. The BFA is also seeking candidates to represent the Boulder Campus at Faculty Council, the CU systemwide governance group.
• Severance Pay in Cases of "For Cause" Dismissal - The Regents are moving to eliminate this type of severance pay but Faculty Council has proposed an alternative policy to give discretion over severance pay to the P&T Committee. (The BFA gave its support for the proposed alternative.)
• Instructor Status. The Division of Faculty Affairs has proposed a system for instructor promotion in which instructors would be hired on a three-year letter of offer, renewable once, with a fifth-year review for promotion to Senior Instructor. Those who are not promoted would not be renewed. The deans (were to) discuss the proposal on March 25. It may be possible to implement it before May. The deans have been asked to seek input from faculty. The BFA encourages all faculty to provide it.

II. Special Report: Regent Joe Neguse – Neguse reported that budget issues are the largest thing on the regents' agenda. He added that he has proposed a Student Health Insurance task force to investigate cost savings from pooling students among the campuses. On the possible discontinuance of the Journalism School, he reported that the president will soon make a recommendation to the regents. Neguse welcomed faculty opinions as to both the process and the merits of discontinuance.

III. Resolution of BFA Support for Issues of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – The BFA approved a Diversity Committee resolution encouraging open dialogue about responsible citizenship both on and off campus, and expressing support for the chancellor and provost's work in diversity, equity and inclusion.

IV. Special Report: Athletics Director Mike Bohn - The highlights of the report:

• Athletics negotiated with ESPN and the Pac-12 to reschedule a weekday football game this fall to a Friday evening, based on input from the BFA Intercollegiate Athletics Committee.
• The new practice facility on the north side of the Events Center will reduce class conflicts for student athletes, as it eases competition for afternoon practice space.
• CU has negotiated the Pac-12's transition to an equal revenue-sharing model beginning 2012. The Pac-12 network may be able to cover academics and research on a time-available basis.
• Athletics is proud of its students' relatively high GPAs and graduation rates as a whole.
• Athletics' recent investment in assistant coach salaries will ensure CU has talented recruiters to get the kinds of student athletes who will perform well both academically and on the field.
• The donor benefit seating program will be finalized this year. Athletics has reserved Section 220 for those ticket-holders who do not want to make the required donation.
• Athletics is on track to pay off its $8 million loan from CU. All resources needed for that obligation are self-generated. Additional costs for increased assistant coach salaries have been more than covered by donations on the strength of CU's move to the Pac-12.

V. The next BFA meeting is 4-5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 7, in Wolf Law room 204.
Speakers include BFA officer candidates for senate year 2011-2012. All faculty are welcome to attend.