Meeting summary: Boulder Faculty Assembly

Editor's note: In addition to news coverage of meetings of the systemwide Faculty Council and Staff Council, the Faculty 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
April 28, 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.

Chair's Report:

• Severance Pay in For-Cause Dismissal – The Regents have agreed to postpone action on a proposed policy change until January, to allow further study and input from CU's four Faculty Assemblies.
• Budget Update: Senior Vice Chancellor and C.F.O. Ric Porreca – Highlights from the report:
• On the Revenue Side of the Budget -
  • Enrollment - The fall freshman class will be 5,500, up from 5,150. Retention has improved.
  • Fee Revenue - All proposed CU-Boulder fees have been approved by the Board of Regents except the Student Recreation Center fee, which the regents will review at their June meeting.
  • Tuition – Regents increased the tuition rate 7 percent for students taking less than the new, 11.25 credit hour flat spot in the rate schedule. The effect of the rate change and flat spot increase represents a 9.3 percent cost increase for those undergraduate residents taking a full load.
  • State General Fund Allocation – CU-Boulder may be able to manage the $8 million reduction for next year centrally (rather than at the school/college level). Some can be covered by some of the tuition increases. 2012-2013 will likely present a further shortfall and related reduction.
• On the Expense Side of the Budget –
  • Compensation – The 3 percent increase pool is contingent on campuses meeting budget projections. Heavily reliant on tuition, CU-Boulder must wait for student census results, Oct. 1 at the earliest.  Classified Staff will get no increase and must continue paying the temporary 2.4 percent to backfill the state's retirement contribution.
  • Health Benefit Costs – Costs are increasing 5.7 percent. Impact on paychecks will be more than that because CU cannot increase the amount of its contribution in the same proportion. Paycheck deductions will increase more than 20 percent on average, depending on plan.
  • Dependent Tuition – May be available as early as spring 2012, on a space-available basis.
• BFA Election: BFA Officers and At-Large Exec Committee reps for 2011-2012 are:
  • BFA Chair: Jerry Peterson, Physics
  • BFA Vice Chair: Bill Emery, Aerospace Engineering
  • BFA Secretary: Catherine Kunce, Program for Writing and Rhetoric
  • BFA At-Large Exec. Cmte. Reps: Marki LeCompte, Education; & Peggy Jobe, Libraries.
• Items of Business:
  • Motion to Amend BFA Standing Rules to Reinstitute Standing Committee Composition Rules.
    • Passed unanimously.
  • Motion to Amend BFA Administrator Appraisal Committee Policies.
    • After discussion the matter was returned to the Committee for further study.
  • Motion to Establish a BFA Committee to Represent Non-Tenure-Track Faculty.
    • Passed with 30 in favor and 12 opposed.

The next BFA meeting is 4-5:30 p.m. Sept. 1, Wolf Law room 207.

Meeting dates for next year are Sept. 1, Oct. 6, Nov. 3, Dec. 1, Feb. 2, March 1, April 5, May 3.