Executive Committee Meeting
Boulder Faculty Assembly
Minutes
September 8, 2003
Attending:
Barbara Bintliff, BFA Chair
Stein Sture, Vice Chair
Bill Waite, Academic Affairs Committee
Andy Cowell, BFA Academic Technology Committee Chair
Greg Carey, Secretary
Marguerite Moritz, BFA GLB Affairs Committee Chair
Jerry Peterson, At-Large Board Member
Rodney Taylor, At-Large Board Member
Mel Branch, BFA Faculty Affairs Committee Chair
Uriel Nauenberg, former BFA chair
Martin Walter, BFA Student Affairs Cmte Chair
Bill Kaempfer, Assoc. VC for Budget and Planning
Christy Yoshinaga-Itano, Acting Assoc.Vice Chancellor for Diversity and Equity
David Guenther, BFA Administrative Services Committee Chair
Mike Preston, BFA Intercollegiate Athletics Cmte Chair
Sierra Swearingen
Roberta Flexer, BFA Rep for Retired Faculty
Guest Speaker:
Tim Foster, Executive Director, CCHE
Media:
Jeff Dodge, Silver and Gold Record
Sarah Jane Wilton, Colorado Daily
Kate Larsen, Boulder Daily Camera
John Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News
Dave Curtin, Denver Post
Not Attending:
Mark Dubin, BFA Libraries Committee Chair
Ted Snow, BFA Academic Affairs Committee
Cathy Comstock, BFA AAP Committee Chair
Frances Charteris, BFA Minority Affairs Cmte Chair
Gail Ramsberger, Arts and Sciences Council Chair
Bob Hohlfelder, Budget and Planning Committee Chair
Lori Seward, BFA Committee on Women Chair
Clayton Lewis, Faculty Compensation and Benefits Cmte Chair
TBD, BFA Communications Committee Chair
A meeting of the Boulder Faculty Assembly Executive Committee was held on Monday, September 8, 2003 in UMC room 425. Chair Barbara Bintliff presided. The meeting convened at 3:30 p.m. and adjourned at 5:00 p.m.
A. Approval of Minutes
MOVED by Greg Carey and seconded by Mike Preston that the minutes of August 25, 2003 be approved.
The motion was carried without dissent.
B. Chair's Report
Chair Barbara Bintliff presented the committee with a copy of a letter reaffirming the principles of shared governance she drafted at the request of Baylor University faculty, who are at present discussing the merits and importance of shared governance. Hoffman, Byyny, and DiStefano will be receiving copies of the letter. Bintliff asked for a motion in favor of sending the letter. The motion was voiced by Walter and seconded by Preston . The motion to send the letter to Baylor carried.
C. Special Report
Bintliff introduced guest speaker Tim Foster, Executive Director of the Colorado Council on Higher Education. She thanked Foster for his support for the university and Quality for Colorado and added that this support was critical over the long term. She then presented Foster with a gift of Jim Collins' book, Good to Great, a work being read by campus administrators and faculty.
Foster asked that those present around the table identify themselves and their interests. After introductions he began his remarks by stating that the current priorities of the commission revolved around restoration of financial aid and improving the rate at which young men go to college. In answer to a question concerning the current economy, Foster stated that if corporate revenues were an indication of state growth, the Colorado economy saw increased profitability this past year. Foster told the group that they need to look at the minority graduation rates and minority retention rates and realize they are not where the CCHE would like them to be and that CU does not measure well against the average.
Walter asked if the political movement pushing for "balanced faculty" at institutions of higher learning resembled the quota system and whether Foster thought this political posturing. Foster claimed that he would prefer it not be political posturing and then went on to say that CU is lacking in diversity of viewpoints but that he did not know how to legitimately balance viewpoints. He went on to say that labels can be misleading and it could be interesting to debate other academicians on ideological grounds; the concern arises when statutory restrictions are applied on top of the discussion.
When asked whether Quality for Colorado was the realistic first step to achieve excellence for the University of Colorado, Foster stated that the program's premise of raising the cost of tuition does not necessarily equate with higher quality education. He then asked, how do you know quality and excellence in education when you see it?
Moritz asked whether the proposed UCHSC and CU Denver campus consolidations will become reality, and if so, the predicted impact on other institutions. Foster's response was that the process appears to be leading towards a merger, that it will cost money to effect the consolidation, and that President Hoffman to her credit has never stated that the merger would not cost more money. He suggested that this move could result in greater efficiency, and that at present the administration would be growing, not shrinking, in size.
In response to Cowell's remarks concerning differentials based on race and ethnicity and the recent Supreme Court decisions which appear to be moving toward outlawing differential responses to retention issues, Foster suggested that faculty read Justice Thomas' dissenting opinion on the matter.
Chair Bintliff asked what issues will be coming up in the next four to five years. Foster stated that the enterprise bill, college account bill, academic bill of rights, remedial assessments in high school to assist seniors be able to do college level work, and a non-citizen movement to increase eligibility for college education for non-citizens are all issues facing the CCHE in the coming years.
Bintliff asked if Foster had specific advice for CU faculty. Foster replied that faculty need to recognize that affirmative action has been an abject failure and that we need to be self-critical in terms of how diverse we are. He suggested that CU invite conservative academician Horowitz to campus to debate and discuss the issue of mandating conservative faculty be added to campus rosters.
Chair Bintliff thanked Foster for his time and willingness to attend today's meeting.
D. Next Meeting
The next regular meeting of the Boulder Faculty Assembly Executive Committee will be Monday, September 15, 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. in UMC room 425. At that time, copies of "The Academic Bill of Rights" and "A Resolution Concerning the Academic Bill of Rights" will be distributed to committee members.
The Chair thanked everyone for attending and the meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted by Martha Shernick, BFA Administrator
BFA Executive Committee Minutes Archive | BFA