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Attendance:
R. Bacha, R. Bartell, L. Berkowitz, M. Casteel, K. Cole, C.D. Creagh, H. Darling, J. Downing, D. Eicher-Catt, R. Farrell, A. Fetterman, D. Folkers, C. Gaston, T. Getz, F. Haag, H. Hartman, A. Hasan, M. Jarrett, E. Jenkins, A. Kara, C. Kennedy, O. Kucukemiroglu, A. Landis, D. Latzko, F. Lugemwa, J. Nesbitt, L. Newcomer, D. Sarafian, J. Siddique, A. Siddiqui, N. Sloboda, S. Staton-Taiwo, S. Stelly, E. Wenk, J.J. Yu, S. Christ, H. Gumke, S. Ruch, L. Brewster, J. Emery, M. Grigera, S. Schaffer, W. Vangreen, D. Wulinsky, J. Chuinkam, R. Sefton, J. McCormick, and J. Rodney.

  1. Minutes
    1. Meeting started at 12:07 p.m.
    2. Minutes from the January 8, 2010, meeting were approved without comment
  2. Communications from administration, faculty, and committees
    1. Chancellor, Joel Rodney
      1. Dr. Spanier intends to give raises this year. Raises will be calculated using the average of the last two years’ performance evaluations.
      2. The academic year 2011 could be Penn State’s most unsettled budget year in the last century. There are three primary causes for concern: (1) the economy, (2) the rising cost of health care, and (3) the increasing cost to fund Penn State’s retirement plan. Right now, Penn State contributes approximately 4 percent to this plan. By 2013, this number is estimated to rise to 29 percent.
      3. Both Penn State and Penn State York are ahead of enrollment (compared to last year).
      4. Penn State’s Risk Management group is concerned about faculty bringing community members on Penn State sponsored trips. Do not bring minor children on these trips, even if a release is signed.
      5. Each year—and across all regional campuses—the faculty/staff will assess their local DAA’s job performance. The policy excludes dhancellors. However, J. Rodney wants Penn State York’s faculty/staff input. J. Rodney will use a variation of the 360-degree performance assessment for this purpose.
      6. Dr. Romano will be the spring commencement speaker.
    2. Director of Academic Affairs, Joe McCormick
      1. Update on searches: (1) the biology, chemistry, and business searches are complete; (2) campus visits for English’s tenure-line position have been scheduled; (3) fixed-term searches in chemistry and communication arts and sciences are ongoing.
      2. Please make your pre-March conference appointment with J. McCormick if you have not already done so.
      3. J. McCormick requests feedback from the Curricular Affairs Committee: What are the campus’s faculty staffing needs over the next three years?
      4. Discussion ensued whether the online FAR is still in its pilot phase or if Penn State has already adopted the tool.
    3. University Senators
      1. L. Berkowitz e-mailed a report that summarizes the activities of the University Senate.
    4. Faculty Council Representative, Emily Wenk
      1. E. Wenk brought up three issues that her committee is working on: (1) SRTE—especially the reliability/validity of delivering these assessments online; (2) the hiring and review practices of adjuncts and other non-tenured faculty; (3) delivery and advertisements concerning blended/extended courses.
    5. Faculty
      1. H. Darling said the Strategic Planning Committee needs feedback. Historical data (for the past two years) concerning course enrollment is available in an Angel folder.
      2. A. Hasan addressed concerns that physics lab 1 is being used as a storage area. Individuals should move material out of that room.
      3. F. Haag said the Faculty Affairs Committee is currently reviewing the peer-review process for tenured faculty. (Those reviews occur every three years.) One issue is that this time could be used to review tenure-line faculty, adjuncts, and so forth. Please e-mail Fred with any feedback concerning this issue.
    6. Staff
      1. The “Explore the Worlds” program is scheduled for March 6.
      2. W. Vangreen reminded the campus the CPR class registration ends on February 4.
    7. Student Government Representative
      1. J. Chuinkam, SGA0s Vice-president, reported two upcoming events: (1) the Asian Culture Club dinner on February 12, and (2) THON will be held the weekend of February 19.
    8. Senate Chair Elect, David Latzko
      1. No comments.
    9. Senate Chair, Jennifer Nesbitt
      1. J. Nesbitt reported that the Nominating Committee has formed. The Committee seeks nominations for the chair-elect, secretary, and counselor-elect. Self-nominations are welcome.
  3. Unfinished Business
    1. None
  4. New Business
    1. Election of University Senator: Candidates Mark Casteel and Bob Farrell.
      1. M. Casteel was elected.
    2. Building/Renovation issues (H. Gumke)
      1. The engineering wing renovation has begun. The proposed timeline is as follows: (1) the project will be out for bid this spring; (2) construction will begin around June 1, 2010; and (3) completion of the project will happen six to nine months after construction begins.
      2. The Nittany Success Center needs to be moved—perhaps to Room 106, Main Classroom Building.
      3. The Edward M. Elias Science building has passed the elevator inspection. However, a set of double-doors need to be replaced before individuals’ can take occupancy of the building.
    3. L. Brewster provided a report about campus security. One issue with the new computer scanning initiative is the current tool reports too many false positives. Penn State is working with a company called Identity Finder to address this issue. Penn State hopes to train individuals on this new scanning software by mid-February. Ideally, the software will be implemented campus wide by June 30, 2010.
  5. Adjournment
    1. Motion to adjourn was approved at 12:57 p.m.