[Faculty] Nov 4 Faculty Senate Meeting [Summary notes]

Fri Nov 8 08:36:44 MST 2024

Dear CALES/CES faculty,
Please find a summary notes from the faculty senate meeting held on Monday, November 4th, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm via Zoom and in Old Main, Silver and Sage Room.
Zoom Recording of the meeting link: https://arizona.box.com/s/xypikopn45wdko3esv4r16bdiumw5y5s

  1.  Call to Order and Agenda Approval

     *   The meeting opened with a call to remember J.D. Garcia, a former faculty chair.
     *   The agenda was unanimously approved.

  1.  President Garimella's Comments

     *   Expressed commitment to faculty governance and collaboration, drawing on his faculty background.
     *   Highlighted his first month, focused on building relationships with faculty, staff, students, and community leaders, emphasizing open and authentic communication.
     *   Defined his vision for the university based on three pillars: student success, research excellence, and community engagement.
     *   Pledged ongoing alignment with Provost Marks and other university leaders, reinforcing a collaborative leadership approach.

  1.  Approval of October 7 Minutes
     *   Previous meeting minutes were approved with no revisions noted.
  2.  Open Session (Faculty Speakers)
     *   Faculty senators discussed various issues but did not make any formal decisions. Including CALES Senator Duarte Diaz on misguided Spending Authority limits for Cooperative Extension. Please see the message Duarte shared below.
  3.  Chair of the Faculty Report - Leila Hudson
     *   Emphasized the faculty's role in supporting administrative transitions amid financial crises.
     *   Advocated for continued shared governance as the university navigates financial constraints and aims to improve internal communication.
  4.  Provost Ron Marx's Report
     *   Provost Search: Marx confirmed that President Garimella plans to begin the search for a permanent provost soon, likely with an announcement next month. Marx emphasized Garimella's commitment to following through on this priority.
     *   Budget Updates: Marx shared positive news about the university's budget status. After pulling $110 million from last year's deficit, the first quarter budget review indicates that all colleges are currently operating within their budgets despite slower hiring since the freeze lifted. He noted a remaining deficit of about $50 million, down from $67 million, with plans for further fiscal tightening this year, hoping to stabilize fully by next year.
     *   Preparedness for Election Outcomes: In anticipation of potential responses to upcoming election results, Marx mentioned that deans and vice provosts will remain available for two weeks post-election to manage any arising issues. A response team is set to meet daily if needed.
     *   Dean Searches: The search process is underway for a new dean in Fine Arts, and Marx is working closely with the College of Law faculty as they prepare to begin a dean search following Mark Miller's planned departure.
     *   Provost Investment Fund: The fund was reinstated this year with a $1 million allocation, though requests totaled $13.5 million (87 applications). Marx will evaluate and fund high-priority projects with this amount, potentially adding more funds if feasible. Decisions to be made by December
     *   Transparency in Financial Challenges: Responding to questions about budget transparency, Marx committed to discussing with John Arnold about sharing clearer financial updates, particularly following Ernst & Young's insights into college revenue distribution.
     *   Deficit Reduction Strategy: With a still-present budget shortfall, Marx suggested that deans may need to prepare for potential cuts up to 3%, although he noted efforts to pull funds centrally to avoid college-level cuts where possible. Adjustments are ongoing, reflecting a goal to avoid across-the-board reductions.
     *   Academic vs. Financial Decision-Making: Marx highlighted instances where budget reallocations were made to ensure sufficient course availability for students, reinforcing a priority on academic needs over purely financial concerns.
  5.  Old Business
     *   Draft Resolution on Speech Rights and Responsibilities: Faculty Chair Leila Hudson discussed the need for a balanced policy on speech that protects faculty rights while respecting campus inclusivity.
     *   Department Head Queries on IT/HR Centralization: Senator Shufang Su raised concerns about the adverse impacts of centralizing IT and HR, highlighting staffing reductions and communication issues affecting faculty operations.
  6.  New Business
     *   Department of Dermatology Proposal: Dr. Clara Curiel presented a plan to establish a standalone Dermatology department, arguing it would better serve the community and align with similar programs. A formal proposal is forthcoming.
     *   Multi-Year Appointments for Faculty: Secretary Katie Zeiders advocated for multi-year contracts to support faculty job security, particularly for career-track faculty who seek stability within the Tucson community.
     *   General Education Priorities: Senator Susan Miller-Cochran outlined goals for refining general education, focusing on measurable learning outcomes and streamlined coordination across departments.
     *   Ad Hoc Gen Ed Committee: Senator Mark Stegeman's report highlighted challenges in general education, including advisor difficulties with course availability and mixed feedback on core courses. The committee plans to use a structured template to assess proposals, ensuring clarity and alignment with university needs.
     *   Campus Climate: Committee Chair Matthew Abraham presented preliminary findings on campus climate, discussing how systemic issues might be resolved by improving institutional support and communication structures.
  7.  Additional Reports
     *   Written reports were received from faculty and administrative committees without extensive discussion.
  8.  Adjournment
     *   The meeting adjourned promptly at 5:00 p.m.

Thank you for your continued engagement in shared governance within CALES/CES. If you have thoughts/ideas/comments on any of this, we welcome them (via email or our Qualtrics survey https://uarizona.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9RbcDDtNB6mha1E)

Best,
Bobby, Duarte, & Melanie
CALES/CES Senators

Message to the Senate Regarding Cooperative Extension (CALES/CES Senator Duarte Diaz);
Today, I wanted to discuss an important issue for me and my colleagues in Cooperative Extension: Central Administration has imposed a spending authority on Cooperative Extension funds, including capping expenditures on state-line funded programs. This is particularly alarming since it demonstrates the administration's has some lack of understanding of the land grant mission in delivering critical programs across Arizona and their lack of understanding in Cooperative Extension funding and allocation of state and federal monies.
Although extensions upper administration still believes that we will get the funds back (optimism that many of my colleagues and I don't share), the reality is that statewide programs are already being impacted in real ways across our state. This includes tribal extension programming being canceled or reduced, uncertainty in delivering 4H youth programming in the future, hiring freezes of extension staff and faculty, and canceling Agriculture and Natural Resources producer workshops
As your Cooperative Extension Faculty Senator, I feel it's my duty to alert you all to this situation. Our legislative mandate is to service our statewide community as part of our land grant mission. Yet, CFO Arnold doesn't seem to understand that withholding state dollars specifically allocated by legislators to our programs is not something he should do. This continued withholding of funds from Cooperative Extension is already having profound consequences on our statewide programming. And given that cooperative extension funds generate a return on investment of $5 for every $1 state investment, the continued withholding of allocated state funding to our programs will also have profound economic consequences.
I urge CFO Arnold to reconsider this decision immediately and eliminate all expenditure controls for state-allocated Cooperative Extension funds.

Robert M. Torres, PhD
Neely Family Endowed Professor
Roger & Nancy Huber Eminent Faculty Scholar
Arid Lands Resource Sciences, Associated Faculty
Faculty Senator, CALES<https://cales.arizona.edu/>
President-Elect, Association for Career & Technical Education<https://www.acteonline.org/>
President-Elect, The National Council for Agricultural Education<https://thecouncil.ffa.org/>
Fellow, The Bart Cardon Academy for Teaching Excellence<https://compass.arizona.edu/cardon-academy>, CALES
Fellow, Food Systems Leadership Institute<https://fsli.org/>, APLU
Fellow, American Association for Agricultural Education<http://aaaeonline.org/>
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