COMMITTEE: Faculty Welfare

MEETING DATE: February 12, 2009

PERSON PRESIDING: B. Southard

REGULAR MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE: K. DuBose, A. Hegde, M. Nasea, B. Southard

EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE: L. Ingalls, S. Simpson, J. Toller

ACTIONS OF THE MEETING:

Agenda Item: Approval of minutes

Action Taken: Minutes of the December 11, 2008 meeting were approved as written.

Agenda Item: Proposed revisions to Part VI of the ECU Faculty Manual

Action Taken: B. Southard appeared before the January 27 Faculty Senate meeting on the proposed revisions to the Hospitalization Insurance policy in Part VI, Section II Welfare Policies. It was approved.

He wrote the Faculty Senate officers asking them to meet with the Chancellor about the supplemental pay policies.

Agenda Item: Mentoring

Discussion: This discussion continues from the December 2008 FWC meeting (please refer to December 11, 2008 FWC minutes). M. Nasea noted that many units had responded to the Provost’s request for unit mentoring policies. Some of the policies were formal and some were informal.

Additional Duties Assigned to: M. Nasea will write to the Provost to check on whether the FWC had received all of the policies that the Provost had. The Mentoring Subcommittee would then review the policies and prepare a report.

Agenda Item: Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE) Advisory Council

Discussion: J. Reisch attended the January 27 meeting of the Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE) Advisory Council as a representative of the FWC. He was unable to attend this FWC meeting, but he sent information about the CFE and the Council. The Council will meet twice a year and the majority of the members were administrators rather than non-administrative faculty.

Additional Duties Assigned to: B. Southard will check that J. Reisch is willing to be the FWC’s continuing representative.

Agenda Item: Faculty Salary Study

Discussion: B. Southard found it difficult to compare annual salaries. The online salary report does not represent the full salary and does not include the money paid to 9-month faculty for teaching summer school. Administrative stipends were included in last year’s report but not in this report. Grants might not be included in the same way.

The faculty raise was to average 3%; higher raises could come from vacant positions or non-state funds.

The Vice Chancellors receive spreadsheets that include salaries and stipends. They are interested in transparency and accountability and can make this information available to FWC members.

Among the salary issues the FWC is interested in are: how salary decisions are made, how salaries are set by rank and discipline, what is the effect of gender, and is there inversion or compression. Also, do departments with salaries that are above the 80^th percentile when compared to peer institutions receive the same percentage raise as do departments that are below the 80^th percentile?

Additional Duties Assigned to: J. Toller wants to establish a group (with members from the FWC and the University Budget Committee) to compare faculty salaries annually. He suggested that FWC members meet with Institutional Planning, Assessment and Research (IPAR; previously called IPRE) before or at the next FWC meeting. He will prepare a report comparing February 2008 and February 2009 faculty salaries.

Agenda Item: March meeting date

Action taken: Due to spring break, no March meeting date was scheduled. The Committee decided to meet on Thursday, March 19.

Agenda Item: Health Insurance

Discussion: J. Toller said the legislature must make decisions on health insurance. Either premiums or co-pays and deductibles must increase for next year.

Agenda Item: Budget Cuts

Discussion: J. Toller distributed a draft survey of work reduction options.

Additional Duties Assigned to: FWC members are asked to send J. Toller their comments.

Agenda Item: Parking Permit Fees

Discussion: B. Koch met with the FWC in December to discuss the proposed changes to the waiting list for the “A” permits and the proposed increase in parking permit fees. Since that time, the economic outlook for state employees has gotten much worse.

Action Taken: M. Nasea proposed and K. DuBose seconded a motion that the FWC Chair write to the Chair of the Faculty and B. Koch stating that the FWC thinks this is a poor time to increase parking permit fees since raises are unlikely and healthcare cost increases are likely. The motion passed.

Additional Duties Assigned to: B. Southard will draft the memo and ask for FWC comments before sending it.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:50.

Next meeting: March 19, 2009

Items to be discussed:

B. Southard will develop an agenda for the next meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

Melissa Nasea