Faculty Evaluation and Compensation Committee

Minutes as attempted by Elaine Baker

July 6, 2004

Members present: S. Denman, J. Dooley, M. Cornfeld, D. Van Horn, J. Sottile, C. Dennison, K. Wildman, L. Shao, S. Marra, M. McGuffey, E. Baker

1. Jim Sottile reported on the Board of Governors’ meeting where salary merit policies were presented. Much to his surprise, it was revealed that the WV State code does not require BoG approval of classified and nonclassified staff salary policies. Only faculty are required to have approved salary policies. Therefore, the merit “policies” of classified and nonclassified staff were presented to the MU BoG as information items only, and they were, in some opinions, extremely vague. By comparison, the faculty merit policy (when one adds the evaluation system being developed) is extremely complex. Mr. Sottile urged the FEC to stamp out complexity in evaluating faculty.
2. A discussion followed Mr. Sottile’s presentation. The CONHP approved form  for their evaluation system was handed out. A huge CONGRATULATIONS for being the first college to move into the new approach to faculty evaluation. Committee discussion was that all colleges should move to a final cover sheet similar to (identical to??) that provided by CONHP.
3. Now that all colleges have adopted their ranges for the various faculty role components, they can proceed with articulating the specific criteria for each component. To this end, FEC members will review the previously developed guidelines for the colleges to proceed, and changes will be approved at the next meeting.
4. The next “annual” report of the faculty will be in December, 2004 (covering the period August 2003-December 2004). From that point on, annual reports will cover the calendar year and will be completed in December. That evaluation will form  the basis for any merit salary increases the following academic year.
5. FEC members are to review the current annual report form to recommend changes that will allow it to be used in the new evaluation system. Changes suggested at the meeting were:
   1. Include student ratings somehow
   2. Allow planning page flexibility for the colleges
   3. Eliminate the part that asks for number of hours worked per week
   4. Develop a more comprehensive “Service” section
   5. Eliminate the enrollment and FTE data
6. A discussion occurred about the LCOB desire to use all salary money for merit (rather than providing 49% for “equity”).  They have been doing in the past: the committee felt this is an issue for the Faculty Senate to approve, not FEC. FEC members believe the LCOB faculty should once again vote on adopting this approach and should present the request (assuming that is the will of the faculty) to the Faculty Senate as soon as possible.
7. Last there was a discussion of how 2004-2005 salary increases were calculated. Anecdotal reports indicated that if there were faculty complaints, they were about equity, not merit. So there.
8. The interim recording secretary left the meeting at this point.

The next FECC meeting will be 8:30 am, July 20, 2004.