April 26 2001
Institutional Priorities Committee
Minutes of April 26, 2001
In attendance: Benedetti, Cavanaugh, Chambers, Gilbertson, King, Kramer, KrugerDivine, Lundergan, Meer, Myers, Peterson, and Stark
Absent: Brock, Fox, Oppenheimer
I. Review and Approval of Minutes
II. Announcement: Jean Purnell will visit on May 10th to discuss Sun Ray and related issues
III. Pat Cavanaugh updated the committee on offices and other facilities to be moved before the fall semester. Most of the moves and the remodeling will be done by Physical Plant. However, outside contractors are involved in the renovation of Hand Hall. He mentioned that The Pacifican Office will be moved, probably to the Philosophy Lodge, after the Humanities are relocated in the Italian Cultural Center. The new Biology building should be completed by August. McCaffery apartments may be used as a location for some offices during the transition, but there continue to be internet and handicap accessibility issues. Other temporary facilities are being investigated for this reason. Clearly it is important to keep the campus updated on these changes, but no news stories are planned. The projected costs of the moves currently exceeds the amount budgeted, but this will be brought into balance in short order.
IV. Moving along, Pat Cavanaugh discussed briefly the equity and longevity adjustments for staff, to become effective July 1, 2001. As staff not currently at the minimum for their salary range will be brought to that minimum or 1.5%, whichever is greater. All staff in grades 1-11 will receive an increase of either 1% or 1.5% depending on whether they are above or below the midpoint in their range. Those above the salary range maximum for their positions will not receive an enhancement from this pool, but are eligible for the annual merit increase.
V. Staff in Physical Plant, Public Safety, and Athletics will benefit from a salary increase pool of 1.25% that will be distributed at the discretion of department heads. Finally, one time monetary stipends will be given employees who have served over ten years ($300), over twenty years ($600) or over thirty years ($900. It was remarked that, since faculty are not eligible for these stipends, another form of recognition should be developed for faculty longevity. These increases will be funded by allocations already in budget recommended by the IPC for 2001-02.
VI. Jona Meer explained that the Board will consider options in setting the goal for the new campaign. Currently the discussion is focusing on goals between 150 and 250 Million dollars. With the help of a consultant and using guidelines provided by the Board of Regents, Jona and his staff have prepared lists of projects which would be emphasized depending on the size of the campaign goal. The campaign may be as long a seven years in duration. It was suggested that any projects which were important to units and/or urged by the National Commission, but which could not be included in the campaign short list would be mentioned on a secondary list to insure that they could be referenced should an appropriate donor be found.
VII. Pat Cavanaugh explained that approximately $700,000 of the bond funds obtained to support for the Italian Cultural Center project will be used for parking and landscaping. Some of these funds will be expended this summer to remodel parking in front of Price House and Casa Werner as well as behind John Ballatyne and Carter House. These projects will be timed to avoid conflicts with the 49ers camp. They will involve removing several trees, but Pat noted that these trees could drop limbs and cause other problems.
VIII. Phil Gilbertson asked the committee to consider the creation of a fund to allow units to hire minority faculty when they came available rather than having to wait until a faculty line was open. The Committee urged that the Provost consider such requests in the normal planning/budget process.
Meeting adjourned at 2 PM.